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Steinitz (Kate Traumann) Papers
LSC.1770
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Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Kate Traumann Steinitz papers
Creator:
Steinitz, Kate Traumann
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1770
Physical Description:
51 Linear Feet
(117 boxes, 1 carton, 2 flat boxes, 2 shoe boxes, 1 map folder)
Date (inclusive): 1900-1989
Date (bulk): 1946-1975
Abstract: Kate Traumann Steinitz (1889-1975) was an artist, art historian, librarian, and Da Vinci and Renaissance scholar. As an artist
and art historian, Steinitz maintained acquaintances and friendships with renowned German Expressionist and Dada artists such
as Kurt Schwitters as well as curators from influential institutions like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). As
honorary curator of the Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana at UCLA, she was also a scholar and expert on Leonardo Da Vinci, frequently
delivering speeches and lectures on his life and works. She was also involved with a variety of other activities like advocating
for the creation of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UCLA. Steinitz was involved with the activities of
the Belt Library, maintained multiple careers, and pursued a variety of interests until her death on April 7, 1975 at the
age of 85. This collection contains correspondence, administrative records, publications, research notes, lecture notes, and
exhibition records related to Steinitz' careers as honorary curator of the Belt Library of Vinciana and as an art historian.
The collection also contains a small sample of her artwork as well as personal records like travel diaries, family correspondence,
scrapbooks, and creative writing.
Language of Material: Materials are in English and German. Collection also contains materials in Italian and a small amount of materials in French,
Spanish, Danish, and other European languages.
Physical Location: Portions of this collection stored off-site at SRLF. Oversized materials (Box 121) held on-site. All requests to access special
collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. All requests to access special collections material must be made in
advance using the request button located on this page.
COLLECTION CONTAINS AUDIO MATERIALS: Audio materials in this collection will require assessment and possible digitization
for safe access. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical objects belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], Kate Traumann Steinitz papers (Collection 1770). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Ilse Steinitz Berg, 1976. Additions donated by Katherine Rinne, 2016.
Preliminary processing by UCLA Art Library staff, 1970s.
Processed by Angélica Becerra and Sabrina Ponce with help from Kuhelika Ghosh in the
Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT) under the supervision of Courtney Dean, 2017-2018.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
3222312
Kate Traumann Steinitz (1889-1975) was an artist, art historian, librarian, and Da Vinci and Renaissance scholar. Born in
Germany on August 2, 1889, Kate Traumann became enamored with art at the age of 11 after visiting a museum for the first time.
She took a beginners' course with Käthe Kollwitz before transferring to a school associated with the Berliner Succession.
In 1913, during a trip to Paris and after becoming acquainted with works in the Louvre Museum and works by Cubist painters,
she decided to pursue a career as an art historian instead.
In 1917, Traumann married Dr. Ernst Steinitz and that same year the couple moved to Hannover, Germany where Steinitz joined
the Art Club and met artist and lifelong friend Kurt Schwitters. In Hannover, she exhibited work and continued studies in
art history, frequently collaborating with Schwitters on an assortment of creative projects like writing a comic opera libretto.
In 1936, with the rise of Adolf Hitler, the Steinitz family moved to New York City where Kate made the acquaintance of several
artists, art historians, and students such as Kenneth Donahue who would go on to become the director of the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (LACMA).
After her husband's death in 1942, Kate Steinitz joined her daughters in California where she met Dr. Elmer Belt after a medical
consultation. The chance encounter presented her with a career opportunity: in 1945, Steinitz began assisting Dr. Belt in
his endeavor to recreate Leonardo DaVinci's library. In 1961, Dr. Belt donated his library to UCLA, whereupon it became The
Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana. Steinitz was nominated honorary curator of the library by then-chancellor Franklin D. Murphy
and she was involved in its activities – which included talks, lectures, research inquiries, publications, and exhibitions
– until her death.
As an artist and art historian, Steinitz maintained acquaintances and friendships with renowned German Expressionist and Dada
artists as well curators from respected art institutions like LACMA. As honorary curator of the Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana,
she was also a scholar and expert on Leonardo Da Vinci, frequently delivering speeches and lectures on his life and works.
In addition to her position as honorary curator, she also took on numerous projects such as consulting for art museums, advising
youth art councils, and forming part of a group of UCLA faculty members that advocated for the creation of the Center for
Medieval and Renaissance Studies. She counted Aldous Huxley among her acquaintances, and her 80th birthday was celebrated
by an exhibition of her personal art collection at LACMA. She was also a prolific writer. Her works include
Leonardo da Vinci's Trattato della Pittura, Treatise on Painting: A Bibliography of the Printed Editions 1651-1956, Based
on the Complete Collection in the Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana
and
Kurt Schwitters: A Portrait from Life, among numerous book reviews, articles, and unpublished scholarly works. Kate Steinitz maintained multiple careers and pursued
a variety of interests until her death on April 7, 1975 at the age of 85.
This collection contains correspondence, administrative records, publications, research notes, lecture notes, and exhibition
records related to Steinitz's careers as honorary curator of the Belt Library of Vinciana and as an art historian. The collection
also contains a small sample of her artwork as well as personal records like travel diaries, family correspondence, scrapbooks,
and creative writing.
This collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1922-1975
- Series 2: Professional career as honorary curator of the Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana and Leonardo Da Vinci scholar, 1900-1978
- Subseries 2.1: Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana
- Subseries 2.2: Leonardo Da Vinci scholarship
- Subseries 2.3: Professional association records and conferences
- Subseries 2.4: Lectures and exhibitions
- Subseries 2.5: Renaissance and Baroque scholarship
- Series 3: Professional career as art historian, 1923-1977
- Subseries 3.1: Subject files
- Subseries 3.2: Works and projects by Kate Steinitz
- Subseries 3.3: Collected art publications and offprints
- Series 4: Personal materials, 1914-1989
- Subseries 4.1: Personal correspondence, projects, and objects
- Subseries 4.2: Personal records
- Subseries 4.3: Travel
- Subseries 4.4: Artwork, photographs, and books
- Subseries 4.5: Subject files and collected publications and promotional materials
- Subseries 4.6: Posthumous materials and honors
There are no boxes 27, 123-127, or 129 in this collection.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS AUDIO MATERIALS: Audio materials in this collection will require assessment and possible digitization
for safe access. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Kate Steinitz papers , circa 1910-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Elmer Belt papers (Manuscript Collection 66). Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections for the Sciences, University
of California, Los Angeles.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Art historians -- United States -- Archives.
German American Artists -- United States -- Archives
Steinitz, Kate Traumann -- Archives
Leonardo, da Vinci
Belt, Elmer, 1893-1980
Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana.
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Collection Details
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- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
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