Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Joseph White Papers, circa 1870-2010, bulk 1971-2008, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.whitjose
Creators:
White, Joseph
Dates:
circa 1870-2010
bulk 1971-2008
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1.7 Linear feet
1.61 Gigabytes
Repository:
The papers of Washington, DC, based painter Joseph White measure 1.7 linear feet and 1.61 GB and date from circa 1870 to 2010, with the bulk of the material from 1971 to 2008. White's career as an artist is documented through scattered biographical material, correspondence with family and friends, poetry, plays, exhibition catalogs, news clippings, source material, photographs and digital photographs of White, family, friends, and artwork.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of Washington, DC, based painter Joseph White measure 1.7 linear feet and 1.61 GB and date from circa 1870 to 2010, with the bulk of the material from 1971 to 2008. White's career as an artist is documented through scattered biographical material, correspondence with family and friends, poetry, plays, exhibition catalogs, news clippings, source material, photographs and digital photographs of White, family, friends, and artwork.
Biographical material consists of documentation on White's band, Twisted Teenage Plot, as well as resumes documenting his career as a painter. Correspondence includes five letters sent to White from various people, a few postcards from White to his wife, Renee Butler, postcards to his brother, Lito White, and postcards to White from fellow artist and bandmate, Michael Clark. Writings include plays and poetry in manuscript and typescript form. Several of these writings are illustrated. Printed material consists of catalogs and announcements for exhibitions of artwork by White, as well as newspaper and magazine articles about his career. Photographs include family portraits from the late 1800s and photographs from White's childhood. Also found are handmade books of digital prints of his paintings and watercolors. Source photographs for White's paintings depict people, places, and objects. Many of these photographs include grid lines and masked-out details.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 5 series:
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1973-2004 (Box 1; 2 folders)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1971-1999 (Box 1; 4 folders)
  • Series 3: Writings, circa 1970s-1990s (Boxes 1, 3; 0.7 linear feet)
  • Series 4: Printed Material, 1944-2006 (Box 1; 6 folders)
  • Series 5: Photographs, circa 1870-2010 (Boxes 1-3; 0.8 linear feet, ER01-ER04; 1.61 GB)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Joseph White (1938- ) is a painter in Washington, DC. White works with a grid system and photographs to create his paintings. In 1963 he received a B.A. from the San Francisco State University. He then moved to New York City where he exhibited abstract paintings at the 1964 and 1967 Whitney Biennials. In 1976 he moved to Washington, D.C., and focused on representational painting. He has frequently exhibited his works in Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY, and is included in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, and San Francisco Museum of Art, among others.

Administration

Author
Erin Kinhart
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Joseph White in 2010.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Erin Kinhart in 2011. Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2019 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Joseph White papers, circa 1870-2010, bulk 1971-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Resumes Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Washington (D.C.) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Typescripts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clark, Michael, 1946- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Butler, Renee Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
White, Lito Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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