Clay Spohn papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk, 1890-1985

• Collection Summary
• More about the Collection

View all 4 Image Gallery items from this collection

A Finding Aid to the Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk 1890-1985, in the Archives of American Art, by Jean Fitzgerald

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
• Appendices

Biographical Information

Clay Edgar Spohn was born November 24, 1898, in San Francisco, to Lena (Schaefer) and John Henry Spohn. From 1919 to 1921, Spohn studied at the University of California at Berkeley, and from 1922 to 1924, he studied at the Art Students League in New York under Kenneth Hayes Miller, Boardman Robinson, George Luks and Guy Pene Du Bois. He also became acquainted with Alexander Calder at the Art Students League. In 1924, Spohn was employed as an assitant designer to muralist Ezra Winter. From 1926 to 1927 he studied in Paris at the Academie Modern, a school run by Fernand Leger and Orthon Fireze.

Returning to San Francisco in 1927, Spohn became an active member in the Bay Area art scene. The Treasury Department commissioned him, in 1938, to execute a mural for the Montebello, California post office, and in 1939, he completed another mural under the sponsorship of the WPA for Los Gatos Union High School in Los Gatos, California.

In 1942, the San Francisco Museum of Art mounted Spohn's solo exhibition "Fantastic War Machines and Guerragraphs", consisting of a series of drawings inspired by dreams of World War II. From 1945 until his resignation in 1950, Spohn was employed as instructor of drawing and painting at the California School of Fine Arts, where he befriended Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko. In 1949, at the California School, he organized a group exhibition entitled "The Museum of Unknown and Little Known Objects", in which Spohn's extraordinarily-constructed objects were a focal point.

Spohn moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1952, and participated in several national exhibitions. He was Visiting Lecturer at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, in 1958, after which he moved to New York City where he executed a series of paintings under the sponsorship of the collector J. Patrick Lannan. From 1964 to 1969, he taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

After a two year move to Taos, Spohn returned to New York in 1971. In 1974, the Oakland Museum sponsored a retrospective of Spohn's work.

Clay Spohn died in New York City on December 19, 1977.

Return to top

Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The Clay Spohn papers measure 19.9 linear feet and date from circa 1862 to 1985 with the bulk of the material dating from 1890 to 1985. The collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, business records, notes and writings, artwork, printed material, and photographs reflecting the life and career of painter and educator Clay Spohn.

Part 1 includes sketchbooks with annotated drawings by Spohn, writings including reminiscensces by Spohn, letters, clippings, and photographs of Spohn's artwork.

Part 2 includes biographical material; correspondence between Spohn and his colleagues; business records such as Spohn's general accounting records; Spohn's notes and writings on a variety of subjects; drawings and sketchbooks; printed material such as exhibition announcements and catalogs; and photographs of subjects such as Spohn, his family and colleagues, his house, and his artwork.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged into two parts. Part 1 was lent to the Archives of American Art in 1964 by Clay Spohn, and was microfilmed and returned to Spohn. Part 2 was donated to the Archives of American Art by Urban Neininger in 1978 and was partially microfilmed. Because material from part 2 was not processed until over three decades after filming Part 1, the overall organization is inconsistent. In general, material within folders is arranged chronologically.

• Part 1: Clay Spohn Papers, 1926-1963
• Part 2: Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985 (boxes 1-22, OV 23, 19.9 linear ft.)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

The material on reel D169 was lent for filming by Clay Spohn in 1964. The material on reel 5461-5474 was donated by Spohn's friend and the executor of his estate, Urban Neininger, in 1978.

How the Collection was Processed

Part 2 of the collection was processed by Jean Fitzgerald in 1998. The finding aid to Parts 1 and 2 was written by Jean Fitzgerald in 1998.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research. Use of unfilmed material requires an appointment.

Ownership & Literary Rights

Part 1 of the Clay Spohn papers was loaned to the Archives of American Art for microfilming and is subject to all copyright laws. Part 2 is 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. Part 2 is subject to all copyright laws.

Available Formats

Part 1 of the collection is available on microfilm reel D169. Part 2 is partially available on microfilm reels 5461-5474. The microfilm is available for interlibrary loan.

How to Cite this Collection

Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985, bulk 1890-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Return to top

Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Part 1: Clay Spohn Papers, 1926-1963, undated

• 1.1: Sketchbooks, 1926-1927
• 1.2: Writings, 1963
• 1.3: Correspondence and Related Material, 1939-1954, undated

1.1: Sketchbooks, 1926-1927

The three sketchbooks found here contain notes and annotated drawings made by Spohn during his stay in Paris. Sketchbook I contains a drawing of Hemingway's friend, Musgrave, at Le Dome, schematic drawings for a "portable studio," and notes about what to take to Giverny. Sketchbook II contains a self-portrait drawing and one drawing each of Musgrave and Duff Twisden, Hemingway's model for "Brett" in The Sun Also Rises, with whom Spohn became acquainted in the cafes of Paris. Sketchbook III contains designs for chairs and notes giving advice on art.

1.2: Writings, 1963

Writings consist of Spohn's reminiscences in the form of a 100-page letter to sculptor and art historian Mary Fuller McChesney. He answers questions about his career and describes, with words and drawings, his works for the exhibition The Museum of Unknown and Little Known Objects at the California School of Fine Arts in 1949.

1.3: Correspondence and Related Material, 1939-1954, undated

Found here is a letter from Reginald Vaughn discussing the acquisition of Spohn's Los Gatos mural for the Morrison Center for Rehabilitation, a letter from the W.P.A. office concerning exhibitions, and three clippings. Also found are twelve photographs of artwork (primarily Spohn's murals) including: the mural The Legend of New Almaden; mural for a post office in Montebello, California; a mural for Castro Valley community center; a mural Fireman Save My Child for Volunteer Fire Department in Carmel, California; scale drawings of Benimino Bufano's proposed statue for Twin Peaks, San Francisco; and the lithograph Greek Legend.

Part 2: Clay Spohn Papers, circa 1862-1985, undated (boxes 1-22, OV 23, 19.9 linear ft.)

• 2.1: Biographical Material, 1892-circa 1978 (box 1, 0.3 linear feet)
• 2.2: Correspondence, 1925-1981, undated (boxes 2-5, 4.7 linear feet)
• 2.3: Business Records, 1890-1983 (boxes 6-7, 1.6 linear ft.)
• 2.4: Notes and Writings, 1924-1985 (boxes 7-18, 10.8 linear ft.)
• 2.5: Artwork, 1926-1968, undated (box 18, sol 22, OV 23, 0.6 linear ft.)
• 2.6: Printed Material, 1894-1977, undated (boxes 18-19, 1.5 linear ft.)
• 2.7: Photographs, circa 1862-1977, undated (boxes 20-21, 0.5 linear ft.)
• 2.8: Artifacts, undated (box 21, 1 folder)

2.1: Biographical Material, 1892-circa 1978 (box 1, 0.3 linear feet)

Biographical material includes a variety of official documentation for Spohn and his parents. Documents concerning Spohn's parents include their marriage license. Documents concerning Spohn include his baptismal certificate, passport, the contents of two wallets, membership and identity cards, biographical sketches, two wills, and Spohn's death certificate. There is also a typescript biography of Spohn, "Life of a Painter," by David R. Beasley.

2.2: Correspondence, 1925-1981, undated (boxes 2-5, 4.7 linear feet)

Correspondence is between Spohn and his colleagues, including two letters from Alexander Calder, eight letters from Mark Rothko, and twenty-eight letters from Clyfford Still.

See index for an alpahbetical list of correspondents from Series 2.2.

2.3: Business Records, 1890-1983 (boxes 6-7, 1.6 linear feet)

Business records primarily consist of Spohn's general accounting records, account books, banking records, contracts, inventories of artwork sold, records of support from the Lannan Foundation, records concerning Spohn's house in Taos, and miscellaneous receipts for healthcare, travel, art supplies, photographic services, and shipping. This subseries also includes documents concerning the companies managed by Spohn's father, John H. Spohn, and the patents and estate papers of Spohn's brother, John H. Spohn, Jr. These can be found at the beginning of the subseries.

2.4: Notes and Writings, 1924-1985, undated (boxes 7-18, 10.8 linear feet)

This subseries contains miscellaneous notes and writings and includes 188 notebooks, address lists, a card file of book titles, Spohn's "Subject Location," "Index and Date," and "School of Visual Arts" files, and two typescripts by other writers. The miscellaneous notes and writings, and the notebooks, are concerned with various topics, often intermingled, such as teaching notes; lists of names, books, and groceries needed; financial records for art supplies; Spohn's thoughts on philosophy and art; dietary advice; annotated studies and calculations concerning the "trisection of an arbitrary angle"; notes for his unpublished literary work "The Book," (sometimes entitled "The Actual Book" or "The Truth Book"); and brief and incomplete drafts written either for writing class assignments or for "The Book."

Files on the School of Visual Arts contains class schedules, grade sheets, and 37 notebooks of class assignments, records of student grades, notes for lectures, lists of books for teaching, writings about teaching, and notes on art supplies for class.

2.5: Artwork, 1926-1968, undated (box 18, sol 22, OV 23, 0.6 linear feet)

Artwork consists of 557 drawings, including 27 undated drawings of Washington D.C., and 14 sketchbooks.

2.6: Printed Material, 1894-1977, undated (boxes 18-19, 1.5 linear feet)

Printed material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs for Spohn and others, exhibition prospectuses, reproductions of artwork, calendars of events, programs, brochures, books, and miscellaneous printed material.

2.7: Photographs, circa 1862-1977, undated (boxes 20-21, 0.5 linear feet)

Photographs are of Spohn and his family, colleagues, studio, house in Taos, exhibition installations, and artwork. There are also photographs of San Francisco, including six views of damage done by the 1906 earthquake. Colleagues pictured in the photographs include Marion Karnes, Urban Neininger, Jeanne Reynal, Louis Ribak, Alfred Rogoway, and Maurice Sievan.

Photographs of artwork for projects by Spohn picture the following: an entrance hall mural for Officers Club, San Francisco (undated); a cartoon for copper repousee sculpture for Carmel, California, Volunteer Fire Department (1936); a cartoon for copper repousee sculpture for Castro Valley Community Center (1937); a mural for Montebello, California, post office (1938); and a mural for Los Gatos Union High School (1939).

2.8: Artifacts, undated (box 21, 1 folder)

Artifacts consist of four military pins from Marion Karnes.

Index: Alphabetical List of Correspondents in 2.2

• Abend, George and Kitty Parker Abend (artists): 1950-1960 (4 letters)
• Abingdon Square Painters: 1958 (1 letter)
• Addison Gallery of American Art: 1958 (2 letters)
• American Artists' Congress: 1938 (1 letter)
• American Library of Color Slides: 1941 (1 letter)
• Anderson, Claude J. K.: 1958 (1 letter)
• Anderson, Wendell (poet): 1955-1956 (2 letters)
• Archives of American Art: 1964 (4 letters)
• Art Academy of Cincinnati: 1958-1959 (3 letters)
• Art Association of Newport: 1958 (1 letter)
• Art Career School: 1958 (1 letter)
• Artists Equity Association: 1950 (1 letter)
• Arts and Architecture: 1963 (1 letter)
• Art Students League: 1958-1964 (2 letters)
• Art Times: 1959 (1 letter)
• Art Workshop of the Rivington Neighborhood Asociation, Inc.: 1958 (1 letter)
• Ashton, Dore: 1969 (1 letter)
• Ayer, Phyllis: 1956 (1 letter)
• Bachels, Andrew: 1969 (1 letter)
• Barnett, Rici: 1973 (1 letter)
• Barron, John N.: 1966 (1 letter)
• Beasley, David and Viola: 1963-1978 (11 letters)
• Bender: Albert M. Bender Memorial Trust: 1947-1951 (2 letters)
• Bethers, Peggy: 1940 (1 letter)
• Blesh, Rudi: 1960 (1 letter)
• Board of Education, City of New York: 1958-1965 (2 letters)
• Booth, James W. (family friend): 1943-1956 (7 letters)
• Borgenight: Grace Borgenight Gallery, Inc.: 1965 (1 letter)
• Boru, Sorcha: 1932-1933 (12 letters)
• Brandenburg, Helen: 1970 (1 letter)
• Braunstein/Quay Gallery: 1977 (1 letter)
• Briggs, Ernie: 1967-1977 (2 letters)
• Bright, Beatrice: 1971-1973 (2 letters)
• Brock, Midu: 1954 (1 letter)
• Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture: 1966 (1 letter)
• Brown, Lesley: 1955 (1 letter)
• Burke, Bob: 1971 (1 letter)
• Burnham, Janet B.: 1950 (1 letter)
• Bute, Janey: 1971 (1 letter)
• Calcagno, Lawrence: 1969-1977 (5 letters)
• Calder, Alexander: 1970-1972 (2 letters)
• California Palace of the Legion of Honor: 1964 (1 letter)
• California School of Fine Arts: 1955-1964 (2 letters)
• California: University of California at Berkeley: 1940 (1 letter)
• California: University of California at Santa Clara: 1975-1976 (2 letters)
• Carewe, Sylvia: 1969 (1 letter)
• Carr, James F.: 1967 (1 letter)
• Chase Manhattan Bank: 1971 (2 letters)
• Chisholm, Stuart (landscape architect): 1925 (1 letter)
• Clayton, Janice: undated and 1965-1974 (6 letters)
• Clifton, Jim and Mary (owners of a Spohn painting): 1956 (1 letter)
• College Art Association: 1949 (1 letter)
• Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center: 1952-1970 (4 letters)
• Cooke, Regina: 1955 (1 letter)
• Cooley, Anne: 1941 (1 letter)
• Corbett, Ed and Steff, and Rosamond Tirana: undated and 1951-1977(47 letters, including a 1962 wedding announcement for Corbett and Tirana, and a letter dated Mar 21, 1963 enclosing a photograph of Ed with an amputated foot)
• Craig, Jeanne: 1963 (2 letters)
• Crawford, Jane and Ernie: 1958 (3 letters)
• Crehan, Hub and Anne: 1960 (1 letter)
• Crewe, Sylvia: 1969 (1 letter)
• Crews, Judson and Mildred (publishers of poetry magazine in Taos): 1952-1969 (4 letters)
• Cumming, Ann (and Jennifer Sutcliffe): 1956 (1 letter)
• Cunningham, Ben: 1950 (1 letter)
• D'Arcangelo, Allan and Sylvia: 1965 (1 letter)
• Dasburg, Andrew: 1961 (1 letter)
• DePuy, John: 1964 (1 letter)
• Diebenkorn, Richard: 1951 (1 letter)
• Dilexi Gallery (L. James Newman): 1965 (1 letter)
• Dixon, Budd (J.B.) and Peggy: 1954-1970 (5 letters)
• Dowell-Kahl Gallery (Leone Kahl, director): 1963 (1 letter)
• Drumm, Steve: 1953 (1 letter)
• Durham, Charlotte: 1968-1970 (3 letters)
• D'Vorzon, Berenice and Randal Goya: 1965 (1 letter)
• East Hampton Gallery: undated (1 letter)
• Edwards, Tom L.: 1945-1974 (2 letters)
• Egri, Ted and Kit: 1958-1971
• Elster, Grace-Marion: 1926 (1 letter)
• Ely, Georgette and Wolcott: 1958-1969 (38 letters)
• Finichel, Lilly: 1954 (1 letter)
• Forster, Bertrand Dixon: 1961 (1 letter)
• Forster, Paul and Else: undated and 1943-1974 (15 letters)
• Fort Worth Art Center Museum: 1971 (1 letter)
• Foss, Florence: 1958 (1 letter)
• Fran, Ford: 1971 (1 letter)
• Fryworth, Teressa (Terry) (Registrar at California School of Fine Arts): 1950-1978 (72 letters)
• Fuller, Mary: see McChesney, Mary
• Fuller, Patti (Ed Corbett's niece): 1955 (2 letters)
• Furse, Roger: 1928-1953 (4 letters)
• Gallery of Modern Art, Taos, N.M.: 1972 (1 letter)
• Garcia, Enos: 1954 (1 letter)
• Georgiadis, Alex: 1951 (1 letter)
• Gettell, Mrs. Richard Glenn: 1958 (an invitation to meet Col. George Lincoln)
• Gluck, Heidi: 1977 (1 letter)
• Gomez, Dorothy Massey (mother of anthropologist Bill Massey): 1950 (1 letter)
• Gomez, Joe: undated and 1971 (2 letters)
• Grant, Bob: 1953-1972 (2 letters)
• Grant, Carolyn: 1969 (1 letter)
• Great Neck Board of Education: 1960 (1 letter)
• Grimm, Marjorie: 1973 (1 letter)
• Grossmann, Nancy: 1966 (1 letter)
• Guggenheim: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation: 1953-1954 (2 letters)
• Harwood Foundation: 1953-1956 (2 letters)
• Harris, Roger: 1973 (1 letter)
• Hawley, W. R.: 1977 (1 letter enclosing an exhibition catalog "Unemployed Wizards")
• Heischman, R. L.: undated (1 letter)
• Hill, Dorothy: 1967 (2 letters)
• Hocks, Fred: 1952 (1 letter)
• Howard, Ellen and Galen: 1957 (1 letter)
• Howard, Robert Boardman and Adaline Kent (San Francisco sculptors): 1951-1955 (2 letters)
• Howard, Madge Knight and Charles H.: 1946-1954 (21 letters)
• Hultburg, John and Lynne: 1959-1974 (5 letters)
• Huntsville Museum of Art: see Braunstein/Quay Gallery
• Hurst, Tricia: 1977 (1 letter)
• Hutchinson, Mrs. D. H.: 1925 (1 letter)
• Illinois: University of Illinois at Urbana: 1952 (2 letters)
• Jackson: Martha Jackson Gallery: 1965 (1 letter)
• Jacobson, Art (artist) and Ursula: 1950-1960 (9 letters)
• Jonson Gallery: 1969-1970 (2 letters)
• Kadish, Reuben: 1958 (1 letter)
• Kahl: Leone Kahl Gallery: 1964 (1 letter)
• Karnes, Marion Watson: undated and 1947-1954 (80 letters from Spohn)
• Keeney, James: 1963 (1 letter)
• Kieve, Rudolph: 1971 (3 letters)
• King, Vivie and Rufus: 1977 (1 letter)
• Kingman, Dong: undated calling card
• Kuhlman, Walt: 1957 (2 letters)
• Kultberg, Lynne and John: 1965 (1 letter)
• Labaudt, Lucien: 1943 (1 letter)
• Labaudt, Marcelle: 1956 (1 letter)
• Landgren, Paula: undated (1 letter)
• Lannan, J. Patrick (The Susquehanna Corporation/ The Lannan Foundation): 1966-1971 (4 letters); see Personal Business Records for correspondence pertaining to the Foundation's support of Spohn, 1961-1962
• LaPlante, John (Stanford University): 1949 (1 letter)
• Lazarus, Rosalind: 1960 (1 letter)
• LeBow-Gould Associates: 1958 (3 letters)
• Lee, Martha: 1957 (1 letter)
• Lehman, Margarett: 1957 (1 letter)
• Letter Shop: 1956 (1 letter)
• Library of Congress Copyright Office: 1932 (1 letter concerning the trisection of an arbitrary angle)
• Lippincott, Janet (artist): 1955-1956 (5 letters)
• Lockwood, Ward: 1952 (1 letter)
• MacAgy, Douglas and Betty: undated and 1945-1973 (13 letters)
• MacAgy, Jermayne (Jerry): 1945-1948 (2 letters)
• Macdowell Colony: 1975 (1 letter)
• Machcinski, Barbara: 1971 (1 letter)
• MacIntyre, Carlyle F.: 1945 (1 letter)
• Maes, Virginia: 1941 (1 letter)
• Mare, Doris and Emil: 1969 (1 letter)
• Marse, John J.: 1962 (1 letter)
• Marter, Joan: 1977 (3 letters)
• Martin, Agnes: 1958-1975 (3 letters)
• Massey, Ellen DeSelms: 1940 (2 letters)
• McCarthy, Francis Joseph (AIA): 1950 (1 change of address card)
• McChesney, Mary (Fuller) and Mac: 1952-1977 (62 letters, including one dated May 21, 1968 decorated with a lizard skin, one dated Jun 08, 1973 enclosing a wooden Yalalag Indian good luck charm, and one dated May 26, 1976 enclosing a photograph of group and McChesney art work at Temko mansion in Berkeley)
• McCormick, Herbert: 1951 (1 letter)
• McDonald, Katharyn: 1963-1964 (2 letters)
• Merlin Development Company: 1962 (1 letter)
• Merrick, Barbara: 1975 (1 letter)
• Meyer, Fleur Cowler: 1968 (1 letter)
• Miller, Dorothy (Museum of Modern Art): 1952-1977 (8 letters)
• Moore Dry Dock Company: 1942 (2 letters)
• Murphy, Jack W. and Dori (owners of some of Spohn's work): 1951-1976 (7 letters)
• Mygatt, Tony: 1954 (1 letter)
• National Collection of Fine Arts: 1977 (1 letter)
• Neininger, Urban and Jeanne: 1950-1976 (48 letters)
• New Mexico Highlands University: 1958-1969 (3 letters)
• New Mexico: Museum of New Mexico Art Gallery: 1952-1957 (3 letters)
• New Mexico: University of New Mexico at Albuquerque: 1957-1970 (2 letters)
• New York City Transit Authority: 1962-1963 (2 letters)
• New York Saucer Information Bureau: 1962-1965 (2 letters)
• New York University: 1958-1960 (3 letters)
• Oakland Museum (Terry St. John): 1970-1977 (33 letters)
• O'Connor, Francis V.: 1979 (1 letter)
• Ohio State University: 1958 (1 letter)
• Oldfield, Otis: 1942 (1 letter of recommendation for Spohn for Albert M. Bender Grants-in-Aid)
• Olmsted, Frederick: 1943 (1 letter)
• Oregon: University of Oregon: 1974-1975 (2 letters)
• Ortman, George: 1964 (2 letters)
• Otto, Curtis, Roberta, and Adrienne: 1957 (1 letter)
• Oxford University Press: 1949 (1 letter)
• Parrett, Fred C.: undated and 1954 (2 letters)
• Peale, Norman Vincent (office of): 1975 (1 letter)
• Pepsi-Cola Annual Art Competition: 1947 (2 letters)
• Peterson, Arline? and Pete: 1955-1957 (2 letters)
• Petrovo, Miriam: 1961-1971 (11 letters)
• Pitney, Peggy and Ed: 1948 (1 letter)
• Queens College: 1958 (2 letters)
• Ramsay, Anna R.: 1954 (1 letter)
• Rankine, Vivie (Mrs. Paul Scott Rankine): 1964-1981 (5 letters)
• Remington, Deborah: 1963 (1 letter)
• Reminick, Harry: 1954 (1 letter)
• Reynal, Jeanne: 1941 (an invitation to a reception for Arshile Gorky) and 1952 (1 letter)
• Ribak, Louis and Bea: 1954-1976 (5 letters)
• Richards, Tally: 1971-1980 (5 letters)
• Ridiman, Bob: 1963-1970 (4 letters)
• Rogoway, Marjorie and Rog: undated and 1953-1968 (15 letters)
• Rosebury, Amy and Ted: 1954 (1 letter)
• Rosen, Michael: 1970-1974 (4 letters)
• Roswell Museum and Art Center: 1977-1978 (6 letters)
• Rothko Foundation: 1971-1975 (4 letters)
• Rothko, Mark and Mell: 1946-1958 (8 letters)
• Rusnell, Wesley: 1972-1979 (13 letters)
• Sachs Gallery: undated and 1968 (2 letters)
• St. John's College: 1969 (1 letter)
• Salzer, Oscar: 1955 (1 letter)
• Sanders, Una and John: 1975-1977 (6 letters)
• Sands, Louis: 1948 (1 letter)
• San Francisco Art Association: 1939-1955 (19 letters)
• San Francisco Museum of Art: 1949-1977 (18 letters)
• Saxe, Suzanne: 1972-1973 (2 letters)
• Scarpitta, Pat and Sal: 1968 (1 letter)
• Schneiderwirth, Joan (friend of Ed Corbett): 1955 (1 letter)
• School of Visual Arts: 1964-1970 (86 letters)
• Schubart, Pauline: 1950 (1 letter)
• Shoemaker, Peter (former student of Spohn): 1955-1958 (5 letters)
• Shiras, Mary: 1958-1965 (10 letters)
• Sihvonen, Oli: 1953-1977 (66 letters)
• Slivka, David: 1954 (1 letter)
• Smith, Hassel: 1948 (1 letter)
• Spoerri, John: 1965-1977 (10 letters)
• Stables Art Gallery (Leone Kahl, director): 1956-1965 (14 letters)
• Stanford University: 1946 (1 letter)
• Stephens, Dick and Carolyn: 1960-1965 (3 letters)
• Stevens: Arthur Stevens Book Club: 1968 (1 letter)
• Still, Clyfford: 1948-1968 (28 letters, including one dated Nov 1950 to Ed Corbett, and one dated Nov 29, 1963 enclosing a hand-drawn map to Still's home)
• Strehler, Allen (Sociologist): 1954 (1 letter)
• Summers, Al: 1952 (1 letter)
• Sutcliffe, Jennifer (beautiful English girl who passed through Taos with Ann Cumming): 1956 (2 letters)
• Sznajderman, Marius: 1967 (1 letter)
• Taggart, Bill, Sandy, and Sean: 1968 (1 letter)
• Taos Artist's Association (Taos Art Association): 1956-1964 (6 letters)
• Taos Realty: 1968-1969 (3 letters)
• Tatarsky, Hy and Muriel: 1952-1957 (2 letters)
• Tatarsky, Stephanie: 1963-1964 (7 letters)
• Taylor, Gene: 1925 (letter of introduction to Erskine Gwynne)
• Temianka, Henri: 1941 (1 letter)
• Tensan, Keith and Gene: 1957 (1 letter)
• Terrain Gallery: 1960 (1 letter)
• Terry Art Institute: 1951-1952 (7 letters)
• Third Street Gallery (Helen Kaye, Director): 1950 (1 letter)
• Thomas, Corine (owner of a Spohn painting): 1954-1957 (7 letters)
• Tirana, Rosamond: undated and 1958-1962 (10 letters); see Corbett, Edward for additional letters
• Van Duren, Allan and Betsy: 1953 (1 letter)
• Van Ingen, Pat: 1973 (2 letters)
• Varda, Yantoo?: 1949 (1 letter)
• Visual Arts Gallery: 1967 (2 letters)
• Vollmer, George A.: 1945-1948 (3 letters)
• Von Herberg, Charlotte: 1950-1958 (2 letters)
• Wakefield, Ruth Cravath: 1943 (1 letter of recommendation for Spohn)
• Wandell, Walt and Doreen: 1958 (1 letter)
• Wasley, Emily (aunt) and Sarah Rhoads (cousin): 1946-1955 (14 letters)
• Wehrer, Anne: 1974 (1 letter)
• Whaley, Bill: 1974 (1 letter)
• White, Minor: 1963 (1 letter)
• Who's Who In American Art: 1952-1969 (5 letters)
• Who's Who In The Midwest: 1959 (1 letter)
• Who's Who In The West: 1959 (1 letter)
• Willard, Charlotte: 1960-1967 (3 letters)
• Williams, Matilda A.: 1958 (1 letter)
• Wilmans, Margery and Steve: 1974 (1 letter)
• Winston, James W.: 1941 (1 letter)
• Wise: Howard Wise Gallery: 1962 (1 letter)
• Woelffer, Emerson and Diana: 1955-1958 (5 letters)
• Wood, Ralph: 1960-1970 (5 letters)
• Wright, Dorothy: 1926 (1 letter)
• Wurlitzer: Helene Wurlitzer Foundation: 1954-1957 (3 letters)
• Young-Hunter, Mrs. John: 1959 (1 letter)