Artists

Scope and Contents Ellen Johnson was a teacher, writer, artist, collector of contemporary art, and world traveler. This collection details the career of an extraordinary woman who worked and taught at Oberlin College for 38 years. In order to gain a grasp of the uniqueness and extent of Johnson's contributions to the world of contemporary art and the teaching of modern art history, one must also refer to the research files and assorted papers donated to the Archives of American Art. The collection...

Scope and Contents The Francis Henry Dart Collection is arranged into six series. Series 1 Biographical consists of Dart's account of his life titled "Myself " (typescript, 45 pages); his recollections of his parents (typescript, 6 pages); and his mother's autobiography (typescript, 9 pages). The typescripts (copies) recount the great hardships Dart faced as a pioneer in Kansas and the many financial and other difficulties that befell his family. He writes of his painting and efforts for an...

Scope and Contents The papers of Gladys Irene Champney document Champney's career as an artist and teacher, as well as her dedication to keeping journals and her relationship with her family, especially her sister, Sylvia Johnson. This collection sheds unscientific light of the process of aging and of the problems of aged people (i.e., how does one use successfully one's time following retirement, especially if you are unmarried and without children). The Correspondence Series contains letters written...

Scope and Contents The papers of Jessie Trefethen document her twenty-one years of teaching practical art at Oberlin College, her career as a water artist, her views on the teaching of art at Oberlin College, and her personal history in the last few years before her death in 1978. Except from one letter from Trefethen to her mother, there is essentially no information about her family, or her life before coming to Oberlin. The collection is organized into four record series: I. Biographical Files;...

Scope and Contents

The John Pearson Collection is a small one, comprised of the artist’s posters, exhibition catalogs and announcement cards, and a small amount of writings by and about him.

Scope and Contents The Julia G. Severance papers primarily consist of her etchings of notable sites and buildings around the Oberlin College campus. Also included are letters written to friends regarding personal matters. The letters were retained for the additional artwork found on them. The photograph series contains photos of Julia Severance, her studio, and the Severance home in Oberlin, Ohio, as well as a photo album documenting her time in California and various loose photographs. The two scrapbooks...

Scope and Contents The papers of Marcia Goldberg pertain mostly to her research and publications on art history, particularly the portraits of 19th century artist H. Alonzo Pease (d.1881). Goldberg created two volumes that extensively document Pease’s portraits of prominent figures in Oberlin’s early history. The collection also contains photographs of many of these paintings. There is a wealth of information pertaining to H. Alonzo Pease, his life, his family, and his work. The collection does...

Scope and Contents The Margaret Schauffler papers primarily consist of thirty-six sketches, two essays, four journals, and an oversize scrapbook that document her life as a political activist and prolific artist. The collection covers almost exclusively Schauffler’s activities as an undergraduate student at Oberlin College (OC ’18), her career as an art professor, and her commitment to activism and the visual arts even in her retirement. Of significance to Oberlin’s institutional history are the...

Scope and Contents The Paul B. Arnold Collection represents only a portion of the life and work of professor and artist Paul B. Arnold. The materials in the collection are diverse and represent Arnold’s varied and prolific career as an artist and as a professor at Oberlin College and Conservatory. The bulk of the collection is made up of course materials, published writings, and speeches relating to Arnold’s teaching career between 1942 and 1985 at Oberlin College and Conservatory. The collection also...

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of original drawings and prints by Raymond Lufkin that were used to illustrate the 1942 Oberlin College annual calendar. Illustration subjects include the Allen Art Museum, Bosworth Hall, Cox Administration Building, First Church, and Warner Hall. Some of Lufkin’s drawings were also used in the 1941 annual calendar.