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Arthur D. Rozaire Papers: Finding Aid
mssRozaire papers
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Title: Arthur D. Rozaire Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1839-2004
Collection Number: mssRozaire papers
Creator:
Rozaire, Arthur Dominique, 1879-1922.
Extent: 548 items + ephemera in 6 boxes
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of Canadian-American painter Arthur Rozaire (1879-1922) and documents
multiple generations of the Rozaire (or Rosaire) family from 1839 to 2004. Includes exhibition catalogs and art-related publications
about
Rozaire and other artists; genealogical materials; correspondence, including a large number of letters
from Rozaire's colleagues and friends following his death; and photographs chiefly of Rozaire family members.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Arthur D. Rozaire Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Charles E. Rozaire, August 2, 2005.
Arthur Dominique Rozaire (Rosaire) (1879-1922) was born in Montreal, Canada, on
January 17, 1879, to Dominique Joseph Francois Rosaire, a decorative designer, and
Mary Hammall. Rozaire attended the Quebec Council of Arts and Manufactures at
Monument National. There he studied under Edmond Dyonnet. Upon graduation, Rozaire
continued his studies at the Art Association of Montreal (AAM). Rozaire again
studied under respected Canadian artists William Brymner and Maurice Cullen.
Rozaire specialized in landscape paintings and developed quickly into a skillful
painter. Rozaire’s first exhibition was at the Montreal Spring Shows in 1900. His
paintings remained on display at the exhibition until 1907. Rozaire did not always
spell his last name with a “z.” In the 1900 Spring Show catalogue his name was
misprinted. They used a “z” in his name instead of an “s.” From that point on he
signed his name on his canvases as Rozaire. During this time he met Margaret I.
Stroud and married her on January, 15, 1903.
In 1907, Rozaire’s artwork was showcased at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
(RCA). In 1915, he was elected by special invitation to be an Associate of the RCA.
Within three years the academy acquired three of his canvases, thus furthering his
reputation as an esteemed artist.
Despite being very successful in Canada, Rozaire moved with his wife and five
children to Los Angeles, California, in 1917. He was dealing with declining health
due to tuberculosis and was looking for a warm and sunny climate that would be
better for his health. In addition, Los Angles was thriving as an art community and
was attracting artists from around the world. Rozaire was immediately accepted by
the art community and the art critic Anthony Anderson listed Rozaire as one of the
most celebrated Californian artists of the day. Rozaire was active in art circles
around the area and served as a judge for the California Art Club, while at the same
time participating in exhibits at RCA.
On February 26, 1922, at the age of forty-three, Rozaire developed pneumonia and
died, leaving his wife and six children. In only a few years, Rozaire’s reputation
as one of the leading landscape painters of Canada was established. He was an
impressionist who painted small poetic landscapes of Canada and southern California.
Rozaire’s work is still represented in the following collections: National Gallery
of Canada, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Art Gallery of Hamilton, and the California
Art Club.
The Rozaire papers document multiple generations of the Rozaire family from
1839-2004. The Rozaire papers are arranged in the following series: 1. Artwork
(Boxes 1-2); 2. Genealogy (Box 3); 3. Correspondence (Box 4); 4. Photographs (Box
5); 5. Ephemera (Box 5); 6. Glass negatives (Box 6).
The Artwork series is arranged alphabetically and contains exhibition catalogs,
article clippings, fliers, publications, and brochures. For the most part, there are
two groupings for each of these categories, one that revolves around Arthur Rozaire
and the other which mentions fellow artists.
The exhibition catalogs span from 1919-1921. Rozaire’s works were showcased at both
the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in Canada and the Museum of History, Science and
Art in Los Angeles. The fliers, brochures, and publications publicize Rozaire’s
upcoming exhibitions. There is a large gap in the time span among the Rozaire
clippings. Most of the clippings are from 1908- 1922 when Rozaire was alive.
Margaret Rozaire saved these clippings and her grandson, Charles, fashioned a
scrapbook out of them. The next group of clippings was collected by Charles and
range from 1988-1998. The focus of these clippings was articles that mentioned his
grandfather and any exhibitions in which his art was to be displayed. The items
relating to Butterfield & Butterfield include a contract that Charles Rozaire
signed with the auctioneer house to sell some of his grandfather’s paintings,
receipts, and sell notices when items sold.
The items relating to other artists include articles about California, American
Indian, Mexican, and Hawaiian artwork from 1987-1997 and exhibition catalogs from
Tom Solliday and Paul Casebeer shows.
The Genealogy series is arranged alphabetically and includes article clippings from
newspapers and other publications mentioning family members, the diary of Jerome
Caldwell, genealogical charts and tables revolving around the family’s history.
There is also an autograph book kept by Clara Caldwell dated 1887, certificates for
Jerome Caldwell to teach first and second grade in the 1870s, funeral programs,
financial records, and a location notice from various Caldwell and Rozaire family
members.
The Correspondence series is arranged alphabetically by author and includes letters
to and from Rozaire and his family members. Since the papers span multiple
generations, the correspondence range from 1896-1999. A large number of the letters
are from colleagues and friends sent to Margaret after Rozaire’s death. The
correspondence from the latter half of the 20th century revolves around Arthur
Rozaire’s grandson, Charles Rozaire, who conducted genealogy research, set up
exhibits with gallery’s showing his grandfather’s work, and discussed with
Butterfield & Butterfield the selling of some of his grandfather’s paintings.
The Photograph series is arranged alphabetically and includes tin types, prints, and
slides taken by various family members throughout the decades [ca. 1882-1972]. There
are a few images of Rozaire family trips taken to Universal City, Malibu, and
Arizona. There are also some older images of the Caldwell and the Vrooman family
members.
The Ephemera series is arranged alphabetically and includes an old 1896 El Roi-Tan
cigar box, postcards with pictures of Alaska, Arizona, Lake Joseph, Studio of
Westinghouse Radio Broadcasting Station KDKA, and Bobbs Art Gallery, Chinese
dader-cuts, a Chinese zodiac chart, miscellaneous notes, and leaflets from West
Hollywood Avenues of Art & Design and the Smithsonian.
The glass negatives are images of various Rozaire family members and Arthur
Rozaire’s paintings ca. 1900s.
The Rozaire papers are arranged in the following order:
- 1. Artwork (Boxes 1-2)
- 2. Genealogy (Box 3)
- 3. Correspondence (Box 4)
- 4. Photographs (Box 5)
- 5. Ephemera (Box 5)
- 6. Glass negatives (Box 6)
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Rozaire, Arthur
Dominique, 1879-1922 -- Archives.
French-Canadians -- West (U.S.) --
History -- Sources.
Landscape painting, American --
California -- 20th century -- Exhibitions.
Painters, French-Canadian.
Los Angeles
(Calif.)
Cliché-verre (photographic process).
Clippings (information artifacts).
Exhibition catalogs.
Letters (correspondence).
Photographs.
Bartlett, Dana, 1878-1957.
Brown, Eric, 1877-1939.
Rozaire, Charles E., 1927-.
Wickersham, Grace Vrooman.
Butterfield & Butterfield.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County.
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.