Charles Lanman papers, 1840-1987
Lori Dedeyan
Descriptive Summary
Title: Charles Lanman papers
Date (inclusive): 1840-1987
Number: 930071
Creator/Collector:
Lanman, Charles,
1819-1895
Physical Description:
1 Linear Feet
(3 boxes)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
Business Number: (310) 440-7390
Fax Number: (310) 440-7780
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: Artist and author Charles Lanman's
output was informed by and representative his nature travels east of the Rocky Mountains,
and wrote about the major personalities of his field and time. The collection includes
twenty- three unpublished manuscripts about these subjects, as well as a family history;
official documents relating to the administration of Lanman's estate and art collections;
personal and professional correspondence; photographs; newspaper clippings; and ephemera
relating to an exhibition about Lanman. It also contains reproductions of Lanman's artwork,
transcripts, notes, biographical and literary lists, and correspondence generated by E.
Maurice Bloch, a scholar and collector specializing in American art who undertook research
on Charles Lanman in the second half of the twentieth century.
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Language: Collection material is in
English.
Biographical / Historical
Charles Lanman was born in 1819 and spent his childhood exploring the wilds of Michigan.
From 1835 to 1845, Lanman studied and worked in New York, where he was associated with the
Hudson River School. In 1848, Lanman moved to Washington, DC, where he married Adeline Dogge
in 1849. During his time there, he served as librarian of the War Department, the Department
of the Interior, the House of Representatives, and the Washington City Library; and as
private secretary to Daniel Webster. He was a prolific landscape and character painter, and
also wrote extensively about many major New York artists and political figures of the early
to mid-nineteenth century with whom he was associated, including George Caitlin, John James
Audubon, and Daniel Huntington. One of the first non-native travelers to use a birch bark
canoe, Lanman recorded his adventures on the rivers east of the Rocky Mountains in more than
1000 oil studies, 700 pencil sketches, 33 books and numerous newspaper articles. He died in
Washington, DC in 1895.
Biographical / Historical
E. Maurice Bloch, American art historian, professor, curator and collector, was born in New
York City on October 26, 1916. Bloch enrolled at New York University, first as an
undergraduate in the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, then as a graduate student in
the Institute of Fine Arts, for which he wrote a dissertation on George Caleb Bingham (not
completed until 1967). He taught at the University of Missouri (1944-1945), New York
University (1945-1946), and the University of Minnesota (1946-1947). He was curator of
prints at Cooper Union Museum (1952- ca. 1957). His tenure at the University of California,
Los Angeles, began in 1956 and lasted until his retirement in 1982, and he was the founding
director of UCLA's Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts. Additionally, he was actively
involved with the Western Division of the Archives of American Art, and helped negotiate a
cooperative arrangement between the AAA, the Virginia Steele Scott Gallery, and the
Huntington Library. His scholarly interests were in American art. Bloch died December 1989
in Los Angeles.
Administrative Information
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Charles Lanman Papers, 1840-1987, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no.
930071.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa930071
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquired in 1993.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Lori Dedeyan, under the supervision of Andra Darlington,
in 2014. It was initially rehoused by the Registrar's Office.
The finding aid was reviewed by members of the Anti-Racist Description Working Group in
2021 and no revisions were made.
Related Materials
E. Maurice Bloch Papers, 1925-1989 (Collection 910003).
Charles Lanman Papers, 1840-1892 (Collection 827). UCLA Library Special Collections,
Charles E. Young Research Library.
Scope and Content of Collection
These materials are the product of the activities of two people: Charles Lanman, the
nineteenth century artist, writer and collector, and Maurice Bloch, a scholar undertaking
research about Lanman in the second part of the twentieth century. Materials generated by
and concerning Charles Lanman primarily include manuscripts and correspondence, notes, bills
of sale, and official documents regarding his estate. Also included are a photographic print
of Lanman and his wife, Adeline, and an 1845 edition of Lanman's book,
Letters from a Landscape Painter. Materials by Bloch include
transcripts of letters and writings by Lanman; correspondence with various individuals,
universities, libraries, and historical societies; notes and lists; and reproductions of
artwork.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in the following series:
Series I: Charles Lanman materials,
1840-1985;
Series II. Maurice Bloch materials, 1967-1987.
Indexing Terms
Subjects - Names
Lanman, Charles, 1819-1895
Subjects - Topics
Artists -- United States
Contributors
Bloch, E.
Maurice
Lanman, Charles,
1819-1895
Series I.
Charles Lanman materials,
1840-1985
Physical Description:
2
boxes
Scope and Content Note
Contains materials relating to the personal and professional lives of Charles Lanman.
The bulk of this series is composed of Lanman's writings, including both handwritten
manuscripts and published articles. Unpublished material includes artistic and literary
recollections, and essays on New York artists and political figures of the mid-19th
century known by Lanman, including John James Audobon, George Catlin, Frederic E.
Church, Thomas Cole, and Asher B. Durand. Other material includes personal and
professional correspondence, documents relating to the administration of his estate,
biographical notes, reproductions of his artwork, publications documenting posthumous
exhibitions, and newspaper clippings pertaining to Daniel Webster. Also included are a
large format photograph and an 1845 edition of his book,
Letters
from a Landscape Painter
.
Arrangement
Arranged in two subseries:
- Series I.A: Professional career,1840-1985
- Series I.B: Personal materials and estate, 1941-1981
Series I.A.
Professional career,
1840-1985
1843-1886
Scope and Content Note
This subseries is comprised largely of published and unpublished manuscripts by
Lanman about his experiences as an author, artist, and explorer; a family history; and
written portraits of his contemporaries. It also includes professional correspondence,
publications on Lanman, reproductions of artwork, and ephemera from a Morris Museum
exhibit of his work.
Transcripts were made by Maurice Bloch.
Arrangement
Files are arranged chronologically.
box 1, folder 1
Published Articles, 1843-1845
1843-1845
box 1, folder 2
Published Articles, 1846-1847
1846-1847
box 3, folder 1
Letters from a Landscape
Painter,
1845
box 1, folder 3
Our National Paintings
manuscript,
1855
box 1, folder 34
Corcoran Gallery Catalog,
1857
box 1, folder 5
Recollections of New York
manuscript,
1864
box 1, folder 6
Newspaper Recollections
manuscript,
1867
box 1, folder 7
Artistic Recollections
manuscript,
1868
box 1, folder 8
Literary Recollections
manuscript,
1869
box 1, folder 9
Manuscripts for profiles of contemporaries: A-D,
1850s-1890s
box 1, folder 10
Manuscripts for profiles of contemporaries: D-P,
1850s-1890s
box 1, folder 11
Manuscripts for profiles of contemporaries: R-Z
1850s-1890s
box 1, folder 12
Curious Characters and Pleasant Places
manuscript reproductions,
undated
box 1, folder 13
A Family Monologue
manuscript,
1880-1895
box 1, folder 14
Professional correspondence,
1840-1886
box 1, folder 15
Newspaper clippings pertaining to Daniel Webster,
1840s-1910s
box 2, folder 6
Reproductions of Lanman artworks,
circa
1967
box 2, folder 7
Issue of
American Book Collector with
article on Lanman,
1966
box 2, folder 8
Morris Museum exhibit on Lanman,
1983-1985
Series I.B.
Personal materials and estate,
1841-1981
1841-1916
Scope and Content Note
This subseries includes personal correspondence, official documents regarding
Lanman's will and estate, a photograph of Lanman and his wife, and a short vignette
written by Adeline Lanman.
Arrangement
Files are arranged chronologically.
box 2, folder 1
Personal correspondence,
1841-1896
box 1, folder 5
Writing by Adeline Lanman,
1852
box 1, folder 2
Wills and biographical notes,
1870-1895
box 2, folder 3
Documents and correspondence regarding Lanman estate,
1914-1916
box 2, folder 4
Documents regarding Lanman estate sale,
1915,
1981
box 2, folder 15
Photograph of Mr. & Mrs. Lanman,
undated
Series II.
Maurice Bloch materials,
1961-1987
Scope and Content Note
Includes Bloch's professional correspondence with univerities, libraries, historical
societies, collectors, and individuals; lists; notes; and annotated transcripts of
various of Lanman's letters and publications.
Arrangement
Arranged in two subseries:
- Series I.A: Correspondence, 1961-1985
- Series I.B: Notes and writings, 1967-1987
Series II.A.
Correspondence,
1961-1985
Scope and Content Note
Contains professional correspondence with various universities, libraries, and
individuals, including Lanman's descendants.
Arrangement
Files are arranged chronologically.
box 2, folder 9
Professional correspondence,
1961-1985
box 2, folder 10
Correspondence with Dorothy McNeilly and Dorothy Parmly,
1968-1985
Series II.B.
Notes and writings,
1967-1987
Scope and Content Note
Includes notes, transcripts, lists and other writings generated by Bloch during his
research and professional correspondence.
Arrangement
Files are arranged chronologically.
box 2, folder 11
Lists and notes on Lanman publications,
circa
1967
box 2, folder 12
Notes and transcripts of Lanman biography and works,
1968-1985
box 2, folder 14
Notes and transcripts for Lanman drawing collection and relevant
letters,
1969-1987
