Collection Information

Size: Gift: 0.2 linear ft. (on 1 microfilm reel).

Loan: 1 v. (on one microfilm reel).

Summary: Reel 3564: Diary, February through November 1923, chronicling Irvine's and his wife Lydia's journey across the Atlantic Ocean to England; their daily routine while living in a small English harbor town including painting expeditions and encounters with town folk; and his and Lydia's trip to France and Italy with notes on galleries and exhibitions they visited.

Reel 1233: Correspondence, biographical information; two photographs of work; one photograph of Irvine painting outdoors; copies of work by Irvine; exhibition catalogs and announcements; newspaper and magazine articles.

Biographical/Historical Note

Landscape painter; Old Lyme, Conn. Born in Illinois and trained at the Art Institute of Chicago. In the 1930's, he painted THE MACHINE AND ITS PRODUCT, a painting that represents the period's fear of increased machinization as the potential cause of increased unemployment. Irvine also developed a watercolor technique, called aquaprint, that was based on Japanese techniques for marblizing paper.

Provenance

The donor, Lois Irvine Simpson, is Wilson Henry Irvine's daughter. The relationship to of the lender of the diary, Mrs. Jan Irvine, to Irvine is unknown.

Location of Originals

• Diary (reel 3564): Original returned to the lender, Mrs. Jan Irvine, Old Lyme, Conn.

Alternative Forms Available

Microfilm reels 3564 and 1233 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.

Restrictions on Access

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

How to Cite This Collection

Wilson Henry Irvine papers, 1869-1942. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.