Archives of American Art
Ralph Soule Du Casse papers
Du Casse, Ralph Soule, 1916-
AAA.ducaralp
Archival Resource Key
4 Linear feet
circa 1892-1980
The Ralph Soule Du Casse papers measure 4 linear feet and date from circa 1892-1980. They illustrate his career through biographical materials, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic materials, and artwork.
English
.
Biographical / Historical
Ralph Soule Du Casse (1916-2003) was a painter who worked primarily in San Francisco, California.
Ralph Soule Du Casse was born in Kentucky and attended the University of Cincinnati in 1940 where he gained a bachelor's degree, and at the University of California in Berkeley where he obtained a master's in 1948. He also studied with Hans Hoffman and attended the California College of Arts in 1950 where he obtained an additional master's degree in fine arts. His early paintings ranged from a loose and gestural abstract style to a linear style rooted in cubism.
During World War Two Du Casse served in the U.S. Army's cavalry corps and was honorably discharged due to demobilization. After the war he studied in Sorbonne in Paris. Du Casse taught at the University of California, Berkeley, the California College of Arts and Crafts, and the California School of Fine Art. Throughout the 1970s he was chairman of the art department at Mills College in Oakland.
Du Casse has had exhibitions at the Lucien Labaudt Gallery, the Rotunda Gallery, the Guggenheim Museum, the University of Illinois, the Syracuse Museum in New York, and many others. His work is housed in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in Brazil, the museum of modern art in San Francisco, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. It also resides in the private collections of Vincent Price, Phyllis Wattis, and the Haas family collection in San Francisco.
Ralph Soule Du Casse died on December 30, 2003 in the San Francisco Bay area.
Arrangement
This collection consists of seven series.
- Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1892-1970 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1, OV 6)
- Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1913-1976 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1)
- Series 3: Writings, circa 1908-1971 (.5 Linear feet: Box 1)
- Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1930-1977 (.3 Linear feet: Boxes 1-2)
- Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1909-1977 (2.3 Linear feet: Boxes 2-4)
- Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1904-1980 (.4 Linear feet: Box 5, OV 7)
- Series 7: Artwork, circa 1940-1980 (.1 Linear feet: Box 5)
Scope and Contents
The Ralph Soule Du Casse papers measure 4 linear feet and date from circa 1892-1980. Biographical material consists of Du Casse's resume, materials regarding Du Casse's military records and career, and documents regarding genealogical records and family members. Correspondence is to and from Du Casse and includes family and business correspondence. Writings consist of a script for Du Casse's play "Route Order," a typescript of "West Coast School of Painting Since 1946", and other writings by Du Casse. Also present are writings by others including "Ralph Du Casse Exhibition" by Louise Ballard and a typescript of "The Bold Noo World of Ralph Soule Du Casse" by Annette Kazuko Kaide.
Personal business records consist of materials related to Du Casse's time as a teacher, lists of artworks and sales records, travel records, and other miscellaneous business records. Printed material includes a scrapbook compiled by Du Casse's father, Ralph R. Du Casse (1926-1960) and a disassembled scrapbook compiled by Du Casse containing letters, school records, four sketches, clippings, announcements, and photographs (1909-1967). Also included are various news clippings, press releases, exhibition announcements and catalogs for Du Casse and for others, brochures and pamphlets, and programs and other printed material. Photographic material consists of personal photographs of Du Casse and his family and friends, as well as his artwork. Artwork includes a folder of seven sketches.
Conditions Governing Use
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 Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Ralph Soule Du Casse papers were donated in 1979 by Ralph Soule Du Casse.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 4023-4025 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Preferred Citation
Ralph Soule Du Casse papers, circa 1892-1980, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Processing Information
This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared, by Allessandra Liberati in 2023.
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Painters -- California -- San Francisco
Art teachers -- California -- San Francisco
Biographical Materials
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
.2 Linear feet
Box 1, OV 6
circa 1892-1970
Scope and Contents
Biographical material consists of Du Casse's resume, materials regarding Du Casse's military records and career, and documents regarding genealogical records and family members.
Resume
Archival Resource Key
circa 1916
1
1
Biographical Material, Mills College
Archival Resource Key
circa 1967
1
2
Career Chronology
Archival Resource Key
1967, Apr. 6
1
3
Military Records
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-1951
1
4
Dr. Margaret Chung's Fair Haired Bastard's Club, Membership Card
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950
1
5
Small Pox Inoculation Record
Archival Resource Key
circa 1936-1946
1
6
San Francisco Art Institute, Artist's Biography
Archival Resource Key
circa 1964
1
7
Who's Who in the West, Biographical Data
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950
1
8
Marriage Certificate, Ralph S. Du Casse and Micaela Marie Martinez
Archival Resource Key
1944, Feb. 1
1
9
Remembrance Cards, Mary Du Casse
Archival Resource Key
1937, Aug. 3
1
10
Resume, Achmed Sadali
Archival Resource Key
1968, Nov. 24
1
11
Redwood Acres Fair, Award Ribbon
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970
1
12
Awards and Certificates
Archival Resource Key
circa 1909-1955
6
Genealogical Records
Archival Resource Key
circa 1892-1937
1
13
Correspondence
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
.2 Linear feet
Box 1
circa 1913-1976
Scope and Contents
Correspondence is to and from Du Casse and includes family and business correspondence.
Correspondence (1910s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1913
1
14
Correspondence (1920s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1924-1928
1
15
Correspondence (1930s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1932
1
16
Correspondence (1940s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1942-1944
1
17
Correspondence (1950s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1952-1959
1
18
Correspondence (1960s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960-1969
1
19-22
Correspondence (1970s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970-1976
1
23
Undated Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
circa 1913-1976
1
24
Writings
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
.5 Linear feet
Box 1
circa 1908-1971
Scope and Contents
Writings consist of a script for Du Casse's play "Route Order," a typescript of "West Coast School of Painting Since 1946", and other writings by Du Casse. Also present are writings by others including "Ralph Du Casse Exhibition" by Louise Ballard and a typescript of "The Bold Noo World of Ralph Soule Du Casse" by Annette Kazuko Kaide.
by Ralph S. Du Casse
Archival Resource Key
"Bohemia"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1958
1
25
"Dramatic Effects in Cyrano De Bergerac L'Aiglon and Chantecler by Edmond Rostand"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1938
1
26
"Our Baby"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1953
1
27
"Route Order", Script
Archival Resource Key
circa 1942
1
28
"Shakespeare's Style in the Merchant of Venice"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1938
1
29
"West Coast School of Painting Since 1946"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1964
1
30
Untitled
Archival Resource Key
circa 1953
1
31
"Exhibition at the DeYoung Museum", Notebook
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-1965
1
32
List of Exhibitions and Awards, Notebook
Archival Resource Key
circa 1947-1956
1
33
List of Opera Recordings, Ledger
Archival Resource Key
circa 1953-1958
1
34
Miscellaneous Notes
Archival Resource Key
circa 1959-1971
1
35
By Others
Archival Resource Key
"The Bold Noo World of Ralph Soule De Casse" by Annette Kazuko Kaide
Archival Resource Key
circa 1967
1
36
"Craftsmanship in Competitive Industry" by Charles R. Ashbee
Archival Resource Key
circa 1908
1
37
"Ralph Du Casse Exhibition" by Louise Ballard
Archival Resource Key
circa 1955
1
38
Personal Business Records
Series 4
Archival Resource Key
.3 Linear feet
Boxes 1-2
circa 1930-1977
Scope and Contents
Personal business records consist of materials related to Du Casse's time as a teacher, lists of artworks and sales records, travel records, and miscellaneous business records.
California School of Fine Arts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1955
1
39
Guggenheim Fellowship, Application
Archival Resource Key
1955, Oct. 10
1
40
University of California
Archival Resource Key
circa 1952
1
41
University of Cincinnati
Archival Resource Key
circa 1934-1935
1
42
Feingarten Galleries, Contract
Archival Resource Key
circa 1961
1
43
Sales Records and Price Lists
Archival Resource Key
circa 1952-1968
1
44
World Travel
Archival Resource Key
circa 1961
1
45
Catalog of Artworks, Card File
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-1977
1
46-53
Catalog of Artworks, Card File
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-1977
2
1-5
Miscellaneous Business Records
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-1977
2
6
Printed Material
Series 5
Archival Resource Key
2.3 Linear feet
Boxes 2-4
circa 1909-1977
Scope and Contents
Printed material includes a scrapbook compiled by Du Casse's father, Ralph R. Du Casse (1926-1960) and a disassembled scrapbook compiled by Du Casse containing letters, school records, four sketches, clippings, announcements, and photographs (1909-1967). Also included are various news clippings, press releases, exhibition announcements and catalogs for Du Casse and for others, brochures and pamphlets, and programs and other printed material.
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs (1940s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1947-1949
2
7
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs (1950s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950-1959
2
8-16
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs (1960s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960-1969
2
17-19
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs (1960s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960-1969
3
1-2
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs (1970s)
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970-1977
3
3
Undated Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-1977
3
4
Exhibition Announcements and Catalogs, Others
Archival Resource Key
circa 1955-1973
3
5
American Art Museums and Galleries (1960), by Eloise Spaeth
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960
3
6
University of Cincinnati, Commencement Booklet
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940
3
7
Brochures and Pamphlets
Archival Resource Key
circa 1954-1975
3
8
Clippings
Archival Resource Key
circa 1938-1977
3
9-11
Exhibition Entry Forms
Archival Resource Key
circa 1962-1970
3
12
Press Releases
Archival Resource Key
circa 1963-1973
3
13
Programs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1935-1974
3
14
Reproductions of Works of Art
Archival Resource Key
circa 1920-1960
3
15
Scrapbook
Archival Resource Key
circa 1909-1967
3
16-25
Scrapbook
Archival Resource Key
circa 1909-1967
4
1-6
Scrapbook
Archival Resource Key
circa 1926-1960
4
7
Miscellaneous Printed Material
Archival Resource Key
circa 1943
4
8
Photographic Material
Series 6
Archival Resource Key
.4 Linear feet
Box 5, OV 7
circa 1904-1980
Scope and Contents
Photographic material consists of personal photographs of Du Casse and his family and friends, as well as his artwork.
Personal Photographs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1904-1972
5
1-3
Personal Photographs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1904-1972
7
Photographs of Artwork
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-1980
5
4-5
Photographs of Artwork, Negatives
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-1980
5
6
Artwork
Series 7
Archival Resource Key
.1 Linear feet
Box 5
circa 1940-1980
Scope and Contents
Artwork includes a folder of seven sketches.
Sketches
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-1980
5
7