Katherine Schmidt papers, circa 1921-1971

Collection Information

Size: 0.2 Linear feet

Summary: The papers of painter and arts advocate Katherine Schmidt measure 0.2 linear feet and date from circa 1921 to 1971. Scattered correspondence, speeches, proposals, meeting minutes, and notes focus primarily on Schmidt's advocacy for federal and state government support of the arts. Printed materials includes exhibition catalogs, clippings, press releases documenting Schmidt's painting career and arts advocacy work. Photographs include portrait photos of Schmidt and photographs of Schmidt's drawings. There are two photographs taken by her first husband Yasuo Kuniyoshi of Schmidt with friends at a party.

Biographical/Historical Note

Katherine Schmidt (1898-1978) was born in Xenia, Ohio. She moved with her family to New York City, and around the age of 13 began attending Saturday classes at the Art Students League. She continued her art classes after high school and was taught by F. Luis Mora, Kenneth Miller, and John Sloan. While attending the Art Students League, Schmidt made many friends who would later become prominent members of the New York art community, including Peggy Bacon, Alexander Brook, Reginald Marsh, and Lloyd Goodrich. In 1919 she married fellow art student, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, in Ogunquit, Maine. They lived in Maine during the summers, but settled in Brooklyn, New York. Schmidt began working for Juliana Force at the Whitney Studio Club in 1923, where she also periodically exhibited her artwork. She taught sketching classes for the club and also did various other jobs for Force and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney until around 1930. Her work during this period consisted of drawings and paintings of landscapes, still lifes, and the homeless and unemployed. Read More

Provenance

Katherine Schmidt lent material to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1971. The papers were donated in 1982 by Irvine J. Shubert, Schmidt's widower.

Related Materials

Also found at the Archives of American Art is an Oral History Interview with Katherine Schmidt, December 8-15, 1969, by Paul Karlstrom which includes a transcript available via the Archives of American Art's website. Also found at the Archives of American Art are materials lent for microfilming (reel 89) including correspondence concerning exhibitions, a scrapbook containing clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Language Note

English .

Digitization Note

The papers of Katherine Schmidt in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2007. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 401 images.

Funding Note

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