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Georgina Klitgaard Papers

An inventory of her papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Klitgaard, Georgina, 1893-
Title: Georgina Klitgaard Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1917-1965
Quantity: 0.75 linear ft.
Abstract: Correspondence (1917-1965); artwork, including lithographic plates and sketches; photographs and reproductions of paintings; and printed material, including clippings (1928-1965), exhibition catalogs (1927-1965), and reviews. Correspondents include Bill Alexander, the American Artists Group, Inc., Erwin S. Barrie, Ray Bethers, George Biddle, Julius Bloch, Mortimer Borne, W. Sterry Branning, Lucile E. Bush, Millicent Carey, the Carnegie Institute, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Compnay, Van Cort, Russell Cowles, Katharine Day, Dorothy Dehner, Juliana Force, Kathryn Gamble, Daisy Gill, Lloyd Goodrich, Buckner Hollingsworth, Kaj Klitgaard, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Archibald MacLeish, Hughes Mearns, Hermon More, Hobson Pittman, Frances M. Pollak, Henry Varnum Poor, Homer Saint-Gaudens, Silvia Saunders, Jean Paul Slusser, Charles A. Smart, Carl Spaatz, Eugene Speicher, Francis H. Taylor, Zoraida E. Weeks, and William Zorach.
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

American painter, lithographer, and wife of artist and author Kaj Klitgaard

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Spanning 1917 to 1965, the Georgina Klitgaard Papers comprises biographical material, correspondence, artwork, writings, and memorabilia of the American painter and educator (b. 1893). The collection provides insight into Klitgaard's personal life as well as her artistic career, particularly when used in conjunction with the Papers of her husband, Kaj Klitgaard, whose collection is also in the Library.

Arranged chronologically, the Correspondence, predominantly from the years 1945 to 1954, consists of incoming letters which illuminate Klitgaard's relationships with fellow artists (Bill Alexander, George Biddle, Julius Bloch, Juliana R. Force, Hermon More, Hobson Pittman, Homer Saint-Gaudens, Eugene Speicher). Other correspondents include literary figures (Ray Bethers, Van Cort, Daisy Sanial Gill, Victoria Ebbels Hutson, Hughes Mearns, Jean Paul Slusser, Charles Allen Smart); and patrons (W. Sterry and Bowman W. Branning, Pauline and Sam Klein). The Correspondence also reveals Klitgaard's associations with art galleries, museums, and related organizations (Art Museum of the New Britain Institute, Carnegie Institute, Dudensing Galleries, Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc., Huntington Hartford Foundation, Highland Park Society of Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Montclair Art Museum, Norwegian Art & Craft Club, Frank K.M. Rehn, Inc., Augustus Saint-Gaudens Memorial, Tyringham Galleries, Whitney Museum of American Art); educational institutions (Barnard College, Columbia University, New School for Social Research, Skidmore College); professional organizations (Artists Equity Association, College Art Association, National Society of American Art, Woodstock Artists Association); those soliciting commissioned work, reproductions, or remarks (American Artists Group, Inc., Benton & Bowles, Inc., California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company, Henry Gladstone Greeting Cards of Distinction, Nation's Heritage, New York State Education, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.); and sociopolitical causes (Artists' Auction Against The Nation Ban, Committee for the Negro in the Arts, Iron Curtain Refugee Campaign). A selected index to the Correspondence follows the box list.

Artwork encompasses etchings, a partial inventory of paintings, lithographic plates, photographs of paintings, reproductions, and sketches. The Photographs, largely undated, are arranged alphabetically by titles provided by Klitgaard. Reproductions (1923-1949) range from Christmas cards to magazine covers. Two posters of landscapes commissioned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company, as well as a poster of "Daisies," may be found in Oversize Package #1. Pencil and watercolor Sketches, categorized by medium, are in alphabetical order by title. Oversize Package #1 houses eleven additional watercolor Sketches.

Writings consists of Klitgaard's holograph comments about her own artwork, specifically post office murals painted in Goshen, New York, Pelham, Georgia, and Poughkeepsie, New York; paintings commissioned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company; and her approach to painting in general.

Memorabilia includes artwork by Ben Benn, Chrystal Corcos, Edith Nagler, and Fred Nagler, an award, personal photographs, printed material, and typescript reviews. Printed material contains newspaper clippings (1928-1965), exhibition catalogs and announcements (1927-1965), in addition to several art periodical reviews (1939-1948).

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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.

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Related Material

Our holdings also include the Georgina Klitgaard Collection, and the papers of Georgina Klitgaard's husband, Kaj Klitgaard.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Alexander, Bill.
Barrie, Erwin S.
Bethers, Ray, 1902-
Biddle, George, 1885-1973.
Bloch, Julius T. (Julius Thiengen), 1888-1966.
Borne, Mortimer.
Branning, W. Sterry.
Bush, Lucile Elizabeth.
Carey, Millicent, 1898-
Cort, Van.
Cowles, Russell, 1887-1979.
Day, Katharine Briggs Dodge.
Dehner, Dorothy, 1901-1994.
Force, Juliana, 1876-1948.
Gamble, Kathryn Elizabeth.
Gill, Daisy Sanial.
Goodrich, Lloyd, 1897-1987.
Hollingsworth, Buckner.
Klitgaard, Georgina, 1893-
Klitgaard, Kaj.
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953.
MacLeish, Archibald, 1892-1982.
Mearns, Hughes, 1875-1965.
More, Hermon.
Pittman, Hobson Lafayette, 1899 or 1900-1972.
Pollak, Frances M.
Poor, Henry Varnum, 1887-1970.
Saint-Gaudens, Homer, 1880-1958.
Saunders, Silvia
Slusser, Jean Paul, 1886-1981.
Smart, Charles Allen, 1904-1967.
Spaatz, Carl, 1891-1974.
Speicher, Eugene Edward, 1883-1962.
Taylor, Francis Henry, 1903-1957.
Weeks, Zoraida E.
Zorach, William, 1887-1966.

Corporate Bodies

American Artists Group.
Carnegie Institute.
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company.

Subjects

Art, American -- 20th century.
Art, American.
Lithographers -- United States.
Mural painting and decoration -- United States -- 20th century.
Painting, American -- 20th century.
Women artists -- United States
Women painters -- United States

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Exhibition catalogs.
Photographs.
Sketches.
Sound recordings.

Occupations

Artists.
Lithographers.
Painters.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Georgina Klitgaard Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Finding Aid Information

Created by: ASE
Date: Apr 1993
Revision history: 28 Nov 2005 - EAD file created (MRR); 12 Dec 2016 - index code corrected (MRC); 14 Jun 2017 - reel tape added, OS items moved (MRC); 9 Aug 2017 - rehoused (MS); 24 Aug 2021 - updated related material section (RMH); 26 Jan 2023 - oversize watercolors rehoused (MRC)

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Inventory

Biographical material
Box 1 Biographical material
Correspondence
Box 1 Correspondence 1917-1965, undated (3 folders)
See Selected Index to Correspondence for list of persons.
Artwork
Box 1 Etchings undated
Box 1 Inventory of paintings
Box 1 Lithographic plate, "Poughkeepsie Mural"
Box 2 Lithographic plates, "Village" and "Winter Landscape"
Oversize 1 Photographs (by title) 1933, undated
Reproductions
Oversize 1 By title 1923-1949, undated
Map-Case 130 Posters 1948, undated (3 items)
Sketches
Oversize 1 Pencil (by title) 1919, undated
Oversize 1 Watercolors undated
Oversize 2 Watercolors undated (11 items)
Oversize 1 Miscellaneous (1) undated
Writings
Box 2 Comments on work undated
Memorabilia
Artwork by others
Box 2 Benn, Ben (1 negative, 2 photographs)
Box 2 Corcos, Chrystal (1 etching)
Box 2 Nagler, Edith (1 etching)
Box 2 Nagler, Fred (1 etching, 1 sketch)
Box 2 Audiorecording, "2 Tapes by Georgina Klitgaard" 10 Oct 1974 - actually just one tape; written on the envelope: “Georgina Klitgaard from Arents 4/19/93 see Ref Tape 4199” (1/4 inch audio tape) (ID#: klitgaard_g_001)
Box 2 Award for "Winter Wheat" 1933 - Jennie Sesnan Gold Medal, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Box 2 Photographs 1939, 1949, undated
Printed material
Box 2 Clippings 1928-1965, undated (2 folders)
Box 2 Exhibition catalogs, announcements 1927-1965, undated
Box 2 Reviews 1939-1948
Box 2 Reviews (typescript) 1955, undated
Box 2 Miscellany 1941-1960, undated

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Selected index to correspondence

  • Augustus Saint-Gaudens Memorial : 1948 July 8; 1948 July 16; 1948 July 18; 1948 July 19; 1948 July 26; 1948 Aug. 25; 1948 Sept. 23; 1948 Oct. 8
  • Bethers, Ray : 1950 Sept. 15; undated
  • Biddle, George : 1949 Nov. 17; 1949 Dec. 28; 1950 Jan. 6; 1950 Jan. 11
  • Bloch, Julius : undated
  • Borne, Mortimer : 1948 July 1
  • Branning, W. Sterry and Bowman W. : 1948 Mar. 20; 1948 May 13; 1948 June 13; 1948 Oct. 6; 1949 Feb. 7; 1949 Apr. 15; 1949 Apr. 25; 1949 Nov. 13
  • Bush, Lucile E. : 1931 Feb. 24
  • California Thoroughbred Breeders Association : 1948 July 20; 1948 July 30; 1948 Nov. 8 (re: book to be written by Kent Cochran)
  • Carey, Millicent : See McIntosh, Millicent Carey
  • Carnegie Institute : 1948 Apr. 29; 1948 June 18; 1948 July 5; 1948 July 14; 1948 July 29; 1948 Aug. 23; 1948 Nov. 19; 1949 May 12; 1949 Nov. 21
  • Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company : 1948 July 14; 1948 July 21; 1949 Sept. 23
  • College Art Association : 1936 July 16 (re: Index of 20th Century Artists)
  • Columbia University : 1949 Jan. 20
  • Committee for the Negro in the Arts : undated
  • Cort, Van : undated (2 letters)
  • Cowles, Russell : 1949 Nov. 10 (stamped signature); undated (stamped signature)
  • Day, Katharine Briggs : 1950 Jan. 30
  • Dehner, Dorothy : 1964 (to Chrystal Corcos)
  • Dudensing Galleries : 1927 June 28
  • Eisenhower, Dwight D. : 1949 Jan. 20 (stamped signature)
  • Force, Juliana R. : 1927 May 12; 1927 Aug. 4
  • Frank K.M. Rehn, Inc. : 1948 July 22; 1952 Dec. 30
  • Gamble, Kathryn E. : 1951 Mar. 2; 1951 Mar. 9; 1951 Apr. 20
  • Gill, Daisy Sanial : 1927 May 20; 1928 Feb. 25; 1929 Oct. 23; 1931 Dec. 10; undated
  • Goodrich, Lloyd : 1949 May 4; 1949 May 23
  • Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc. : 1950 Sept. 15; 1951 Feb. 2
  • Henry Gladstone Greeting Cards of Distinction : 1951 Jan. 18; 1951 Jan. 27; 1951 May 14 (Christmas card contract)
  • Highland Park Society of Arts (Dallas) : 1928 Nov. 6
  • Hollingsworth, Buckner and Will : 1948 July 16; 1948 July 19; 1948 Aug. 25; 1948 Sept. 23; 1948 Oct. 8
  • Huntington Hartford Foundation : 1963 Nov. 13 (re: residence fellowship award)
  • Hutson, Victoria Ebbels : 1929 Oct. 18; see also Memorabilia: Reviews
  • Iron Curtain Refugee Campaign : 1951 Aug. 24 (undated holograph outgoing attached); 1951 Oct. 12; see also Memorabilia: Miscellany
  • Klein, Morris : undated
  • Klein, Pauline and Sam : 1964 Sept. 11; 1964 Sept. 18; 1964 Dec. 28
  • Klitgaard, Kaj : 1917 Dec. 9
  • Klitgaard, Povl : 1927 Aug. 30 (re: "Yankeetown Mill")
  • Kuniyoshi, Yasuo : undated (stamped signature)
  • MacLeish, Archibald : 1949 Nov. 10 (stamped signature)
  • Mattson, Daphne (wife of artist Henry Mattson) : undated
  • McIntosh, Millicent Carey : 1951 Aug. 24 (undated holograph outgoing attached)
  • Mearns, Hughes ("Billy") : 1939 Feb. 24; 1941 Dec. 3; 1942 Dec. 13; undated
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art : 1950 Feb.; see also Memorabilia: Miscellany
  • Montclair Art Museum (New Jersey) : 1951 Feb. 20; 1951 Feb. 27; 1951 Mar. 2; 1951 Mar. 9; 1951 Apr. 20; undated
  • More, Hermon : 1949 May 4; undated
  • Nation's Heritage : 1948 Sept. 15 (re: request to reproduce "View of Kingston")
  • National Society of American Art : undated
  • New York State Education : 1948 June 7; 1948 June 29; 1948 Aug. 16
  • Norwegian Art & Craft Club (Brooklyn) : 1949 June 2
  • Park, Mungo : 1939 Mar. 3
  • Pittman, Hobson : 1937 June 13
  • Pollak, Frances M. : 1936 July 16
  • Poor, Henry Varnum : 1949 Nov. 10 (stamped signature)
  • Saint-Gaudens, Homer : 1948 Apr. 29; 1948 June 18; 1948 July 5; 1948 July 8; 1948 July 18; 1948 July 26; 1948 Nov. 19; 1949 May 12; 1949 Nov. 21
  • Saunders, Silvia : undated (2 letters)
  • Skidmore College : 1931 Feb. 24
  • Slusser, Jean Paul : 1930 Dec. 27; 1931 Feb. 20 (carbon of Slusser manuscript for Arts attached); see also Memorabilia: Reviews
  • Smart, Charles Allen : 1964 Sept. 22
  • Spaatz, Carl : 1951 Oct. 12
  • Speicher, Eugene : undated
  • Springfield Art League (Massachusetts) : 1950 Sept. 11; 1951 Feb. 3; 1951 Feb. 20; 1951 Feb. 28
  • Taylor, Francis Henry : 1950 Feb.; see also Memorabilia: Miscellany
  • The New School for Social Research : 1948 July 1
  • Tyringham Galleries (Massachusetts) : 1954 Sept. 1
  • United States. Post Office Department : 1927 July 16 (to Kaj Klitgaard re: missing "Yankeetown Mill")
  • W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. (re: book by Ray Bethers, How Paintings Happen) : 1951 Feb. 27; 1951 Mar. 15
  • Weeks, Zoraida E. : 1948 June 29; 1948 Aug. 16
  • Whitney Museum of American Art : 1943 Feb. 12; 1949 May 4; 1949 May 23; 1949 June 1; 1949 Dec. 1; 1949
  • Woodstock Artists Association : 1951 Sept. 4
  • Zorach, William : 1949 Nov. 10 (stamped signature)

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