Berta N. Briggs papers
name: label: Creator
content: Briggs, Berta N. (Berta Nabersberg), 1884-1976
label: Names
content: Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women educators
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Berta N. Briggs papers were donated in 1977 by Mrs. Malcolm Fooshee, Briggs's niece.
creator: label: Creator
content: Briggs, Berta N. (Berta Nabersberg), 1884-1976
setName: label: See more items in
content: Berta N. Briggs papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter, writer and educator Berta N. Briggs measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1908-1976. Found within the papers are biographical material, scattered letters primarily discussing her activities with various arts organizations, notes and writings, artwork including sketchbooks and drawings, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs primarily of her artwork.
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Berta N. Briggs (née Nabersberg) was born June 5, 1884 in St. Paul, Minnesota, daughter of John William and Rosina (Reinfrank) Nabersberg. After her graduation from Central High School, she moved to New York to study art at the Art Students League under Kenyon Cox, at the Pratt Institute under Ralph Johannot, and at the Teachers College of Columbia University under Arthur W. Dow.

Upon her return to St. Paul in 1905, Briggs was appointed the first Supervisor of Handicrafts in the public schools, a position she held for three years. From 1908-1911, she organized and directed the Department of Crafts at the St. Paul Institute School of Art and taught woodblock printing, leather work, metal work, and pottery. During these years, she attended the summer school of the Minneapolis Handicraft Guild, working under Ernest Batchelder and Bertha Lum.

In 1911, Briggs moved to New York to become the head of the art department in the Charlton School, a private school for girls, where she taught art and lectured on the history of art and architecture for two years. On June 18, 1913, she married William Harlowe Briggs, an editorial executive for Harper Brothers publishers.

From 1918 to 1928, Berta Briggs lectured on the history of art at Miss Chandor's School for girls in New York. With nine other craft workers, she founded an outlet for craftwork, the Noank Studio Guild.

In 1928, Briggs began to paint landscapes and specialized in paintings birds. From 1930 to 1932, she was President of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. She was Vice-President of the Society of Woman Geographers from 1939 to 1942, and was a member of the National Association of Women Artists.

Briggs's book Charles Willson Peale, Artist and Patriot was published in 1952, followed by To the Shores of Tripoli, published in 1955.

Berta N. Briggs died November 12, 1976 in New York City.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1908-1976
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.brigbert
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Sketchbooks
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection has been arranged as 7 series. Documents within each series are arranged chronologically.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1932-1975 (Box 1; 3 folders)

Series 2: Letters, 1932-1961 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 3: Notes and Writings, 1950-1954 (Box 1; 19 folders)

Series 4: Artwork, 1931-1942 (Boxes 1-2; 6 folders)

Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1908-1968 (Boxes 1-2; 7 folders)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1932-1976 (Box 1; 12 folders)

Series 7: Photographs, 1929-1943 (Boxes 1-2; 4 folders)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The papers were processed to an intermediate level in February 2006 by Jean Fitzgerald.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The papers of painter, writer and educator Berta N. Briggs measure 1.3 linear feet and date from 1908-1976. Found in the collection are biographical material such as curriculum vitae and awards, and scattered letters primarily discussing Briggs's activities with various arts organizations. Notes and writings include notebooks for Briggs's two books Charles Willson Peale: Artist and Patriot (1952) and To the Shores of Tripoli (1955). The papers also contain artwork by Briggs including sketchbooks and drawings of birds, scrapbooks and printed material including exhibition catalogs and announcements, and photographs of Briggs's artwork.