Buell Mullen papers
name: label: Creator
content: Mullen, Buell (1901-1986)
topic: label: Occupation
content: Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Occupation
content: Portrait painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women muralists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Buell Mullen donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1982.
creator: label: Creator
content: Mullen, Buell (1901-1986)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Buell Mullen papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of muralist Buell Mullen measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1982. Found are scattered biographical material, professional correspondence, information on mixing epoxy resins, printed material, and photographs.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Buell Mullen (1901-1986) was a muralist and portrait painter active in New York City and Chicago, Illinois. She developed a process for painting on stainless steel.

Buell Mullen was born Frances Vedder Buell in Chicago, Illinois. Drawn to its ability to reflect light, Mullen developed a technique combining etching and acid treatments to ensure oil paintings adhere to stainless steel. Her first work on stainless steel was a portrait of General John J. Pershing. Later, she produced a portrait of President Dwight Eisenhower. She completed many murals for steel companies, colleges, and institutions around the Great Lakes region. Also, she served as a United States representative to UNESCO.

Buell married J. Bernard Mullen and together they had two sons. Mullen died in Chicago, Illinois in 1986.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1942-1982
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.mullbuel
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2020.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of muralist Buell Mullen measure 0.4 linear feet and date from 1942 to 1982. Found are scattered biographical material, professional correspondence, information on mixing epoxy resins, printed material, and photographs.