Allen Tupper True (1881-1955) was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1881. He was a student at the University of Denver, and studied at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C. between 1901 and 1902. In 1902, he was accepted into Howard Pyle's classes in Chadd's Ford, Pennsylvania, and studied there until 1908, befriending classmates George Harding, Gordon McCouch, Thornton Oakley, and N.C. Wyeth. Through Pyle, True began his career as a magazine illustrator.
From approximately 1913-1915, True worked with British muralist Frank Brangwyn, assisting Brangwyn in the execution of murals at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California.
After marrying Emma Goodman Eaton in 1915 (divorced 1934), True launched his career as a mural painter. His most notable works include the mural decorations in the state capitol buildings of Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming, as well as murals for the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company Building and the Civic Center in Denver, Colorado. True specialized in depicting Western and Native American themes.
From 1934-1945, True acted as consultant for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, in charge of and designing all decoration and color schemes for the Boulder Dam power plant, Grand Coulee Dam, and the Shasta Dam, among others.
True was a Unitarian Mason, and a member of the Mural Painters of America, Beta Theta Pi, Cactus Club of Denver, and the Author's Club, London. He died in 1955.
The Allen Tupper True and True family papers date from 1841 to 1987 and measure 8.2 linear feet. The collection presents a good overview of True's personal life and and his career as mural painter and illustrator specializing in Western themes. Through art work, project files, photographs, and printed material, the collection offers a rich resource, both textually and visually of True's research and work on documenting early twentieth century Native Americans cultural traditions. The papers also document True's childhood and his relationship with his family through various family papers, such as correspondence, genealogies, subject files, photographs, and a scrapbook. The collection is a particularly rich resource for the study of Allen Tupper True's work, as well as original documentation of the American West and Native American culture.
The collection is arranged into thirteen series according to material type. The contents of each series have been arranged chronologically. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
The Allen Tupper True and True family papers were donated in February and April 1988 by True's daughter Jane True Mueller and his son, Frank True.
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
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
The collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reels 4891-4898 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
The Allen Tupper True and True family papers, 1841-1987
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Jean Fitzgerald, February 28, 1994. The finding aid was modified by Stephanie Ashley in 2002 during EAD conversion.
This series includes family genealogies, biographical accounts, passports, school papers, an award medal for horsemanship, membership cards, and copies of True's will.
Biographical materials are on reel 4891.
This series includes letters, journals and autobiographical accounts, notes, ephemera, printed material, and legal documents such as mining and stock certificates and wills, concerning members of the True family and organizations with which they were associated.
Files relating to Margaret Allen Tupper True contain: an undated journal written by Margaret Tupper True's mother, Ellen Smith Tupper (transcript precedes handwritten journal); receipts for purchase of land, 1879-1892; and a diary, 1881-1888, which contains entries primarily concerning Allen Tupper True as a baby, and includes 2 photographs of True, a lock of his hair, and a cyanotype of Franklin School, El Paso, Texas. The files also contain a diary from 1891-1926, that includes entries primarily concerning Katherine Goodrich True as a baby, and includes a family tree chart; notes about the family; 4 photographs of Katherine True, 1891-1905; 1 photograph of Allen Tupper True, 1905; a composition by Katherine True; a notebook on conditions in various schools, 1907-ca. 1911; 4 real estate deeds, 1908-1913; and inheritance tax documents, 1926. The Cactus Club file contains undated miscellaneous writings by True.
See also Series 9: Photographs, and Series 12: Artifacts.
Subject files are on reel 4891.
This series is organized into two subseries:
Correspondence is on reels 4891-4895.
This subseries documents True's thoughts concerning his career and the interaction among members of the True family. Various individuals discuss Tupper and True family business and events. Allen Tupper True describes his art classes at the Corcoran Gallery School, 1901-1902, Howard Pyle's class, 1902-1904, which included George Harding, Gordon McCouch, Thornton Oakley, and N. C. Wyeth, and his work with Frank Brangwyn in 1914. True also discusses his travels and projects.
The following letters contain photographs: 04 Nov 1901 (1 photo of Harry True, Jr.); 08 Dec 1901 (13 photos of family members); May 1902 (1 cyanotype of Pyle's class); 27 Jun 1902 (1 photo of True in front of the U.S. Capitol); 22 Feb 1914 (1 photo of True and his work in his studio and 1 photo of Murphy in True's studio); 30 May 1914 (1 photo of the Robinsons' home); 09 Jun 1914 (1 photo of the Orchestre Louis Berki); 30 Jan 1915 (1 panorama photo of the Panama-Pacific Exposition); 26 Mar 1915 (1 photo of Peggie); 07 Aug 1924 (5 photos of family in an orchard)
The files are arranged chronologically.
Reel 4891
Reel 4892
Reel 4892
Reel 4893
Reel 4893
Reel 4894
This subseries focuses more directly on the events of True's career. Fourteen illustrated letters from True to his wife and daughter can also be found here. Notable correspondents are listed below.
Reels 4894-4895
This series consists of stocks and a deed for Colorado real estate, miscellaneous receipts, insurance policies, and a studio lease and inventory.
Business records are on reel 4895.
This series include an address book, lists of art work, and seven notebooks documenting travel, work with Frank Brangwyn, and a record of mural work, and notes on technique. The travel journal include sketches and drawings.
Notes are on reel 4895.
Material in this series consists of childhood writings, miscellaneous writings by True, and poems.
Writings are on reel 4895.
This series consists of a sketchbook, cartoons and caricatures, sketches and drawings, paintings on cardboard, designs based on Native American pottery and artifacts, designs for murals in Denver Civic Center, the Colorado State Capitol, the U.S. National Bank building, Boulder Dam, and the Voorhies Memorial Arch in Denver. There are also original Christmas cards, illustrated letters in the Correspondence Series, an illustrated travel journal, a print by Frank Brangwyn, and miscellaneous art work by others.
Artwork is on reel 4895.
This series contains letters, legal documents, printed material, and photographs concerning True's mural projects for the state capitol buildings of Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
True acted as color consultant for the Bureau of Reclamation on Bouder Dam and Grand Coulee Dam (Washington State) and during the construction of several other dams and their power houses, including Bonneville (Oregon), Shasta (California), Friant (California), and Minidoka (Idaho)]. His consultation work on these projects is also documented here.
Files typically contain any or all of the following types of material: photographs of the installed murals; related letters, contracts, copyright cards and purchase orders; illustrated notebooks, sketches, and paintings; schematic drawings; and printed material.
Project files are on reel 4895-4896.
(includes 6 sketches, 1 photograph of a stagecoach carrying African-American soldiers, 5 photographs of riverboats, and 19 photographs of True and his murals)
(contains 1 schematic drawing of location of murals, and 2 oversize paintings of Bisons)
(includes 1 blueprint for location of murals, 2 sketches, and a schematic drawing of location of murals)
Includes the following Projects:
This series includes photographs of True, his studios, his works, True family members, friends, residences, and reference photographs of Native Americans, cowboys, settlers, and other Western subjects.
Photographs of True family members include Minnie True; Hattie Cherry (sister of Henry True) and Susie Cherry; Ira Goodrich True; Margaret True Thompson; Diemer True; Leland True; and Jamie True and his grandmother Mrs. Beyer. There is also a tintype of 2 unidentified children.
Photographs of the Tupper family include Noah and Hannah Wheaton Smith (grandparents of Margaret Tupper True); Ellen Smith Tupper; Holmes Tupper; Lucille Tupper; Mila Tupper; Madge Tupper; Kate Tupper Galfin; Wilhelmina Wilkes; and William F. Wilkes (husband of Eliza Tupper Wilkes)
Photographs of Allen Tupper True and family members include True as an infant; True and his siblings; True as an adult including 1 cyanotype;True and his children; Hans Mueller (Jane's husband); and miscellaneous family members.
The two photograph albums found here show True, his friends, his studio, N.C. Wyeth and True at the easel in his studio, and various outdoor scenes.
See also Series 13: Glass Negatives
Photographs are on reels 4896-4897. Glass plate negatives have been digitized.
(14 photographs including 1 cyanotype of: George Harding, Gordon M. McCouch, Thornton Oakley, Howard Pyle, Allen Tupper True, and N.C. Wyeth)
The scrapbook is on reel 4898.
This series includes clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs for True and for others, reproductions of works, programs, booklets, and miscellaneous items.
Printed materials are on reel 4898.
This series includes the following: five bullets and fragments, 2 buttons, a small piece of marble, and a fragment of a flat wooden stick that have not been microfilmed. They were housed together and accompanied by three notes reading: "Found by Henry on Look Out Mtn on Oct 1898 where the battle above the clouds was fought in 1863;" "Springfield rifle balls, Spanish American War;" and "Found on Chickamauga battlefield." Also found are the following, which have not been filmed:The following artifacts have not been microfilmed: a pocket knife with initials "FET;" two small pocket compasses; a metal badge saying "Columbian Exposition, 1893;" and a small, undecorated metal disk.
Artifacts are on reel 4898.
Glass plate negatives include images of Allen Tupper True as well as paintings of cowboys, settlers, Native Americans, and various murals. Identified mural projects include the Montana National Bank, Warren Branch Library, American Theatre, Colorado National Bank, Denver Civic Center, and Denver Public Library.
Images of Allen Tupper True, Paintings, and Murals
Images of Mural Projects