Thomas B. Brumbaugh research material on Abbott Handerson Thayer and other artists, 1876-1994, bulk 1960-1994

Thomas Brumbaugh's correspondence documents his research on Abbott Handerson Thayer and consists primarily of incoming letters answering his requests for reproductions or photographs of Thayer's artwork from museums and private collections, as well as his attempts to locate additional works by Thayer. Also found are letters from people who knew the Thayer family and could share their memories with Brumbaugh, and letters from other researchers requesting information from Brumbaugh about Thayer. Items of note are letters from Nelson White who wrote a biography of Thayer in 1951, and many letters from the National Collection of Fine Arts (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum) which has several Thayer paintings in its collection. Correspondence with Elliott Allison discusses Allison's possession of photographs of models posing for paintings in Thayer's studio which were taken by his father, Henry Allison. Allison also discusses the Thayer family and his memories of the people who were friends with the Thayers in Dublin, New Hampshire. Correspondence is arranged chronologically.

This subseries contains photocopies and transcripts of Abbott Handerson Thayer's correspondence, gathered by Thomas Brumbaugh, documenting Thayer's personal life and family relationships, career as an artist, and his work as an amateur naturalist. Found here are copies of Thayer's personal letters to family members, including his daughter Gladys (known as Galla), his son Gerald (known as Gra), and his wife Emma Beach Thayer (also known as Addie), as well as Emma's relatives in the Beach family. Also included are copies of correspondence with his patrons Charles L. Freer and John Gellatly, as well as correspondence with friends, including his student Rutledge Bate, the prominent writer Samuel Clemens, and the George de Forest Brush Family. Additional correspondence is with his model Clara May, his friend Dr. Partz, and the Van Loon family. Copies of Thayer's correspondence with Franklin D. Roosevelt, then the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, about his theory on using concealing coloration for warships. Miscellaneous Thayer letters are to Gertrude Bloede, Mr. Montross, Mrs. Thomas Dewing, and Dr. King. As all of the correpondence is either photocopied or a transcript, folder heading dates are those of the original letter/s.

Found here are research files created by Brumbaugh during his research on Abbott Handerson Thayer. Brumbaugh kept files on many people who were friends of or worked with Thayer, including his friend and writer Samuel Clemens; former students Barry Faulkner and Rockwell Kent; his models Clara May, Bessie Price, and Alma Wollerman (who married his son Gerald); studio assistant Grace Reasoner Clark; and family friends, the George de Forest Brush family and the Alexander James family. Materials in these folders include Brumbaugh's correspondence with people about the subject, notes, magazine articles, and other printed material. Also found is a file on the John Gellatly art collection which contains many works by Thayer and was given to the Smithsonian Institution. Other files kept by Brumbaugh include journal and magazine articles on Abbott Handerson Thayer, Dublin, New Hampshire, and other topics related to Thayer or his artwork, as well as a file containing a few handwritten notes kept by Brumbaugh. Items are arranged in chronological order within each folder.

This subseries contains copy prints (no originals) of photographs of Abbott Handerson Thayer, his family, home, studio, and artwork. Included are a portrait of Thayer as a young man, photographs of Thayer at his home and in his studio in Dublin, New Hampshire, and photographs of him with his family, including his wife Emma Beach Thayer, and his children Mary, Gladys, and Gerald. Also found are many photographs taken by Henry Allison of the Thayer family and of models, such as Alma Wollerman, posing in Thayer's studio. Photographs of artwork were gathered by Brumbaugh from many museum collections, including the large collection of Thayer work in the National Collection of Fine Arts, now known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum.