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Judy Ng
Scope and Contents
The papers of painter Agnes Pelton measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1885-1989. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, many addressed to Jane Levington Comfort; writings; printed material; 3 mixed media scrapbooks; one studio guestbook signed by visitors to Agnes Pelton's studio; artwork, including loose sketches and 9 sketchbooks; and photographs of Pelton, her family and friends, and her work.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Agnes Pelton papers were assembled by Cornelia and Irving Sussman for a biography of Agnes Pelton. They were donated to the Archives by gallery director Jan Rindfleisch on behalf of the Sussmans, in 1984. In 1997, circa 162 letters from Agnes Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort, that are now part of this collection, were bequeathed to Cornelia and Irving Sussman by Jane Levington Comfort through Joan Crisci, the executor of Comfort's estate, and donated to the Archives. An additional studio guestbook was donated in 2021 by Kay Hillery, whose in-laws were neighbors and friends with Agnes Pelton. Both the letters from Agnes Pelton to Jane Levington Comfort and the studio guestbook donations were facilitated by Michael Kelley.
Funding
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Processing Information
A portion of the papers received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and were microfilmed onto reels 3426-3427. In 2015, the papers were merged with 162 letters written by Pelton to Jane Livingston Comfort. The collection was re-processed and a finding aid prepared by Judy Ng in 2015 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. The 2021 addition was processed by Stephanie Ashley in 2022.