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Sarah Mundy
Scope and Contents
The papers of painter, illustrator, and educator Percy Leason measure 1.3 linear feet and 0.402 GB and date from circa 1929 to 2011. The collection documents his career through biographical material, correspondence, diaries, writings and notes, printed and digital material, photographic material, and a scrapbook.
Biographical materials include financial records, biographical statements about the artist, certificates, and a few sketches. Correspondence contains letters and writings of Max Leason, Percy Leason's son, correspondence to and from Percy Leason, letters from congressmen, and letters regarding Leason's work displayed at the State Library of Victoria in Australia. Four diaries document Leason's life over 20 years. A series of published and unpublished writings and notes includes two digital books of Leason's writings. Printed material contains new clippings, gallery flyers, a framed statement about art, and the book The Science of Appearances by Max Meldrum with typed pages written by Leason inserted into the book. Photographic materials include slides and digital photographs of Leason's artwork, personal photographs, and photographs of the State Library of Victoria. One scrapbook contains mostly news clippings and other printed material.
Scattered throughout the collection are annotations made by Max Leason which are usually signed "Max" with the date of annotation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated in 1969-1979 and 2014 by Max A. Leason, Percy Leason's son.
Processing Information
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2014. The collection has been minimally rearranged and retains the existing/original folder titles when possible. All materials have been rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but often staples and other fasteners have not been removed. Materials within folders have not been rearranged. Born-digital materials were processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2019 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.