Isabel Peterson papers
name: label: Creator
content: Peterson, Isabel
topic: label: Occupation
content: Curators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Scrapbooks
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated 1983 by Isabel Peterson.
creator: label: Creator
content: Peterson, Isabel
setName: label: See more items in
content: Isabel Peterson papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of curator Isabel Peterson measure 0.7 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 1980. The collection document's Peterson's work as United Seamen's Service, Inc., art exhibition director curating the annual Art Exhibition by Merchant Seamen of the United Nations. Found are biographical materials on Peterson, correspondence, interview transcripts, photographs, printed material, a mixed-media scrapbook, and writings.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: New York curator Isabel Peterson, began her full-time career during World War II. As art exhibition director for the United Seamen's Service, Inc., her primary responsibility was the annual Art Exhibition by Merchant Seamen of the United Nations.  

After founding the Music Box Canteen for United States Service men and women in 1941, Peterson was asked by Vice Admiral Emory S. Land of the War Shipping Administration, to establish a recreation department for wartime merchant seamen. Peterson developed, organized, and directed the annual exhibition of paintings by merchant seamen of the United Nations from 1943 to 1946. The exhibitions were shown in the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. and in other museums throughout the United States.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.7 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1940-1980
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.peteisab
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2023 with support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The collection is available on 35mm microfilm roll 3770 at 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.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of curator Isabel Peterson measure 0.7 linear feet and date from circa 1940 to 1980. The collection document's Peterson's work as United Seamen's Service, Inc., art exhibition director curating the annual Art Exhibition by Merchant Seamen of the United Nations. Found are biographical materials on Peterson, correspondence, interview transcripts, photographs, printed material, a mixed-media scrapbook, and writings.