Richard Dempsey papers
name: label: Creator
content: Dempsey, Richard W., 1909-
label: Names
content: Art in Embassies Program (U.S.)
label: Names
content: Clark Atlanta University Art Gallery
label: Names
content: Corcoran Gallery of Art
label: Names
content: Franz Bader Gallery
label: Names
content: Howard University
label: Names
content: United States. Embassy (Colombia)
label: Names
content: United States. Embassy (Jamaica)
label: Names
content: Brooks, Vonja Kirkland
label: Names
content: Lawrence, Jacob, 1917-2000
label: Names
content: Perlmutter, Jack, 1920-2006
label: Names
content: Waters, Ethel, 1896-1977
place: label: Place
content: Colombia -- Description and Travel
topic: label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Washington (D.C.)
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Washington (D.C.)
label: Occupation
content: Portrait painters -- Washington (D.C.)
label: Topic
content: Artists' studios -- Photographs
label: Topic
content: Painting, Abstract -- Washington (D.C.)
label: Topic
content: Jamaica -- Description and Travel
label: Topic
content: African American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Richard Dempsey papers were initially lent for microfilming in 1990 by Vonja Kirkland Dempsey, Richard Dempsey's widow. After the collection was microfilmed, Vonja Kirkland Dempsey donated the bulk of the collection, excluding some photographic material, in 1990.
creator: label: Creator
content: Dempsey, Richard W., 1909-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Richard Dempsey papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter Richard W. Dempsey measure 2.9 linear feet and date from 1929 to 1989, with the bulk of the papers dating from the 1960s to the 1980s. The papers contain biographcial material, correspondence, writings, project and exhibition files, printed material, photographs, and artwork and notes related to planning artwork.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Richard W. Dempsey (1909-1987) was a painter known primarily for his abstract works and his portraits of prominent African American individuals including Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Thurgood Marshall, and Adam Clayton Powell. He was born in Ogden, Utah, but spent the majority of his youth in Oakland, California. He studied art at Sacramento Junior College, the California School of Arts and Crafts, and the Student Arts Center. Dempsey had four exhibitions in California before moving to Washington, D.C. to begin work as an engineering draftsman with the Federal Power Commission in 1941. He later transferred to a position as an illustrator with the General Services Administration (GSA), where he would spend the rest of his nearly 30-year government career.

In addition to his work with the GSA, Dempsey participated in the Art in Embassies program for decades, and his work was chosen by Congressman Adam Clayton Powell to hang in the Education Labor Committee rooms.

Dempsey was awarded a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1946 to paint 100 portriats of "Outstanding American Negros." He taught art courses at the Corcoran School of Art and at Glen Echo and received invitations to exhibit around the world in places like Haiti, Colombia, and Jamaica. He exhibited frequently in the U.S., most often with Franz Bader Gallery in Washington, D.C.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2.9 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1929-1989
label: Date
content: bulk 1960s-1980s
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.demprich
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Poetry
label: Type
content: Sketches
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1930-1987 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1938-1985, undated (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1981, undated (Box 1; 3 folders)

Series 4: Project and Exhibition Files, 1929-1986 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1930s-1989, undated (Boxes 2-3; 0.4 linear feet, OV 5)

Series 6: Photographic Material, 1932-1981, undated (Boxes 3-4; 0.5 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, 1965-1981, undated, (Box 4; 5 folders, OV 5)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Material in this collection was processed by Sarah La Rocca and microfilmed onto reels 4366-4370 in 1990. The collection was minimally processed and a finding aid prepared by Rayna Andrews in 2017 with funding provided by the Luce Foundation.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection and material lent for microfilming are availalbe on 35mm microfilm reels 4366-4370 at the Archives of American Art 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: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Poetry
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketches
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter Richard W. Dempsey measure 2.9 linear feet and date from 1929 to 1989, with the bulk of the papers dating from the 1960s to the 1980s. The papers contain biographical material, correspondence, writings, project and exhibition files, printed material, photographs, and artwork and notes related to planning artwork.

Biographical material consists of employment records; resumes, chronologies, and biographies; and compiled personal papers that may have once been part of scrapbooks. These materials are not bound, but have remained together and in the order in which they were received. This series also includes a folder of material related to Dempsey's wife, Vonja Kirkland Brooks.

Correspondence includes letters both sent, and received by the artist, primarily concerning the exhibition of Dempsey's paintings at the Franz Bader Gallery, the Atlanta University Gallery, Howard University, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the U.S. Embassies in Colombia and Jamaica, and with the Art in Embassies Program. Notable correspondents include Jack Perlmutter, Ethel Waters, and Jacob Lawrence. Personal and professional correspondence are intermingled throughout.

Writings include notes and drafts of lectures and other course materials, as well as excerpts and quotes from reviews of exhibitions of Dempsey's work. These excerpts, usually titled "comments," are frequently copied out by hand. Also included in this series are two folders of poetry.

Project and exhibition files include photographs; correspondence; lists; sketches and other plans; and printed material including clippings and exhibition announcements. Materials related to his Rosenwald Fellowship, his participation in the Art in Embassies program, his many exhibitions at Franz Bader Gallery, and his international exhibitions in Colombia and Jamaica are featured. Some files in this series may only include photographs or sketches. 

Photographs are primarily of Dempsey's work and of exhibitions. There are some of the artist and of his Takoma Park, MD home and studio (designed by Harry Ormston of McLean, VA and occasionally featured in architecture articles). 

Artwork is primarily composed of sketches, often with detailed planning notes for the completion of paintings.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 4368) including a photograph album chronicling Dempsey's 1951 trip to Haiti and other photographic material. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.