Archives of American Art

Edwin Lord Weeks papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.weekedwi
Creators:
Weeks, Edwin Lord
Dates:
[ca. 1885-1976]
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.8 Linear feet
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Paintings in watercolor (18), oil (54), and drawings in graphite (5), pen and ink (3), and pastel (1), capture the exoticism of Weeks' travel in the Near East and North Africa, his interest in medieval armour and love of the New England seashore. Also included are a family crest; animal studies; a 3 p. typescript titled "Cairo Notes"; a 3 p. account of travel to the Cedars of Lebanon via Beirut and Akora; photographs of Weeks in costume and at home in Paris, his work, and the family grocery store in Boston; travel photographs; an exhibition catalog; and clippings.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Painter, illustrator, author, photographer, explorer; Paris, France. Born in Boston, Mass. and raised in Newtonville, Mass., Weeks studied in the American public school system and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, with Gerome and Bonnat. He married his cousin Frances Rollins Hale and was a close friend of illustrator Frank T. Merrill. Weeks travelled extensively in Egypt, Jerusalem, Damascus and Morocco, maintaining a studio in Paris and frequenting South Berwick, Maine where his sister Mrs. W.A.H. (Minnie) Goodwin and her family lived. His specialty was North African orientalist genre painting.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Mervin Bronson 1991 "in memory of Burton W.F. Trafton, Jr." Bronson received the material from his friend Trafton, a distant descendant of Weeks. Many of the artworks and photographs are labelled "Elizabeth Goodwin," who was presumably Weeks' niece.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Heraldry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Exoticism in art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cedar of Lebanon -- Description and Travel Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cairo (Egypt) -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Morocco -- Pictorial works Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa, North -- Pictorial works Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Watercolorists Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illustrators Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- France -- Paris Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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