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Diane R. Wolf Collection Relating to James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 17 Jun 2009

Biographical History

James Earle Fraser (1876-1953) and his wife, Laura Gardin Fraser (1889-1966), were noted sculptors and medalists. Many of their works were huge equestrian statues or monumental portrait pieces (standing or seated figures). James designed the now-famous "Buffalo nickel" for the U.S. Mint and sculpted the well-known bronze, "End of the Trail," created for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California. Among Laura's notable works are several Congressional Medals of Honor and a double equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson for the city of Baltimore. She submitted the winning design for the 1931 redesign of the quarter; although rejected by Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon in favor of a design by John Flanagan, her design was used for a commemorative five-dollar gold piece in 1999.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Diane R. Wolf Collection Relating to James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser consists of biographical material, clippings, correspondence, and photographs relating to James Earle Fraser and his wife, Laura Gardin Fraser. The bullk of the collection is photographs of the Frasers' work.

The purpose of the collection -- whether research, personal interest, or other -- is unknown; the meaning of the words "Unfilmed" and "Duplicate" which appear on many of the folder headings is likewise unknown.

Arrangement of the Collection

Material remains in original folders and original order.In the inventory below, the words "Duplicate" and "Unfilmed" which appear on numerous folder headings have been omitted for clarity. Folder headings assigned during processing are indicated by square brackets [ ].

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.

Related Material

See also the James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser Papers.

Subject Headings

Persons

Fraser, James Earle, 1876-1953.
Fraser, Laura Gardin, 1889-1966.

Subjects

Art, American -- 20th century.
Art, American.
Bronze sculpture, American.
Coin design.
Coin designers.
Equestrian statues.
History in art.
Medalists -- United States.
Medals.
Memorials.
Monuments.
Portrait medallions.
Portrait sculpture.
Sculptors -- United States.
Sculpture, American.
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century.
Women artists -- United States.
Women sculptors -- United States.

Genres and Forms

Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Photographs.

Occupations

Artists.
Medalists.
Sculptors.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Diane R. Wolf Collection Relating to James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Erving and Joyce Wolf, in honor of Diane R. Wolf.

Table of Contents

Biographical material

Clippings

Correspondence

Manuscripts

Printed material

Photographs

Inventory