Collection Information

Size: 3.2 linear ft.

Summary: Papers of artist Tim Casper, whose artistic ability was detected at a young age and whose life was cut short in a tragic car accident at the age of 21, and those of his mother, Elise Ott Casper, regarding her son's artistic background and his work. Included are biographical information; letters from Casper to his mother; school art work; exhibition files and printed materials from Putney School, Vermont; family photographs and albums (mostly from travels); correspondence between Elise Ott Casper and Gerard Willem van Loon regarding Casper's artwork, his education, and personal matters, 1950-1969; and memorabilia.

Biographical/Historical Note

Draughtsman, printmaker. Born May 23, 1943, Milwaukee, Wisc. Casper enrolled in art classes in Milwaukee from a young age. He attended the Putney School in Vermont for his high school years. He died in a car accident in 1963 after completing his freshman year studying art at NYU.

Provenance

Bequest of Elise Ott Casper, mother of Tim Casper, in 1998.

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

Tim and Elise Ott Casper papers, 1945-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.