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Bridwell Art Library Rare Books and Manuscripts Collections: Home

The Bridwell Art Library's rare books and manuscripts collections.

Rare Books

The Bridwell Art Library's rare books collection contains over 4,200 rare, out-of-print, and fine press books, folios, ex-folios, and artists' books. The oldest items date back to the 16th century. All items are stored in the Rare Books Room, do not circulate, and can be accessed for use only inside the Bridwell Art Library.

Manuscript Collections

The Bridwell Art Library's 77 manuscript collections include the papers of local and regional artists and architects, art historians, and prominent faculty from the Hite Institute of Art & Design.

Finding Aids

The Bridwell Art Library's finding aids will help you discover contextual and structural information about our manuscript and digital collections. 

Winslow Ames (1907-1990) Letters
Dates/Extent :  1960 / .1 linear feet ; 1 folder
Description : A collection letters between Winslow Ames and Margaret Bridwell.

Art Center Association Collection
Dates/Extent :  1958-1984 / .5 linear feet ; 1 box
Description : A snapshot of the 75 anniversary of the Art Center Association and the creation of the book, Tapestry of an Art Association, about the history of the Art Center Association.

Artists' Bookplates & Business Cards
Dates/Extent :  1849-? ; / .5 linear feet ; 1 box
Description : This collection of eighty-nine individually designed artists business cards was collected and donated by Julia Duncan who taught in the Fine Arts Department at the University of Louisville from 1970 until she retired in 1982.

Artists' Signatures
Dates/Extent :   .5 linear feet ; 1 box
Description : This is a collection of signatures from 2 prominent artists, Henri Matisse and Edgard Pillet.

Fayette Barnum (1870-1960) papers
Dates/Extent :   .5 linear feet ; 1 box
Description : Barnum was an art educator and teacher of design at the Handicraft Guild, a precursor to the Louisville Art Center. She was director of the Louisville Art Center from 1929 to 1944.

Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Collection
Dates/Extent :  ca. 1960-1970, / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Franta Belsky is a Czechoslovakian sculptor, living and working in England. This collection consists of correspondence between Belsky and Robert Doherty, then chairman of the Fine Arts Department, University of Louisville, and a notebook of photographs of Belsky's sculptural fountains, each with explanatory text.

Justus Bier (1899-1990) Papers
Dates/Extent :  1849-? ; 1946-1969, / 9.5 linear ft.
Description : Justus Bier, art historian and authority on 15th-century German sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider, was chair of the department of fine arts at the University of Louisville from 1937 to 1960, then director of the North Carolina Museum of Art until 1970. The collection includes exhibition catalogs; articles; notes; reprints; clippings; and bibliographies on Tilman Reimenschneider, along with correspondence associated with Bier's tenure as chairman of the fine arts department and his biographical information. Also present are his notes on an addition proposed for the Jefferson County Courthouse, correspondence with H. W. Janson regarding Jeno Lanyi's work on Donatello, and personal and professional correspondence with art librarian Margaret Bridwell.

Lou Block (1895-1969) collection
Dates/Extent :  1934-1967 / 11 linear ft., ca. 3,130 photographs**
Description : Lou Block was a painter, photographer, muralist, and illustrator who worked with Diego Rivera on the murals for Rockefeller Center. He lived and worked in Louisville from 1951 to 1968, teaching painting and creative photography at the University of Louisville and the Art Center Association. His papers include correspondence with numerous book and journal publishers, officials in the National Youth Administration and Works Progress Administration, the Merchant Marine, United Seaman's Service, War Production Board, Citizens Committee for the Arts, Archives of American Art, and his friend Ben Shahn. Also present are articles by Block, along with illustrations and documentation on his mural designs, including a mural proposed at Riker's Island.

**The photograph collection, housed at University Archives and Special Collections within Ekstrom Library,  includes photographs made in New York in the 1930s, including an Artist's Union strike in 1934, and studies for the Riker's Island murals. Later work includes Block’s photographs made in Louisville, Mexico, New York City, and New Jersey. Also present are Block's personal collection of photographs with work by Ben Shahn, Alfred Eisenstadt, and Barney Cowherd.

Daniel Boles Papers
Dates/Extent :  1956-1967 / 5 folders
Description : Instructor of sculpture at UofL, this collection consists of correspondence with Dr. Justus Bier relating to his work; correspondence with Dr. Dario Covi; data concerning employment at UofL; curriculum vitae; grants and leaves; sculpture exhibition.

Adele Brandeis (1885–1975) Collection
Dates/Extent :  unknown (1930’s?) / .1 linear feet ; 1 folder
Description : Adele Brandeis (1885–1975) was a Louisville art administrator and writer who was the first female to be appointed to the University of Louisville, Board of Trustees.

Leonard Brecher Tobacco and Chewing Gum Card Collection
Dates/Extent :  1909-1911 / 5 linear ft. ; 1 box
Description : The Leonard Brecher Tobacco and Chewing Gum Card Collection, received by the University of Louisville Art Library in 1969 as a donation from Leonard Brecher, the collection contains 356 baseball cards and 86 cards with bird images. Of these, 154 of the baseball cards are included in the digital collection. See the collection inventory below for a complete listing. 

Tobacco, candy, and chewing gum companies printed trade cards or advertising cards to include with their products. Cards in this digital collection come from the American Tobacco Company, American Caramel Company, Colgan Gum Company (of Louisville, Kentucky), John H. Dockman & Sons, and the Standard Caramel Company, and primarily date between 1909 and 1911.

Margaret M. Bridwell (1905-1973) papers
Dates/Extent :  1957-1971 / 3.5 linear ft.
Description : Margaret M. Bridwell, researcher and writer on Kentucky and Louisville history, was the art librarian at the University of Louisville from 1957 to 1970. Her papers include research files and manuscripts, correspondence, as well as her published articles and pamphlets.

Clothide Brokow papers
Dates/Extent :  3 linear ft.
Description : Clothilda Brokaw was a teacher and art historian who taught at UofL from 1961-1974.  She was a pioneer in Victorian restoration and was one of the first landlords in Old Louisville to offer integrated housing.  This collection consists of photocopies of articles on ancient art and architecture, photographs of vases, and copies of student papers.

John P. Cain Papers
Dates/Extent :  1946-1947/ .1 linear feet ; 1 folder
Description : John P. Cain was a member of the Art Center Association and exhibited his work at the Crit Club.

Henry Chodkowski (1937-    ) Papers
Dates/Extent :  6.5 linear ft. / 8 boxes
Description : Henry Chodkowski was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and studied at University of Hartford (B.F.A. 1961) and Yale University (M.F.A. 1963). As professor of advanced painting at University of Louisville, Chodkowski is an influential teacher, known as much for the achievement of his students – Gaela Erwin, Mark Priest, Guinever Smith, to name a few – as for his own art.  These are his personal papers relating to his time and career while at the University of Louisville.

Nelle Peterson (1906-1966) Christmas card collection
Dates/Extent :  ca. 1940- / ca. 500 items
Description : Nelle Peterson, artist and teacher, was director of the Art Center Association school in Louisville from 1959 to 1966. This Christmas card collection consists of over five hundred original Christmas cards, mainly by Kentucky artists, collected by Peterson. Other original cards have been added since 1966.

Ila Chupp scrapbook
Dates/Extent :  ca. 1900 / .5 linear ft.
Description : This scrapbook holds Victorian decorative cards, including calling cards, U.S. Department of Agriculture cards, dated 1887, with illustrations of fruit, and cards advertising products. Among the companies represented are J.P. Coats; New Home Sewing Machine; Hires Root Beer; Dwight's Cow Brand Soda; Arm and Hammer; D.M. Ferry and Co.; Scott's Emulsio;, Brown's Iron Bitter; Diamond Dyes; and Hood's Sarsaparilla.

La Costume Historique
Dates/Extent : 1888 / 1 linear ft.
Description : The historical costume. Five hundred boards, three hundred in color, gold and silver, two hundred in camaieu. Main types of clothing and adornment, close to those of the interior of the house in all times and among all peoples, with many details on furniture, weapons, everyday objects, means of transport, etc. compiled by M.A. Racinet in 1888.
This is a deconstructed, incomplete 6 volume set. Listed are only the missing pages, all others are available.

Madeline and Dario Covi Collection
Dates/Extent :               /  1 linear ft.
Description :  Madeline and Dario Covi were both Art Historians, educators, and artists.  They both worked at the Hite Institute for Art and Design and loved the local arts scene in Louisville.  These items were donated from their estate.                                                            The University Archives and Special Collections (ASC) has a comprehensive manuscript collection of the papers of Dario Covi and his time with the University of Louisville. The Bridwell Art Library sent our smaller collection of his papers from his time as Hite Chairperson to ASC to be included with the existing collection.

Barney Cowherd (1923-1972) papers
Dates/Extent :  1945-1972 / .4 linear feet ; 4 folders
Description : Cowherd was an award winning photographer for the Louisville Courier-Journal. This group includes notices and reviews of his exhibitions and awards, correspondence, and course descriptions for proposed courses in creative photography.

Charles (1894–1973) and Elisabeth Crodel Collection
Dates/Extent :  1958-1971 / .5 linear feet ; 7 folders
Description : Charles Crodel was a German painter and stained glass artist who taught at Penn State University and the University of Louisville (1958, 1960-1961, 1964-1965).  His wife, Elisabeth was a tapestry maker

Brinton B. Davis (1862-1952) Collection
Dates/Extent :  ca. early 20th century / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Brinton B. Davis was an architect who practiced in Kentucky, Illinois, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. His buildings include the Jefferson County Armory and the Audubon Club in Louisville. The collection includes photographs of the architect's works, copies of expense accounts, biographical information, and copies of an address delivered at the Kentucky chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1937. Original prints of photographs by Louisville photographer Henry Hesse document Davis' architectural sketches and buildings.

Julia Duncan (1917-2010) papers
Dates/Extent :  0.5 linear ft.
Description : Art educator who taught in the Fine Arts Department, University of Louisville from 1970-1982 these papers include typed notes, photographs, newspaper and journal articles for Ralph Fanning's An Outline for the Study of the History of Fine Arts...arranged by students...at Ohio State University (1935). Includes sections on Pre-Helenic art, Greek architecture, Etruscan art and Roman art; 1971 article on Ralph Fanning; program and other materials from the World's Craft Council 1978 in Kyoto, Japan at which Duncan was a delegate. Also letters.

William H. Fitzgerald (1836-1875) papers
Dates/Extent :  1946-1950 / .1 linear feet ; 1 folder
Description : William H. Fitzgerald, a noted artist in Scott County for his portraiture.

Oliver Frazer (1808-1864) research file
Dates/Extent :   1952-1967 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Oliver Frazer, a Lexington portrait painter, studied with Matthew Jouett and Thomas Sully. The collection includes the notes and writings of Margaret Bridwell and Justus Bier regarding Frazer: a catalog of Frazier's work assembled by Bier; a catalog of works assembled by Nancy Jordan from 1952 with descriptions and sketches; copies of manuscripts by Margaret Bridwell for articles she wrote for a 1967 issue of Antiques Magazine; copies of a manuscript by Justus Bier with a note for the Louisville Courier-Journal; Bridwell's correspondence with Antiques Magazine and others; photographs of Frazer's work; correspondence between Bridwell and William Barrow Floyd, with the prepublication notice of Floyd's book on Matthew Harris Jouett, Joseph Bush, and Oliver Frazer; Bridwell correspondence with Fr. Bonaventure Crowley from 1964 concerning his possible use of the Frazer material for a master's thesis; Bier correspondence regarding photographs and permission to use them; a 1965 term paper by Lynne Meena; a selected Frazer bibliography by Margaret Bridwell, 1967.

Julius Friedman (1943-2017) collection
Dates/Extent : 
Description : Julius Friedman is an award-winning graphic designer and co-founder of Images Studio a design and marketing firm in Louisville, Kentucky. The collection consists of annual reports, calendars, promotional items, books and catalogs designed for himself and others, newspaper clippings and articles about Friedman, ephemera from the Chapman-Friedman Gallery and Images and more than 200 posters, the earliest dating from 1967.

Jim Gatewood (1927-1989) collection
Dates/Extent :  1985-1991 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Painter and Louisville native Jim Gatewood attended the Art Center Association School and the University of Louisville where he studied under Mary Spencer Nay and Ulfert Wilke, among others. He left Louisville in the early sixties, traveled to Italy and England, and then settled in upstate New York, painting and teaching in the public schools. He also lived in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. This collection primarily consists of materials relating to a memorial exhibition held at Spalding University, November 17 - December 18, 1991.

Marguerite Peters Gifford (1877-1969) collection
Dates/Extent :  1938-1969 / 1 linear ft.
Description : A widely traveled artist, Marguerite Peters Gifford left these papers and artifacts including correspondence and other personal papers; documents; manuscripts and notes made during her visits and for talks after she returned home; two lectures by Count Julius Batthany; exhibition catalogs; photographs of scenes and objects which influenced her work, and photographs of her work. The collection also includes her notes on Hungarian food, a sketch book made during her travels, and other drawings and sketches. One sketch details a bare Chinese foot which had been bound. Also present are her tubes of paint, palette, calipers, scissors, brushes and pencils, ruler, palette knife, and a horn cup for cleaning brushes.

Creighton Gilbert (1924-2011) research materials
Dates/Extent :  1947-1956 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Art historian and authority in Renaissance art, Creighton Gilbert taught at University of Louisville from 1948 to 1956. The materials in this collection primarily concern old master paintings in Louisville.

Vito Girone (1910-2004) papers
Dates/Extent :  1960s-2004 / 3 linear ft.
Description : Vito Girone was an architect, city planner, painter, and industrial designer who won the First Prize at the American Academy in Rome in 1939-1940 and later taught at Notre Dame and at the University of Kentucky until 1975. The collection includes exhibition announcements, articles on Girone, articles on other architects with Girone's annotations, correspondence, including letters exchanged between Girone and architectural historian Will Morgan, Girone's architectural sketches, and photographs of the architect and his buildings. 

Sue Grafton Collection
Dates/Extent :  1991-2018/ 0.5 linear ft.
Description : A collection of promotional materials and Holiday cards from University of Louisville alum Sue Grafton. This collection was graciously donated by Charles E. “Chuck” Mullins.

Major George Herbert Gray (1874-1945) papers
Dates/Extent :  1919-1922 / 2.0 linear ft.
Description : MajGeorge Herbert Gray was architect, author, and proponent of city and state planning. His papers concern the American Expeditionary Forces with curricula, a complete list of faculty, lecturers, and administrative staff, copies of lectures given, and student rosters. Maj. Gray's program at Bellevue is notable as the first such educational effort by the U.S.  He settled in the Louisville area as a draftsman in 1906 and married Mary Belknap in 1909.

D.W. Griffith (1875-1948) Collection
Dates/Extent :  1.0 linear feet ; 2 boxes
Description : D. W. (David Wark) Griffith was an American director, writer, and producer who pioneered modern filmmaking techniques.  Born near LaGrange Kentucky he made his mark in the early days of Hollywood.

Gillett Good Griffin (1928-2016) Letters
Dates/Extent :  1956-1966 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Twenty-two letters from art historian Gillette Good Griffin to University of Louisville professor Robert J. Doherty and his family, written between 1956 and 1966. Griffin wrote generally of personal matters and illustrated many of the letters. Also present are two photographs of Griffin.

Victor Hammer (1882-1967) collection
Dates/Extent :  1950-1970 / 1 box
Description : Austrian-born artist, printer, typographer, book craftsman, sculptor and painter, taught at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY from 1948 until 1952.

Julia Duke Henning (1901-1996) collection
Dates/Extent :  1920s / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Julia Duke Henning was a Louisville painter who exhibited from the 1940s to the 1960s. This collection consists of two scrapbooks, one of photographs from Henning’s trips to France, Greece, Italy, Constantinople and England (1925-1926), and one of postcards from Greece and articles on archaeology.

Ainslie Hewett (1880-1963) Bookplate Collection
Dates/Extent :  ca. 1910- / 2.5 linear ft.
Description :  Ainslie Hewett was an artist and designer best know for his distinctive bookplates. Approximately one hundred of the 132 bookplates known to be designed by the artist are included in this collection, along with original drawings for bookplates and woodcuts, ten cut copper plates, artist's proofs, articles by and about him, and a checklist of his work. Also present are his advertisements and his price list for designing bookplates and family coats of arms, and for giving instruction in woodcarving. The collection includes scrapbooks of his work and exhibition notices, two framed coats of arms, and his reference collection.

Allen R. (1865–1941) and Marcia S. (1876-1946) Hite papers
Dates/Extent :  1929-1947 / 0.5 linear feet ; 1 box
Description : Allen R. Hite was a financier and civic leader in the city of Louisville. His wife, Marcia S. Hite was a gifted painter of some renown. Materials included are documents related to the gift of funds to begin the Hite Art Program at the University of Louisville and exhibit information concerning Mrs. Hite’s artwork.

Hite Institute of Art and Design Exhibition Catalogs Collection
Dates/Extent :  1946-1978 /  6.3 linear feet
Description : In 1946, the Department of Art was endowed as the Hite Art Institute in recognition of the bequest of Allen R. and Marcia S. Hite.  The first exhibition catalog in the Hite exhibition series is from March 1947, a memorial exhibition of Marcia Hite's works.  Catalogs appeared regularly thereafter, usually 6-9 times a year until about 1965 when only about 4 to 5 catalogs were produced.  By 1970, even fewer catalogs were produced with the last one being published in 1978 with the designated numbering system.  An active exhibition program has continued, however, the numbering system was abandoned.  

Lothar Hoffman (1928-  ) Collection
Dates/Extent : 1942 - 1991 /  3 linear feet ; 6 boxes
Description : Lothar Hoffmann was born and studied in Germany, emigrated to the US and worked for major art studios as a graphic designer for many years. He currently works in publishing fine lettering, calligraphy and typography utilizing both electronic and print media. This is a collection of work by some of his students, including examples of their work, letters, cards, and notes to Hoffmann. Box 6 is an addition to the collection made possible by a generous donation of Professor Steven Skaggs upon his retirement from the University of Louisville, 2022.

Carl Holty (1900-1973) papers
Dates/Extent :  1945 - 1965 / 0.7 linear feet ; 7 folders
Description : Carl Holty was a German-born American abstract painter. Raised in Wisconsin, he was the first major abstract painter to gain notoriety from the state.

Homerama Catalog Collection
Dates/Extent :  1974-2001 / 0.5linear ft.
Description : Collection of Homearama catalogs from 1974-2001 


Kentucky and Regional Publications
Dates/Extent :  1926-2012 / 7 boxes
Description : Collection of varying serials and journals, exhibit catalogs and other documents about art in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.

Kentucky Watercolor Society Papers
Dates/Extent :  1977 – 2012 ; 8 boxes, 3 binders
Description : Records of the Kentucky Watercolor Society including newsletters, Board meeting minutes, membership lists, member show catalogs, slides and publicity records.

Robert Kingsley (1942-1993) papers
Dates/Extent :  1970s-1992 / 55 linear ft.
Description : The Robert Kingsley Papers include correspondence, reports, manuscripts, sketches, blueprints, photographs, slides, negatives, administrative documents, exhibition boards, newspaper clippings, and magazine and journal articles. The bulk of the material was created or collected by Robert Kingsley. These papers offer significant and unique information about the career of Robert Kingsley and architecture in Louisville during the period 1971-1993, with the greater part of the records spanning 1971-1986.

Romuald Kraus (1891-1954) collection
Dates/Extent :  1920s-1954 / 3.5 linear ft.
Description : Romuald Kraus taught sculpture at the University of Louisville from 1947 until 1953. Included are academic and professional correspondence, sketchbooks, personal photographs, photographs of sculpture, exhibition catalogues and papers and letters relating to his death. Official documents and immigration papers are in the collection are also included.

Clay Lancaster (1917-2000) Collection
Dates/Extent :  .5 linear ft., 1 box
Description : Collection of book covers from the Architectural writer and Lexington, Kentucky native Clay Lancaster.

Alma Lesch (1917-1999) files
Dates/Extent :  15.5 linear ft., 30 boxes
Description : Alma Lesch, fiber artist and educator, taught at the Louisville School of Art and the University of Louisville. Her work has been exhibited internationally. The papers in this collection include correspondence with galleries, museums and schools concerning exhibitions and workshops; articles in newspapers and magazines about Alma Lesch; exhibition catalogs which include Lesch's work; supporting materials for workshops Lesch conducted; publications and newsletters from Shakertown; articles, newspaper clippings and ephemera on various art-related topics; lists of students and other documents from her tenure at UofL.

Blaine Lewis, M.D. (1919-2001) papers
Dates/Extent :  1963-2000, 1.5 linear ft.
Description : Blaine Lewis, M.D. was of a generation of amateur printers – many self-taught and many highly skilled. They were interested in the preservation and execution of the craft of letterpress printing and were, for the most part, not commercial job printers. Dr. Lewis printed many of the brochures and meeting programs associated with the various Louisville and Kentucky medical associations he belonged to. As a member of several national printer associations, he printed materials that were part of exchanges that took place among the members of those groups. The collection contains printing examples from fine press printers, such as Lenard Bahr (Adagio Press) and Paul Haden Duensing; as well as a number of passionate, lesser known amateur printers. The collection not only documents Dr. Lewis’ body of work as a printer; but, also gives an important glimpse into the work of others during this important transition period from commercial letterpress printing to what has become a respected art form, in and of itself.

Louisville Outdoor Art League papers
Dates/Extent :  1908-1956, 2 linear ft.
Description : The Louisville Outdoor Art League was organized on March 22, 1902 for the purpose of promoting "the conservation of natural scenery; the acquirement of lands for public parks and reservations; advancement of all outdoor arts; the designing and fitting of grounds for public and private use and enjoyment; efforts toward the abolishment of all unsightly object; to cultivate artistic ideals in the home and to further the highest interests of education." The collection consists of the League’s minutes from 1928 to 1941 (4 notebooks), scrapbooks from 1908 to 1956 (7 volumes); a pamphlet published on the 50th anniversary of the League’s founding; and one notebook of miscellaneous papers.

Tom Marsh (1934-1991) letters
Dates/Extent :  1961-1964 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Tom Marsh founded the ceramics program at the University of Louisville in 1971 and taught until his death in 1991. His work reflected his study in Japan and his ongoing involvement with Japanese ceramic traditions and culture. Examples of Marsh pottery are in permanent collections of museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in Kamakura, Japan. This collection includes letters written by Tom Marsh during his stay in Japan from 1961 to 1964, along with transcriptions by Julia Duncan of some of the letters, and three catalogs with notes.

Frank Jewett Mather Award for Art Criticism archive
Dates/Extent :  1955 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : Entries submitted for the second annual award for best newspaper and magazine art criticism by Louise Aaron, Gertrude Benson, Dushan Bresky, Howard Derrickson, Robert Kimball, Michael Lenson, Paul B. Metzler, Arthur Millier, Doris Reno, Bertha Fanning Taylor, and Carl Weiselberger. University of Louisville art professor Creighton Gilbert chaired the jury for this College Art Association competition in 1955.

Miscellaneous Printing Examples
Dates/Extent :  1854 - 1896 / 1 folder
Description : Examples of various types of printing from 1894 through 1896.

Cynthia Moore collection
Dates/Extent :  1978 - 2004 / 0.1 linear feet ; 1 folder
Description : Photographs of Louisville artists taken by Cynthia Moore.

Frederic L. Morgan (1899–1970) papers
Dates/Extent :   1912-1970 / 15 linear ft.
Description : Frederic L. Morgan was born in Illinois and came to Kentucky to be an architect.  A prolific draftsman, he worked primarily in the Georgian Revival style.  He designed many homes, businesses and churches including the Pendennis Club, The Schuster Block, and the Norton Chapel at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  These papers consist mainly of Morgan's files relating to his designs, (with clippings, blue prints and drawings) and some biographical materials.  Also there are two boxes that were donated after the initial Morgan bequest by Nancy Pearcy.

William Morgan (1944- ) manuscripts
Dates/Extent :  1962-1981 / 1 linear ft.
Description : Materials relating to the architectural historian, including typed manuscripts of his books Collegiate Gothic: The Architecture of Rhodes College(1989), Bucks County : photographs of early architecture (1974), done in collaboration with Aaron Siskind, and a brochure, New Architecture in Louisville (ca. 1975). The file also includes letters from readers of his newspaper column in the Louisville Courier-Journal.

John P. Morton & Co. Woodblock Print Collection
Dates/Extent :  1858?-1943 
Description : John P. Morton and Company was a publishing firm based in Louisville, Kentucky for much of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries. John Price Morton (1807-1889) started working in Lexington and in 1925 was hired by William W. Worsley to manage his Main Street Shop, The Louisville Book Store.  By 1858 the firm was known as the John P. Morton & Co. and well known for publishing school books as well as the Western Farmer's Almanac.  The firm closed in 1943 due to lack of a male heir.  The Margaret M. Bridwell Art Library has 1300-1400 woodblocks tht the company used for its publications.  Former professor Robert Doherty obtained the woodblocks when Morton's successor was going out of business.  The prints were made in the mid-1980's.

Erika Schultz Oppenheim (1905-2008) Collection
Dates/Extent :  1947-2005
Description : Illustrations for the children’s books, Christoph und Christinchen erleben Cristkinchens Werkstatt  (1947) and Wie Irene die Angst vor der Schule verlor  (n.d.) including a typescript of the text written by Oppenheim; unbound book on costumes by Fritzi Mally, Deutsche Trachten aus den Sudentenlandern ; figure drawings by Oppenheim.; and personal interview paper prepared by Delinda Stephens Buie in 2003.


Edgard Pillet (1912-1996) collection
Dates/Extent :  1955-1956 / 0.8 linear feet ; 8 folders
Description : Artist Edgar Pillet was visiting professor of painting at the University of Louisville from 1955 to 1956. The papers include articles by and about Pillet; biographies; correspondence concerning his teaching appointment at the University and at the Art Center; exhibition catalogs and notes concerning his exhibitions; material on Pillet's film Genese, and photographs of his sculptures.

Paul Plaschke (1922-2014) collection
Dates/Extent :  1921 - 1952 / 0.1 linear feet ; 1 folder
Description : Cartoonist for the Courier-Journal and Times Paul Plaschke was known for his cartoon character “the Monk.” This collection was a donation by Newton P. Owen from the estate of George Lauer.

Richard C. Pope (1928-) papers
Dates/Extent :  1961-1966 / 0.2 linear feet; 2 folders
Description : Richard C. Pope was a Hite graduate who went on to become a professor of design at Hite.

Charlotte Price papers
Dates/Extent :  1971–1972 / 0.1 linear feet; 1 folder
Description : These are materials given by Charlotte Price to the Louisville Visual Arts Association (LVAA), then given to Art Library by John Begley in 2009.

Paul Sawyier (1865-1917) papers
Dates/Extent :  1902-1999 / 2.0 linear ft. ; 4 boxes
Description :  Paul Sawyier was one of Kentucky's most renowned artists, an American impressionist painter.  The majority of this file is research completed by Dr. Willard Rouse Jillson, noted geologist and historian from Frankfort, Ky.  He began collecting this research in 1937 and used it to complete the book Paul Sawyier: American artist (1865-1917) a brief biographical sketch published in 1961.

Nettie Yanoff (Brudner) Schwartz (1909-2004) Papers
Dates/Extent :  1972 / 1 linear ft.
Description : Nettie Yanoff Brudner Schwartz was a former art and science teacher in the Louisville Public School system. Among her many accomplishments, Nettie published an art book entitled Painting With A Needle. This collection contains manuscript, galley proofs, and original drawings for her book on creative stitchery Painting with a Needle (1972).

Seagram Collection of Contemporary Art by Kentucky Artists
Dates/Extent :  1950-1951 / 1.0 linear feet ; 1 box
Description : The collection consists of booklets about their collection, various issues of the company periodical "Proof" and clippings from Proof written by by Dorothy Von Allmen.

Kaye Seekamp collection
Dates/Extent :  
Description : A fashion illustrator for Louisville department stores and specialty shops, Kaye Seekamp graduated from Loretto High School in 1945. By the mid-eighties, with the advent of computers, fashion illustration was no longer a viable career. Seekamp returned to school and in 1992 received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville. She completed her Master’s degree in 1996, also at UofL. The collection consists primarily of ads published in the Courier-Journal and other local newspapers. There is also a small amount of original artwork.

Shakers (United Society of Believers) Materials
Dates/Extent :  1938-1965 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : This collection of research material was compiled by Adele Brandeis. The material includes extensive information gathered by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) on the tenets, organization, worship, communities, reputation, leading personalities, daily life, dress, education of children, handicrafts and industries of the United Society of Believers, with a bibliography.Part of the collection is in the Photographic Archives, Ekstrom Library.

Gideon Shryock (1802-1880) research materials
Dates/Extent :  1928-1971 / 0.5 linear ft.
Description : This collection documents the career and studies of 19th-century Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock who designed the old capitol at Frankfort and the Jefferson County Courthouse in Louisville.


Bob Thompson (1937-1966) Collection
Dates/Extent :  1960-1966 / 1.5 linear ft.
Description : Bob Thompson was a Louisville born, University of Louisville art student and figurative painter who worked primarily in New York in the 1960s. This collection includes biographies and family data, pictures of photographs of Thompson and his family, letters to his mother, articles about him, exhibition catalogs and reviews, obituary notices, announcements of memorial services held, and two tapes of the memorial services in New York.

Richard Thuss (1865- 1945) collection
Dates/Extent :     /.5 linear feet, 1 box
Description : Sculptor Richard Thuss, born in Nuremberg, studied in Vienna, Munich and Nuremberg. Late in life he lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. The collection consists of one photo album, A Body of Work by Richard Thuss.  The album was donated by Cincinnati photographer Gordon Baer. Also included is a DVD of the photographs within the album, two obituaries (1945) and two newspaper articles (1937) from Cincinnati newspapers.

Eileen Toutant Papers
Dates/Extent :  1979-2000 / 3 linear ft.
Description : Eileen Toutant received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the University of Louisville in 1987 and 1999 respectively. Her thesis was titled, Figural representation in early Scandinavian art; her dissertation was titled New Deal murals in Kentucky post offices. Two boxes in this collection contain materials gathered doing research murals in Kentucky post offices. The third box contains notebooks with class notes, notes on readings and student papers on Louisville architecture.

Walter Ufer (1876-1936) letters
Dates/Extent :  1922-1928, 1 folder
Description :  Ufer, born in Louisville, was a member of the Taos Founders, also known as the Taos Society of Artists, and part of the Taos Eight. This folder contains copies of two letters from Walter Ufer. One is to Robert Harshe, director of the Art Institute of Chicago relaying details of his biography. The other is to Gertrude Herdle, director of the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, and concerns his painting Solemn Pledge, and his life in Taos for an article Herdle was writing.

University of Louisville Art Workshops papers
Dates/Extent :  1975-1982, 1 linear ft.
Description :  From 1975 to 1982 Julia Duncan directed art workshops at the University of Louisville. These papers include photographs, slides, biographical information on and correspondence with workshop leaders. Duncan was able to offer classes with both local and nationally prominent artists, including Richard Daehnert, Franzee Dolbeare, Kathy Kelm, Ed Lambert, Alma Lesch, Joan Michaels Paque, Mary Walker Phillips, Sister May Remy Revor, Jon Riis, Arturo Sandoval, and Mahboob Shahzaman. 

Henry Whitestone Collection
Dates/Extent :  1944-1946, 0.5 linear ft.
Description :  Irish born Henry Whitestone was a prominent architect in Louisville who designed many of the buildings in the city on Main Street and beyond.

Who's Who in Kentucky Art
Dates/Extent :  1960s, 1 linear ft.
Description :  Beginning in 1952 Dr. Justus Bier began compiling the names of regional artists to create a Who’s Who book of Kentucky Artists. The book was never published.  This file provides a snapshot of Kentucky artists in the 1950s with approximately one hundred questionnaires completed by artists in the Kentuckiana region during this period.

Ulfert Wilke (1907-1988) papers
Dates/Extent :  1948-1963, 0.5 linear ft.
Description :  Papers relating to the artist's appointment by the Allen R. Hite Institute in 1948 and his resignation in 1964, with his curriculum vitae and other biographical notes. The collection also includes his correspondence with Justus Bier and others, materials concerning his exhibitions and collections, and writings by and about Wilke. Also,two letters from Ulfert Wilke to James Johnson Sweeney.  One letter concerns Wilke acting as middle man between a Mrs. Boudeman and Mr. Sweeney for the sale of some objects for which 10 pictures are included with Wilke’s annotations.  The other is a personal letter about his family, an exhibit of his art collection geared for children, an upcoming exhibit of his work, etc.  The letters were donated by Edie Bingham via Sweeny’s son who was a friend of Barry Bingham’s.

Violet Bruner Windell (1922-2005) Collection
Dates/Extent :  0.5 linear feet
Description :  Violet Bruner Windell was an artist and an author. The collection includes correspondence and handmade Artists' Books.

World's Fair memorabilia
Dates/Extent :  1893-1970, 1 linear ft.
Description :  Souvenirs, including tickets, programs, advertisements, pamphlets, postcards, and newspaper articles related to the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893; the Philadephia World's Fair in 1876; the 1898 Fair in Omaha; the St. Louis Fair in 1904; the Fair again in Chicago in 1933 and again in New York in 1939; the Seattle Fair in 1962; the New York World's Fair in 1964; the Expo in Montreal in 1967; and the World's Fair in Osaka in 1970.


Enid Yandell (1870-1934) sculpture photographs
Dates/Extent :  1901, .1 linear ft.
Description :  4 black and white photographs of the Carrie Brown Memorial Fountain, officially known as the Bajnotti Memorial Fountain, in Providence, Rhode Island. The fountain, designed by Yandell, came from a bequest by Paul Bajnotti of Turin, Italy in memory of his late wife, Carrie Brown of Providence. Also, one black and white photograph of a bust believed to be by Yandell. The photographs were originally in the Speed Museum and acquired by the Art Library in 2011.

Mary Yeiser (1905 - 2008) papers
Dates/Extent :  1934 - 2001, 3 linear ft.
Description :  Mary Yeiser, born in Paducah, Kentucky in 1905, studied art in America and abroad. She taught at Paducah Junior College and was the impetus behind the founding of the Paducah Art Guild, later renamed the Yeiser Art Center. This collection consists of articles, miscellaneous letters, biographical materials, correspondence between Yeiser and Geza Gilbert Foldes, typescripts and proofs for the book and video about Geza Gilbert Foldes' method with related correspondence, slides and transparencies of Yeisers works and a video of Yeisers apartment.

Reproduction Fees

Bridwell Art Library offers high-resolution digital reproductions of materials for which we hold reproduction rights or are in the public domain. Reproduction fees recover costs associated with that service. Digital reproductions are for research purposes only and should not be distributed. Fees are per job.

Reproduction Fees
Resolution Size Cost Per Job
300 ppi PDF $15
600 ppi PDF $30

Preservation Fees

Bridwell Art Library charges a preservation fee for materials in which we hold reproduction rights or are in the public domain. Preservation fees cover costs associated with publications, public displays, websites, or other commercial uses.​ Fees are per image and per use/project.

Preservation Fees for UofL Users
UofL Students, Faculty, & Staff (ID required) Cost Per Image
*Non-profit (tax-exempt) No charge
Commercial $10
Preservation Fees for Non-UofL Users
Non-UofL Patrons Cost Per Image
*Non-profit (tax-exempt) $25
Commercial $50

*Non-profit and tax-exempt pricing includes academic and museum presses.

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