Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-1993

• Collection Summary
• More about the Collection

View all 30 Image Gallery items from this collection

A Finding Aid to the Alfred J. Frueh Papers, 1904-1993, in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

Download PDF Version of this page

Table of Contents:

• Biographical Information
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Biographical Information

Alfred J. Frueh (1880-1968) was best known for his caricatures of theater personalities that appeared in The New Yorker from 1925 through 1962. In addition, he was a cartoonist, illustrator, painter, designer of children's furniture and toys, pop-ups, and cut-outs.

Upon graduation from the Lima Business College in his native Lima, Ohio, Al Frueh (pronounced "free") began farming and working in his father's brewery. He moved to St. Louis to live with relatives, and from 1904-1908 worked in the art department of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Frueh's 1907 cartoon of Fritzi Scheff, published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, so outraged the music-hall star that her St. Louis performance was cancelled and the attendant publicity made Frueh a celebrity.

Frueh traveled to Paris, London, Rome, Munich, Berlin, and Madrid in 1908 and 1909. During this period, he studied at various art schools in Paris, receiving instruction from Theophile Steinlen, Lucien Simon, Naudin, and Henri Matisse. Upon his return to the United States, Frueh settled in New York City. His tenure at The World was interrupted by a return trip to Europe lasting from late 1912 until late 1914. While abroad, he married Giuliette Fanciulli, whom he had met in New York. He remained with The World for another ten years, also producing other work for publication and exhibition. With a young family Frueh wanted a less hectic life so he decided to switch from a daily publication to a weekly one. Thus began his affiliation with a newly established periodical, The New Yorker. Frueh's work appeared in its 1925 debut issue until his retirement in 1962. Mostly he contributed caricatures for the theater section, but he also produced cover designs, illustrations, and on occasion wrote brief pieces for the "Talk of the Town" and "Notes and Comments" sections. In 1926 the Frueh moved his family to a farm in Sharon, Connecticut, where he seriously pursued a longstanding hobby of growing fruit and nut trees.

Alfred J. Frueh died in Sharon, Connecticut, in 1968, after a long illness.

Return to top

Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-1993, measure 4.1 linear ft., and consist of biographical information, correspondence, notes and writings, art work, printed material, and photographs documenting the noted caricaturist's personal life and professional career.

Biographical information includes birth, marriage, and death certificates, biographical notes, employment contracts, obituaries, and legal papers concerning patents and license agreements for toy animals and sheet material sculpture. Also included is a 1993 audiocassette recording of Frueh's children reminiscing about their father.

Correspondence consists mainly of incoming letters with a small number of replies drafted by Frueh interfiled. Most of Frueh's surviving outgoing letters are addressed to Giuliette Fanciulli (whom he married in 1913), her parents and his sister Minnie Frueh. Many of the letters to Giuliette and family members are illustrated. Also included are a large number of greeting cards (mainly Christmas cards) containing original artwork, from friends, artists, writers and colleague. The correspondence concerns both personal and career matters. Notable correspondents are: George Gershwin, Robert Henri, Mr. and Mrs. Elie Nadelman, Eugene O'Neil; Walter and Magda Pach, New Yorker editor Harold Ross, and Alfred Stieglitz. Other letters document Frueh's interest in nut and fruit trees.

Among the notes and writings by Frueh are six notebooks of miscellaneous jottings. Also included with this series are notes of ideas for art work, lists of caricature sketches, lists of plays and their casts, and address books kept by Alfred and Giuliette Frueh and by Giuliette and her mother (8 volumes). Notes and writing by other authors consist of lists of caricature sketches, a poem by an unknown writer, and 13 short stories by "Joe" with 6 illustrations by Frueh.

Art work by Frueh comprises the largest series. It consists mainly of caricature sketches, mostly theatrical, but some political, and a few of himself, wife Giuliette, and personal friends. In addition, there are greeting cards, paper sculptures, pop-ups and cut-outs, prints, and water colors. Also included are various sketches, drawings, designs, and patterns for cartoons, book covers, greeting cards, lamp bases and a shade, magic squares, paper sculptures, sheet material sculpture, toy animals, and wallpaper.

Among the printed material are articles by and about Frueh; book covers and jackets, magazine covers, and invitations, announcements, and a program cover designed by Frueh; caricatures, cartoons, and illustrations by Frueh; exhibition catalogs and announcements of Frueh's solo and group shows; and miscellaneous items.

Photographs of people consist of a studio portrait and informal views of Alfred Frueh, circa 1940s and undated, and of his daughter Barbara as a young child, circa 1919. Photographs of art work by Frueh are of caricatures, lamp bases, paper sculptures, and toy animals.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged into six series:

• Series 1: Biographical Information, 1909-1993, undated (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)
• Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1909-1968, undated (Boxes 1-2 and OV 7; 1.15 linear ft.)
• Series 3: Notes and Writings, circa 1912-1963, undated (Box 2; 0.25 linear ft.)
• Series 4: Art Work, circa 1906-1961, undated (Boxes 2-3, 6 and OV 8-9; 1.5 linear ft.)
• Series 5: Printed Material, 1904-1986, undated (Boxes 4-5, 6 and OV10-12; 0.9 linear ft.)
• Series 6: Photographs, circa 1919-circa 1960s, undated (Box 5; 0.2)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

The Alfred J. Frueh papers were the gift of his children, Barbara Frueh Bornemann, Alfred J. Frueh, Jr., and Robert Frueh, in 1993 and 1997.

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed by Catherine S. Gaines in 2005.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. research facility.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Alfred J. Frueh papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

How to Cite this Collection

Alfred J. Frueh papers, 1904-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Return to top

Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Information, 1909-1993, undated (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1909-1968, undated (Boxes 1-2, OV 7; 1.15 linear ft.)

Arranged alphabetically, correspondence consists mainly of incoming letters to Frueh, and some addressed to his wife, Giuliette; a small number of replies drafted by Frueh are interfiled. Most of Frueh's surviving outgoing letters are addressed to Giuliette Fanciulli (whom he married in 1913), her parents, and his sister Minnie Frueh. Many of the family letters, especially those written by Frueh during his time in Europe, are illustrated. In addition, Christmas cards are plentiful, with a high percentage containing original artwork by artist friends and acquaintances.

Series 3: Notes and Writings, circa 1912-1963, undated (Box 2; 0.25 linear ft.)

The series is organized 2 subseries:

• 3.1: By Frueh, circa 1912-1963, undated
• 3.2: By Others, 1933, undated

Subseries 3.1: By Frueh, circa 1912-1963, undated

Subseries 3.2: By Others, 1933, undated

Series 4: Art Work, circa 1906-1961, undated (Boxes 2-3, 6, OV 8-9; 1.5 linear ft.)

The majority of art work by Frueh consists of caricatures sketches. These are mainly of theatrical figures, but also include some politicians (primarily those participating in the Teapot Dome/Sinclair Oil trials, 1923-1929), and a small number of himself, Giuliette, and friends. Most caricature sketches are in pencil; many are on tracing paper, and the reverse sides those on drawing paper/brown paper frequently are covered with graphite for the purpose of transfer or making multiple copies. Caricatures are filed alphabetically by name, and those featuring several cast members are filed by play title. Additional art work by Frueh includes cartoons, drawings, pop-ups and cut-outs, greeting cards, watercolors; also, there are designs and patterns for lamp bases and shades, magic squares, paper scuplture, sheet metal sculptures and toy animals. Art work by others consists of several caricatures of Frueh.

In addition, Correspondence (Series 2) includes illustrated letters by Frueh and others. Most of those illustrated by Frueh date from his extended stays in Europe and are addressed to fiancé Giuliette Fanciulli and family members. There are also many Christmas cards and other greeting cards with original art work sent to Frueh by artist friends.

The series is organized 2 subseries:

• 4.1: By Frueh, 1920-1962, undated
• 4.2: By Others, undated

Subseries 4.1: By Frueh, 1920-1962, undated

Subseries 4.2: By Others, undated

Series 5: Printed Material, 1904-1986, undated (Boxes 4-5, 6, OV 10-12; 0.9 linear ft.)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1919-circa 1960s, undated (Box 5; 0.1 linear ft.)