About the Bessie Potter Vonnoh papers
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Biographical Information | Description of the Collection | How to Use the Collection
Biographical Information [+]
Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872-1955) was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Alexander and Mary McKenney Potter. In 1874, after the death of her father, her family moved to Chicago. Also at this time, she suffered from a series of illnesses that she did not recover from until she was ten. In school she enjoyed clay-modeling class and decided at an early age that she wanted to be a sculptor. Beginning in 1890 she studied with Lorado Taft at the Art Institute of Chicago and later became one of his assistants (known as the "White Rabbits") for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. She was also given her own commission for the Illinois building at the fair. After this success, Vonnoh opened her own studio in Chicago and made plaster figurines of society women, friends, and their children. She visited New York and took her first trip to Paris in 1895, visiting the studios of many eminent sculptors such as Auguste Rodin. Her work was influenced by the American Impressionist movement, depicted in one of her most famous works, Young Mother. This piece was exhibited in the National Sculpture Society exhibition of 1898 and led to several public sculpture commissions. READ MORE
Description of the Collection
Overview - Scope and Contents
The papers of sculptor Bessie Potter Vonnoh measure 0.8 linear feet and date from circa 1860 to 1991, with the bulk of material dating from 1890 to 1955. The scattered papers document the personal life and career of Bessie Potter Vonnoh, and, to a lesser degree, her husband, painter Robert William Vonnoh. Found within the papers are Vonnoh family correspondence, including letters between Bessie and Robert, and primarily Bessie's professional and personal correspondence. There is one folder of correspondence of Robert William Vonnoh. Bessie's correspondents include Daniel Chester French, Hamlin Garland, Rupert Hughes, Archer Huntington, Larkin G. Mead, Jean Francois Raffaelli, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and others. Robert's correspondents include Charles M. Carter, Daniel Chester French, William M. R. French, and Charles Vezin. The collection also contains scattered biographical materials, photographs of Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Robert William Vonnoh, a photograph album, photographs of artwork, clippings, exhibition catalogs, and other printed material.
Arrangement and Series Description
The collection is arranged into 4 series:
- Series 1: Biographical Material, 1922-1955 (Box 1; 5 folders)
- Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1863-1985 (Box 1; 11 folders)
- Series 3: Photographs, circa 1860-1950 (Box 1-2; 0.4 linear feet)
- Series 4: Printed Material, 1901-1991 (Box 2; 9 folders)
Subjects
This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Archives of American Art under the following index terms. People, families and organizations are listed under "Subjects" when they are the topic of collection contents and under "Names" when they are creators or contributors.
- Subjects-Topical:
- Women sculptors -- New York (State)-- New York
- Painters -- New York (State)-- New York
- Landscape painters -- New York (State) -- New York
- Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York
- Artist couples
- Types of Materials:
- Photographs
- Names:
- Carter, Charles M., 1853-1929
- French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931
- French, William M. R. (William Merchant Richardson), 1843-1914
- Garland, Hamlin, 1860-1940
- Hughes, Rupert, 1872-1956
- Huntington, Archer M., 1870-1955
- Mead, Larkin G. (Larkin Goldsmith), 1835-1910
- Raffaëlli, Jean François, 1850-1924
- Skinner, Cornelia Otis, 1901-
- Vezin, Charles, 1858-1942
- Vonnoh, Robert William, 1858-1933
Provenance
The collection was donated in 1995 by Lulette Jenness Thompson, a cousin of Bessie Potter Vonnoh.
How the Collection was Processed
The Bessie Potter Vonnoh papers received a preliminary level of processing in 1996, and were fully processed by Erin Corley in 2006 and digitized in 2007 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
How to Use the Collection
Restrictions on Use
The Bessie Potter Vonnoh 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.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Available Formats
This collection has been digitized. View the Bessie Potter Vonnoh papers online
The collection was digitized in 2007 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website.
How to Cite this Collection
Bessie Potter Vonnoh papers, circa 1860-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.