Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Ilse Martha Bischoff Papers, 1893-1981, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.biscilse
Creators:
Bischoff, Ilse, 1901-1990
Dates:
1893-1981
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1.2 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of illustrator, writer and collector Ilse Martha Bischoff measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1893-1981. Found are scattered personal and business records, correspondence, pencil and watercolor sketches, notes and writings, printed material and photographs. Correspondence is primarily with family members and colleagues including Paul Cadmus and Jared French. Photographs are of Bischoff, her family, and colleagues including Paul Cadmus and Jared French.

Scope and Content Note

Scope and Content Note
The papers of illustrator, writer and collector Ilse Martha Bischoff measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1893-1981. Found are scattered personal and business records, correspondence, pencil and watercolor sketches, notes and writings, printed material and photographs.
Correspondence is primarily with family members and colleagues including Paul Cadmus and Jared French. Artwork includes pencil and watercolor sketches, and notes and writings consist primarily of typescripts of Bischoff's short stories. Printed material includes clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and miscellaneous printed material relating to Bischoff's European travel. Of special interest are photographs of Bischoff, her family, and colleagues including Paul Cadmus and Jared French.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 6 series:
  • Series 1: Personal Records, 1934-1938, 1955-1968 (Box 1; 3 folders)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-1981 (Box 1; 47 folders)
  • Series 3: Artwork, circa 1920-circa 1959 (Box 1; 1 folder)
  • Series 4: Notes and Writings, 1929-1975 (Box 1; 33 folders)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1929-1976 (Box 1; 15 folders)
  • Series 6: Photographs, 1893-1971 (Box 2; 20 folders)

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Ilse Martha Bischoff was born on November 21, 1901 in New York City, to Adele Maria Timme Bischoff and Ernst Bischoff, founder of the Ernst Bischoff (pharmaceuticals) Company of Ivoryton, Connecticut.
Bischoff began her education at the Horace Mann School, later studying costume design at the Parson's School of Design. At the Art Students League, she studied painting under Frank Du Mond and etching with Joseph Pennell. While at the Art Students League, Bischoff befriended painters Paul Cadmus and Jared French. She also studied art in Paris, France, and Munich, Germany.
From 1928 to 1946, Bischoff illustrated 12 books and wrote two novels about George Washington's Portraitist, Gilbert Stuart: Painter's Coach in 1943, and Proud Heritage in 1949. Her autobiography, Drive Slowly: Six Dogs, was published in 1953. She was also an avid collector of Meissen porcelain.
Bishoff's artwork is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Hood Museum at Dartmouth.
Ilse Martha Bischoff died December 5, 1990, in Hartland, Vermont.

Administration

Author
Jean Fitzgerald
Provenance
The Ilse Martha Bischoff papers were donated in 1980-1981 by the artist.
Processing Information
The papers were processed by Jean Fitzgerald in March, 2006.

Using the Collection

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.
Preferred Citation
Ilse Martha Bischoff papers, 1893-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illustrators -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Collectors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women authors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Writings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
French, Jared, 1905-1988 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cadmus, Paul, 1904-1999 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
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