Finding aid for the Harold L. Doolittle collection of art prints
0032
Finding aid prepared by Alex Shultz and Sue Luftschein
USC Libraries Special Collections
2013 November
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Harold L. Doolittle collection of art prints
Identifier/Call Number: 0032
Identifier/Call Number: 2019
Physical Description:
5 Boxes
Date: 1799-1964, undated
Date (bulk): 1920s-1960s
Abstract: Prints by various artists, including John Taylor Arms and Arthur H. Heintzelman, from Harold L. Doolittle's collection; 41
prints from the Printmakers' Society of California (1922-64); about 150 prints by artists of the U.S. and Europe of the period
1915-1950; 38 original prints by Doolittle.
Language of Material:
English
.
Biographical note
Harold L. Doolittle (1883-1974) was born in Pasadena, California. He was an etcher and civil engineer who studied at Cornell
University (1903-1906) and Throop Polytechnic Institute (later California Institute of Technology). He served as President
of the Pasadena Society of Artists in 1943, and Vice President of the Los Angeles Section of the American Society of Civil
Engineers in 1934. He worked for many years as chief design engineer for the Southern California Edison Company. Doolittle
worked in all the graphic processes including photography and collotype, but he is most noted for his aquatints.
Scope and Content
Harold L. Doolittle's collection of etchings, engravings, and lithographs mostly comes from the first 50 years of the 20th
century and represents a large number of artists, some more famous than others. Doolittle himself contributed more than 30
of his own etchings, all of which are landscapes. There are sketches of Yosemite, California hills, mountains and more. Other
art in the collection, especially from the Chicago Society of Etchers and the Society of American Etchers, takes a similar
approach. The oldest print dates to 1799 with Francisco Goya's "Ya es Hora," one of several 18th and 19th century works. Goya
is joined by other well known artists including Gustaf Dalstrom, George Elbert Burr, Maxime Lalanne, Richard E. Bishop and
Charles A. Platt.
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], Harold L. Doolittle collection of art prints, Collection no. 0032, Special Collections, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Prints
Doolittle, Harold L. (Harold Lukens) -- Pictorial works
Doolittle, Harold L. (Harold Lukens) -- Archives
Print Makers' Society of California -- Archives
Heintzelman, Arthur William -- Pictorial works
Society of American Graphic Artists -- Archives
Costigan, John E. -- Pictorial works
Chicago Society of Etchers -- Archives
Arms, John Taylor -- Pictorial works
Dalstrom, Gustaf O. (Gustaf Oscar) -- Pictorial works
Doolittle Etchings 499187
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Alpine Firs--Rainer" 499223
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Among the Redwoods" 499222
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Arroyo Seco-Pasadena" 499221
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "California Hills" 499220
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Canyon Crests" 499219
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Carmel Coast" 499218
1928
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Carmel Vista" 499217
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Cypress--Monterey" 499216
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Daybreak--Yosemite" 499215
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Desert Clouds" 499214
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Desert Rocks" 499213
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Desert Skies" 499212
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Desert Sunlight" 499211
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "El Capitan" 499210
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "From the Canyon Rim" 499209
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "From the High Sierras" 499208
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Gathering Mists" 499207
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "In Death Valley" 499206
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Islands of the Desert" 499205
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Late Afternoon"
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Lengthening Shadows" 499204
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Monterey Veterans" 499203
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Morning in Yosemite" 499202
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Mountain Mists" 499201
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Mountain Serenity" 499200
1944
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, [unidentified] 499199
1919
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, [unidentified] 499198
undated
General note
Trees in foreground, mountain in background
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, [unidentified] 499197
undated
General note
Mountain in the background.
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, [unidentified]
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Sierra Snows" 499196
1927
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Silhouettes--Palm Canyon" 499195
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Sunburst" 499194
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "The Choir Stairs San Gabriel Mission" 499193
1919
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "The Ruined Altar, San Juan Capistrano Mission" 499192
1918
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "The Three Brothers--Yosemite" 499191
1923
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Twilight" 499190
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Ventura Mission--evening" 499189
undated
Box 1
H.L. Doolittle, "Yosemite" 499188
1924
Printmakers Society of California 499161
Biographical/Historical note
The San Francisco Chronicle announced the beginning of The Printmakers Society of California in 1913, though the group was
actually founded sometime between 1911 and 1912. Four artists are credited with creating the society, which held yearly exhibitions
to show off the artwork of its members.
Box 4
John Taylor Arms, "Anglia Antiqua" 499186
1937
Box 4
Richard E. Bishop, "Fall Ducks" 499185
1938
Biographical/Historical note
Richard Bishop originally worked as an engineer after graduating from Cornell University in 1909. As it was told by the Meadowlark
Gallery, Bishop's entry into the world of art came about as more of a random occurrence than anything else. He worked with
fabricated copper products, and instead of discarding them, he "covered [them] with wax, and etched a portrait---human, not
avian---using a phonograph needle as his stylus." He contributed "Fall Ducks," a 1938 etching, to Doolittle's collection.
Box 4
Cornelis Botke, "Beside a Valley Road" 499184
1942
Box 4
Mildred Bryant Brooks, "Memories" 499183
1935
Box 4
Benjamin C. Brown, "Curb Market, Arles, France" 499182
1940
Box 4
Malcolm Cameron, "The Black Sheep" 499181
1946
Box 4
Charles M. Capps, "Village in the Sun" 499180
1951
Box 4
F. Tolles Chamberlin, "Near Pasadena" 499179
1947
Box 4
Alison Clark, "There She Blows" 499178
1936
Box 4
E. Stetson Crawford, "Navicello, Harbor of Menton" 499177
1959
Box 4
Eugene M. Frandzen, "New England Snow" 499176
1948
Box 4
Gordon Grant, "Men of Gloucester" 499175
1941
Box 4
Trude Hanscom, "The Tempest" 499174
1952
Box 4
Polly Knipp Hill, "Suwannee River" 499173
1962
Box 4
Peter Thorvald Jensen, "Un Pueblo Viejo" 499172
1964
Box 4
Hans Kleiber, "Flight of Ducks, Lake Solitude" 499171
1933
Box 4
Gene Kloss, "Moonlight Circle Dance" 499170
1956
Box 4
Malcolm Osborne, "L'Oiseau De Bourges" 499169
1932
Box 4
Orville H. Peets, "Dome and Spire" 499168
1954
Box 4
Carl M. Schultheiss, "Pastoral III" 499167
1957
Box 4
James Swann, "Half Moon Bay" 499166
1943
Box 4
Walter Title, "Blossom Time" 499165
1934
Box 4
Reynold H. Weidenaar, "Cathedral Repairs, Mexico City" 499164
1949
Box 4
Stow Wengenroth, "Woodland Ledge" 499163
1960
Box 4
R.W. Woiceske, "Winter Chores" 499162
1939
Chicago Society of Etchers 499138
Biographical/Historical note
From 1910 to 1972, the Chicago Society of Etchers served as a group for artists to exchange their works in a variety of states
across the country. When the society originally formed, it had 20 members, a number which quickly grew in the ensuing years.
Box 3
John Taylor Arms, "Saint Germain, L'Auxerrois, Paris" 499160
1928
Box 3
Dirk Baksteen, "Les Trois Moulins" 499159
1921
Box 3
Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge, "Pagan Princess-Nigeria" 499158
1938
Biographical/Historical note
Cyrus Leroy Baldridge contributed "Pagan Princess," a 1938 etching depicting a Nigerian woman looking into the distance with
a profound sense of sadness. It was the result of Baldridge's 19 month trip through Africa. Before creating "Pagan Princess,"
Baldridge was known for illustrating life on the battlefield in different publications. He served as a war correspondent during
WWI and was also a member of the National Guard back in the United States.
Box 3
Mildred Bryant Brooks, "Companions" 499157
1937
Box 3
Gustaf O. Dalstrom, "An Abandoned Farm" 499156
1934
Biographical/Historical note
Gustaf Dalstrom contributed "An Abandoned Farm," a 1934 work, to the Chicago Society of Etchers. Dalstrom himself served as
the president of the society beginning in 1927. One of his most famous works was "The Great Indian Council." Dalstrom died
in 1971 after making art for most of his life.
Box 3
Sears Gallagher, "Heavy Surf at Monhegan" 499155
1925
Box 3
Gerald Geerlings, "Electrical Building at Night" 499154
1933
Box 3
Arthur W. Hall, "Bird Creek in Thaw" 499153
1944
Box 3
Martin Hardie, [unidentified] 499152
undated
Box 3
Arthur W. Heintzelman, "A Donkey Cart in Montmarte" 499151
1923
Box 3
Lester G. Hornby, "Palais du Justice in the Rain" 499150
1920
Box 3
Troy Kinney, "Terpsichore" 499149
undated
Box 3
Martin Lewis, "Night in New York" 499148
1932
Box 3
R.H. Palenske, "Over The Pass" 499147
undated
Box 3
Louis C. Rosenberg, "Rue de Chartres, St. Malo" 499146
1926
Box 3
Ernest D. Roth, "Our Neighbors Yard" 499145
1916
Box 3
Chauncey F. Ryder, "Road to Bristol" 499144
1943
Box 3
Carl M. Schultheiss, "Pastoral II" 499143
1947
Box 3
Ralph Fletcher Seymour, "A Paris Wine Shop" 499142
1935
Box 3
Lee Sturges, "Rocky Mountain Lake" 499141
1951
Biographical/Historical note
In 1951, "Rocky Mountain Lake," a Lee Sturges etching, was a featured work for the Chicago Society of Etchers. It was one
of more than 400 pieces by Sturges (1865-1954), who had a variety of his finished products appear in the Smithsonian Institute
and the National Museum of Art.
Box 3
John Winkler, "Kong Tong & Co." 499140
1919
Box 3
R.W. Woiceske, "Winter Interlude" 499139
1948
Society of American Etchers 499124
Biographical/Historical note
Originally known as the Brooklyn Society of Etchers at the start of the 20th century, the Society of American Etchers got
its namesake in 1952. The group has held dozens of exhibitions over the years, and is still in existence today with a different
name--the Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA).
Box 4
John Taylor Arms, "French Lace" 499137
1949
General note
There are two etchings titled "French Lace."
Box 4
Peggy Bacon, "Varied Wares" 499136
1952
Box 4
George Elbert Burr, "Evening, Arizona" 499135
1930
Biographical/Historical note
George Elbert Burr (1859-1939) contributed "Evening, Arizona" to Doolittle's collection, which was one of many desert pieces
he constructed as an artist. His etchings and other works appeared in publications like Harper's and The Cosmopolitan. He
moved from Denver to Phoenix, where he continued to make art until his death. His works are featured at the Smithsonian Art
Museum and the Congressional Library, amongst other locations.
Box 4
John E. Costigan, "Cutting Fodder" 499134
1940
Biographical/Historical note
In 1940, John Costigan etched "Cutting Fodder," which depicts a woman and her child on a field surrounded by animals. The
piece is currently viewable at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. It was far from Costigan's only contribution to
the world of art—he worked with a variety of mediums and was recognized by the National Academy of Design as an academician.
He spent much of his adult life in Orangeburg, New York, a short distance from the Hudson River.
Box 4
Stephen Csoka, "Brooklyn Landscape" 499133
1945
Box 4
Ralph Fabri, "Americana" 499132
1948
Box 4
Douglas Warner Gorsline, "Express Stop" 499131
1948
Box 4
Armin Landeck, "Manhattan Nocturne" 499130
1938
Box 4
Martin Lewis, "Chance Meeting" 499129
1941
Box 4
Luigi Lucioni, "Stony Pasture" 499128
1943
Box 4
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan, "Pastoral" 499127
1932
Box 4
Thomas W. Nason, "Approach of Spring" 499126
1937
Box 4
Charles H. Woodbury, "Sea Pasture" 499125
1936
Box 1
Alessandro Mastro-Valerio, "Arising"
undated
Box 1
Leslie Cope, "Plough Horse and Sleeping Dog"
undated
Box 1
Cyrus LeRoy Baldridge, Sing-Song Girl, Peking
undated
Box 1
John Taylor Arms, "Eglise Notre Dame, Les Andelys"
undated
Miscellaneous Etchings 499058
Box 2
Harry Lewis Bailey, [unidentified] 499123
1917
General note
Country road with gates and trees on each side.
Box 2
Lionel Barrymore, "Point Magu" 499122
1935
Box 2
Alfred Bentley, "A Summer Day in France" 499121
undated
Box 2
William Blake, "Act Directs" 499120
1825
Biographical/Historical note
William Blake (1757-1827) spent his early years attending different art schools in London, England. A deeply religious man,
his works often revolved around biblical figures and events. In addition to contributing etchings like "Act Directs" (part
of the Doolittle collection), Blake was an author and an engraver. His writings and art were mostly unappreciated during his
life, but have since become more popular.
Box 2
Jessie Arms Botke, "Farmyard Geese" 499119
undated
Box 2
Mildred Bryant Brooks, "Among Branches" 499118
1941
Box 2
Mildred Bryant Brooks, "Aspen Meadow" 499117
1941
Box 2
Mildred Bryant Brooks, [Bookplate for Ben & Myrtle Kirby"
undated
Benjamin C. Brown Etchings 499112
Box 2
"Market Day #1" 499116
undated
Box 2
"Oaks at San Ysidro" 499115
1932
Box 2
"The Outside Stair, Venice" 499114
Box 2
Four unlabeled prints by Brown 499113
Box 2
Howell C. Brown, [unidentified] 499111
1917
Box 2
Howell C. Brown, "Old Willows" 499110
1915
Box 2
Félix Buhot, "Louise Abbéma" 499109
1874
Biographical/Historical note
Félix Buhot (1847-1898) was a well-known French artist who worked mostly with etchings. His pieces spread in popularity from
Europe to the United States in the late 19th century. Buhot was also a fan of photography and embraced it to a degree that
other artists at the time did not. He contributed "Louise Abbéma" to Doolittle's etching collection.
Box 2
Charles W. Cain, "The Hunter" 499108
1928
Box 2
Samuel Chamberlain, "The Waterfront-Villefranche" 499107
undated
Box 2
Leslie Cope, "The Junk Collectors" 499106
1948
Box 2
Crawford, "Porta Rocca Orvieto" 499105
1953
Box 2
H. Daumier, "Le Czar a Sebastopol" 499104
undated
Box 2
Eugene M. Frandzen, "Old Curiosity Shops, New York" 499103
1947
Box 2
Francisco Goya, "Ya es Hora" 499102
1799
Biographical/Historical note
Francisco Goya (1746-1828) was one of the most prominent artists of the 18th and 19th centuries. He spent much of his life
in Spain, constructing works on a wide variety of topics, most notably the multiple wars that affected his home country. He
also etched pictures like "Ya es Hora," which makes an appearance in Doolittle's collection. The etching, which dates back
to 1799, translates to "It is Time" and is one of his more disturbing pieces.
Box 2
David Green, "Weed Forms" 499101
1956
Box 2
Francis Seymour Haden, "A Brig at Anchor" 499100
1870
Box 2
Arthur W. Hall, "Pecos" 499099
1930
Box 2
Arthur W. Hall, "Stone Bridge in Winter" 499098
1932
Box 2
Trude Hanscom, "Early Spring" 499097
1940
Box 2
Alfred Hartley, "In the Isle of Purbeck" 499096
1921
Box 2
A.W. Heintzelman, [unidentified] 499095
1921
Box 2
Victoria Hutson Huntley, "Nocturne" 499094
1951
Box 2
Alfred Hutty, "Pines" 499093
1924
Box 2
Margaret Kidder, "Mother and Child" 499092
1955
Box 2
Margaret Kidder, "Voila L'eglise" 499091
undated
Box 2
Hildegard Koegler, "O. Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" 499090
undated
Box 5
Maxime Lalanne, "Richmond" 499089
1871
Box 5
Stella Langdale, "The Hostus of the Sidhe" 499088
undated
Box 5
Alphonse Legros, "Portrait of EJ Poynter" 499087
1877
Box 5
Elizabeth Lewis, "World Forgetting" 499086
undated
Box 5
William Libby, "Indian Summer" 499085
undated
Box 5
Westley Manning, "The Avenue-Normandy" 499084
1922
Box 5
Paul Matthes, "Drawbridge" 499083
undated
Box 5
R. Partridge, "The House of Alvarado" 499082
undated
Box 5
R. Partridge, "Willows" 499081
1925
Box 5
Ralph M. Pearson, "San Felipe" 499080
1922
Box 5
Joseph Pennell, "Hell Gate Bridge" 499079
Box 5
Leon Pescheret, "Chicago Museum of Science and Industry" 499078
1931
Box 5
C.A. Platt, "Willows of Cape Ann" 499077
1888
Biographical/Historical note
Charles A. Platt (1861-1933) was best known as an American architect who designed dozens of buildings and homes throughout
the country. Many of these buildings were constructed for the rich and famous in the early 20th century. Platt was also an
accomplished artist who was responsible for works such as "Willows of Cape Ann," which was etched in 1888. He later became
a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a position he held until 1921.
Box 5
Chang Reynolds, [unidentified] 499076
Box 5
C.E. Riley, [unidentified] 499075
undated
Box 5
Edouard Rosotte, "Fac Simile D'un Dessin Du Parmesan" 499074
undated
Box 5
Ernest D. Roth, "Florentine Shops" 499073
1915
Box 5
Ernest D. Roth, "Tomb of Mary, Mother of Washington and Meditation Rock" 499072
1928
Box 5
Birger Sandzen, "A Kansas Creek" 499071
undated
Box 5
Otto J. Schneider, "Statue of Abraham Lincoln" 499070
1926
Box 5
Carl M. Schultheiss, "Friends" 499069
undated
Box 5
C.A. Seward, "Adobe Village-New Mexico" 499068
1936
Box 5
Eileen A. Soper, "Snooks" 499067
1930
Box 5
W.M. Strang, "The Christ Upon the Hill" 499066
undated
Box 5
D.C. Sturges, "The Print Lover" 499065
1931
Box 5
David Swanson, "Desert Crags" 499064
undated
Box 5
David Swanson, "Forest Pool" 499063
undated
Box 5
W. Unger, "Druck der Gesellschaft f. vervielf Kunst in Wien" 499062
undated
Box 5
Reynold Weidenaar, "Demolition in the Plaza del Toro" 499061
1950
Box 5
Levon West, "The Prairie Rider" 499060
1933
Box 5
J.W. Winkler, "Le Tryer, Normandie" 499059
1924
Box 1
Unidentified Etchings 499057