Collection Information

Size: 2 p.

Summary: Handwritten lighthearted letter from Eilshemius to Mr. W. J. F., probably a critic. Eilshemius writes: "Dear Mr. Writer in Art: I quite appreciate your kindness to let your Hartford, Conn. readers know a BIT about my stupendous production ... The matter with the art world is: the layman does not go to the artist to buy. The dealer is the lord. The layman could encourage the artist, thus letting the artist produce better work. That is what I've been lacking." On the verso: "This is sotto voce ... This is not for print."

Biographical/Historical Note

Painter, mathematician, composer, writer. New York, New York.

Provenance

Donated 1994 by James A. Gay, a Hartford, Conn. native and a Roman Catholic priest. According to Gay, the letter came from either Gay's great-uncle George A. Gay (d. 1939), a collector in Hartford, Conn., or, more likely, from Reverend Andrew Kelly (d. 1947), a collector and a friend of James Gay's family, and he believes, a friend of Eilshemius as well.

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

Louis M. Eilshemius letter to Mr. W. J. F., 1935 Mar. 17. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.