Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Archives of American Art
Isabel Lydia Whitney papers
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.whitisab
- Creators:
-
Whitney, Isabel Lydia, 1884-1962
- Dates:
-
1832-1973
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
37 Items(on partial microfilm reel)
- Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
2 notebooks, one labeled "Paintings/Watercolor/Landscapes" (79 pages) and the other "Decoration/Fresco/Drawings/Misc./Oils" (129 pages) containing titles and descriptions of works completed; lists of works exhibited at the Society of Independent Artists, 1917-1941; 3 exhibition catalogs and announcements, undated, 1963-1964; 2 scrapbooks containing correspondence and articles associated with Ms. Whitney; 1 album of 34 photographs of Ms. Whitney from infancy to young adulthood, of her family and friends, and of her murals; 2 samples of floral fabric designs and 1 sample of wallpaper designed for Katzenbach & Warren, Inc.
Scope and Contents
3 watercolor studies for murals; 1 pen and ink drawing of the trademark for Whitney Work Stop Motion Silk; 18 photographs of Ms. Whitney, her family, and works of art; and 3 letters from Dawn Langley Simmons to Robert Coggins regarding Ms. Whitney's paintings, 1972-1973.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Painter. Known as the first woman fresco painter in America. Studied at Pratt Institute. Using Cennino Cennini's fifteenth century book on fresco painting as a guide, Ms. Whitney devised her own fresco formulas that could better endure the harsh New York climate. Her career as a fresco painter ended, however, after a crippling fall but she was to continue to work in watercolors and oils. Ms. Whitney also decorated homes of the famous, restored old houses, and designed wallpaper (including restoration of the Williamsburg prints). She exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum, Fifteen Gallery, Pen & Brush Club, and others.
Biographical / Historical
Ms. Whitney is a direct descendant of William Penn and Eli Whitney.
Administration
Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reel 3615 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals returned to Robert Coggins after microfilming.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Lent for microfilming 1985 by Robert P. Coggins.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mural painting and decoration -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Texile design -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Women artists | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Decorative arts | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Scrapbooks | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Muralists -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Textile designers -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Simmons, Dawn Langley | 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
