Beatrice S. Levy papers, 1890-1994

Collection Information

Size: 4.2 Linear feet

Summary: The Beatrice S. Levy papers measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1890-1994. The collection comprises biographical material that includes family and personal letters, awards and certificates, donation records, and biographical statements; 45 diaries and notes detailing Levy's daily life in and out of the studio; professional files consists of correspondence, business records, and files for the Chicago Society of Artists and Chicago Society of Etchers; printed materials include clippings relating to Art News and Levy's work, exhibition catalogs and announcements; photographs of Levy and friends, family and travel in 4 albums, as well as photographs used as source material; and artwork including portraits of friends, prints and sketches, and sketchbooks.

Biographical/Historical Note

Beatrice S. Levy (1892-1974) was an etcher in Chicago, Ill. and La Jolla, Calif. Levy studied at the Art Institute of Chicago under Ralph Clarkson and with Charles W. Hawthorne in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She had a studio in Chicago's 57th Street Art Colony. Her work was exhibited at the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition (1915), the Century of Progress in Chicago (1933-1934), and the New York's World's Fair (1939). Levy was President of the Chicago Society of Artists, Supervisor of the Works Progress Administration Art Project Gallery, and Supervisor of the Easel Painting Division in 1936 for the Federal Art Project. In 1950 she moved to California, where she taught at the La Jolla Museum School of Arts and Crafts (1961-1962) and continued to exhibit her work.

Provenance

The Beatrice S. Levy papers were donated in 2018 and 2023 by Heather Peck, granddaughter of Dorothy Stratton, a friend of Beatrice Levy. Material microfilmed on reel 4190 (frames 773-1023) was originally part of a larger collection of material given to the University of Louisville (Kentucky) by Samuel Steinfeld, a cousin of Beatrice Levy. The University of Louisville transferred this group of papers to the Art Institute of Chicago, who in turn donated them to the Archives of American Art in 1986. Samuel Steinfeld donated additional material on reel 4190 (frames 1024-1311) in 1986.

Language Note

English .