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Agnes Pelton papers

Archives of American Art

Comfort, Jane Levington
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
Finding aid
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .

Object Details

sova.aaa.peltagne
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a289c7ce-c51e-4e37-86a3-724f74143e4a
Creator
Pelton, Agnes, 1881-1961
Names
Annixter, Jane
Occupation
Painters -- California
Topic
Women artists
Women painters
Provenance
The Agnes Pelton papers were assembled by Cornelia and Irving Sussman for a biography of Agnes Pelton. They were donated to the Archives by gallery director Jan Rindfleisch on behalf of the Sussmans, in 1984. In 1997, circa 162 letters from Agnes Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort, that are now part of this collection, were bequeathed to Cornelia and Irving Sussman by Jane Levington Comfort through Joan Crisci, the executor of Comfort's estate, and donated to the Archives. An additional studio guestbook was donated in 2021 by Kay Hillery, whose in-laws were neighbors and friends with Agnes Pelton. Both the letters from Agnes Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort and the studio guestbook donations were facilitated by Michael Kelley.
Creator
Pelton, Agnes, 1881-1961
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Agnes Pelton papers
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Summary
The papers of painter Agnes Pelton measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1885-1989. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, many addressed to Jane Levington Comfort; writings; printed material; 3 mixed media scrapbooks; one studio guestbook, signed by visitors to Agnes Pelton's studio; artwork, including loose sketches and 9 sketchbooks; and photographs of Pelton, her family and friends, and her work.
Biographical / Historical
Painter Agnes Pelton (1881-1961) lived and worked in Long Island, New York, and Cathedral City, California, and is known for her desert landscapes, portraits, and abstract paintings. Born in Stuttgart, Germany to William and Florence Pelton, Pelton and her mother relocated to New York after her father's death in 1890. Her mother, who had studied music at the Stuttgart Conservatory, opened the Pelton School of Music in Brooklyn, which remained in operation for 30 years. Pelton began her art studies at the Pratt Institute in 1895 and continued working with one of her instructors, Arthur Dow, at his summer school in Ipswich, Massachusetts, after her graduation in 1900. She later worked with William Langson Lathrop and Hamilton Field, and traveled abroad to attend the British Academy in Rome in 1910 and 1911. In 1912, after seeing her work in an exhibition in Hamilton Field's studio in Ogunquit, Maine, Walt Kuhn invited Pelton to participate in the 1913 Armory Show. During her early career, Pelton created works that were primarily influenced by Davies's philosophy on the effect of natural light, and which she termed "Imaginative Paintings." After a visit to New Mexico in 1919, Pelton began shifting to another style of painting, focusing on Southwestern landscapes and figurative portraits, which she continued from her studios in New York City and Long Island. In 1932, Pelton moved to Cathedral City, California and began painting abstract works in a new stylistic phase, which were visual explorations of her growing interest in spirituality and philosophy. In 1938, she became a founding member of the Transcendental Painting Group, which included Raymond Jonson and Emil Bisttram. Pelton died in Cathedral City in 1961.
Extent
2.1 Linear feet
Date
1885-1989
Archival Repository
Archives of American Art
Identifier
AAA.peltagne
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Sketches
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Citation
Agnes Pelton papers, 1885-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 7 series. Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1898-1989 (2 folders; Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, 1930-1980 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1) Series 3: Writings, 1913-1956 (8 folders; Box 1) Series 4: Printed Material, 1913-1955 (6 folders; Box 1) Series 5: Scrapbooks and Guestbook, 1911-1955 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 1, 4) Series 6: Artwork, 1885-1957 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-3) Series 7: Photographic Material, 1886-1955 (0.4 linear feet; Box 3)
Processing Information
A portion of the papers received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and were microfilmed onto reels 3426-3427. In 2015, the papers were merged with 162 letters written by Pelton to Jane Livingston Comfort. The collection was re-processed and a finding aid prepared by Judy Ng in 2015 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. The 2021 addition was processed by Stephanie Ashley in 2022.
Rights
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection are available on 35 mm microfilm reels 3426-3427 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Genre/Form
Photographs
Sketches
Sketchbooks
Scrapbooks
Scope and Contents
The papers of painter Agnes Pelton measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1885-1989. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, many addressed to Jane Levington Comfort; writings; printed material; 3 mixed media scrapbooks; one studio guestbook signed by visitors to Agnes Pelton's studio; artwork, including loose sketches and 9 sketchbooks; and photographs of Pelton, her family and friends, and her work.
Restrictions
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
AAA.peltagne
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a289c7ce-c51e-4e37-86a3-724f74143e4a
AAA.peltagne
AAA
Record ID
ebl-1562712647026-1562712647031-0

Showing 57 result(s)

  • Images 28 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 57 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1880s 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1890s 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1900s 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1910s 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1920s 24 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1930s 43 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1940s 38 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1950s 29 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1960s 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1970s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1980s 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1990s 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Agnes Pelton papers 57 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Agnes Pelton papers / Series 2: Correspondence 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Agnes Pelton papers / Series 6: Artwork 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Agnes Pelton papers / Series 7: Photographic Material 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Agnes Pelton papers / Series 3: Writings 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Agnes Pelton papers / Series 4: Printed Material 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Agnes Pelton papers / Series 1: Biographical Materials 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 57 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Yes 34 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • No 23 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • ead_component 57 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus

Clear facet(s):

Excluded:

  • Remove Set Name: Agnes Pelton papers / Series 5: Scrapbooks and Guest Book close
  • Scrapbooks and Guest Book

  • Artwork

  • Printed Material

  • Photographic Material

  • Correspondence

  • Writings

  • Comfort, Jane Levington

  • Sketchbook III

  • Comfort, Jane Levington

  • On Abstract Painting

  • Notebook/Sketchbook IX

  • Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs

  • Comfort, Jane Levington

  • Notebook/Sketchbook VII

  • Comfort, Jane Levington

  • Sketchbook I, Childhood Drawings

  • Notebook, Activities and Exhibitions

  • Clippings

  • Sketchbook II

  • Notebook/Sketchbook VIII

  • Loose Sketches

  • Works of Art, On Display

  • Comfort, Jane Levington

  • Loose Sketches


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