Sidney C. Woodward (1890-1963) was an art critic and editor in Boston, MA. Woodward collected letters and autographs from notable artists, as well as manuscripts relating to art and theater.
Woodward was born on December 11, 1890, in Malden, Massachusetts, son of Alice E. (Colesworthy) and Frank E. Woodward. He was one of eight children and a twin of Stanley, marine painter and illustrator. Woodward was an art critic and editor for the Boston Post, Boston Herald, and Christian Science Monitor; and gallery director of Casson Galleries, and Irving & Casson's art gallery in Boston, MA.
Sidney C. Woodward papers, 1823-1963, bulk 1915-1932. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
A portion of the collection was purchased by the Archives of American Art from Sidney Woodward in 1963. Additional material was donated in 1975 by Mrs. Sidney C. Woodward.
Portions of the collection are available on 35 mm microfilm reels D194-D196 and 439-440 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 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
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The papers of art critic, editor, and gallery director Sidney Woodward date from 1823 to 1963, bulk 1915-1932, and measure 3.5 linear feet. The majority of the collection consists of personal and professional correspondence and collected letters that pertain to Woodward's relationships with various artists, galleries, and arts organizations. Also included in this collection are two biographical documents; lecture notes and collected writings; printed material including books relating to the topic of art, exhibition catalogs, and newspaper clippings; a few personal photographs and reference photographs of paintings; and scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, art reproductions, and printed material from the Casson Galleries.
Artists that Woodward corresponded with and collected letters from include Ernest L. Blumenschein, Harrison Cady, Robert Henri, C. Lewis Hind, Rockwell Kent, John La Farge, Hermann Dudley Murphy, Violet Oakley, Water Pach, Elizabeth Robins Pennell, and Chauncey Foster Ryder, among many others. A significant number of letters in this collection were sent by his brother, marine painter Stanley, during his service in both World Wars.
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by intern Sara Pezzoni in 2015. 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.
The collection is arranged as 6 series.
Microfilm reels D194-D196: An inventory is available at Archives of American Art offices.
Found here is Sidney C. Woodward's personal and professional correspondence and collected letters pertaining to Woodward's relationships with various artists, galleries, and arts organizations.
Included are many letters sent by Sidney's twin brother, Stanley, while he was serving as a Corporal in Field Artillery during World War I and later as an Air Corps captain during World War II. Correspondence with Stanley primarily concerned his painting career, including some post card representations of his work.
Artists that Woodward corresponded with and collected letters include Ernest L. Blumenschein, Harrison Cady, Robert Henri, C. Lewis Hind, Rockwell Kent, John La Farge, Hermann Dudley Murphy, Violet Oakley, Water Pach, Elizabeth Robins Pennell, and Chauncey Foster Ryder, among many others. Notable 19th century letters are written by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, John White Alexander, Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Edwin Church, Winslow Homer, Francis Davis Millet, Thomas Moran, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, William Trost Richards, John Singer Sargent, and Thomas Sully.
Also found here is correspondence with arts organizations, schools, and news organizations. This includes the Christian Science Publishing Society, the Erskine School, Frost & Reed, Knoedler & Co., and Robert C. Vose Galleries.
Some photographs of artists are also included in folders of correspondence, including a portrait of Johannes Adam S. Oertel.
See the Printed Material series for additional correspondence pasted into two books,
Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by person or organization name. Names with two or more letters are filed in their own folders, and the remainder of correspondence is filed in miscellaneous alphabetical files. Selected correspondents whose names do not appear in headings are indicated in a note following the folder heading.
Biographical material consists of two military records of Woodward's appointment from Private First Class to second lieutenant in the Aviation Section of the Signal Reserve Corps, as well as an honorable discharge certificate from the Army of the United States.
Found here are manuscripts written by C. Lewis Hind and Elizabeth Robins Pennell, as well as a list of artist letters and miscellaneous writings by Woodward including lecture notes.
Printed material consists of exhibition catalogs featuring Stanley Woodward and Casson Galleries exhibition catalogs, newspaper clippings of news stories regarding Sidney and Stanley, a World War I Navy recruiting poster catalog, as well as various books relating to the topic of art. Miscellaneous printed material consists of a lecture announcement, a catalog of etching artworks, a high school graduation brochure, and a playbill. Two books,
Found here are reference photographs of various artworks as well as personal photographs, which include photos of a portrait relief of Augustus Saint Gaudens, Stanley Woodward in a theater production, a Russell Hyde painting class, and a portrait of J. F. Bouchor.
Found here are three bound scrapbooks and one folder of loose scrapbook pages. Two scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings of Woodward's column in The Christian Science Monitor; one scrapbook contains exhibition catalogs and announcements from the Casson Galleries as well as news clippings of art reviews, most of which were written by Woodward; and one scrapbook purchased by Woodward contains letters, autographs, photos, and art reproductions from 78 artists.