Collection Summary
Jo Davidson Papers
1906-1952
1906-1952
MSS17830
Davidson, Jo,
1883-1952
5,400 items
18 containers
7.2 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Sculptor.
Correspondence, notes, speeches, articles, clippings, photographs, and
miscellaneous material relating to Davidson's career as a sculptor and to his
political activities with the Progressive Citizens of America and the National
Wallace for President Committee.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Davidson family.
Davidson, Florence Lucius, -1962--Correspondence.
Davidson, Jean, 1914- --Correspondence.
Davidson, Jo, 1883-1952.
Davidson, Jo, 1883-1952. Between sittings; an informal autobiography. 1951.
Davidson, Yvon Jacques, 1910- --Correspondence.
Davidson, Yvonne, -1934--Correspondence.
Keller, Helen, 1880-1968--Correspondence.
Steffens, Lincoln, 1866-1936--Correspondence.
Swinnerton, Frank, 1884-1982--Correspondence.
Wallace, Henry A. (Henry Agard), 1888-1965--Correspondence.
Wallace, Henry A. (Henry Agard), 1888-1965.
Organizations
National Wallace for President Committee.
Progressive Citizens of America.
Subjects
Art.
Portrait sculpture.
Presidents--United States--Election--1948.
Progressivism (United States politics)
Sculpture.
Places
United States--Politics and government--1945-1953.
Occupations
Artists.
Sculptors.
Provenance
The papers of Jo Davidson, sculptor, were given to the Library of Congress by his wife,
Florence Lucius Davidson, in 1953. Additional items were acquired by purchase,
1967-1969.
Processing History
The papers of Jo Davidson were arranged and described in 1960. The
finding aid was revised in 1999 and 2011.
Copyright Status
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Jo Davidson in these papers
and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress
has been dedicated to the public.
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Jo Davidson are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Jo Davidson Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1883, Mar. 30
Born, New York, N.Y.
Early 1900s
Entered Yale Medical School, New Haven, Conn.
1904
Left Yale Medical School, New Haven, Conn., to pursue a
sculpting career
1907
Enrolled in the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, Paris, France, to study
sculpture
1909
Married Yvonne de Kerstrat (died 1934)
1911
Secured his first solo gallery show
1927
Invited to compete in the Pioneer Woman statue
competition
1934
Awarded the Isaac W. Maynard Prize of the National Academy of Design
1941
Married Florence Gertrude Lucius
1946
1948
Cochairman, Progressive Citizens of America, that supported Henry A. Wallace for
president in 1948 on the Progressive Party ticket; chairman, National
Wallace for President Committee
1947
Retrospective show sponsored by the American Academy of Arts
and Letters
1949
Exhibited in the Third Sculpture International, Philadelphia
Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pa.
1951
Published
Between Sittings.
New York: Dial Press
1952, Jan. 2
Died, Saché, France
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Jo Davidson (1883-1952) span the years 1906-1952. The
collection contains family and general correspondence, articles, speeches,
photographs, clippings, and miscellaneous material pertaining to Davidson's
career as a sculptor of international renown. The papers are organized into the
following series:
[
Family
Correspondence
](fam),
[
General
Correspondence
](genl),
[
Autobiography
(Between Sittings)
](auto),
[
Speeches and
Writings
](spee),
[
Sculpture
File
](sculp),
[
Miscellany
](misc),
and
[
Clippings
](clip).
The [
Family Correspondence
](fam) includes
letters to and from Jo Davidson; his first wife, Yvonne; his second wife, Florence
Lucius; and his two sons, Jean and Yvon Jacques. [
General Correspondence
](genl) contains both
personal and business letters. Correspondents include Helen Keller, Lincoln
Steffens, and Frank Swinnerton. The series also contains Davidson's correspondence
as cochairman of the Progressive Citizens of America and chairman of the National
Wallace for President Committee including several letters from Henry A. Wallace.
The
[
Sculpture
File
](sculp) reflects Davidson's career as an international portrait sculptor and
includes correspondence, photographs, articles, clippings, and the sculptor's
personal notes about many of his subjects. The files have been retained in
their original order with papers pertaining to a particular sculpture filed
together by name of subject.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in seven series:
-
[
Family
Correspondence, 1908-1951
](fam)
-
[
General
Correspondence, 1906-1952
](genl)
-
[
Autobiography
(Between Sittings), 1951
](auto)
-
[
Speeches and
Writings, undated
](spee)
-
[
Sculpture
File, 1939-1949
](sculp)
-
[
Miscellany,
undated
](misc)
-
[
Clippings,
1910-1951
](clip)
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78017830]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Family Correspondence,
1908-1951
1908-1951
Letters sent and received by family members.
Arranged chronologically.
1
1908-1951, undated
1908-1951, undated
(5
folders)
2-8
General Correspondence,
1906-1952
1906-1952
Letters sent and received.
Arranged chronologically.
2
1906-1929, includes theater
project file
1906-1929, includes theater
project file
(12
folders)
3
1930-1933, includes Leon Sola
file
1930-1933, includes Leon Sola
file
(7
folders)
4
1934-1941, includes Independent
Citizens Committee file
1934-1941, includes Independent
Citizens Committee file
(9
folders)
5
1942-1946
1942-1946
(7
folders)
6
1947-1948
1947-1948
(5
folders)
7
1949-1951
1949-1951
(5
folders)
8
1952
1952
(4
folders)
8
Undated, includes addresses and
notes file
Undated, includes addresses and
notes file
(3
folders)
9
Autobiography
(Between Sittings),
1951
1951
Draft, notes, and miscellaneous items used by Davidson in writing
his autobiography.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
9
Draft of autobiography
(2
folders)
9
Biographical notes
9
Clippings
10
Speeches and Writings,
undated
undated
Correspondence, drafts, biographical writings, notes, printed
matter, and miscellaneous items relating to Davidson's speeches, writings, and
interviews.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
10
Correspondence with
models
10
Notes about models
10
Speech and interview
file
10
Writings
11-15
Sculpture File,
1939-1949
1939-1949
Letters, personal notes, clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous
items relating to individual works of sculpture.
Arranged alphabetically by name of subject.
11
American Cemetery of
Suresnes
11
Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne
Astor, Viscountess
11
Barrie, James
11
Bennett, Arnold
11
Bruce, David
11
Conrad, Joseph
11
Darrow, Clarence
11
Dawes, Charles G.
11
Doughboy statue
11
Doyle, Arthur Conan,
Sir
11
Foch, Ferdinand
11
Ford, William Henry
11
Furuseth, Andrew
11
Gandhi, Mahatma
11
Gide, André
11
Grant, R. M.
11
Harris, Frank
11
Hearst, William
Randolph
11
Herrick, Myron T.
11
Huxley, Aldous
11
Israel
11
Jackson-Johnson-Polk
11
Joyce, James
11
Keller, Helen
11
Koo, Wellington
12
La Follette, Robert
M.
12
La Roque, Elizabeth
M.
12
Lawrence, D. H.
12
Libbey, Edmond
Drummond
12
Marine Corps
12
Marland, Edward W.
12
Maugham, Somerset
12
Mellon, Andrew W.
12
Mussolini, Benito
13
Paine, Thomas
13
Patterson, John M.
13
Peace Conference
members
13
Pershing, John J.
13
Primo de Rivera, José
Antonio
13
Reeves-Smith, George
13
Robinson, Joseph T.
13
Rockefeller, John D.
(2
folders)
13
Rogers, Will
13
Roosevelt, Franklin
D.
14
Schaffuer, Joseph
14
Scripps, Robert P.
14
Shaw, George Bernard
14
South American busts,
1941
1941
14
Spanish loyalists busts,
1939
1939
14
Spirit of France
14
Steffens, Lincoln
(2
folders)
14
Stein, Gertrude
14
Sunbonnet women
14
Swinnerton, Frank
15
Thoreau, Henry David
15
Tito, Josip Broz
(2
folders)
15
Vanderbilt, Muriel and
Reginald
15
Vauclain, Samuel M.
15
Wallace, Edgar
15
Wallace, Henry A.
15
Walpole, Hugh
15
Warsaw Memorial
15
Wells, H. G.
15
White, William Allen
15
Whitman, Walt
15
Wilson, Woodrow
(2
folders)
15
World Congress for Peace,
1949
1949
15
Ypres, John Denton Pinkstone,
Earl of
15
Zukor, Adolph
16
Miscellany,
undated
undated
Sketches, agreements, exhibition catalogs, photographs, printed
matter, and miscellaneous items.
Arranged alphabetically by subject and type of material.
16
Agreements, sculpture lists,
prices, and other items
16
Exhibition catalogs
16
French resistance
fighters
16
Photographs
16
Printed matter
16
Sketches
17-18
Clippings,
1910-1951
1910-1951
Clippings pertaining to Davidson's career as a sculptor, his
political affiliations, and to other miscellaneous items of interest.
Unarranged.
17
Clippings,
1910-1951
1910-1951
(4
folders)
18
(4
folders)