Florence Arquin papers
name: label: Creator
content: Arquin, Florence
label: Names
content: Art Institute of Chicago -- Faculty
label: Names
content: Federal Art Project (Ill.)
label: Names
content: United States. Department of State
label: Names
content: Kahlo, Frida
label: Names
content: Rebay, Hilla, 1890-1967
label: Names
content: Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957
label: Names
content: Williams, Samuel
label: Names
content: Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago
label: Occupation
content: Photographers -- Illinois -- Chicago
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago
label: Occupation
content: Authors -- Illinois -- Chicago
label: Occupation
content: Art critics -- Illinois -- Chicago
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Art, Latin American
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women photographers
label: Topic
content: Women educators
label: Topic
content: Women art critics
label: Topic
content: Women authors
label: Topic
content: Art -- Study and teaching
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Samuel Williams, Arquin's husband, in 1991.
creator: label: Creator
content: Arquin, Florence
setName: label: See more items in
content: Florence Arquin papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of Florence Arquin measure 8.2 linear feet and date from 1923 to 1985. The papers highlight her expertise in the field of Latin American studies and document Arquin's career as a painter, photographer, educator, writer, and critic through biographical material, correspondence, writings, teaching and project files, printed material, photographs, artwork, and scrapbooks. Additionally, the papers relate to her personal relationships with her husband Samuel Williams and friends, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Teaching and project files include material from Arquin's work with the Federal Art Project at the Art Institute of Chicago and as director of the U.S. State Department's Kodachrome Slide Project, which was part of an effort to provide educational agencies with visual aids to support Latin American Studies.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Painter, photographer, educator, writer, and critic, Florence Arquin (1900-1974) was active in Chicago, Illinois. She was widely known for her expertise in the field of Latin American studies and had a close relationship with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. From 1935 to 1939 she worked as administrator for the Federal Art Project in Illinois and joined the Art Institute of Chicago in 1939 to develop education programs aimed at secondary school students.

Florence Arquin was born in 1900 in New York City. She graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago where she studied art education. After, she undertook post graduate studies at the National University of Mexico. In the early 1940s Arquin traveled to Mexico to paint, where she developed friendships with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. In 1943 a solo exhibition of her paintings at the Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City was highly praised by Rivera in the catalog introduction. Arquin's book Diego Rivera: The Shaping of an Artist, 1889-1921 about the artist's formative years, was published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1971.

Arquin traveled extensively in South America, the United States, and Europe throughout her life. From 1945 to 1951 she traveled to Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador as Director of the Kodachrome Slide Project under the sponsorship of the Department of State. Arquin photographed aspects of life and culture and gave lectures at bi-national cultural institutions throughout those countries and in the United States. The project was part of an effort to provide educational agencies with visual aids in the field of Latin American studies.

Under another State Department grant, duplicates of Arquin's photographs were then made available for sale to institutions and individuals interested in the field of Latin American studies. The Metropolitan Museum of Art assumed responsibility for publicity, sale, and distribution of the slides from 1950 to 1955. Although few sales originated through the sales office of the Museum, Arquin managed to generate sales through her own efforts. In 1961 she applied for another grant to take control of the original slides and to add slides that she had taken on other visits to Latin America, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and other European countries since then.

Florence Arquin died in 1974.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 8.2 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1923-1985
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.arquflor
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Prints
label: Type
content: Sketches
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1:  Biographical Material, 1939-1962 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1, 11)

Series 2:  Correspondence, 1940-1985 (0.8 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 3:  Writings and Notes, 1929-circa 1964 (2.0 linear feet; Box 2-4)

Series 4:  Teaching and Project Files, 1930-1963 (1.4 linear feet; Box 4-5)

Series 5:  Printed Material, 1923-1964 (1.8 linear feet; Box 5-7, 11)

Series 6:  Photographs, 1929-circa 1960 (0.7 linear feet; Box 7, 11)

Series 7:  Artwork, circa 1940-circa 1950 (2 folders; Box 7, 11)

Series 8:  Scrapbooks, 1935-1956 (0.9 linear feet; Box 8-10)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was originally processed by Olivia Evans and microfilmed onto reels 4711-4719. The finding aid was updated in 2002 by Stephanie Ashley during conversion to EAD. In 2014, Jayna Josefson updated the finding aid and prepared the collection for scanning. The collection was digitized in 2015 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The collection was digitized in 2015 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Prints
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketches
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of Florence Arquin measure 8.2 linear feet and date from 1923 to 1985. The papers highlight her expertise in the field of Latin American studies and document Arquin's career as a painter, photographer, educator, writer, and critic through biographical material, correspondence, writings, teaching and project files, printed material, photographs, artwork, and scrapbooks. Additionally, the papers relate to her personal relationships with her husband Samuel Williams and friends, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Teaching and project files include material from Arquin's work with the Federal Art Project at the Art Institute of Chicago and as director of the U.S. State Department's Kodachrome Slide Project, which was part of an effort to provide educational agencies with visual aids to support Latin American Studies. 

Biographical materials include awards, biographical sketches and resumes, travel papers, identification cards, and ten address books.

The bulk of correspondence is comprised of letters written by Florence Arquin to her husband, Samuel Williams. These letters discuss her trips to Mexico in the 1940s, her role in the Kodachrome Slide Project, and her friendships with fellow artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and others. Also found are copies of letters from Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to Florence Arquin.  

Writings and notes include extensive research notes, notebooks, and notecards by Florence Arquin, primarly on Latin American art and culture. Also found is a draft of Arquin's work on Diego Rivera, Diego Rivera (1886-1957): The Shaping of an Artist (Early Period--1889-1921). Writings by others include a draft of a foreword by Diego Rivera, and writings by Jose de Souza Pedreira, and Hilla Rebay.

Teaching and project files include materials from Arquin's time teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago, her work with the the Federal Art Project at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Kodachrome Slide Project. Teaching files are scattered and include student papers, class outlines, and a lecture. The Federal Art Project at the Art Institute of Chicago files include a proposal and project reports. The Kodachrome Slide Project files include correspondence, receipts, reports, educational guides and materials, slide sequences, and printed material.

Printed material includes exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, booklets, travel guides, magazines, education journals, subject files on Diego Rivera and Frank Lloyd Wright, and blank postcards from Arquin's travels. There are extensive booklets and pamphlets published by the Pan American Union, and travel guides and educational guides for Latin America. Some printed material is in Spanish.

Photographs include portraits and snapshots of Florence Arquin, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and others. Photos of Florence Arquin show her in her office, giving lectures, and at events with others. Photographs of works of art are by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Artwork is scattered and includes a sketchbook by Florence Arquin with watercolor and pencil sketches and a print signed by de Diego.

There are four scrapbooks created by Florence Arquin. Scrapbooks may include photographs, writings, maps, and printed materials. Materials relate to the Federal Art Project at the Art Institute of Chicago, travel, and the Kodachrome Slide Project.