Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography/Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Wright S. Ludington Collection
Dates: 1900-1993
Collection Number: ARCH.COLL.001
Creator/Collector:
Extent: 3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)
Repository:
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Santa Barbara, California 93101
Abstract: The Santa Barbara Museum of Art Wright S. Ludington Collection documents the personal papers of Wright S. Ludington from 1900
– 1992. Many of the records overlap Ludington’s involvement with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art from 1940 until his death
in 1992 as donor, president and art collector. The collection includes scrapbooks, photograph prints, 35 mm slides, exhibition
and auction catalogues, correspondence, art collection inventory, invoices and receipts, news clippings and ephemera.
Language of Material: English
Access
Some restrictions apply
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish should be directed to the SBMA Manager of Archives
Preferred Citation
Wright S. Ludington Collection. Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Acquisition Information
A bulk of the material was generated by SBMA or collected by SBMA staff in the performance of work duties. Additional material
was donated to SBMA by the Ludington Estate in 1992.
Biography/Administrative History
Wright Saltus Ludington (1900 – 1992) was an avid art collector, aspiring artist and one of the founding members of the Santa
Barbara Museum of Art. Born in New York City on June 10, 1900 to Charles and Ethel Ludington. He had two brothers Charles
Townsend Ludington who was born in New York City in 1896 and Nicholas Saltus Ludington born in Philadelphia in 1904. Ludington
attended the preparatory boarding Groton School in northern Massachusetts before moving to Santa Barbara with his family where
he attended the Thacher School in Ojai, California. After his time at Thacher, Ludington went to Yale to study architecture;
however, after one year he dropped out to pursue the study of art. He enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and
later the Art Student League in New York. In 1927 Ludington officially settled in Santa Barbara. He became involved with the
Santa Barbara Museum of Art since its founding having been part of the building committee, later its president in 1951 and
a long time trustee and donor for over 50 years until his death in 1992.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Wright S. Ludington Collection is a group of material maintained by SBMA donor Wright S. Ludington and collected by SBMA
staff in the course of work duties. Papers include biographical material, correspondence, photographs, inventories, receipts,
appraisals, news clippings, notes and audio cassette tapes. A bulk of the material is correspondence between Ludington and
Museum
staff/trustees with additional correspondence between dealers and lenders.
