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Exhibition Materials, 1933 December-1968 May 26, undated

 Sub-Series

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

This collection includes various papers, publications, and items relating to Julius Bloch's life and work. It contains sketchings of people done by Julius Bloch on scraps of paper, as well as drawings done by children who were most likely Bloch's students while he was teaching art in Philadelphia. There is mainly correspondence to Bloch from all kinds of people, personal friends and acquaintances, museum directors and curators, art collectors, famous figures, and family members. Notably, there are letters from Eleanor Roosevelt about the purchase of Bloch's piece, The Young Worker, and her visit to meet with him in Philadelphia. There is also a letter from Langston Hughes regarding an exhibit Hughes was organizing in San Francisco advocating for the Scottsboro boys and using art to organize against the violence and atrocities committed against the boys. There is also a wealth of correspondence from Bloch to his three sisters while he was traveling in southern Europe between 1962 and 1964. Some of the financial papers include a list of the distribution of Bloch's estate as well as a letter from Bloch to Sturgis Ingersoll, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the time, about the execution of Bloch's will. The publications contain art magazines, exhibition catalogs, newspapers, and socially-focused magazines, notably The Crisis (1932 May) and New Masses (1935 October 8), that printed or commented on Bloch's works. The writings section has Bloch's research and artwork proposal for a Guggenheim fellowship, along with writing for a student and a piece by Oliver Grimley about Bloch's art.

Dates

  • 1933 December-1968 May 26, undated

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 1 linear feet (2 document boxes, 1 half-size legal document box, 1 oversize folder)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Arrangement

Alphabetical by gallery or museum

Repository Details

Part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Library and Archives Repository

Contact:
Philadelphia Museum of Art
PO Box 7646
Philadelphia PA 19101-7646 United States