Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Marguerite Wildenhain Papers, 1930-1982, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.wildmarg
Creators:
Wildenhain, Marguerite
Dates:
1930-1982
Languages:
Collection is in
English
and
German
.
Physical Description:
3.7 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of California ceramicist and educator Marguerite Wildenhain measure 3.7 linear feet and date from 1930 to 1982. Found within the papers are biographical sketches; correspondence with patrons, students, and colleagues, including Eugene Anderson, T. S. Eliot, and Gerhard Marcks; writings by Wildenhain and others; designs for pottery and other artwork; one scrapbook; news clippings, exhibition catalogs, and scattered printed material. Also found are photographs of Marguerite and Frans Wildenhain, Pond Farm, workshops, exhibitions,and artwork, as well as two film reels depicting Wildenhain lecturing and in her studio. There is a 0.3 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2020 that includes photographs and negatives of Wildenhain's works of art, circa 1960-1970, (many in the collection of Forrest L. Merrill or Luther College) taken by David Stone and photographs at Pond Farm, circa 1980. Additional photographs are of Wildenhain and her works of art, circa 1950 (possibly taken by Otto Hagel).

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The papers of California ceramicist and educator Marguerite Wildenhain measure 3.7 linear feet and date from 1930 to 1982. Found within the papers are biographical sketches; correspondence with patrons, students, and colleagues, including Eugene Anderson, T. S. Eliot, and Gerhard Marcks; writings by Wildenhain and others; designs for pottery and other artwork; one scrapbook; news clippings, exhibition catalogs, and scattered printed material. Also found are photographs of Marguerite and Frans Wildenhain, Pond Farm, workshops, exhibitions,and artwork, as well as two film reels depicting Wildenhain lecturing and in her studio. There is a 0.3 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated in 2020 that includes photographs and negatives of Wildenhain's works of art, circa 1960-1970, (many in the collection of Forrest L. Merrill or Luther College) taken by David Stone and photographs at Pond Farm, circa 1980. Additional photographs are of Wildenhain and her works of art, circa 1950 (possibly taken by Otto Hagel).

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 9 series:
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943 (Box 1; 1 folder)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1940-1981 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)
  • Series 3: Writings, circa 1940-1980 (Box 1-2; 1.0 linear foot)
  • Series 4: Artwork, circa 1961-1969, 1975 (Box 2, OV 5; 4 folders)
  • Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1934-1963 (Box 2; 3 folders)
  • Series 6: Printed Material, circa 1932-1982 (Box 2, OV 5; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 7: Photographs, 1930-1976 (Box 2-3, OV 4; 1.2 linear feet)
  • Series 8: Audio-Visual Recordings, 1954, circa 1965 (Box 3, FC 6-7; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 9: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1950-1980 (Box 8, OV 9; 0.3 linear feet)

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Marguerite Wildenhain (1896-1985) was a ceramicist and educator in Guerneville, California. Born Marguerite Friedlaender in Lyon, France, Wildenhain received training in sculpture at the Berlin School of Applied Arts. She later worked as a designer for the Royal Berlin Porcelain Factory, leaving in 1919 to apprentice in pottery at the Bauhaus, under Max Krehan and Gerhard Marcks. After receiving her degree as master-potter, she was employed at the Municipal School for Arts and Crafts in Halle Saale, Germany. Fleeing the Nazis in 1933, she and her husband, potter Frans Wildenhain, operated a workshop in Holland before immigrating to the United States in 1940. In 1942 she settled near Guerneville, California, and established an artist colony known as Pond Farm. Following her divorce, she remained at Pond Farm and operated a summer school which lasted until 1980, training approximately 25 students each summer.

Administration

Author
Jean Fitzgerald and Erin Kinhart
Provenance
The collection was donated by Marguerite Wildenhain in 1973-1981. Additional material was donated in 2020 by David Stone, a student of Wildenhain.
Alternative Forms Available
A portion of the collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reels 5045-5048 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The collection was fully processed in 1995 by Jean Fitzgerald. The finding aid was written in 2011 by Erin Kinhart. Motion picture film reels were inspected and re-housed in 2016 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Marguerite Wildenhain papers, 1930-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Restrictions on 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.

Related Material
Also found at the Archives of American Art are the Marguerite Wildenhain exhibition records, 1977-1981, donated by the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art; an oral history interview of Marguerite Wildenhain conducted 1982 Mar. 14, by Hazel Bray; and the Frans Wildenhain papers, 1890-1986. Additional Marguerite Wildenhain letters to Gerhard Marcks are located at the Archiv fur Buldende Kunst of the Germanisches Museum, Nurnberg, Germany.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Ceramicists -- California Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Study and teaching Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women ceramicists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Motion pictures (visual works) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists' studios -- California Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns), 1888-1965 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wildenhain, Frans, 1905-1980 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Anderson, Eugene Newton Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Marcks, Gerhard Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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