Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991, bulk 1946-1983

According to biographical accounts, Betty Parsons was an avid sketcher, having acquired the habit dating from her studies with the English artist Arthur Lindsay in the 1930s. This subseries includes forty-eight of her sketchbooks of varying sizes, many of which are annotated with diary entries and other notes, such as 1951 notes for her WNYC Radio Arts Festival Interview, a transcript of which can be found in 7.2: Biographical Materials, as well as records of trips with Aline Porter and family, Agnes Martin, and others. The sketchbooks contain abstract, landscape, and figurative drawings and paintings in ink, felt tip marker, gouache, pencil, and other media.

Also found are two notebooks containing dress patterns by Parsons, and some loose sketches and other artwork by unidentified artists. Some of the sketches may be by Parsons.