Maurice Becker papers, 1906-1964
Becker, Maurice,
b. 1889
d. 1975
Cartoonist
N.Y.
Collection size: 2.4 linear ft. (on 4 microfilm reels)
Collection Summary: Letters, postcards, catalogs, sketches, photographs, and miscellaneous printed material.
REEL 96: Approximately 20 postcards with drawings, addressed to Anne Dubrow Friedkin and Mike Friedkin; clippings; catalogs; a photograph of Becker; and two sketches of Eugene Debs.
REEL 128: Correspondence includes letters from Becker's wife, Dorothy Baldwin Becker, and a letter to J.B. Neumann with a draft of Becker's will authorizing Neumann to sell Becker's paintings or distribute them to museums upon his death or incapacitation. Other materials include ca. 800 sketches and cartoons, many of which appeared in THE MASSES, the NEW YORK TRIBUNE, and THE LIBERATOR; 8 photographs of Becker, his family and friends; and a photo of paintings by Joseph Solman and Louis Harris.
REEL 128: Printed material includes an exhibition catalog for Peggy Bacon (1935), 24 copies of THE LIBERATOR (1918-1924), 3 copies of THE NEW MASSES (1927-1944), 31 copies of THE MASSES (1911-1917), and copies of LIFE, TIME, AMERICANA, THE ARTS (1928), THE BLAST (1917), GOOD MORNING (1919), THE ONE BIG UNION MONTHLY (1920), PATHFINDER (1932), THE WORKERS MONTHLY (1925), and HARPER'S WEEKLY (1913). The magazines have not been filmed in their entirety.
REEL 2786: A letter from Artists for Victory (1944) announces that Becker's painting was accepted for the Portrait of America exhibition.
REEL 4909 (fr. 712-714): A letter, undated, from friend and artist Elizabeth Lancaster. She writes of Becker's pictures and the influence his work has on others.
unmicrofilmed: 1 printed tabloid of Revolt, vol 4, 29 Jan 1916. various artists, conserved in 1986 (86.288) 10 X 13 in. 3 sheets encapsulated; various printed materials relating to Becker's career, sent for the purpose of entering into the Archives of American Art's "living artists file."
Biographical/Historical Note: Painter and cartoonist; New York, N.Y.
Papers filmed on Reels 128, 2786 and 4909 were donated by Becker. Materials on Reel 96 were lent by the Tamiment Library in 1971 and were selected from the Art Young papers given to the Library by Anne D. Friedkin.
How to Use this Collection
- Microfilm reels 96, 128, 2786 & 4909 available for use 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.
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