Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Charles Allan and Alice Beach Winter papers, circa 1890-1949, circa 1974, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.wintchar
Creators:
Winter, Charles Allan, 1869-1942
Winter, Alice Beach, 1877-ca. 1970
Dates:
circa 1890-1949
circa 1974
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
6.7 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of New York City and Gloucester, Massachusetts painters Charles Allan Winter (1869-1942) and Alice Beach Winter (1877-1970) measure 6.7 linear feet and date from circa 1890-1949, and circa 1974. The papers include biographical material, news clippings, a scrapbook of illustrations by Charles Allan Winter published in Cosmopolitan magazine, original artwork, and photographic prints, acetate negatives, and 699 glass plate negatives of the Winters, their artist friends, family, and artwork.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of New York City and Gloucester, Massachusetts painters Charles Allan Winter (1869-1942) and Alice Beach Winter (1877-1970) measure 6.7 linear feet and date from circa 1890-1949, and circa 1974. The papers include biographical material, news clippings, a scrapbook of illustrations by Charles Allan Winter published in Cosmopolitan magazine, original artwork, and photographic prints, acetate negatives, and glass plate negatives of the Winters, their friends, family, and artwork.
Glass plate negatives number 699 and include images of the Winters at their home in East Gloucester, at dinner parties, and in outdoor scenes, with friends including artists Paul Cornoyer, Stuart Davis, Agnes Richmond, Paul Tietjens, John Sloan, and others. Also found are images of models and of Charles and Alice Winter posing as models.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as three series.
  • Series 1: Papers, 1898-1949 (3 folders; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Artwork, circa 1890-circa 1930s (7 folders; Box 1, OV 4)
  • Series 3: Photographic Material, circa 1890-circa 1974 (5.8 linear feet; Boxes 1-3, 5-17, OV 4)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Charles Allan Winter (1869-1942) and Alice Beach Winter (1877-1970) were painters in East Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Charles Allan Winter was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and studied at the Cincinnati Art Academy before spending over three years on a scholarship in Europe. Winter studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, France, and spent eight months in Rome, Italy, before returning to the United States to teach a portrait class at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, Missouri, in 1898. In 1901 he met Alice Mary Beach, who had begun studying at the same school, before moving to New York City that year and establishing a studio on 8 East 59th Street. The two were soon reunited in New York and married in 1904.
Alice Beach Winter was born in Green Ridge, Missouri. After moving to New York City in 1904 she studied at the Art Students League with John Twachtman, Joseph DeCamp, and George de Forest Brush, and shared her husband's studio on 59th Street. The couple worked for almost thirty years in New York as painters and illustrators, and collaborated with artists including John Sloan, Max Eastman, and Art Young, to establish the magazine The Masses. The illustrated socialist monthly published realist artwork that would come to be associated with the Ashcan school. Alice became the magazine's editor and was responsible for several of its covers. Charles painted landscapes and portraits, and was employed during the 1930s as a mural painter by the Works Progress Administration. Alice's illustrations and portraits of children provided income for the couple for many years, but she was also known for her large Impressionist landscapes.
Around 1910, the Winters began to visit Gloucester and Cape Ann, Massachusetts, eventually building a home and studio in East Gloucester and relocating there permanently in 1931. They were visited often by friends including artists Paul Cornoyer, Stuart Davis, Agnes Richmond, Paul Tietjens, John Sloan, and others.

Administration

Author
Stephanie Ashley
Sponsor
Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated in 1974 by Howard and Roger Curtis, executors of Alice B. Winter's estate.
Processing Information
Prints of the glass plate negatives and some of the acetate negatives were made at some point after acquisition in 1974. The glass plate negatives were re-housed in 2015 with a grant provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund. The collection was processed and described in a finding aid in 2018 by Stephanie Ashley.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
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
Charles Allan and Alice Beach Winter papers, circa 1890-1949, circa 1974. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters--Massachusetts--Gloucester Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painting, American Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Glass negatives Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women painters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cornoyer, Paul, 1864-1923 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Richmond, Agnes M., 1870-1964 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sloan, John, 1871-1951 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tietjens, , Paul Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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