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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Alice Barber Stephens Papers, 1884-1986, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.stepalic
- Creators:
-
Stephens, Alice Barber, 1858-1932
- Dates:
-
1884-1986
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.3 Linear feet
- Repository:
The papers of engraver and illustrator Alice Barber Stephens measure 0.3 linear feet and date from 1884 to 1986. The collection includes letters, photographs, printed material, and miscellaneous items.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The papers of engraver and illustrator Alice Barber Stephens measure 0.3 linear feet and date from 1884 to 1986. The collection includes letters, photographs, printed material, and miscellaneous items.
Letters are from publishers discussing projects and fees, and by writers complimenting her work. Correspondents include Edward Bok, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Hamlin Garland, Ella Higginson, Herbert Hoover, Thornton Oakley, Howard Pyle, and Jessie Willcox Smith.
Photographs contain pictures of Stephens, her husband, and their house Thunderbird Lodge in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania. There are also photographs of amateur theatrical productions and of the dedication ceremony for Albert Laessle's monument "The Beaver."
Printed material consists of clippings concerning Stephens' work and her husband's collection of Native American artifacts, reproductions of Stephens' illustrations, exhibition catalogs, and a booklet about Stephens.
Miscellaneous items includes a manuscript "The Artist's Masque" by Charles H. Stephens, various notes, an inventory of furniture, Library of Congress receipts for works of art, and award certificates.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Alice Barber Stephens (1858-1931) was an engraver and illustrator active in the arts and crafts community established by William Price in 1901. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins, the Drexel Academy under Howard Pyle, the Pennsylvania Academy of Design for Women, and at the Julian and Colarossi Academies in Paris. Stephens is primarily known for her illustrations in Harper's, Century, and Scribner's magazines. She was married to the illustrator Charles H. Stephens and lived in a barn remodeled by William Price in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania.
Administration
Author
Caroline Donadio
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection is available on 35mm microfilm reel 4152 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory may not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Alice Barber Stephens papers were donated in 1988 by Stephen's granddaughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Starr.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Marina Pacini in 1988. A finding aid was written by Caroline Donadio in 2018.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Alice Barber Stephens papers, 1884-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Illustrators -- Pennsylvania -- Rose Valley | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Arts and crafts movement | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women artists | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women illustrators | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Laessle, Albert, 1877-1954 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Stephens, Charles H., 1851-1931 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Oakley, Thornton, 1881-1953 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Pyle, Howard, 1853-1911 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935 | Personal Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
