Collection Information

Size: 0.4 linear ft. (on 2 microfilm reels).

Summary: Photographs, clippings, books and exhibition catalogs documenting Fritzi Brod's career and the Chicago art scene from the early 1920s to the early 1950s.

Reel 376: A career resume, 22 photographs of Brod's works and the cover and title page of A CHILD'S BOOK OF BIRDS by W. J. Beecher (Brod, Platt & Munk: New York, 1951), illustrated by Brod. The remainder of this book and Brod's DECORATIVE DESIGN (Brod, Platt & Munk: New York, 1958) have not been microfilmed.

Reel 4190: A scrapbook of clippings (1932-1952, 1967, 1977) on Brod, her activities, and the Chicago art scene, exhibition announcements (1932-1967), five exhibition catalogs (1938-1977) and a 1944 press release on Brod's watercolor exhibition at the Norlyst Gallery.

Biographical/Historical Note

Painter, lithographer, writer, and illustrator. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Brod came to Chicago in 1924 after studying art in Prague and Vienna. Already an accomplished designer of textiles in the "modern manner", she continued her work with Raymond Katz in his "Little Gallery". Brod's work was critically acclaimed at Chicago's first outdoor art fair in 1932, and she was featured in C. J. Bulliet's column, "Artists of Chicago" in 1936. Brod died in 1952.

Provenance

Donor Oswald Brod was married to Fritzi Brod. His second wife, Rose Brod, also donated materials to the collection.

Location of Originals

• 1977 exhibition catalog: Location of original unknown.

Alternative Forms Available

Microfilm reels 376 (frames 1337-1379) and 4190 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.

Restrictions on Access

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.

How to Cite This Collection

Fritzi Brod papers, 1932-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.