Finding aid for the Joseph Cornell letters to Susanna De Maria Wilson and other papers 2014.M.30
Isabella Zuralski
Special Collections
2015
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections
Title: Joseph Cornell letters to Susanna De Maria Wilson and other papers
Creator:
Cornell, Joseph
Identifier/Call Number: 2014.M.30
Physical Description:
2.17 Linear Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1963-1994, undated
Abstract: Collection of thirty-three unpublished letters from Joseph Cornell to Susanna De Maria Wilson, one of his assistants and wife
of the minimalist sculptor Walter De Maria. The letters feature poetic and philosophical musings on various topics as well
as practical information about the artist's work and document aspects of Cornell's relationship with De Maria Wilson. Besides
the textual content, the aestethic composition of the letters, comprising multiple envelopes frequently contained within each
other, collaged elements and the inclusion of objects, produces a layered reading and viewing experience. The letters are
as much a collection of collage work and mail art as they are archival documents.
Physical Location: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the
catalog record for this collection. Click here for the
access policy .
Language of Material: Collection material is in English.
Acquired in 2014.
Arranged in two series: Series I. Joseph Cornell letters to Susanna De Maria Wilson, 1963-1968, undated; Series II. Other
papers, 1963-1994, undated.
Biographical / Historical Note
The American artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) was a pioneer and celebrated pratcitioner of collage and assemblage art, and
experimental filmmaker. He was born in Nyack, N.Y. in 1903, the eldest of four children. Following his father's death in 1917
he moved with his family to Queens, New York, and then attended the Phillips Academy in Andover in Massachusetts, but without
earning a diploma. Except for the years spent in Andover, Cornell lived most of his life in a small house on Utopia Parkway
in a working-class neighborhood of Flushing, Queens, along with his mother and his younger brother Robert, who suffered from
cerebral palsy. For many years he struggled to make a living and supported his family by working various jobs: salesman in
the textile industry; door-to-door appliance salesman; working at a plant nursery; as a textile designer; and as a designer
of covers and layouts for
Harper's Bazaar,
View,
Dance Index, and other magazines.
Cornell was a self-taught artist. In 1940, he decided to devote all of his time to pursuing art, and set up a workshop in
the basement of his house in Flushing. While spending most days at home, he continued to visit Manhattan to meet friends and
look for materials. His artworks began to sell, but it was not until after the 1949 solo show at the Charles Egan Gallery
that it began to sell for more significant sums.
In the 1950s and 1960s, although highly regarded as an artist, Cornell continued to lead a reclusive life. As caring for his
mother and brother claimed more of his time, he hired assistants to help him organize material, make artwork, and run errands.
One of his assistants was the wife of the American minimalist sculptor Walter De Maria, Susanna De Maria Wilson. Cornell's
brother died in 1965, followed by his mother in 1966. Cornell died in 1972, a few days after his sixty-ninth birthday.
Cornell is best known for assemblages made of objects found in bookshops and thrift stores and arranged eclectically in simple
shadow boxes, usually fronted with a glass pane. He also created flat collaged works and experimented with film. The underlying
principle of Cornell's art relies for its appeal on the use of dreamlike irrational juxtaposition, inspired by Surrealism,
and the evocation of a sense of nostalgia, inspired by 19th-century Romanticism.
Cornell was introduced to Surrealism in the early 1930s when he began frequenting the Julien Levy Gallery, which during the
1930s and 1940s was an important venue for surrealist and avant-garde art, photography and experimental film. His work was
first exhibited as part of the
Surrealisme show at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932. He made his first glass-fronted box in 1937, which was included that same year in
the
Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Cornell was also an avid collector of books, prints, postcards, and printed ephemera. In the mid-1930s he began collecting
movies and movie stills and embarked upon various film-related projects, including a trilogy of collage-films. In the mid-1950s,
he began to incorporate film-related material into his other artwork.
Cornell's art often reflects his preoccupation with women whom he encountered both in his fantasy life, such as actresses
and ballet dancers, or in real life, and various other interests, such as his captivation with birds. Besides surrealism,
his art was also influenced and informed by French symbolist writers, the philosophy of American Transcendentalism and the
Christian Science belief and practice. Throughout his life he came into contact with and befriended well known figures of
the art, dance, and literary world; including several artists of the surrealist, abstract expressionist, and pop art movements.
Restricted. Contact the repository for information regarding access.
Contact
Library Reproductions and Permissions .
Joseph Cornell letters to Susanna De Maria Wilson and other papers, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no.
2014.M.30.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2014m30
Isabella Zuralski processed the collection and wrote the finding aid in 2015. The scope and content notes for the collection
and for the first series are largely drawn from curatorial notes by John Tain.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection includes letters from the American collage and assemblage artist Joseph Cornell to one of his assistants, Susanna
De Maria Wilson; a small quantity of printed ephemera and notes related to the screenings of films drawn from Cornell's personal
collection; and a few letters and notes by others.
Series I. consists of thirty-three letters by Cornell, which document diverse aspects of his working relationship with De
Maria Wilson. In terms of aesthetic composition, the pieces of mail are generally strongly visual in their orientation, and
some envelopes even seem to have had stamps affixed with care and for deliberate effect. Furthermore, Cornell adapted the
collage and assemblage technique to the sequential mode of reading in the epistolary format, so that the outer envelopes frequently
contain multiple envelopes that are then wrapped in tissue paper, stitched or clipped together. Often, these items are collaged
with stamps, seals, foil stickers, and small photographs. Several small objects are enclosed with the letters: a bird call
whistle, pressed grass, a toy plastic mirror, a piece of perforated metal, and rusty nails. Cornell's method of collage and
assemblage thus produces a layered experience of reading and viewing. As a group, the letters exist as much as a collection
of work on paper or mail art as they are archival documents.
Included with this series is the painted wood box in which De Maria Wilson stored Cornell's letters at her home. Cornell saw
the box in a Manhattan store and asked DeMaria Wilson to purchase it with money he gave her.
Series II. includes a small group of printed ephemera and notes related to the historic 1963 screenings of films drawn from
Cornell's personal collection, held at 9 Great Jones Street, the space run by Walter De Maria and Robert Whitman; and a few
letters by others written after Cornell's death.
The collection was digitized in 2017. Images are available on-site only: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2014m30
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Assemblage (Art)
Collages -- United States -- 20th century
Mail art -- United States -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century
De Maria Wilson, Susanna
Cornell, Joseph
Joseph Cornell letters to Susanna De Maria Wilson, Series I. 1963-1968, undated
Physical Description:
146 items
(33 letters in 34 folders, 1 painted wood box)
Arranged chronologically.
Included are thirty-three postmarked letters sent by Joseph Cornell from his house in Flushing, Queens, to Susanna De Maria
Wilson at her various addresses in New York City. The letters begin in 1963 and continue until 1968, but the prevalent portion,
about half of the letters, dates from 1963.
In addition to Cornell's letters to De Maria Wilson, the postmarked envelopes also contain other items such as notes, greeting
cards, or clippings from magazines, which are often inserted in smaller envelopes, wrapped in tissue paper, stiched or clipped
together. Frequently, these items are collaged with stamps, seals, foil stickers, and small photographs. Several small objects
are included: a bird call whistle, pressed grass, a plastic toy mirror, a piece of perforated metal, and rusty nails.
As stated in the first letter (21 January 1963), Cornell had met De Maria Wilson in the spring of 1962, when the latter was
working at MoMA, but did not write her until the start of the following year. The letters document diverse aspects of Cornell's
and De Maria Wilson's working relationship. De Maria Wilson was given the task of helping acquire source material for Cornell's
collage and assemblage work, and the letters frequently contain directions on where to go, guidance as to what kind of imagery
particularly appealed to him, and even samples of images. Sometimes, the letters are purely social in purpose, as in an Easter
card sent on 13 April 1963, or in a postcard dated 15 April 1964, thanking her for perfumes. Cornell also shared insight into
various aspects of his thought and collage processes. For instance, in a letter dated 28 March 1963, Cornell discusses the
mystery of sylphs and sensuality, and in a letter from 5 April 1963 he wrote a lengthy note discussing three dreams. Throughout,
the writing is typical of the artist's allusive and laconic style, but there are also surprising moments of humor, as in the
humorous card sent on 23 May 1964.
Just important as the discursive or textual content of the letters is their aesthetic composition. The pieces of mail are
generally strongly visual in their orientation, and even the more mundane-seeming of the letters and postcards appear to have
had stamps affixed with care and for deliberate effect. Many include collaged elements and objects. At times, this could consist
simply of the addition of stickers or the pasting on of a cut-out image, but there are also sumptuous demonstrations of Cornell's
artistry, as in the collage bouquet of pressed grasses and angels included in an envelope stamped 13 February 1964.
Furthermore, Cornell adapted the collage and assemblage technique to the more temporally ordered sequential mode of reading
in the epistolary format, so that any given piece frequently contains multiple envelopes that are then wrapped in tissue paper,
stitched or clipped together, producing a layered reading and viewing experience. In short, the letters as a group exist as
much as a collection of work on paper or mail art by Cornell as they are an archive of documents.
Included with this series is the painted wood box in which De Maria Wilson stored Cornell's letters at her home. Cornell saw
the box in a Manhattan store and asked DeMaria Wilson to purchase it with money he gave her.
In the following descriptions of the letters the name of the addressee is transcribed documenting the various ways Susanna
De Maria Wilson was adressed by Cornell.
box 1, folder 1
1963 January 21
1963 January 21 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
8 items
[1] White envelope addressed to Mrs. Susanne De Maria, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 21 January 1963, with a five-cent George
Washington postage stamp. Inserted is [2] a yellow blank envelope containing [3] a white folded piece of paper, to which is
affixed [4] a piece of perforated metal; the folded paper is inscribed in pencil: Back Door in Flushing. Also inserted is
[5] a white blank envelope with a broken 1958 Japanese stamp seal, inside which is inserted [6] a paper sleeve containing
[7] a swiss warbler bird call whistle. The sleeve has "Made in Japan" printed on one side and instructions on how to use the
whistle on the other. Also inserted is [8] an undated letter from the artist to De Maria Wilson.
box 1, folder 2
1963 February 17
1963 February 17 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
5 items
[1] White envelope addressed to De Maria Wilson and stamped along left and upper margins with ten half-cent Benjamin Frankin
postage stamps; postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 17 February 1963. Inserted is [2] a folded printed card illustrated with a drawing
of a cupid by Francesco Mazzola (called Parmigianino). The card is collaged inside with two small photos of De Maria Wilson's
eyes and a tiny heart made of red aluminium foil. Also inserted inside the white envelope is [3] another white envelope from
the 1870s with a five-kroner postage stamp. It is addressed in Italian in ink by old hand to Nobil Donna in Roveredo and postmarked
in Vezzano in Liguria, Italy, and sealed with a tiny red foil heart and a blue foil dot. Inside this "old" envelope is [4]
a note typed on folded pink onionskin paper and a [5] Mona Lisa stamp. The typed note is addressed to de Maria Wilson, signed
Anon and dated 14 February 1963.
box 1, folder 3
1963 February 26
1963 February 26 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
2 items
[1] Oblong yellow envelope, initialed and dated by the artist on the recto and sealed with a stamp lettered in Japanese and
illustrated with a picture of a mouse in a mousetrap on the verso. Inside the envelope is a [2] blank onionskin paper with
a blue conté rubbing on the recto, stamped with the words Apollinaire's Swan, folded and perforated after the removal of staples.
box 1, folder 4
1963 March 8
1963 March 8 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
6 items
[1] Blue envelope addressed to De Maria, stamped with one two-cent postage stamp and one three-cent postage stamp, and a decorative
stamp with two birds affixed on the verso; postmarked on 8 March 1963. Inserted is [2] a handwritten note on an index card
saying "Return pink packet for enrichment & museum times." Stapled to the index card is a [3] small pink envelope containing
[4-5] two rusty nails. Also inserted is a [6] folded white paper bag with a blue conté rubbing.
box 1, folder 5
1963 March 14
1963 March 14 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
6 items
[1] White envelope with one one-cent Washington postage stamp and one four-cent Remington stamp, addressed to Mrs. Walter
De Maria and postmarked on 14 March 1963. Inserted are [2] a small glassine envelope [3] and a folded yellow paper marked
"Postscript" on the verso and with a typed Walt Whitman quote on the recto. Also inserted is [4] a typed-and-handwritten note
on white onionskin paper, addressed to De Maria, folded and collaged with a Japanese mouse trap stamp seal (same as in folder
3) and a tiny red foil heart. Also inserted is a [5] blank glassine envelope into which is inserted [6] a sheet of blue paper,
folded and with a red foil ampersand sign affixed on top.
box 1, folder 6
1963 March 20
1963 March 20 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
4 items
[1] White envelope addresssed to Mrs. Walter De Maria, with a five-cent postage stamp, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on March 20
1963. Inserted is [2] a printed greeting card with floral illustration by Manville, inside of which is a [3] handwritten personal
note on a torn half-sheet onionskin paper and [4] and an "old" letter handwritten in ink and dated "ca. 1849," signed "Jaeger."
box 1, folder 7
1963 March 22
1963 March 22 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
5 items
[1] Light blue envelope addressed to Mrs. Walter de Maria, with a five-cent postage stamp postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 22 March
1963. Inserted is [2] a letter typed on light blue paper with dragonfly letterhead, stamped "La Salamandre Fin de siècle."
Also inserted is a [3] small white envelope, which contains a [4] white card with printed text by Novalis, wrapped in [5]
blue tissue.
box 1, folder 8
1963 March 27
1963 March 27 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
11 items
[1] Blue envelope addressed to Mrs. Walter De Maria, with two five-cent postage stamps, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 27 March
1963. Inserted is [2] a typed note on folded blue paper, which encloses [3] a handwritten note on a white slip of paper; [4]
a handwritten note on a Dixons Cafeteria postcard; [5-6] two Jay Bee Magazine Stores business cards; [7] an annotated torn-out
page from
Rogue magazine; and [8-9] two leaves of onionskin paper with handwritten text, numbered "Sylph #1" and "Sylph #2" and clipped together.
Included here are [10] a torn strip from
Horticulture magazine and [11] a brown paper bag with a hand-drawn map to a magazine store on 54 W. 42nd street.
box 1, folder 9
1963 April 1
1963 April 1 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] White envelope addressed to Mrs. Walter De Maria, with two five-cent postage stamps, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 1 April.
Inserted is [2] a blue folded paper with handwritten prose titled "Living The Statues Five + Dime" and [3] a blue plastic
toy mirror with handle.
box 1, folder 10
1963 April 5
1963 April 5 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
4 items
[1] White envelope, addressed to Mrs. Susanne de Maria, with one one-cent and one four-cent postage stamp, postmarked Flushing
N.Y. on 5 April 1963. Inserted is [2] a postcard of Time's Square at night; [3] folded blue paper with a handwritten text
beginning with the words "three dreams" and hand-marked "correction" on the verso; and [4] another handwritten note on folded
blue paper.
box 1, folder 11
1963 April 8
1963 April 8 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
9 items
[1] Brown clasp envelope with "S. De Maria on self" handwritten in upper right corner. Inserted is [2] a torn white tissue
with three inked stamps: five-pointed star, hand with pointing finger and woman's face. Also inserted are a [3] white onionskin
paper with a handwritten note and a doodle "via phone S. De Maria"; [4] a folded blue paper sheet with text typed and corrected
by hand in black ink, and dated on verso: 4-8-63; [5] folded white onionskin paper with a short typed note, to which is stapled
a magazine clipping of a female nude in the desert; [6] a folded blue paper containing [7,8,9] three leaves of illustrations
depicting mostly female nudes, torn from magazines. One of the illustrations is hand-marked "Chamber of Seraphs." Typed on
the blue paper are the words "no connection with other enclosures."
box 1, folder 12
1963 April 11
1963 April 11 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] White stapled envelope, addressed to Miss Susanne de Maria, with one one-cent and one four-cent postage stamp, postmarked
Flushing N.Y. on 11 April 1963. Inserted is [2] a sheet of folded white onionskin paper with a handwritten note captioned
"Thanks to Susanne" and "too much for words" and a [3] small color magazine clipping of a dark haired female nude seen from
behind and holding up her hair, and a typed note "another better one to follow" on verso.
box 1, folder 13
1963 April 11
1963 April 11 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
2 items
[1] White envelope addressed to Mrs. Walter De Maria, with one five-cent postage stamp, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 11 April
1963. Inserted is [2] an Easter card depicting an angel with a basket of flowers and decorated with two small foil stars,
and with an Easter greeting inscribed inside.
box 1, folder 14
1963 April 12
1963 April 12 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
7 items
[1] White envelope, addressed to Mrs. Walter De Maria, with two five-cent postage stamps, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 12 April
1963, and inscribed on verso in pencil "fleeting image returned 2/29/64." Inserted is [2] a piece of corrugated cardboard;
[3] a folded yellow onionskin paper with typed notes; and [4-5] a clipped white card with a typed note beginning with the
words "early morning benediction of light..." Also inserted are [6] a typed note on a fragment of white onionskin paper, beginning
with the words "another dream or vision..."; and [7] a hand-and typewritten note on white paper, titled "Two Girls" and dedicated
"For Susanna Good Friday 63."
box 1, folder 15
1963 April 17
1963 April 17 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] White envelope, addressed to Mrs. Susanne De Maria, with one five-cent postage stamp, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 17 April
1963. Inserted is [2] folded white onionskin paper with a handwritten note beginning with words "I just found a new born may
fly" and marked by hand "4-17-63" on the verso, to which is affixed a stapled postage stamp with the image of a beetle. Also
inserted is [3] a folded white paper napkin with several handwritten notes.
box 1, folder 16
1963 June 8
1963 June 8 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] White oblong envelope addressed to Mrs. Susanne De Maria, with one five-cent postage stamp, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on
8 June 1963. Inserted is [2] a folded white onionskin paper with a handwritten note, and [3] a strip of five postal stamps
depicting birds, from the series "Protect Our Natural Resources."
box 1, folder 17
1963 December 30
1963 December 30 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
4 items
[1] White envelope, addressed to Mrs. Walter de Maria, marked "Personal," with one five-cent postal stamp, and two small Christmas
Greetings stamps on verso, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on December 30 1963. Inserted is [2] a folded light blue paper with a
handwritten note titled "The Statue of Bronze" and [3] a black-and-white photocopy of the note. Also inserted is [4] a folded
white paper with handwritten notes by De Maria Wilson, in which she is interpreting Cornell's note.
box 1, folder 18
1964 February 13
1964 February 13 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
5 items
[1] White envelope addressed to W. De Maria, with one one-cent and two two-cent stamps, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 13 February
1964; with a "Returned" stamp on the recto, and a small piece of white paper with a post office box address for Susanna De
Maria Wilson affixed on the verso. Inserted is [2] a playing card with black-and-white close-up image of hair on the recto
and an image of a beret and a circle with spheres on the verso. Also inserted is [3] a note on yellowed paper, typed in red
ink and handwritten, beginning with the words "regret pressures." Also inserted is [4] a folded blue onionskin paper with
a "Calling All Girls" stamp seal, which contains [5] a handmade card decorated with pressed flowers and embossed stickers
of cupids.
box 1, folder 19
1964 March 25
1964 March 25 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
4 items
[1] White envelope addressed in red type to Mrs. Walter De Maria, with one one-cent and two two-cent postal stamps, postmarked
Flushing N.Y. on 25 March 1964, and sealed on the verso with a stamp depicting rabbits. Inserted is [2] an Easter card, and
[3] folded yellow onionskin paper with a typed note beginning with words "Deerly Dearly." Also inserted is [4] a torn-off
fragment of yellow onionskin paper with a typed note beginning with words "a year ago this time."
box 1, folder 20
1964 April 15
1964 April 15 (digital version available on-site only)
box 1, folder 21
1964 May 23
1964 May 23 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] Oblong white envelope addressed to Mrs. Susanne De Maria, with a five-cent Gettysburg postal stamp, postmarked Flushing
N.Y. on 23 May 1964. Inserted is [2] a signed greeting card from the New York World's Fair 1964-1965, and [3] another postcard
with image of a Thai pavilion on verso.
box 1, folder 22
1964?
1964? (digital version available on-site only)
box 1, folder 23
1964 December 3
1964 December 3 (digital version available on-site only)
box 1, folder 24
1965 January 6
1965 January 6 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
9 items
[1] White oblong envelope addressed to Mrs. Susanne de Maria, with one thirty-cent and one five-cent postal stamp, postmarked
Flushing N.Y. on 6 January 1965, and stamped "Special Delivery" on both recto and verso. Inserted is [2] a folded white paper
with a handwritten note dated "Jan. 6. 65", and [3] a folded blue silk scarf. Also inserted is [4] a note and sketch on brown
paper cut from a Stern's shopping bag; [5] a typewritten note on onionskin paper beginning with words "this is from the original
day of the deer nymph"; and [6] a small white envelope, which contains [7] a blue tissue wrapped around [8] a white card with
printed text by Novalis. The printed card and the blue tissue are held by a [9] metal clip.
box 2, folder 1
1965 November 23
1965 November 23 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
2 items
[1] Light blue onionskin paper envelope addressed to Mrs. Walter De Maria, with a five-cent Christmas postage stamp, postmarked
Flushing N.Y. on November 23 1965. Inserted is [2] a folded white paper with handwritten notes captioned "vision d'Ondine"
and a small color photograph of a man at a snack stand.
box 2, folder 2
1965 November 29
1965 November 29 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
5 items
[1] White envelope addressed to Mrs. Susanne de Maria, with a five-cent Christmas postage stamp, postmarked Flushing N.Y.
on 29 November 1965. Inserted is [2] a small white envelope addressed to "Susanne & Walter", which contains [3] a handwritten
note beginning with the words "In Robert's name." Also inserted is [4] a handwritten letter on white onionskin paper beginning
with "Dear Susanne." Also inserted is [5] a card with a small picture of a rose on the outside, and a small picture of a pygmy
kingfisher bird, collaged with a rope, on the inside.
box 2, folder 3
1966 January 4
1966 January 4 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] White oblong envelope addressed to Mrs. Walter de Maria, with a five-cent postage stamp, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on 4
January 1966. Inserted is [2] a five dollar money order payable to Mrs. Walter De Maria and dated 8 November 1965 and stapled
to [3] folded white onionskin paper with a collage of a small poinsettia stamp and a cut-out illustration of a bird and seed.
box 2, folder 4
1966 October 9
1966 October 9 (digital version available on-site only)
box 2, folder 5
1966 December 3
1966 December 3 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] White envelope addressed to Mrs. Susanne de Maria, with a five-cent Christmas postal stamp, postmarked Flushing N.Y. on
3 December 1966; with Cornell's printed return address stamp on verso. Inserted is [2] a smaller square-shaped white envelope
addressed to Mrs. Susanne de Maria, with a five-cent Christmas postal stamp on its recto and Cornell's printed return address
stamp on its verso. It is postmarked 29 November 1966, stamped "Returned to Writer" on its recto, and annotated in pencil
"your note comes today thank you" on its verso. Inside the smaller square-shaped envelope is [3] an illustrated Christmas
card, inscribed with a handwritten note.
box 2, folder 6
1967 February 24
1967 February 24 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
4 items
[1] White envelope addressed to Mrs. Susanne de Maria, with a five-cent George Washington postal stamp and torn postmark.
Inserted is [2] a typed collaged note with caption "ASK TO SEE!" Also inserted is [3] a sheet with duplicate photographs of
a girl holding a tambourine, and [4] a sheet with larger negatives for the photographs.
box 2, folder 7
1967 March 9
1967 March 9 (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
3 items
[1] Yellow oblong envelope addressed to Miss Susanne de Maria, with a five-cent George Washington postal stamp and postmarked
New York N.Y on 9 March 1967. Inserted is [2] a letter on folded yellow paper, handwritten with a lot of ink splash and [3]
a small photograph of two raccoons stapled on it.
box 2, folder 8-9
1968 July
1968 July (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
6 items
[1] White envelope with "Susanna" typed on it, with a six-cent postal stamp and postmarked July 1968. Inserted is [2] a small
"Handle With Care" clipping printed in red and white; [3] a small white envelope with a flower bouquet sticker, which contains
[4] a folded white tissue sealed with a torn "Fragile" sticker printed in red and white. Inside the tissue are [5] dried grasses.
Also inserted is [6] a folded newspaper clipping from
Women's Wear Daily that features names of several contemporary artists and authors, including the name of Walter De Maria.
box 2, folder 10
1968?
1968? (digital version available on-site only)
Physical Description:
5 items
[1] Small white envelope addressed to Susanna, with a large six-cent Christmas stamp and a sticker of a fox with Santa's hat
holding a wrapped present. Inserted is [2] a card with a handwritten note in red and blue beginning with the words "Thank
you for the WARMTH." The card is attached with [3] a clip and [4] blue ribbon to [5] a tag illustrated with a stamp of a potbelly
stove.
box 3
Painted wood box, undated
Painted wood box,: undated
Other papers, Series II. 1963-1994, undated
Joseph Cornell film series memorabilia, Series II.A. 1963
Physical Description:
13 items
(13 items in 6 folders)
Included are printed ephemera and notes related to four of the historic 1963 screenings of films drawn from Cornell's personal
collection held at 9 Great Jones Street, the space run by Walter De Maria and Robert Whitman. These documents provide information
about the screenings, as well as who was in attendance, including well known artists such as Hans Haake, James Rosenquist,
and Robert Motherwell, and the director of the Green Gallery, Richard Bellamy.
Arranged chronologically.
box 2, folder 11
Advertisement for film program 1963 April 11
Advertisement for film program (digital version available on-site only): 1963 April 11
box 2, folder 12
Advertisement for film program, 1963 April 18
Advertisement for film program (digital version available on-site only): 1963 April 18
Physical Description:
1 item
box 2, folder 13
The Little Match Girl program 1963 April 19-20
The Little Match Girl program (digital version available on-site only): 1963 April 19-20
Physical Description:
4 items
[1-4] Program (four copies) from the second in a series of weekend film programs from the collection of Joseph Cornell at
the loft Walter De Maria, Robert Whitman, Simone Forti and Susanna De Maria Wilson rented at 9 Great Jones Street in New York
City. Movies in this series included
The Little Match Girl (Jean Renoir, 1926) and
Water Babies/The Little Chimney Sweep (Gaumont, 1910). Silver star affixed.
box 2, folder 14
Comedy Americana program, 1963 April 26-27
Comedy Americana program (digital version available on-site only): 1963 April 26-27
Physical Description:
4 items
[1-4] Program (four copies) from the film series
Comedy Americana. Shown were
The Fireman with Charlie Chaplin and
Coney Island with Mack Sennett, cartoons and "special extra"
Love is Blonde. Mentioned are "coming attractions" for Friday and Saturday May 3 and 4,
The Waxworks.
box 2, folder 15
Advertisement for film program, 1963 May 2
Advertisement for film program (digital version available on-site only): 1963 May 2
box 2, folder 16
Reservation sheets, [1963]
Reservation sheets (digital version available on-site only): [1963]
Miscellaneous items, Series II.B. 1973, 1974, 1994, undated
box 2, folder 17
Joseph Cornell memorial announcement, 1973 January
Joseph Cornell memorial annoucement (digital version available on-site only)
box 2, folder 18
Betty C. Benton letter to Susanna de Maria, 1974 February 23
Betty C. Benton letter to Susanna de Maria (digital version available on-site only): 1974 February 23
box 2, folder 19
Notes on Cornell lecture, undated
Notes on Cornell lecture (digital version available on-site only): undated
box 2, folder 20
Susanna De Maria Wilson letter to Dr. Earnest Nagamatsu, 1994 July 20
Susanna De Maria Wilson letter to Dr. Earnest Nagamatsu (digital version available on-site only): 1994 July 20
Physical Description:
1 item
[1] Letter dated 20 July 1994 from Susanna Wilson to her friend Dr. Ernest Nagamatsu (dentist by trade; artist, photographer,
and cultural activist based in Los Angeles), in which she relates details about her interactions and friendship with Cornell.
She also mentions Cornell's collage
Mirror Double and two accompanying letters from Cornell in Nagamatsu's posession.