James Daugherty papers, 1904-1978

Biographical material includes Daugherty's membership card to the Society of Independent Artists, a partially completed questionnaire from the Museum of Modern Art, a copy of a certificate from the National Academy of Design, and an autobiographical writing.

Correspondence is predominantly professional and contains both incoming letters and copies and drafts of outgoing letters. Correspondents are art collectors, publishers, museums, and libraries, and topics pertain to commissions, writing projects, the exhibition of Daugherty's artworks, and the purchase, sale, and donation of artworks including those by other artists, Jay Van Everen and Arthur B. Frost.

Writings include fragments of stories by Daugherty, one titled "A Memoir of Arthur B. Frost Jr.," and another about Normal Rockwell. One writing pertains to art instruction. The series also contains a writing by Thomas Hart Benton about painter William Scott.

Printed material includes one newspaper clipping, one exhibition catalog, and one press release pertaining to Daugherty's career.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of 150 sketchbooks by Daugherty that span seven decades. Sketchbooks contain preparatory drawings and sketches for abstract and representational artworks, murals, and illustrations, as well mock-ups for books about Daniel Boone and Paul Bunyan, travel sketches and cityscapes, and a good deal of writing including drafts of Daugherty's stories for children. Daugherty worked in both a non-objective abstract style and in representational illustration. His illustrations depict biblical stories and familiar characters and caricatures from American folklore including Revolutionary War heroes, Native Americans, American explorers, and frontiersman. Drawings and sketches are done in charcoal, pastel, pencil, ink, and watercolor.