Gladys Nelson Smith papers, 1891-1989

Collection Information

Size: 1.2 Linear feet

Summary: The papers of painter Gladys Nelson Smith measure 1.2 linear feet and date from 1891 to 1989. Compiled and annotated by Smith's sister Josephine Nelson, the papers were used for Nelson's memoir My Sister Gladys (1984). Found are biographical materials on Smith and the Nelson family, scattered correspondence, exhibition material, personal business records, photographs, printed material, and writings by Smith. Also found is a diary kept by Smith on a trip to Europe from 1930 to 1931 and three textbooks used by Smith as a student in which she includes painted and pencil sketches and doodles.

Biographical/Historical Note

Gladys Nelson Smith (1890-1980) was a painter in Washington, D.C.. Born in El Dorado, Kansas, Smith studied art at the University of Kansas and followed her husband, Errett Smith to New York City where she enrolled at the Art Students League. Eventually, settling in Washington, D.C., Smith studied at the Corcoran School of Art with Edmund Tarbell. She was a member of the Landscape Club of Washington. Smith died in Chevy Chase, Maryland, in 1980.

Provenance

Donated 1989 and 1992 by Josephine Nelson.

Language Note

English .

Funding Note

Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.