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  2. Weir family papers, 1809-circa 1961, bulk 1830-1920
  3. Contents and Arrangement

Weir family papers, 1809-circa 1961, bulk 1830-1920

Contents and Arrangement

Due to the small size of the collection, the Weir family papers are arranged as one series.

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Series 1: Weir Family Papers , 1809-circa 1961, bulk 1830-1920
0.8 Linear feet
Boxes 1-2, OVs 3-4

Letters to John F. Weir form the bulk of the series. Of particular note are letters which provide insight into the minds of some of the most important landscape and impressionist artists of the late-19th century and evoke a sense of the waning years of the Hudson River School and the efforts of those artists to capture the undeveloped wildness of the American landscape before it passed into history. Five letters and a sketch from Jervis McEntee are deeply personal as the artist expresses despair about his inability to find subjects in the landscape of Roundout, New York, that had previously so inspired him. He writes of how "The country has changed and lost its quiet," and his desperate need for the companionship of other artists that he had enjoyed with Sanford Gifford and Worthington Whittredge, concluding that "Now when I go away alone to these isolated mountain vallies [sic] I nearly die from loneliness…" Ironically later letters from Frederic Edwin Church refer to the death of Jervis McEntee, and Church's desire to seek seclusion and paint alone in his house.
There is an 1834 letter from Thomas Cole and draft of an agreement relating to his renting a room from John Trumbull at the American Academy of Fine Arts for the exhibition of a picture The Angel Announcing the Birth of Our Savior.
Several letters from renowned actor Edwin Booth, mention contributions of sketches to his wife's album from Sanford Robinson Gifford, Jervis McEntee, and Weir himself. There are 4 letters and 3 sketches from Sanford Robinson Gifford enclosing a photo of Gifford. In one letter he describes re-working the sky of his painting Ruins of the Parthenon against the strong recommendation of Frederic Edwin Church, and declares the work a success.
Additional details regarding individual correspondents are provided in the container listing.
In addition to photographs of Julian Alden Weir, Robert Weir, and others, there is a photograph of Robert Fulton's drawing, Love's First Interview, inscribed to John F. Weir, and a photograph of a war monument by an unknown sculptor.
The series is arranged by type of material. Letters to John F. Weir are arranged alphabetically. Correspondents represented with 5 or more items are housed in named files.
Description Container Select
Letters, Julia Bayard to Carrie M. Mansfield, 1846-1868
1
1
Letters, Carrie M. Mansfield and Lewis William Mansfield, circa 1847-1852
1
2
Letters to John F. Weir, A, circa 1844-circa 1902
Includes 3 letters from Edwin Austin Abbey including Abbey's impressions of England and an invitation to Weir from the Royal Academy of Arts.
1
3
Letters to John F. Weir, Ba-Be, 1809-1906
1
4
Letters to John F. Weir, Bi-Br, circa 1870-circa 1899
Includes letter from Albert Bierstadt regarding transmittal of pictures for an exhibition; 2 letters from John Bigelow; a sketch to Edith Weir by Poultney Bigelow; and 2 letters and a sketch from Henry Kirke Brown.
1
5
Letters to John F. Weir, Booth, Edwin, circa 1880-circa 1886
1
6
Letters to John F. Weir, C, 1834-1913
1
7
Letters to John F. Weir, D, 1828-1906
1
8
Letters to John F. Weir, E, 1873, 1912
1
9
Letters to John F. Weir, F, circa 1852-circa 1907
1
10
Letters to John F. Weir, G, 1870-1907
1
11
Letters to John F. Weir, H, 1855-1908
Includes 2 letters, 3 notes, and a sketch from Hubert von Herkomer; 2 letters from Adele Herter, one congratulating Edith Weir on having work accepted at the Paris Salon; 2 letters from Laura Hills advising Edith Weir on painting miniatures; 1 note from Winslow Homer regarding exchange of a picture; 4 letters from Richard W. Hubard in which he complains about having to paint "slick-surface pictures for the atrocious Academy light"; 1 letter from William Morris Hunt; and a sketch and a letter from Daniel Huntington.
1
12
Letters to John F. Weir, I-L, 1836-circa 1896
Includes 4 letters from Eastman Johnson; and 2 letters from John La Farge.
1
13
Letters to John F. Weir, Jefferson, Joseph, circa 1883-circa 1903
1
14
Letters to John F. Weir, M, 1827-1891
1
15
Letters to John F. Weir, McEntee, Jervis, 1874-1886
1
16
Letters to John F. Weir, N, circa 1878-circa 1901
1
17
Letters to John F. Weir, O-P, circa 1860-1910
1
18
Letters to John F. Weir, Phelps, Edward John, circa 1885-circa 1896
1
19
Letters to John F. Weir, R, circa 1869-1913
Includes 1 letter from Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., wishing the Weir's well on travels and sharing his impressions of locations in Europe.
1
20
Letters to John F. Weir, S, circa 1831-circa 1899
Includes 1 letter from John Singer Sargent; 1 detailed and entertaining letter from John Sartain relating to someone wanting to write an article about him for Harper's Magazine; 4 warm and personal letters from poet Edmund Clarence Stedman; and 2 letters from William Wetmore Story.
1
21
Letters to John F. Weir, Saint -Gaudens, Augustus, circa 1905
Some language in these manuscripts may be offensive to viewers. It is presented as it exists in the original documents for the benefit of research. This material in no way reflects the views of the Archives of American Art or the Smithsonian Institution.
1
22
Letters to John F. Weir, T, 1834-1892
Includes 2 letters from John Henry Twachtman relating to arrangements for sending pictures.
1
23
Letters to John F. Weir, Thompson, Launt, 1869-1893
1
24
Letters to John F. Weir, V, 1878-1903
1
25
Letters to John F. Weir, W, 1844-1903
Includes 2 small signed pencil sketches from Frank Waller; 3 letters from architect and author William Robert Ware, discussing a bust he wants; and a small pen sketch signed "Julian" of Edith Weir as a child.
1
26
Letters to John F. Weir, Wheeler, Candace and Dora, circa 1880s-1912
Includes a sketch by Dora Wheeler.
1
27
Letters to John F. Weir, Names Illegible, undated, 1882
1
28
List of Senders (incomplete), circa 1961
1
29
Letters of Robert W. Weir,, 1854, 1884
1
30
Manuscript Fragments, Draft of Julian Alden Weir Biography, circa 1940s
2
1
Photographs of J. Alden Weir, circa 1880s-1912
Oversized photographs housed in OV 3
2
2
Photographs of J. Alden Weir, circa 1908-circa 1910
Oversized photographs housed in OV 3
2
3
Photographs of J. Alden Weir, circa 1910-circa 1918
Oversized photographs housed in OV 3
2
4
Photographs of Robert W. Weir and Susan Bayard Weir, circa 1860, 1872-1886
Oversized photographs housed in OV 4
2
5
Photograph of Unidentified Man, circa 1910
2
6
Photographs of Artwork, undated
Oversized photographs housed in OV 4
2
7
Oversized Photographs of J. Alden Weir digitized with Box 2, Folders 2-4
3
Oversized Photographs of Robert W. Weir and Photographs of Artwork digitized with Box 2, Folders 5 and 7
4

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.