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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Morton Traylor Papers, 1936-2003, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.traymort
- Creators:
-
Traylor, Morton P., 1918-1996
- Dates:
-
1936-2003
- Languages:
-
The collection is in English.
- Physical Description:
-
3.4 Linear feet
- Repository:
The papers of painter and teacher Morton Traylor measure 3.4 linear feet and date from 1936 to 2003. The papers document his career as an artist and administrator of the Virginia Art Institute through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed material, photographs, and scrapbooks. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs, slides, and albums of artwork by Traylor. Three scrapbooks document his education and early career through clippings, photographs, exhibition materials, and letters.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The papers of painter and teacher Morton Traylor measure 3.4 linear feet and date from 1936 to 2003. The papers document his career as an artist and administrator of the Virginia Art Institute through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed material, photographs, and scrapbooks. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs, slides, and albums of artwork by Traylor. Three scrapbooks document his education and early career through clippings, photographs, exhibition materials, and letters.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
- Missing Title
- Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1944-1996 (5 folders; Box 1)
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1943-2003 (7 folders; Box 1)
- Series 3: Writings, circa 1944-1991 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)
- Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1950s-1984 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)
- Series 5: Printed Material, 1939-1998 (5 folders; Box 1)
- Series 6: Photographic Material, 1936-1994 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, 5-6)
- Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1939-1956 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, 6)
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Morton Traylor (1918-1996) was a painter and teacher in Los Angeles, California, and Charlottesville, Virginia. Traylor founded and taught at the Virginia Art Institute.
Morton Traylor was born in Petersburg, Virginia, and studied art at Los Angeles City College, Chouinard Art Institute, and Jepson Art Institute. He also attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1947. From 1942 to 1946 he served in the U.S. Navy as a Radio and Radar man, spending time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1950 he worked as the personal assistant to artist Rico Lebrun, and during the 1950s worked in commercial art at several companies in California. After moving to Virginia with his wife in 1960, he taught at the Holden School of Fine and Applied Arts, and in 1966 opened the Virginia Art Institute in Charlottesville. The school closed in 1975. Traylor regularly exhibited his work throughout his career and won several awards. In 1985 Traylor and his wife moved to Days Creek, Oregon, where he continued to paint and exhibit his work until his death in 1996.
Administration
Author
Erin Kinhart
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 2012 by Nathan Simon, Morton Traylor's friend.
Processing Information
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Erin Kinhart in 2014. The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal processing tactics when possible in order to increase information about and access to more of our collections. Minimal processing included arrangement to the series, subseries and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with the original folder titles, but not arranged further. All materials have been rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners have not all been removed.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Preferred Citation
Morton Traylor papers, 1936-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Art -- Study and teaching | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Arts administrators -- California -- Los Angeles | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Arts administrators -- Virginia | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Art teachers -- California -- Los Angeles | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Art teachers -- Virginia | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Photographs | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Painters -- Virginia -- Charlottesville | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Scrapbooks | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Painters -- California -- Los Angeles | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Virginia Art Institute | Corporate 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
