Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Millman, Edward, 1907-1964.
Title:	Edward Millman Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1921-1969
Quantity:	3.0 linear ft.
Abstract:	Papers of the American Jewish muralist, painter, and educator. Born in Chicago.
Abstract:	Correspondence, family, personal, and business (1921-1969); original artwork and reproductions, including photographs of the Federal Art Project murals in Illinois and St. Louis; research material, sketches, photographs of paintings of steel-works which Millman executed for the Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection; as well as sketchbooks, sketches, and photographs relating to Millman's combat paintings for the U.S. Navy; writings, which encompass essays and notes on art as well as combat journal entries; and memorabilia, including financial material, photographs of Millman, clippings (1933-1964), and exhibition catalogs and announcements (1936-1953). Correspondents include Aaron Bohrod, Ilya Bolotowsky, Ralston Crawford, Richard A. Florsheim, Norbert Heermann, Kenneth Hudson, Amy Freeman Lee, Edmund Lewandowski, Fletcher Martin, Reginald Neal, William C. Palmer, Stuart R. Purser, George Rickey, Mitchell Siporin, David Smith, Prentiss Taylor, and Ralph L. Wickiser.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Edward Millman was born in Chicago on January 1st, 1907 and died in Woodstock, NY on February 11, 1964. He was a painter, muralist, educator and lecturer. He studied at the Chicago Art School under Leon Knoll during the years 1923-1928, and then later was taught privately in Mexico City by Diego Rivera, where he studied fresco painting, between the years 1934-1935. He won the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1945 and the Ohio University First Prize in 1952. He taught at a number of major universities throughout the United States, starting with the Florida Gulf Coast Art Center, Inc. in 1951 and working finally at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute from 1956 until his death.

Source: Cummings, Paul. Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists, 3rd ed. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1977.

Return to top

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Spanning 1921 to 1969, the Edward Millman Papers comprises biographical material, family, personal and business correspondence, artwork, writings, and memorabilia of the Chicago-born artist (1907-1964). In addition to documenting Millman's role as mural painter for the Federal Art Project, combat artist for the United States Navy during World War II, and artist-in-residence at numerous academic institutions, the collection illuminates the artistic versatility of the Jewish-American muralist, painter, and educator.

Arranged alphabetically, the Correspondence-subject files (Boxes 1-3) consists of incoming and outgoing letters, legal contracts, museum receipts and acceptances, photographs, recommendations, and sales records. A number of letters are addressed to Millman's wife, Norma, including sympathy cards an his passing. Among Millman's correspondents are fellow artists (Charles Baskerville, Aaron Bohrod, Ilya Bolotowsky, Ralston Crawford, Bruce Currie, David Durst, Philip Clarkson Elliott, Richard A. Florsheim, B. Sturtevant Gardner, John Anthony Hartell, Norbert Leo Heermann, Kenneth Eugene Hudson, Dwight Kirsch, Amy Freeman Lee, Beatrice S. Levy, Edmund D. Lewandowski, Margaret Lowengrund, Fletcher Martin, Reginald H. Neal, John O'Neil, William C. Palmer, Stuart R. Purser, Florine Rensie, George Warren Rickey, Mitchell Siporin, David Smith, Prentiss Taylor, Howard Thomas, Dorothy Varian, Ralph Lewanda Wickiser, Denny Winters); as well as art galleries and museums (Alan Gallery, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albright Art Gallery, Art Institute of Chicago, Associated American Artists Galleries, Butler Institute of American Art, Downtown Gallery, Florida Gulf Coast Art Center, Herron Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Museum of Modern Art, Nordness Gallery, Rudolph Galleries). Other correspondence relates to Millman's relationship with clients (Chrysler Corporation, Contemporary Design, Inc., Fortune, Foster Grant Co., Inc., Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection, Glencoe, Illinois, United States Navy, United States Treasury Department); and educational institutions (Brandeis University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Eastern Illinois State College, Florida State University, Indiana University, Layton School of Art, Louisiana State University, Ohio University, Purdue University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Southern Illinois University, Southwestern Louisiana Institute, and Universities of Arkansas, Buffalo, Chattanooga, Florida, Georgia, Kansas City, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).

Artwork (Boxes 4-6) encompasses material pertaining to Federal Art Project murals, Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection, restaurant murals, United States Navy combat paintings, and miscellaneous subjects. Photographs and negatives of murals produced for the Federal Art Project include those for buildings in Illinois (Chicago's City Hall and Lucy Flower Technical High School, Decatur Post Office, and Moline Post Office), as well as the St. Louis Post Office in Missouri. Millman's contribution to the Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection is recorded by research material (photographs of steel mills), original sketches, and photographs of finished paintings. Various stages of completion of restaurant murals painted by Millman are documented by photographs and negatives. United States Navy combat art is represented by one sketchbook, original sketches, and photographs of finished paintings arranged in numerical sequence. Miscellaneous artwork is comprised of original Florida wash drawings, 10 lithographic proofs, 12 sketchbook pages, 2 sketchbooks, and pencil and ink sketches. Photographs of miscellaneous paintings are arranged by title when available.

Titled and untitled Statements on art constitute Writings (Box 6). Titled pieces include course descriptions, essays, and exhibition press releases. Artwork descriptions, combat Journal entries, and miscellaneous drafts and fragments are among untitled works.

Memorabilia (Boxes 6-7) comprises address lists, financial material, a lecture tour itinerary, lists of artwork (partially annotated with prices), miscellaneous research references, photographs, printed material, unidentified artwork and reproductions, and an essay by Arthur Siegel. European trip receipts, income tax documentation, and miscellaneous receipts constitute financial material. Photographs include those of Millman, as well as teaching-related subjects and a number of unidentified artist portraits. Printed material contains newspaper clippings about Millman (1933-1964) and several exhibition catalogs and announcements (1936-1953).

Return to top

Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence - subject files is organized alphabetically by name of the institution or person. Artwork is divided into five sections: the Federal Art Project, the Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection, restaurant murals, navy sketches, and miscellaneous. Artwork is separated into originals and photographs of originals, and is ordered by type (sketches, drawings, lithographs) or title, where applicable. Writings includes a section on statements on art and miscellaneous. Statements on art is divided into titled and untitled. Writings is organized alphabetically by the name of the artwork being described (when available) or by a descriptive title in the case of untitled works. Memorabilia is also organized alphabetically by type of material.

Return to top

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Return to top

Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

Return to top

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Edward Millman Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Norma Millman, 1977.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: ASE
Date: 1993-09-28
Revision history: 27 Aug 2007 - converted to EAD (JPK); 5 Feb 2016 - photograph boxes corrected (MRC)

Return to top

Inventory

	Biographical material
Box 1		Miscellaneous

	Family correspondence
Box 1		Miscellaneous 1944-1968, undated

	Correspondence-subject files
Box 1		Alan Gallery (New York) 1952-1957, undated
Box 1		Albany Institute of History and Art 1954-1964, undated
Box 1		Albright Art Gallery (Buffalo, NY) 1955, 1956
		Albright Art School (Buffalo, NY)
			See University of Buffalo.
Box 1		American Federation of Arts 1948, 1955
		Art Association of Indianapolis
			See Herron Museum of Art.
Box 1		Art Institute of Chicago 1921-1962, undated
Box 1		Art Students League of New York 1948-1964
Box 1		Artists Equity Association 1947, 1951
Box 1		Associated American Artists Galleries (New York) 1944-1952, undated (2 folders)
Box 1		Association of American Colleges 1952-1954, undated
Box 1		Baird, Bill 1962, undated
Box 1		Baskerville, Charles 1946
Box 1		Bocour Artist Colors, Inc. (New York) 1951-1959
Box 1		Bohrod, Aaron 1964, undated
		Bolotowsky, Ilya
			See University of Wyoming.
		Bookbinder, Jack
			See Philadelphia Board of Public Education.
Box 1		Brandeis University 1954-1955
Box 1		Butler Institute of American Art (Youngstown, OH) 1967
Box 1		Cahill, Holger 1942
Box 1		Carnegie Institute 1949
Box 1		Chrysler Corporation 1947
		Clear, Charles Val
			see Florida Gulf Coast Art Center.
Box 1		Coiner, Charles Toucey 1949
Box 1		Cole, Sylvan 1964
Box 1		Colgate University 1956
Box 1		College Art Association of America 1954
		The Contemporaries (New York)
			See Lowengrund, Margaret.
Box 1		Contemporary Design, Inc. (New York) 1949
Box 1		Cornell University 1954-1956
Box 1		Crawford, Ralston 1953
Box 1		Currie, Bruce 1956, 1958, undated
Box 1		Defenbacher, Daniel S. 1954-1955
Box 1		Downtown Gallery (New York) 1943, 1956, 1958
		Durst, David
			See University of Arkansas.
Box 1		Eastern Illinois State College 1948-1949
		Elliott, Philip Clarkson
			See University of Buffalo.
		Federal Art Project
			See United States Treasury Department; Artwork: Federal Art Project; Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Artwork descriptions : Illinois murals.
Box 1		Florida Gulf Coast Art Center 1950, 1952
Box 1		Florida State University 1953-1954
Box 1		Florsheim, Richard A. and Helen 1964, 1969, undated
Box 1		Fortress, Karl undated
Box 1		Fortune 1947-1955
			See also Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Artwork descriptions : Combat paintings.
Box 1		Foster Grant Co., Inc. (Leominster, MA) 1955
Box 1		Freilich, Michael Leon undated
Box 1		Fuller, R. Buckminster 1960, 1963, undated
Box 2		Gardner, B. Sturtevant undated
Box 2		Genders, Richard Atherstone undated
Box 2		Gimbel Brothers (Pittsburgh) 1946-1948
		Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection
			See Gimbel Brothers; Artwork: Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection.
Box 2		Glencoe, Illinois 1934
Box 2		Goldberg, Bertrand 1955
Box 2		Gonzalez. Xavier 1964
Box 2		Grafly, Dorothy 1947
Box 2		Halpert, Edith Gregor 1964
			See also Downtown Gallery.
		Hartell, John Anthony
			See Cornell University.
Box 2		Heermann, Norbert Leo undated
Box 2		Heller, Deltah Co., Inc (New York) 1948
Box 2		Herron Museum of Art (Indianapolis) 1963-1964
		Hope, Henry Radford
			See Indiana University.
Box 2		Hudson, Kenneth Eugene 1953-1955
Box 2		Indiana University 1948-1964, undated
Box 2		Janis, Sidney 1965
Box 2		Kerechuk, Florence 1953, 1955
Box 2		Kirsch, Dwight 1954
Box 2		Komroff, Manuel 1964
Box 2		Layton School of Art (Milwaukee) 1954-1956, undated
Box 2		Lee, Amy Freeman 1953, 1954
Box 2		Levine, Jack 1953, undated
Box 2		Levy, Beatrice S. 1949
		Lewandowski, Edmund D.
			See Florida State University; Layton School of Art.
Box 2		Louisiana State University 1946-1952, undated
Box 2		Lowengrund, Margaret 1952
Box 2		MacDonald, John D. 1961
Box 2		Martin, Fletcher 1946, 1964, undated
Box 2		Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) 1950
		Miller, Dorothy Canning
			See Museum of Modern Art.
Box 2		Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute (Utica, NY) 1954-1964, undated
Box 2		Museum of Modern Art (New York) 1944, 1954, undated
Box 2		Mydans, Carl 1945
Box 2		Neal, Reginald H. 1954-1956
		Nordness, Lee
			See Nordness Gallery.
Box 2		Nordness Gallery (New York) 1959-1964
Box 2		Ohio University 1952
Box 2		O'Neil, John 1954
		Palmer, William C.
			See Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute.
		Peat, Wilbur David
			See Herron Museum of Art.
Box 2		Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts 1949
Box 2		Pepsi-Cola's Annual Art Competition 1948-1949
Box 2		Philadelphia Board of Public Education 1951
Box 2		Pollack, Peter 1963, undated
			See also Art Institute of Chicago.
Box 2		Purdue University 1951-1952
		Purser, Stuart R.
			See University of Chattanooga; University of Florida.
Box 2		Radulovic, Savo undated
Box 2		Rensie, Florine 1964
Box 2		Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1959-1964
		Rich, Daniel Catton
			See Art Institute of Chicago.
Box 2		Rickey, George Warren 1952-1964, undated
Box 2		Roberson Memorial Center (Binghamton, NY) 1956
Box 2		Rudolph Galleries (Woodstock, NY) 1949, 1954
Box 2		Samuel, Ray 1945-1949
Box 2		Sepeshy, Zolton L. 1956
Box 2		Siporin, Mitchell 1943
			See also Brandeis University; Artwork : Federal Art Project : Missouri.
Box 2		Smith, David and Jean Freas 1953-1969, undated
Box 2		Southern Illinois University 1949, 1960, undated
Box 2		Southwestern Louisiana Institute 1947
Box 2		Taylor, Prentiss 1943
Box 2		Texas Watercolor Society 1952-1953
		Thomas, Howard
			See University of Georgia.
Box 2		United States Navy 1942-1960, undated (3 folders)
			See also Artwork : United States Navy; Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Artwork descriptions : Combat paintings; Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Journal entries (combat).
Box 2		United States Treasury Department 1935-1945
			See also Artwork : Federal Art Project; Writings : Statements on art : untitled : Artwork descriptions : Illinois murals.
Box 3		University of Arkansas 1948-1954, undated
Box 3		University of Buffalo 1954-1964, undated
Box 3		University of Chattanooga 1949
Box 3		University of Florida 1948-1954
Box 3		University of Georgia 1954
Box 3		University of Kansas City 1947-1949
Box 3		University of Wisconsin 1942, 1953, 1955
Box 3		University of Wyoming 1954
Box 3		Varian, Dorothy 1964
Box 3		Walker, Hudson D. undated
			See also Artists Equity Association.
Box 3		Watson, Forbes 1948
			See also United States Treasury Department.
		Wickiser, Ralph Lewanda
			See Louisiana State University.
Box 3		Winters, Denny undated
Box 3		Wolfert, Helen X. Herschdorfer 1958
Box 3		Woodstock Artists Association 1950, 1953
Box 3		Woodstock Foundation 1953-1954
Box 3		A-Z (2 folders)
Box 3		Unidentified

	Artwork
		Federal Art Project
			See also Correspondence - subject files : United States Treasury Department.
			Photographs, negatives
				Illinois
Box 4					General
Box 4					Chicago, City Hall Bureau of Water
Box 4					Chicago, Lucy Flower Technical High School
Box 4					Decatur Post Office
						See also Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Artwork descriptions.
Box 4					Moline Post Office
				Missouri
Box 4					St. Louis Post Office
		Gimbel Pennsylvania Art Collection
Box 4			Research material (4 folders)
Box 4			Original sketches
Box 4			Photographs, by title
				See also Correspondence : Subject files : Gimbel Brothers
		Restaurant murals
Box 5			Photographs, negatives
		United States Navy
Box 5			Combat sketchbook
Box 5			Original combat sketches
Box 5			Photographs of combat paintings - by number
				See also Correspondence - subject files : United States Navy; Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Artwork descriptions : Combat paintings; Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Journal entries (combat).
		Miscellaneous
			Original
Box 5				Florida wash drawings
					See also Writings : Statements on art : Untitled : Artwork descriptions : Southern states paintings.
Box 5				Lithographic proofs (10 items)
Box 5				Sketchbook pages - watercolor/crayon wash drawings (12 items)
Box 5				Sketchbooks (2 books in 2 folders)
Box 5				Sketches - pencil ink
			Photographs, negatives
Box 5				By title
Box 6				Untitled (2 folders)

	Writings
		Statements on art
			Titled
Box 6				"Architecture 312" - course description
Box 6				"The Contemporary Artists Image" - essay
Box 6				"The Grammar of Art" - exhibition description
Box 6				"A Philippine Diary" - exhibition press release, painting descriptions
Box 6				"Symbolism in Wall Painting" - essay
Box 6				"The Use of the Object in Painting" - essay
			Untitled
				Artwork descriptions
Box 6					Combat paintings
						See also Correspondence - subject files : Fortune; Correspondence - subject files : United States Navy; Artwork : United States Navy.
Box 6					Illinois murals, Decatur Post Office
						See also Correspondence - subject files : United States Treasury Department; Artwork : Federal Art Project.
Box 6					Southern states paintings
						See also Artwork : Miscellaneous : Original : Florida wash drawings.
Box 6				Journal entries (combat) 1944
					See also Correspondence - subject files : United States Navy; Artwork : United States Navy.
				Miscellaneous
Box 6					Holograph (2 folders)
Box 6					Typescript
Box 6		Miscellaneous

	Memorabilia
Box 6		Address lists
		Financial
Box 6			European trip receipts and information 1956-1957
Box 6			Income tax documentation 1946-1950
Box 6			Miscellaneous receipts 1948-1967
Box 6		Lecture tour - itinerary, questions, and comments
Box 6		Lists of artwork - some with prices
Box 6		Miscellaneous research references
		Photographs
Box 7			Millman, Edward undated
Box 7			Millman, Edward with others undated
Box 7			Teaching-related undated
Box 7			Unidentified artists undated
		Printed material
Box 7			Clippings 1933-1964, undated
Box 7			Exhibition catalogs, announcements 1936-1953, undated
Box 7		Unidentified artwork and reproductions
		Writings by others
Box 7			Siegel, Arthur - typescript essay

Return to top