Tom Ray letters from Henry Bridgewater
name: label: Creator
content: Ray, Tom
label: Names
content: Bridgewater, Henry
topic: label: Occupation
content: Self-taught artists -- Louisiana
label: Occupation
content: Sculptors -- Louisiana
label: Occupation
content: Art dealers -- Louisiana -- New Orleans
label: Topic
content: Outsider art
label: Topic
content: Arts in prisons
label: Topic
content: African American artists
label: Topic
content: African American sculptors
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated in 2019 and 2024 by Tom Ray.
creator: label: Creator
content: Ray, Tom
setName: label: See more items in
content: Tom Ray letters from Henry Bridgewater
abstract: label: Summary
content: Tom Ray letters from Henry Bridgewater measures 0.2 linear feet and consists of forty-five letters to Tom Ray from Henry Bridgewater dating from 1992-1999, written during his incarceration at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Bridgewater writes about his works of art, in particular, lamps he created that he would send to Ray for him to trade and sell to other folk art collectors.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Henry Bridgewater (1925-2001) was a sculptor and outsider artist in Angola, Louisiana known for his wood-carved lamps of iconic figures and celebrities including cowboys, Wyatt Earp, Dolly Parton, Madonna, and Tina Turner. Tom Ray was a patron and informal art dealer for Bridgewater after befriending him in the early 1990s, while Bridgewater served two live sentences at the Lousiana State Penitentiary, Angola.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1992-1999
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.raytom
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to its small size, this collection is arranged into one series.

Series 1: Tom Ray Letters From Henry Bridgewater, 1992-1999 (0.2 Linear Feet: Box 1)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed in 2021 by Ryan Evans.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Tom Ray letters from Henry Bridgewater measures 0.2 linear feet and consists of forty-six letters to Tom Ray from Henry Bridgewater dating from 1992-1999, written during his incarceration at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Bridgewater writes about his works of art, in particular, lamps he created that he would send to Ray for him to trade and sell to other folk art collectors. Also included are four photographs of Bridgewater's lamps and a sample tag that Bridgwater would attach to his doll lamps.