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Agnes Pelton papers, 1885-1989

Agnes Pelton papers, 1885-1989

Pelton, Agnes, 1881-1961

Painter

Collection Information

Size: 1.8 linear feet

Summary: The papers of painter Agnes Pelton measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1885-1989. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, many addressed to Jane Levington Comfort; writings; printed material; 3 mixed media scrapbooks; artwork, including loose sketches and 9 sketchbooks; and photographs of Pelton, her family and friends, and her work.

Biographical/Historical Note

Painter Agnes Pelton (1881-1961) lived and worked in Long Island, New York and Cathedral City, California and is known for her desert landscapes, portraits, and abstract paintings.

Provenance

The Agnes Pelton papers were assembled by Cornelia and Irving Sussman for a biography of Agnes Pelton. They were donated to the Archives by gallery director Jan Rindfleisch on behalf of the Sussmans, in 1984. In 1997, circa 162 letters from Agnes Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort, that are now part of this collection, were bequeathed to Cornelia and Irving Sussman by Jane Levington Comfort through Joan Crisci, the executor of Comfort's estate, and donated to the Archives.

Funding

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

A Finding Aid to the Agnes Pelton Papers, 1885-1989, in the Archives of American Art
AAA.peltagne
Author
Finding aid prepared by Judy Ng
Biographical/Historical note
Painter Agnes Pelton (1881-1961) lived and worked in Long Island, New York and Cathedral City, California and is known for her desert landscapes, portraits, and abstract paintings.
Born in Stuttgart, Germany to William and Florence Pelton, Pelton and her mother relocated to New York after her father's death in 1890. Her mother, who had studied music at the Stuttgart Conservatory, opened the Pelton School of Music in Brooklyn, which remained in operation for 30 years. Pelton began her art studies at the Pratt Institute in 1895 and continued working with one of her instructors, Arthur Dow, at his summer school in Ipswich, Massachusetts after her graduation in 1900. She later worked with William Langson Lathrop and Hamilton Field, and traveled abroad to attend the British Academy in Rome in 1910 and 1911.
In 1912, after seeing her work in an exhibition in Hamilton Field's studio in Ogunquit, Maine, Walt Kuhn invited Pelton to participate in the 1913 Armory Show. During her early career, Pelton created works that were primarily influenced by Davies's philosophy on the effect of natural light, and which she termed "Imaginative Paintings." After a visit to New Mexico in 1919, Pelton began shifting to another style of painting, focusing on Southwestern landscapes and figurative portraits, which she continued from her studios in New York City and Long Island. In 1932, Pelton moved to Cathedral City, California and began painting abstract works in a new stylistic phase, which were visual explorations of her growing interest in spirituality and philosophy. In 1938, she became a founding member of the Transcendental Painting Group, which included Raymond Jonson and Emil Bisttram. Pelton died in Cathedral City in 1961.
Arrangement note
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1898-1989 (2 folders; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1930-1980 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Writings, 1913-1956 (8 folders; Box 1)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1913-1955 (6 folders; Box 1)
Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1911-1950 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 6: Artwork, 1885-1957 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)
Series 7: Photographic Material, 1886-1955 (0.4 linear feet; Box 3)
Scope and Contents note
The papers of painter Agnes Pelton measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1885-1989. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, many addressed to Jane Levington Comfort; writings; printed material; 3 mixed media scrapbooks; artwork, including loose sketches and 9 sketchbooks; and photographs of Pelton, her family and friends, and her work.
Provenance
The Agnes Pelton papers were assembled by Cornelia and Irving Sussman for a biography of Agnes Pelton. They were donated to the Archives by gallery director Jan Rindfleisch on behalf of the Sussmans, in 1984. In 1997, circa 162 letters from Agnes Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort, that are now part of this collection, were bequeathed to Cornelia and Irving Sussman by Jane Levington Comfort through Joan Crisci, the executor of Comfort's estate, and donated to the Archives.
Processing Information note
A portion of the papers received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and were microfilmed onto reels 3426-3427. In 2015, the papers were merged with 162 letters written by Pelton to Jane Livingston Comfort. The collection was re-processed and a finding aid prepared by Judy Ng in 2015, with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Additional Forms Available

Portions of this collection are available on 35 mm legacy microfilm reels 3426-3427 at the Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. The 162 letters from Agnes Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort have not been microfilmed. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the papers as described in this finding aid does not reflect the order of the collection on microfilm due to reprocessing.

Restrictions on Access

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.

How to Cite This Collection

Agnes Pelton papers, 1885-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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