The Eve Propp papers regarding artist Joseph Cornell date from 1966-1994 and measure 1 linear foot. This small collection documents the relationship between Eve Propp, a gallerist, and Joseph Cornell. The two maintained a friendship through frequent letters and visits. The papers consist of approximately sixty letters from Cornell to Propp from 1968-1972, letters from others, notes on Propp's visits to Cornell, printed material, and photographic material.
The collection is arranged as a single series.
Eve Propp befriended artist Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) while operating a short lived gallery in New York, N.Y. She visited him at his home on Wednesdays from 1969-1970. She now resides in upstate New York.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2017 by Eve Propp.
Eve Propp papers regarding Joseph Cornell, 1966-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Hilary Price in 2017.
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Joseph Cornell papers. The bulk of Cornell's source material resides in the Joseph Cornell Study Center, Smithsonian American Art Museum, along with his library and record collection.
Approximately sixty letters or cards from Cornell to Eve Propp often incorporate collages, puzzles, and objects. One file contains a few objects that have become separated from the letters. Other letters here are from Cornell's sister, lawyers involved with the estate following Cornell's death, a handwriting expert, and museum curators.
Propp's notes document topics Cornell discussed during their visits, including his thoughts about the color blue, his mother's strictness, the anxiety he felt as a student at Andover, among other topics.
Printed material collected by Propp about Cornell includes a calendar from 1969, the year they were in most frequent contact; clippings from magazines and newspapers; and exhibition announcements and catalogs.
Several photographs of Cornell taken in 1969 during one of Propp's visits are included here with the original negatives, and several copy prints made in subsequent decades.