Sanford Robinson Gifford papers, 1840s-1900, circa 1960s-1970s, bulk 1855-1881
Gifford, Sanford Robinson,
b. 1823
d. 1880
Painter
Paris, France; New York, N.Y.
The papers of Sanford Robinson Gifford in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 850 images.
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Collection size:
0.8 linear feet
130 items
Collection Summary: The small collection contains circa 130 items that provide scattered documentation of Gifford's life, primarily extensive biographical accounts of his travels in the mid 1850s and late 1860s in the form of bound letters to his father. These serve as detailed journals of his impressions of Europe and the Middle East, the development of his painting, and his relationships with other artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Worthington Whittredge. The collection also contains sketches by Gifford, printed material including catalogs of Gifford's paintings, and photographs of Gifford and others.
Biographical/Historical Note: Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823-1880) was a painter from N.Y. Born Greenfield, N.Y. Studied at the National Academy of Design, New York. Elected National Academician, 1854. Studied in Paris and Rome, 1855-57; traveled in Italy, Greece, Syria, Egypt, Great Britain, the Rocky Mountains and Alaska. A Hudson River school artist.
Material on reels D10, D21, and D33 donated by Edith Wilkinson, 1955 and 1957. Sketchbooks on reel D254 lent for microfilming by the Vassar College Art Library, 1966. Material on reel 672 was donated by George and Frances Gifford Cummings, 1973. Material on reel 688 was lent for microfilming by Dr. Sanford Gifford, Gifford's great-nephew, 1974.
Reel 4994 copyprints donated 1964 by James C. Gifford.
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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- Read the Finding Aid for this digitized collection
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Also in the Archives
Related Materials
Five sketchbooks were loaned by Vassar College in 1966 and the originals were returned to the donor after microfilming on reel D254.Sixteen sketchbooks, photographs, passports and certificates, an 1888 European travel diary of Mary Louise Willard, wife of Gifford's nephew, Harold, and a 1966 letter were loaned by Dr. Sanford Gifford in 1974 and were returned to the donor after microfilming on reel 688. Loaned materials are available on microfilm at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan, but are not described in the container listing of this finding aid.
