Artists Unframed features snapshots selected from thousands of images scattered throughout the documents, letters, and diaries of artists in the collections of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. These photographs invite consideration not as simple or inconsequential little pictures, but rather as complex evidence of the intimate lives of larger-than-life people.
Like all publication projects, this book was the effort of many talented individuals. My thanks go first to Kate Haw, director of the Archives of American Art, who entered this project midstream and quickly gave her blessing to our work. Liza Kirwin, the Archives’ deputy director, not only provided the initial idea for a project about snapshots, but throughout was generous with her deep knowledge of and unique perspective on the rich materials held in the collections. Mary Savig, curator of manuscripts, has been more than helpful with archival research. With her enthusiasm for little pictures, she contributed not only information and access to images, but also her delightful encouragement, which was appreciated all along the way. I wish to thank, among the Archives staff who also deserve recognition for shepherding this book, Wendy Hurlock Baker, rights and reproductions coordinator; Marv Hoffmeier, digital imagist; Bettina Smith, digital projects librarian; Kathryn Donahue, intern; Susan Cary, registrar and collections manager; and Suzanne Bybee, administrative officer. I would also like to thank Jennifer N. Lippert, editorial director at Princeton Architectural Press, for her enthusiasm and guidance during a project long in the making, as well as Sara Stemen, senior editor.
Finally, my appreciation goes, as it should, to all those nameless photographers who made these snapshots and to those who saved them in shoe boxes and passed them along for us to enjoy.