Collection Information
Size: 3.2 Linear feet
Summary: The Paul Sample papers measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1890-1974 and document the life and work of Paul Sample through biographical materials, correspondence, writings, exhibition and gallery files, project and commission files, printed materials, photographic materials, and artwork.
Biographical/Historical Note
Painter and Illustrator Paul Sample was born on September 4, 1896, in Louisville, Kentucky. Sample is known for his unique portrayal of New England via his own blend of Social Realism and Regionalism. In 1921 Sample graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire where he studied architecture. While enrolled at Dartmouth Sample spent a year in the Naval Reserves during World War One. While visiting his brother at a sanatorium in Saranac Lake, New York, Sample contracted tuberculosis which later influenced his works. While at Saranac, Sample studied under Jonas Lie, after which he studied at the Art Students League of Los Angeles and the Otis Art Institute in California where his works reflected social issues connected with the Great Depression. Sample's talent earned him a position at the University of Southern California's School of Architecture, and he later served as chair of the art department while also teaching night classes at the Chouinard School of Art. In 1938 Sample returned to Dartmouth to become the Artist in Residence, a position he held until 1962. During World War Two, Sample produced paintings and artworks for various magazines and publications. Sample is also known for creating the cover art for Carl Sundburg's novel Remembrance Rock and he was inducted into the National Academy in 1941. Sample died on February 26, 1974, at the age of 78 in Norwich, Vermont.
Provenance
Papers were lent and donated for microfilming in 1971 by Paul Sample and donated in 1974 by his widow Sylvia Sample. The bulk of the microfilmed material and additional papers were donated between 1971 and 1974 by Paul and Sylvia Sample.
Related Materials
The archives also hold an oral history interview of Paul Sample conducted 1971 October 10, by Robert F. Brown. The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material donated for microfilming (reels 333-335 and 1197) including: correspondence, exhibition catalogs, writings, biographical data, clippings, and photographs (reels 333-335) and two sketchbooks containing watercolor and pencil sketches of Iceland (reel 1197).
Language Note
English .
Funding Note
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.