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  2. Mabel Alvarez papers, 1898-1987
  3. Contents and Arrangement

Mabel Alvarez papers, 1898-1987

Contents and Arrangement

Creator

Occupation

Make a Request

  • To request an appointment to view materials, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reading Room" button. Please note, you will receive the full box.
  • To request reproductions, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reproduction" button.
Select containers from the following list if you want to request them for reading room use or reproduction

Series 1: Biographical Material , 1907-1970
3 Folders
Box 1; reel 5672

Biographical material includes passports, a copy of a birth certificate, handwritten genealogy of the Alvarez family, list of art awards received between 1943 and 1969, and a high school report card from Berkeley High School dated 1907.
Biographical materials are on reel 5672.
Description Container Select
General, 1907, 1970, undated
1
1
Art Awards, 1943-1969
1
2
Passports, 1924, 1954, 1970, undated
1
3
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Series 2: Letters , 1909-1978
1 Folder
Box 1; reel 5672

Found are personal letters, including one from Mabel's father, Luis F. Alvarez, as well as letters from art institutions regarding art exhibitions. Institutions include the University of California, Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Museum, Honolulu Academy of Arts, the Otis Art Institute, and the San Joaquin Pioneer Museum.
Letters are on reel 5672.
Description Container Select
Letters, 1894-1978
1
4
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Series 3: Writings , 1898, 1910-1935, undated
11 Folders
Box 1; reel 5672

Found are original and unpublished writings by Alvarez such as poetry and short stories.
Writings are on reel 5672.
Description Container Select
Elementary and High School Writings, 1910, 1922, undated
1
5
High School Writings, 1910-1911, undated
1
6
"Late Flowering", undated
1
7-9
"Autumn Twilight" and "Cross Currents,", undated
1
10
"Broken Enchantment," "Experiment," "Father's Childhood in Spain," and "How I kept House in Hawaii,", undated
1
11
"A Man for Sister," "Merry Christmas" and "Mrs. Powell,", undated
1
12
"The Old Doctor," "The Poisonous Flower" and "Romance,", undated
1
13
"Tourist and Home," "Heat and Bath," and "The Two Virgins,", undated
1
14
Miscellaneous Writings, 1898, 1929, 1935
1
15
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Series 4: Printed Material , 1917-1987, undated
10 Folders
Box 1; reel 5672

Found are exhibition catalogs of Alvarez's solo or group exhibitions including a catalog for the exhibition, Painting and Sculpture from 16 American Cities from the 1933 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Publications such as The American Magazine of Art, Art in America, Art Forum, and Art News are also found. Newspaper clippings feature articles on the professional lives of Alvarez's brother and nephew and also critical reviews of Alvarez's exhibitions.
Printed materials are on reel 5672.
Description Container Select
Exhibition Catalogs, 1917-1933
1
16
Exhibition Catalogs, 1934-1939
1
17
Exhibition Catalogs, 1940-1950
1
18
Newspaper Clippings, 1927-1987
1
20-22
Publications, 1918, 1923, 1931, 1934, 1955, 1964
1
23-25
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Series 5: Sketchbooks , 1949-1950, undated
2 Folders
Box 1; reel 5672

Sketchbooks contain pencil and color pencil drawings as well as scattered notes. One sketchbook, although undated, contain sketches completed during her stay at a nursing home.
Sketchbooks are on reel 5672.
Description Container Select
Sketchbook I, 1949-1950
1
26
Sketchbook II, undated
1
27
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Series 6: Expense Books , 1914-1977
1 Folder
Box 1; reel 5672

Included are six small notebooks with handwritten notations of personal finances and art works sold including final selling price.
Expense books are on reel 5672.
Description Container Select
Expense Books, 1914-1977
1
28
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Series 7: Notebooks on Exhibitions and Paintings , 1921-1953
1 Folder
Box 1; reel 5673

Found are four notebooks containing sketches of animals, landscapes, and people as well as notes from books and lectures by Stanton Macdonald Wright.
Notebooks on exhibitions and paintings are on reel 5673.
Description Container Select
Notebooks, 1921-1953
1
29
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Series 8: Diaries and Journals , 1909-1984
15 Folders
Box 1-2; reel 5673-5675

The largest series of the collection, these personal diaries and journals record daily activities and personal thoughts and feelings. Scattered throughout the diaries and journals are letters and sketches.
Diaries and journals are on reel 5673-5675.
Description Container Select
Diaries and Journals, 1909-1938
1
30-32
Diaries and Journals, 1925-1984
2
1-12
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Series 9: Address Books , undated
2 Folders
Box 2; reel 5675

Address books are on reel 5675.
Description Container Select
Address Books, undated
2
13-14
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Series 10: Photographs , 1905-1983, undated
5 Folders
Box 2; reel 5675

Photographs are on reel 5675.
Description Container Select
Photographs, 1905-1983, undated
2
15-21
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Series 11: Scrapbooks , 1898-1984
2 Scrapbooks
Box 3; reel 5675

Included are two scrapbooks, one dismantled, containing mostly newspaper clippings and scattered letters, exhibition announcements, drawings, and other material.
Scrapbooks are on reel 5675.
Description Container Select
Scrapbooks, 1898-1984
3

Make a Request

  • To request an appointment to view materials, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reading Room" button. Please note, you will receive the full box.
  • To request reproductions, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reproduction" button.