Adolph A. Weinman papers
name: label: Creator
content: Weinman, Adolph A. (Adolph Alexander), 1870-1952
label: Names
content: National Academy of Design (U.S.)
label: Names
content: National Sculpture Society (U.S.)
topic: label: Topic
content: Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Sculpture, American
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: In 1971 and 1972, Adolph Weinman's sons, Howard and Robert A. Weinman, lent the Archives of American Art material for microfilming. Howard Weinman also donated material in 1972 and Robert A. Weinman gave papers in 1976.
creator: label: Creator
content: Weinman, Adolph A. (Adolph Alexander), 1870-1952
setName: label: See more items in
content: Adolph A. Weinman papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The collection measures 10.3 linear feet, dates from 1890 to 1959, and documents the career of early twentieth century sculptor Adolph A. Weinman. Found within the papers are scattered biographical materials; project files for Weinman's sculpture and commissions; correspondence with colleagues, friends and family, and letterpress books containing copies of letters concerning specific sculpture commissions; files concerning Weinman's membership in the National Sculpture Society and the National Academy of Design; records concerning works of art held by dealers and in exhibitions and other miscellaneous financial materials; notes and a notebook; writings and speeches by Weinman; sketches and sketchbooks; printed materials; photographs and glass negatives. This material not only reflects the diversity of projects executed by this prolific sculptor, but illustrates the process of creation for many of his more important works.
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: American sculptor, Adolph Alexander Weinman was born on December 11, 1870 in Germany and came to New York City in 1880. At the age of fifteen, he attended evening classes at Cooper Union. He later studied at the Art Students League. When he was twenty years old, he entered the studio of Philip Martiny and later worked with Olin Warner, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Charles Henry Niehaus, and Daniel Chester French. In 1904, Weinman opened his own studio, and in the same year created the Destiny of the Red Man for the St. Louis Exposition. In 1923, he moved his studio to Forest Hills, New York, where he lived until his death.

Among Weinman's more notable sculpture commissions are the General Alexander Macomb Memorial in Detroit, Michigan, Alexander Johnston Cassatt and Samuel Rea for the Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal in New York City, the Seated Lincoln for Hodgenville, Kentucky, and sculptural group Riders of the Dawn at Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina. In 1915, he designed The Rising Sun and Descending Night fountains for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. In the following year he designed the "Mercury" dime and "Walking Liberty" half dollar for the U. S. Mint. Weinman also created friezes for the U. S. Supreme Court building, and pediments for the National Archives building, the U. S. Post Office Department Building, and for the Jefferson Memorial, all in Washington, D. C.

Weinman was a member of many organizations, including the National Sculpture Society, of which he was president from 1927 to 1930, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the National Academy of Design, and the New York City Art Commission.

Adolph A. Weinman died on August 8, 1952, in Port Chester, New York.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 10.3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1890-1959
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.weinadol
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: Sketches
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Most materials have been arranged in chronological order, except for artwork and photographs which are arranged primarily according to subject matter. Glass plate negatives from the Project Files Series and Photographs Series have been removed and housed separately in Boxes 10-13 and are so noted in the Series Description/Container Listing Section at the appropriate folder title. Oversized material from various series has been housed in Box 14 and OV folders 15-22 and are listed with each appropriate series.

The collection has been arranged into 10 series: 

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1890-1950 (Boxes 1, 14, OVs 15, 22; Reel 5884; 4 folders)

Series 2: General Correspondence, 1897-1954 (Boxes 1-2, OV 15; Reels 5884-5886; 1.4 linear feet)

Series 3: Organization Files, 1916-1952 (Boxes 2-3; Reels 5886-5887; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 4: Financial Material, 1910-1953 (Box 3; Reel 5887; 3 folders)

Series 5: Notes, 1918-1952 (Box 3; Reel 5887; 14 folders)

Series 6: Writings, 1929-1952 (Box 3; Reel 5887; 14 folders)

Series 7: Artwork, 1892-1933 (Boxes 3, 14, OVs 16-19; Reels 5887-5888; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 8: Project Files, 1896-1955 (Boxes 3-8, 10-14, OVs 15-22; Reels 5888-5891; 6.0 linear feet)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1891-1959 (Box 8, OV 21; Reel 5892; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, 1903-1950 (Boxes 9, 13, OV 21; Reel 5892; 0.2 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection received a preliminary level of processing at some point after donation and was microfilmed on reels 5884-5892. The collection was processed by Jean Fitzgerald in January 2004. The microfilm for the collection was digitized in 2006-2007 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives were re-housed in 2014 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
altformavail: label: Alternative Forms Available
content: The papers of Adolph A. (Adolph Alexander) Weinman in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2005 from 9 reels of microfilm, totaling 12122 images.

Materials lent for microfilming are available of 35mm microfilm reels 283 and 414 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketchbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketches
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The papers of American sculptor Adolph Weinman measure 10.3 linear feet and date from 1890 to 1959. Found within the collection are scattered biographical materials; project files for Weinman's sculpture and commissions; correspondence with colleagues, friends and family, and letterpress books containing copies of letters concerning specific sculpture commissions; a substantial body of files concerning Weinman's membership in the National Sculpture Society and the National Academy of Design; records concerning works of art held by dealers and in exhibitions and other miscellaneous financial materials; notes and a notebook; writings and speeches by Weinman; sketches and sketchbooks; printed materials; photographs and glass negatives. This material not only reflects the diversity of projects executed by this prolific sculptor, but illustrates the process of creation for many of his more important works.

Much of the collection (6.0 linear feet) consists of project files documenting many of Weinman's sculpture and commissioned public and architectural pieces through correspondence, contracts, financial records, notes, drawings, printed material, and photographs. A complete list of each project or sculpture file is found in the Container Listing. Also found are scattered biographical materials, general correspondence, files relating to Weinman's membership in the National Sculpture Society and the National Academy of Design, scattered financial files, notes and writings, art work, printed materials, and photographs.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Material
content: The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of materials lent for microfilming. Reel 283 contains biographical materials, a contract, correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous materials, dating 1888-1952. Reel 414 includes correspondence exchanged between Weinman and the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Medallic Art Company between 1930 and 1952. Lent materials were returned to the lenders and are not described in the collection container inventory.