Edna Andrade papers
name: label: Creator
content: Andrade, Edna, 1917-2008
label: Names
content: Andrade, C. Preston (Clarence Preston), 1912-1977
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women educators
label: Topic
content: Optical art
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Edna Andrade donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1987 and 2004.
creator: label: Creator
content: Andrade, Edna, 1917-2008
setName: label: See more items in
content: Edna Andrade papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter and educator Edna Andrade measure 5.4 linear feet and date from 1917 to circa 1986. The collection documents Andrade's career through biographical materials including a video recording, personal and professional correspondence, printed material, and photographs including five photo albums. Of note are examples of propaganda Andrade created for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Edna Andrade (1917-2008) was a painter and educator active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was known for her optical illusion paintings. 

Born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1917, Edna Davis Wright began her study of art at the Barnes Foundation in Marion, Pennsylvania. Later, she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and earned her degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1937. She won Cresson Scholarships to travel to Europe in 1936 and 1937. In 1941, she married architect C. Preston Andrade.

During WWII, Andrade worked under Eero Saarinen in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) where she designed propaganda. After the war, Andrade returned to Philadelphia, where she began a long teaching career at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1958 until her retirement in 1982. Andrade was part of the Op Art movement in the 1960s and also painted abstract landscapes. 

Edna Andrade died in 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 5.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1917-circa 1986
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.andredna
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 4 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-circa 1986 (0.9 linear feet; Box 1, 6)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1925-1981 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Printed Material, 1930s-1970s (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-6, OV 7)

Series 4: Photographs, 1917-1980 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The 1987 donation was microfilmed after receipt. The entire collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2021.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 4225-4230 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter and educator Edna Andrade measure 5.4 linear feet and date from 1917 to circa 1986. The collection documents Andrade's career through biographical materials including a video recording, personal and professional correspondence, printed material, and photographs including five photo albums. Of note are examples of propaganda Andrade created for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. 

Personal correspondence includes letters exchanged between Andrade with her parents, husband C. Preston Andrade, and sister, Mary. Professional correspondence concerns the exhibition of her works of art and teaching career.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also holds an oral history interview with Edna Andrade conducted 1987 April 1-29.