Inventory of the Dan Wiesendanger Diaries

Michael P. Palmer
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Phone: (213) 741-0094
Fax: (213) 741-0220
Email: askone@onearchives.org
URL: http://www.onearchives.org
© 2008
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the Dan Wiesendanger Diaries

Collection number: Coll2008-014

ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives

Los Angeles, California
Processed by:
Michael P. Palmer
Date Completed:
May 2, 2008
Encoded by:
Michael P. Palmer
© 2008 ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Dan Wiesendanger diaries
Dates: 1976-1995
Collection number: Coll2008-014
Creator: Wiesendanger, Dan, 1915-1996
Collection Size: 4 archive cartons. 1.7 linear feet.
Repository: ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Diaries kept by artist Dan Wiesendanger (1915-1996) from 1976 until mid-1995, documenting the events in his life, his friends, and family, including reminiscences of his earlier life. A separate series of diaries documents Wiesendanger's work as an artist and his activities within the artists' communities of Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Publication Rights

Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).

Preferred Citation

Dan Wiesendanger diaries, Coll2008-014, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Acquisition Information

Date and method of acquisition unknown.

Processing Information

Processed by Michael P. Palmer, May 2, 2008.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Biography

Dan Wiesendanger was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 5, 1915. He served in the U.S. Army from June 1941 until December 1945, for the majority of the time as non-commissioned officer in charge of Special Services Section, Athletics and Entertainment, in the headquarters offices of various regiments, divisions, and corps. He later settled in Los Angeles, where for many years he lived with his roommate Clint at 3279 Descanso Drive. He was a modernist painter, working in a variety of media. He is credited with developing geometric abstraction in the late 1960s. He was also a songwriter and member of ASCAP. He died in a Los Angeles nursing home on July 14, 1996, of prostate cancer.

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection consists entirely of diaries kept by Dan Wiesendanger from 1976 until mid-1995, a year before his death. The diaries fall into three groups: (1) general daily accounts, (2) "Opinions on Painting", and (3) miscellaneous. The general daily accounts document the events in Wiesendanger's life, his friends, and family, including reminiscences of his earlier life. The volumes beginning with No. 11 contain many photographs, some dating back to the 1940s. The "Opinions on Painting", also known as "Red Books" or "Art News", document Wiesendanger's work as an artist and his activities within the artists' communities of Los Angeles and Pasadena. The volumes include accounts and photographs of many of Wiesendanger's paintings; newspaper clippings and photographs of the work of other artists he considered particularly important; and the activities of various art societies in Los Angeles and Pasadena. The miscellaneous volumes document events Wiesendanger considered of particular interest: the first Iraq War in 1991; the Shasta Dixieland Jazz Festival in Redding, California, in April 1991, and the Medford Jazz Jubilee in Medford, Oregon, in October 1991; and a trip back to Wisconsin, which he knew would be his last, to attend the wedding of a niece in 1995.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Artists
Gay artists
Wiesendanger, Dan, 1915-1996


Box 1 : 1-9 ; 2 : 1-6 ; 3 : 1-2

General Daily Accounts 1976-1994

Box 1 : 1

No. 1, pages 1-125 January 1, 1976-February 28, 1978

Box 1 : 2

No. 2, pages 141-259 March 1, 1978-March 27, 1979

Box 1 : 3

No. 3, pages 260-413 (2) March 29, 1979-May 23, 1980

Box 1 : 4

No. 4, pages 414-571 May 24, 1980-August 7, 1981

Box 1 : 5

No. 5, pages 572-713 August 10, 1981-December 31, 1982

Box 1 : 6

No. 6, pages 714-916 January 1, 1983-January 23, 1984

Box 1 : 7

No. 7A, pages 917-1067 March 10, 1984-July 28, 1985

Box 1 : 8

No. 8A, pages 1068-1220 August 1, 1985-December 25, 1986

Box 1 : 9

No. 9, pages 1221-1325 January 1-October 7, 1987

Box 2 : 1

No. 11, pages 1488-1630 August 1, 1988-January 7, 1989

Box 2 : 2

No. 12, pages 1631-1832 January 8-September 20, 1989

Box 2 : 3

No. 13, pages 1833-2132 September 21, 1989-June 8, 1990

Box 2 : 4

No. 16, pages 2476-2681 November 3, 1991-May 12, 1992

Box 2 : 5

No. 17, pages 2632-2820 May 13-November 7/8, 1992

Box 2 : 6

No. 18, pages 2821-3120 November 8, 1992-April 30, 1993

Box 3 : 1

No. 20, pages 3313-3516 November 13, 1993-April 27, 1994

Box 3 : 2

No. 21, pages 3517-4016 April 30-November 1, 1994

Box 3 : 3-6 ; 4 : 1

Opinions on Painting ("Red Book", "Art News") 1984-1995

Box 3 : 3

No. 2 [formerly Notebook 7], pages 149-286 January 24, 1984-June 14, 1987

Box 3 : 4

No. 3, pages 287-483 January 7, 1989-June 17, 1990

Box 3 : 5

No. 4, pages 439-645 June 18, 1990-September 7, 1991

Box 3 : 6

No. 5, pages 646-798 September 29, 1991-May 1, 1993

Box 4 : 1

No. 6, pages 799-998 May 4, 1993-July 8, 1995

Box 4 : 2-4

Miscellaneous Volumes 1991-1995

Box 4 : 2

Los Angeles Times Newspaper Articles on the American Allies War on Iraq January 5, 1991-April 26, 1992

Box 4 : 3

Music festivals April 1-October 21, 1991

Box 4 : 4

Milwaukee June 14-30, 1995 (fragile)