#maryette charlton

[garadinervi]

Lenore Tawney mail art to Maryette Charlton, August 4, 1967 [Maryette Charlton papers, circa 1890-2013, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. © Lenore Tawney / Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, New York, NY]

#art #correspondence #drawing #visual writing #mail art #stamp #postage stamp #postcard #lenore tawney #maryette charlton #maryette charlton papers #archives of american art #smithsonian institution #lenore g. tawney foundation #1960s

[thinkingimages]

Tawney, Lenore, 1907-2007 + Charlton, Maryette, 1924-2013

Lenore Tawney. Lenore Tawney postcard to Maryette Charlton, 1977 Sept.. Maryette Charlton papers, circa 1890-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C. 20560

#Lenore Tawney #Charlton Maryette #Lenore Tawney postcard to Maryette Charlton #1977 #Panda #Pandas #Postcard

[smithsonian]

Cats didn’t need the internet to achieve feline fame. 

Our @archivesofamericanart has a new exhibition, “Before Internet Cats: Feline Finds from the Archives of American Art,” which explores how cats are represented in rare documents like sketches and drawings, letters, and photographs from the 19th century through the early 2000s.

We decided to let the cat out of the bag...er, box with this collage postcard sent from fiber artist Lenore Tawney to filmmaker Maryette Charlton. Tawney’s postcards often featured intricate layers of found media and handwritten notes. Animals, especially cats, were a frequent motif.

While we think the whole exhibition is purrfect (we couldn’t help it), here are some of our favorite pieces from the archives:

Georges Mathieu, a French painter, embellished this oversize letter to painter Hedda Sterne. It’s among the cat-themed correspondence from Mathieu that are in Sterne’s papers.

Cats often make ideal studio companions. They serve as sympathetic critics and elegant muses. 

In this photo, Pozy the cat watches muralist Edna Reindel work in her California studio. (Pozy is also the subject of the wall mural behind them.)

Photos of artists in their studios enhance our understanding of their stories and their working processes.

Reginald Gammon was known for his evocative portraits of prominent African Americans (and not cats) but in the mid-1960s he illustrated a children’s book that chronicles the friendship between a boy and a bespectacled cat.

Thousands of sketches in the Archives of American Art offer insight into artists’ creative processes. A 1948 sketchbook of watercolor studies by muralist and children’s book illustrator Emily Barto highlights the distinct personalities of several felines—here’s one taking a cat nap.

#BeforeInternetCats is on view through Oct. 29 in the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery (the first floor of the National Portrait Gallery). You can also paw your way through the exhibition online. 

#Before Internet Cats #Archives of American Art #American art #Smithsonian #archives #from the archives #cats #cats of the internet #cats of tumblr #artists #American artists #Maryette Charlton #Georges Mathieu #Hedda Sterne #Edna Reindel #Reginald Gammon #Emily Barto #internet cats #cats in art

[marilynsmirror]

Lenore Tawney. Letters to Maryette Charlton. 1969-70

#lenore tawney #calligraphy #postcard #buddhism #being #art #textiles #letter #1960s #nothingness #meditation #musings

[archivesofamericanart]

Fiber artist Lenore Tawney (1907–2007) sent dozens of mail art collages to her close friend, filmmaker Maryette Charlton. They often feature intricate layers of found media and handwritten notes. Animals, especially cats, are a frequent motif. Tawney owned a sweet cat named Pansy.

These postcards are currently on view in our exhibit 'Before Internet Cats' http://s.si.edu/2o7sJWN

#BeforeInternetCats #FelineFinds #Cats #CatsofTumblr #LenoreTawney #MailArt #ARchives

[creativeprojectlaurenbanks]

Lee Krasner to Jackson Pollock, July 21 1956

Ray Johnson to Eva Lee, September 15, 1969

Lenore Tawney to Maryette Charlton, February 15, 1969

Varied examples of written letters between artists, personally I can see character trates through their hand writing and chosen format to write in! Relaying one of the invaluable beauties that is lost in text message.

[garadinervi]

Lenore Tawney mail art to Maryette Charlton, February 18, 1972 [Maryette Charlton papers, circa 1890-2013, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. © Lenore Tawney / Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, New York, NY]

#art #correspondence #mail art #drawing #handwriting #lenore tawney #maryette charlton #maryette charlton papers #archives of american art #smithsonian institution #lenore g. tawney foundation #1970s

[garadinervi]

Lenore Tawney mail art to Maryette Charlton, February 10, 1969 [Maryette Charlton papers, circa 1890-2013, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. © Lenore Tawney / Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, New York, NY]

#art #correspondence #drawing #visual writing #typography #handwriting #mail art #postcard #stamp #postage stamp #lenore tawney #maryette charlton #maryette charlton papers #archives of american art #smithsonian institution #lenore g. tawney foundation #1960s

[garadinervi]

Lenore Tawney letter "Crabbed age and Youth" to Maryette Charlton, May 4, 1964 [Maryette Charlton papers, circa 1890-2013, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. © Lenore Tawney / Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, New York, NY]

#art #correspondence #collage #visual writing #typography #book #lenore tawney #maryette charlton #william shakespeare #maryette charlton papers #archives of american art #smithsonian institution #lenore g. tawney foundation #1960s

[archivesofamericanart]

We’ve been working on a new exhibition and we’re so excited to finally let the cat out of the bag…er, box! The exhibit Before Internet Cats: Feline Finds from the Archives of American Art is now open in Washington, DC. 

Long before cats clawed their way onto the Internet, they made themselves at home in the Archives of American Art. This exhibition explores the myriad ways in which cats are represented in rare documents like sketches and drawings, letters, and photographs from the nineteenth century through early 2000s. Whether expressive or aloof, the contradictory attitudes of cats make them compelling artists’ muses. They are often the playful subjects of artworks, humorous topics of conversation, independent studio companions, and beloved members of the family. This is a collage postcard sent from fiber artist Lenore Tawney to filmmaker Maryette Charlton. Tawney’s postcards often featured intricate layers of found media and handwritten notes. Animals, especially cats, were a frequent motif.

#BeforeInternetCats #FelineFinds #Archives #Cats #CatsofTumblr

[archivesofamericanart]

Spring into the Archives of American Art!

To celebrate the first day of spring, we're sharing some bold blooms from our collections.

From top to bottom

Paul Bransom, sketch of pitcher plants. Paul Bransom papers.

Fairfield Porter, still life of flowers in a vase. Fairfield Porters papers.

Lillian Kiesler, postcard of an iris to Maryette Charlton. Maryette Charlton papers.

Louise Nevelson, sketch of orange and yellow flowers. Louise Nevelson papers.

Olive Rush, sketch of sweet bergamot. Olive Rush papers.

#Spring #Flowers #FlowersinBloom #Sketches #StillLife #Botanicals

[archivesofamericanart]

Mail Art or Meow Art?

Lenore Tawney (1907-2007) was an accomplished fiber and collage artist. Dozens of her mail art collages to filmmaker Maryette Charlton featured intricate layers of found media and handwritten notes. Animals, especially cats, were a frequent subject.

Lenore Tawney mail art to Maryette Charlton, 1980 August. Maryette Charlton papers, http://s.si.edu/2mtW6m3

#MailArtMonday #MailArt #PostalArt #Meowart #CatArt #LenoreTawney #BritishBlue