James Edward Davis papers
name: label: Creator
content: Davis, Jim, 1901-1974
label: Names
content: Marin, John, 1870-1953
label: Names
content: Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959
topic: label: Occupation
content: Photographers -- New Jersey -- Princeton
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New Jersey -- Princeton
label: Occupation
content: Filmmakers -- New Jersey -- Princeton
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Sketches, designs, working papers related to Davis's art films, the John Marin letters, and drawings were lent for microfilming by James E. Davis in 1967 and 1968. Papers were donated in 1969 by James E. Davis and Rosalind Kossoff.
creator: label: Creator
content: Davis, Jim, 1901-1974
setName: label: See more items in
content: James Edward Davis papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter, photographer, and filmmaker James Edward Davis measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1917-1970. They highlight Davis's career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic material, and artwork.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: James Edward Davis (1901-1974) was a painter, photographer, and filmmaker who worked primarily in New Jersey. Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Davis specialized in the abstract and surrealist styles and his artwork was heavily inspired by the zeitgeist of the 1920s. He graduated from Princeton University in 1923 and studied painting and sculpture in France with Andre Lhote for three years. Davis taught at multiple places during his career including Lawrenceville School (1933-1936), Princeton (1936-1942), and the Moholy-Nagy Institute of Design (1947). Davis is also known for his experimental abstract films that use mobile designs of transparent plastics and controlled illumination. His paintings have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, the Addison gallery, and the Princeton and Yale University Art Museums. He died in Princeton, New Jersey at the Princeton Medical Center at the age of 73 on September 20, 1974.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3.8 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1917-1970
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.davijame
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection consists of seven series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1954-1966 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1940-1969 (.6 Linear feet: Box 1)

Series 3: Writings, circa 1920-1960 (.8 Linear feet: Boxes 1 and 2)

Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1956-1967 (.1 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1945-1969 (.2 Linear feet: Box 2)

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1919-1970 1(.9 Linear feet: Boxes 2-5)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1946 (.1 Linear feet: Box 5)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared, by Allessandra Liberati in 2023.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Portions of the collection and material lent for microfilming are available on 35mm microfilm reels N172, N68-86A, N738, and 430-433 at the 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: Drawings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The James Edward Davis papers measure 3.8 linear feet and date from circa 1917-1970. Biographical materials consist of a resume, an interview with Davis, and certificates related to his career and schooling. Correspondence consists of letters between himself and his agent Rosalind Kossoff, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Marin Jr., and others. Writings includes notebooks pertaining to his many projects and personal business records are composed of documents relating to his career and his time spent in Princeton, New Jersey, as well as artwork appraisals. Printed material is made up of exhibition announcements and catalogs, news clippings, press releases, and other documents. Photographic materials include photographs from various film projects and exhibits, as well as personal photographs. Artwork consists of a group of sketches showing a figure in motion.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also hold an oral history interview with James Edward Davis conducted 1971, August 10 by Paul Cummings.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Materials
content: The Archives of American Art holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels N172, N68-86A, and N738) including sketches, designs, working papers related to Davis's art films, the John Marin letters, and drawings. Loaned materials were returned to the lender.