The collection was donated in 2004 by Gregory Bejarano, John Frederick Peto's great-grandson.
The papers of
The collection was fully processed by Erin Corley in 2007 and digitized in 2007 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
John Frederick Peto and Peto family papers, circa 1850-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the
John Frederick Peto (1854-1907) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Thomas Hope Peto and Catherine Peto. He was raised by his mother's family, the Hamms, and lived with them until his marriage. Little is known about his early life; he was listed as a painter in the Philadelphia City Directory in 1876 and was enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1878. During this time he also became friends with fellow artist William Harnett and was greatly influenced by Harnett's trompe l'oeil still life paintings. During the 1880s Peto maintained a studio and exhibited several works at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts annual exhibition. Like Harnett, he painted trompe l'oeil still life paintings, most notably, rack-looking structures or shelves that depicted a variety of items, many of them autobiographical. Peto also lived briefly in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he met Christine Pearl Smith, and they were married in 1889. He received very little recognition for his paintings in Philadelphia, and in 1889 he and his wife moved to Island Heights, New Jersey so that he could make money playing the cornet at religious revivals held there. In 1893 they had a daughter Helen. Though he lost interest in the professional art world and fell into obscurity, Peto continued painting and sold many works to the local drug store and business people, until his death in 1907.
Recognition of Peto's contribution to the trompe l'oeil genre didn't occur until over forty years after his death. During research on the paintings of William Harnett, art critic Alfred Frankenstein discovered that numerous paintings thought to be painted by Harnett had forged signatures and were actually painted by Peto. Frankenstein published an article in the
The papers of still life artist John Frederick Peto and his family date from circa 1850 to 1983 and measure 2.1 linear feet. Within the papers are scattered biographical materials, including his marriage certificate, a memorial poem written by Samuel Callan, Helen Peto Smiley's notes about her father's artwork, and other brief writings about Peto and trompe-l'oeil painting. Correspondence includes a few letters to and from Peto, his daughter Helen Peto Smiley's correspondence with galleries, scholars, such as art critic Alfred Frankenstein, and others concerning Peto's artwork, and miscellaneous correspondence. Printed material consists of news clippings about Peto, his family, and fellow artist William Harnett, exhibition catalogs, reproductions of artwork, and other items. Photographs and glass plate negatives depict Peto in his studio, with family, and with Harnett, as well as his family, his home and studio in Island Heights, New Jersey, and his artwork. Also found is one small fragment of an oil sketch, unsigned and undated.
Much of the collection, including Helen Peto's notes and correspondence, the printed material, and photographs of artwork document the mid-twentieth century renewed interest in Peto's artwork.
The collection is arranged into 5 series:
This series contains biographical material documenting John Frederick Peto's life and career as an artist. Included are the certificate for his marriage to Christine Pearl Smith, two of his business cards, and written agreements with his daughter Helen giving her a clock and his cornet. Also found are items about his death in 1907, including his obituary, a lock of his hair "taken as he lay in his casket in his studio," and a memorial poem written by Samuel Callan. Helen Peto Smiley's notes on her father's artwork includes lists of artwork and prices, and miscellaneous items. Other writings include a brief essay on trompe-l'oeil painting in the United States, draft exhibition captions for Peto's artwork, and a brief biography of Peto written for an exhibition. Also found are a few items belonging to John Frederick Peto's father, Thomas Hope Peto, including business cards, and a ticket to the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 which includes his photograph.
Items are arranged in chronological order.
Thomas H. Peto Items
Marriage Certificate
John Frederick Peto Business Cards
John Frederick Peto Gift Agreements with Helen Peto
John Frederick Peto Obituary
Lock of John Frederick Peto's Hair
"In Memoriam" by Samuel Callan
Notes on John Frederick Peto's Artwork by Helen Peto Smiley
Writings about John Frederick Peto and Trompe-l'oeil Painting
This series contains scattered the correspondence of John Frederick Peto and other family members. Found here are a brief letter and a postcard to Peto from his father, Thomas H. Peto, a letter congratulating Peto on reaching manhood signed by "Not a man", and three postcards sent by Peto to his daughter, Helen. Helen Peto Smiley's correspondence primarily consists of letters regarding the exhibition, sale, or reproduction of her father's artwork but also includes a letter from her grandmother and postcard from her mother. Also found in Helen's correspondence are letters to and from art critic Alfred V. Frankenstein who, in 1949, published an article about Peto's artwork that created new interest in the exhibition and purchase of his paintings. Miscellaneous correspondence includes two envelopes and a postcard addressed to Peto's wife, Christine, a copy of a letter from Alfred Frankenstein to the New York Graphic Society, and several letters to and from Helen's daughter, Joy Smiley Bejarano.
Correspondence is arranged chronologically within each folder.
John Frederick Peto Correspondence
Helen Peto Smiley Correspondence
Helen Peto Smiley Correspondence
Miscellaneous Correspondence
Printed material consists primarily of exhibition catalogs and clippings about John Frederick Peto's career and artwork. Found here are three exhibition catalogs, including one for a exhibition of Peto's artwork at the Brooklyn Museum in 1950 which contains a critical biography by art critic Alfred Frankenstein. The 1949 article Frankenstein wrote about his discoveries of Harnett painting forgeries that were actually by Peto is included in the news clippings. Also found are news clippings about Peto, his family, and the exhibition of his artwork, two articles about Peto in the
Items are arranged chronologically within each folder.
Exhibition Catalogs
Exhibition Catalogs
News Clippings, John Frederick Peto
News Clippings, John Frederick Peto
News Clippings, William Harnett
Printed Material about William Harnett
Printed Material about Island Heights, New Jersey
Printed Material about Peto Stamp
This series contains photographs and glass plate negatives of Peto, his family, his home and studio, and his artwork. Photographs of Peto include several portraits, Peto in his studio at Island Heights, New Jersey, with fellow artist William Harnett, and with family members. Additional photographs are of his wife Christine, his daughter Helen as a baby and young girl, and several other family members of the Peto family in Philadelphia, and of Christine's family, the Smiths, in Lerado, Ohio. Also found are photographs of the interior and exterior of Peto's home and studio in Island Heights, props he used for his paintings, photographs of Abraham Lincoln also used for his artwork, and miscellaneous photographs, some of which may have been taken by Peto. Also contained here are several photographs of Peto's artwork. Of the numerous glass plate negatives in this collection, some are also found among the photographs mentioned above, others have not been printed, but have been digitized and are available online.
Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers, though all have been digitized to provide access.
Photographs of John Frederick Peto
Photographs of John Frederick Peto
Photographs of John Frederick Peto in His Studio
Photograph of John Frederick Peto and William Harnett
Photographs of John Frederick Peto with Family Members
Photographs of Christine Peto
Photographs of Helen Peto
Photographs of Peto and Smith Family Members
Photographs of Peto and Smith Family Members
Interior Photographs of Home and Studio
Exterior Photographs of Home and Studio
Unidentified Photographs of People
Photographs of an Exhibition, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco
Photographs of Props
Miscellaneous Photographs
John Frederick Peto
John Frederick Peto
4 glass plate negatives housed in boxes 6 & 7
John Frederick Peto and William Harnett
1 glass plate negative housed in box 6
John Frederick Peto with Family Members
2 glass plate negatives houesed in boxes 6 & 7
Helen Peto
Helen Peto
Helen Peto
Helen Peto
9 glass plate negatives housed in boxes 6 & 7
Peto and Smith Family Members
Peto and Smith Family Members
Peto and Smith Family Members
9 glass plate negatives housed in box 7
Peto and Smith Family Members
Peto and Smith Family Members
Peto and Smith Family Members
Peto and Smith Family Members
Peto and Smith Family Members
Peto and Smith Family Members
18 glass plate negatives housed in boxes 6 & 7
Smith Family Farm
2 glass plate negatives housed in box 7
Interior of Home
3 glass plate negatives housed in box 7
Artwork
1 glass plate negative housed in box 7
46 glass plate negatives; scanned with boxes 3 & 4
46 glass plate negatives; scanned with boxes 3 & 4
Found here is one small fragment of an oil sketch on paper of a landscape. This item is unsigned and undated, but may have been painted by John Frederick Peto.
Oil Sketch Fragment