C. J. Bulliet papers, ca. 1888-1959

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A Finding Aid to the C. J. (Clarence Joseph) Bulliet Papers, circa 1888-1959, in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

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Table of Contents:

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

Biographical Information

Known for his support of modernism, C. J. Bulliet spent the majority of his long newspaper career in Chicago. Born Clarence Joseph Bulleit in Corydon, Indiana (during World War I he changed the spelling to Bulliet to avoid any connection with Germany), he studied English, astronomy, and mathematics at Indiana University. After graduating in 1905, he became a member of the Indiana University Total Eclipse Expedition to Spain in its unsuccessful search for a planet within Mercury's orbit.

Upon returning to the United Stated, Bulliet began his newspaper career as a reporter for the Louisville Herald, soon moving to the Indianapolis Star as a police reporter and eventually was named its drama critic. Between 1912 and 1921 he traveled extensively throughout the country as a press agent for Shakespearean actor Robert B. Mantell. During this period, he published his first book, a biography titled Robert Mantell's Romance. World War I interrupted Mantell's tour for two years, during which time Bulliet was press representative for D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation. He returned to the Louisville Herald for two years before moving to Chicago.

In 1923, The Chicago Evening Post established "The Art World Magazine," a weekly tabloid section reporting local, national, and international art news. C.J. Bulliet became the magazine's first (and only) editor. In addition, he served as the paper's drama critic. When The Chicago Evening Post was sold in 1932, becoming The Chicago Daily News, Bulliet was appointed its art critic. Although Bulliet was an experienced reporter, writer, and editor with a broad general knowledge of theater and drama, he had virtually no background in art or art history. An avid reader, he was determined to learn as much as he could, and managed to make himself an expert in a relatively short time. From 1924 until his death in 1952, C. J. Bulliet was the most important art critic in Chicago. His strong support of modernism and the gossipy, entertaining style of his columns made him a popular and controversial figure with great local influence on public opinion, exhibitions, and patronage. In addition to his work on the Chicago newspapers, C. J. Bulliet contributed articles to Art Digest, The New York Times, and other national publications.

Once established as an art editor and critic, C. J. Bulliet began writing extensively on art, and published many books on the subject for general readers. The first, Apples and Madonnas: Emotional Expression in Modern Art (1927), was extremely well-received and remained in print through many editions. Other titles include: Tour of the Exhibition of the Works of Alexander Archipenko (1927), The Courtezan Olympia: An Intimate Survey of Artists and their Mistress-Models (1930), Art Masterpieces of ‘A Century of Progress' (1933), Paintings, An Introduction to Art (1934); The Significant Moderns and Their Pictures (1936), Masterpieces of Italian Art (1939), French Art from David to Matisse: As Set Forth in 20 Masterpieces of the French Exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago (1941), Art Treasures from Vienna (1949), and The Story of Lent in Art (1951). He published books on other subjects, as well. In addition to his 1918 biography of Robert B. Mantell, they are: Venus Castina: Famous Female Impersonators, Celestial and Human (1933) and How Grand Opera Came to Chicago (1940-1941).

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The C. J. Bulliet papers measure 34.55 linear feet and are dated circa 1888-1959. Biographical information, correspondence, writings, subject and artist files, printed material, photographs, and art work document the career of the influential Chicago art critic and writer. The records contain extensive information about art and artists in Chicago and the Midwest from the early to mid-twentieth century.

Biographical information about C. J. Bulliet and his artist wife, Katherine Adams Bulliet, circa 1888-1952, includes Adams Family genealogy, biographical notes, inventory and notes about Bulliet's art collection, miscellaneous items, and photographs. Photographs include portraits of C. J. Bulliet as a young child, and around the time of his graduation from Indiana University. Other photographs are group shots of Bulliet with Mrs. Bulliet, Millard Sheets, Mr. and Mrs. Peyton Boswell, Jr., James Chapin, The Chicago Daily News staff, and other Chicago art critics.

Correspondence, 1901-1942, and undated, documents Bulliet's professional and personal life. Professional correspondence provides a good overview of the art scene, activities, and attitudes in Chicago during the 1930s and 1940s. Many letters from newspaper readers contain both positive and negative reactions to his columns. Personal correspondence consists mainly of letters Bulliet wrote to his wife while on the road with Robert Mantell and his Shakespeare company. Other personal correspondence is with friends and relatives, and includes some letters addressed to Katherine Adams Bulliet.

Writings, 1929-1951, consist of notes, drafts, and final manuscripts of published and unpublished articles and essays, books, fiction and poems, lectures, and reviews by C. J. Bulliet. A small number of manuscripts are by other authors.

Artist files, 1919-1952, document a wide variety of artists from the Renaissance through the mid-twentieth century. Artists represented are American, European, and Asian; of particular interest are files relating to Chicago area artists, both well known and obscure. They consist largely of photographs of works of art and a small number of photographs of artists. A small percentage includes correspondence, notes and drafts of texts by Bulliet, printed material, and a few original prints.

Subject files, 1909-1952, concern topics that interested Bulliet. They consist mainly of photographs and printed material, with a small amount of correspondence.

Printed material, 1909-1959, by Bulliet consists of newspaper articles and columns, books, and art, book, and music reviews. Items produced by others include publications of art schools, books, clippings, museum publications, periodicals, and press releases. Exhibition related items, consisting of announcements, invitations, catalogs, checklists, and prospectuses are categorized by venue - Chicago and elsewhere.

Art work, 1916-1948, and undated, mainly by Chicago area artists, consists of prints, drawings, and a sketchbook, probably given to Bulliet by the artists themselves.

Arrangement and Series Description

Series 2: Correspondence, Series 4: Artist Files, Series 5: Subject Files, and Series 7: Artwork are arranged alphabetically. Other series, organized by record type, are arranged chronologically within each category, as noted in the series descriptions/container listing below.

The collection is arranged into 7 series:

• Series 1: Biographical Information, circa 1888-1952 (Box 1; 6 folders)
• Series 2: Correspondence, 1901-1952, undated (Boxes 1-2; 2 linear ft.)
• Series 3: Writings, 1929-1951 (Boxes 3-4; 2 linear ft.)
• Series 4: Artist Files, 1919-1952, undated (Boxes 5-24; 20 linear ft.)
• Series 5: Subject Files, 1909-1952 (Boxes 25-27, 37; 2.25 linear ft.)
• Series 6: Printed Material, 1909-1959, undated (Boxes 27-34, 36-37; 7.65 linear ft.)
• Series 7: Artwork, 1916-1948, undated (Boxes 35, 38, OV 39; 0.65 linear ft.)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

The papers were donated to the Archives in 1984 by C. J. Bulliet's son, Lender J. Bulliet. Additional records were given by Rockford College, Rockford, Illinois, in 1987.

How the Collection was Processed

Catherine S. Gaines completed processing the C. J. Bulliet papers in October, 2004.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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

Ownership & Literary Rights

The C. J. Bulliet 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

The C. J. Bulliet papers, circa 1888-1959. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Information, circa 1888-1952 (Box 1; 6 folders)

Photographs of Clarence J. Bulliet include studio portraits. Two, circa 1905, probably were college graduation pictures. Those of Bulliet with others include a portrait of him at about age 5 with his sister (?). Identified individuals in other group shots are: ; Mrs. Bulliet, Millard Sheets, Mr. and Mrs. Peyton Boswell, Jr.; Peyton Boswell, Jr. and James Chapin; Joseph Luyber and James Chapin; Eleanor Jewett, Frank Holland, and Copeland Burg; Chicago Daily News staff; Walter J. Sherwood; Copeland Burg and Lester Bridaham; and heavily tattooed wrestlers.

The file relating to the Bulliet Art Collection includes sales receipts, notes, and estate inventory records. Miscellaneous items include business cards and checkbooks.

The file concerning the Adams family genealogy includes both research correspondence and letters from family members containing relevant information. Additional Adams family letters are filed with Series 2: Correspondence.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1901-1952, undated (Boxes 1-2; 2 linear ft.)

Professional and personal correspondence consists mainly of incoming letters, with some carbon copies of Bulliet's outgoing letters. This series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Professional correspondence with galleries, museums, artists, arts and artists' organizations, and newspaper readers provides a good overview of the art scene, activities, and attitudes in Chicago during the 1930s and 1940s. Many letters are from readers commenting on Bulliet's newspaper columns (usually with an enclosed clipping of the column in question). Included among the correspondence are Christmas and other greeting cards, many with original artwork.

Personal correspondence is with friends and relatives with some letters addressed to Katherine (Mrs. Bulliet). The majority consists of letters written by Bulliet to his wife, 1912-1915, while traveling for extended periods, acting as publicity agent for Shakespearean actor and producer Robert B. Mantell.

A small number of family letters including genealogical information relating to the family of Katherine Adams Bulliet are filed with Biographical Information. In addition, small amounts of correspondence are scattered among the Artist Files and Subject Files.

Series 3: Writings, 1929-1951, undated (Boxes 3-4; 2.0 linear ft.)

Writings by Bulliet consist of notes, drafts, and final manuscripts of published and unpublished articles and essays, books, fiction and poems, lectures, and reviews. Within each category, material is arranged alphabetically by title. The few writings by others are arranged chronologically by author.

Additional writings, consisting of notes and drafts for reviews and columns are scattered among the artist files (Series 4) and subject files (Series 5).

This series is arranged into two subseries:

• 3.1: Writings by Bulliet
• 3.2: Writings by Others

3.1: Writings by Bulliet

3.2: Writings by Others

Series 4: Artist Files, 1919-1952, undated (Boxes 5-24; 20 linear ft.)

Artist files document a wide variety of American (including many Chicagoans), European, and Asian artists from the Renaissance through the mid-twentieth century. The files consist mainly of photographs of works of art and a small number of photographs of artists. In addition, a small percentage of the files include correspondence, notes and drafts of texts or writings by Bulliet, printed material, and a few original art prints. Printed items consist of exhibition catalogs, checklists, invitations, announcements, reviews, articles, and miscellaneous clippings.

Dates indicated are for theactual items in the folder. Many of the records in this series were on deposit at Rockford College for a number of years and are stamped "Rockford College Archives."