Edith Emerson papers, 1839-1981, (bulk 1894-1971)
Emerson, Edith,
b. 1888
d. 1981
Painter, Muralist, Illustrator
Pa.
Collection size: 2.1 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 2 reels)
Collection Summary: Letters, notes and writings, art work, subject files, scrapbooks, photographs and printed material.
REELS 1186-1187: Four scrapbooks contain correspondence, clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, memorabilia, and miscellany concerning Emerson's artistic career; curatorship of the Woodmere Art Gallery in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania; friendship with Violet Oakley; and presidency of the Violet Oakley Memorial Foundation.
UNMICROFILMED: Biographical sketch; letters regarding the Theodore Roosevelt memorial window, and The Mural Painters; letters, 1919-1965, from Margaret French Cresson, Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott, Daniel Garber, Charles Hopkinson, Clare Leighton, Henry McCarter, and others;
an address book; a journal by Emerson's cousin, Mary Ingham, describing trips to Italy (1897), Yellowstone (1901), Holland, France, and Germany (1902), and Canada; an incomplete journal concerning travel to Great Britain and Germany (1928); notes on painting by Huger Elliott; a list of students at the Pennsylvania Museum School (1929-1933); notes on artists (ca. 1942); and a record of Emerson's exhibitions (1937-1970); manuscripts "Tales of Francis Joseph Fitz-Patrick" and "Cogslea Chronicles" (1943); 33 drawings and 3 annotated sketchbooks by Emerson, 1919-1954, including one on India, 1936; a painting by Jessie Arms Botke (1911); and prints by John H. Beatty (1908) and Anna Lea Merritt (1882-1912). (1882-1912).
Also, files containing letters, notes, photographs, and printed material on Cecilia Beaux (1930-1942), Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott (1865-1954), Thornton Oakley (1933-1953), Ruth St. Denis (1941-1943), the Moorestown Trust Company project (1925-1927), the Philadelphia Art Alliance (1924-1939), the WPA Women's Activities Division (1935-1938), and the Writers and Illustrators Exchange (1917-1918) and other topics; photographs of Emerson, her family and friends, including Violet Oakley, interior views of her home and studio at Cogslea, works of art, and models; clippings (1916-1981) and exhibition catalogs for Emerson, Violet Oakley, and others (1923-1969).
Biographical/Historical Note: Painter, mural painter, book illustrator; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born in Oxford, Ohio, Emerson studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with John Vanderpoel and Thomas Wood Stevens and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with Cecilia Beaux, Violet Oakley, and Daniel Garber. She assisted Violet Oakley primarily between 1917 and 1930 and shared her studio from 1918 until Oakley's death in 1961. Emerson served on the Board of Directors of the Woodmere Art Gallery beginning in 1940, subsequently becoming Curator. She was also a founding member of the Violet Oakley Memorial Foundation.
Material on reels 1186-1187 lent for microfilming 1977 by Emerson. The unmicrofilmed material was donated 1990 by the Free Library of Philadelphia, who had received it from Emerson.
How to Use this Collection
- Microfilm reels 1186-1187 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
- Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
- For more information on using the Archives’ resources, see the FAQ or Ask Us.
