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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Denys Wortman Papers, 1887-1980, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.wortdeny
- Creators:
-
Wortman, Denys, 1887-1958
- Dates:
-
1887-1980
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
2 Linear feet
- Repository:
The papers of cartoonist Denys Wortman measure 2.0 linear feet and date from 1887 to 1980. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, personal business records, writings, interviews, artwork, printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The papers of cartoonist Denys Wortman measure 2.0 linear feet and date from 1887 to 1980. The collection includes biographical material, correspondence, personal business records, writings, interviews, artwork, printed material, and photographs.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 8 series.
- Series 1: Biographical Material, 1913-1958
- Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1911-1980
- Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1921-1954
- Series 4: Writings, undated, 1918-1927
- Series 5: Interviews, undated, circa 1952
- Series 6: Artwork, undated, 1919
- Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1903-1978
- Series 8: Photographs, circa 1887-1956
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Denys Wortman (1887-1958) was an American cartoonist in New York, New York. Born in Saugerties, New York, Wortman studied engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology and at Rutgers College. From 1906-1909, he attended the Chase School of Art in New York City with Kenneth Hayes Miller and classmates George Bellows, Edward Hopper, and Rockwell Kent. Beginning as a landscape painter from the "Gloucester School," Wortman's career changed when his drawings of life as a sailor in World War I were published in the New York Tribune. From 1924-1954, his daily cartoons "Metropolitan Movies" and "Mopey Dick and the Duke" mirrored New York life in the New York World-Tribune.
Administration
Author
Caroline Donadio
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Denys Wortman papers were donated by Hilda Wortman, Wortman's widow in 1979-1983. Denys Wortman Jr., Wortman's son, donated the Craven interview tape in 1981.
Processing Information
The collection was processed shortly after donation. A finding aid for the collection was written in 2018 by Caroline Donadio.
Separated Materials
Thirty-five letters to Wortman from friends and colleagues (1910-1957) were microfilmed on reel 3014 and returned to Hilda R. Wortman after microfilming. Letters are from Gifford Beal, James Cagney, Stuart Davis, Guy Pène du Bois, Juliet and Pier Hamilton, Edward and Jo Hopper, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Herbert Satterlee, John Sloan, Austin Strong, Frank Sullivan, William Sulzer, Gluyas Williams, and Mahonri Young. Microfilm reel 3014 is available at Archives of American Art offices and for interlibrary loan, but is not further described in the container listing of this finding aid.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Conditions Governing Use
Unfilmed: Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Denys Wortman, Jr.
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
Denys Wortman papers, 1887-1980. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Caricatures and cartoons | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Cartoonists -- New York (State) -- New York | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Interviews | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
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