RG15

THE PAPERS OF MARGUERITE WILDENHAIN (1896-1990)

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

1896 October 11, Marguerite Friedlander born in Lyon, France to German and English parents

1914 Began art training at the School of Fine and Applied Arts in Berlin, Germany

1915- Apprentice in wood sculpture and designer of porcelain for Thuringian factory

1919- Apprentice and journeyman in pottery at the Bauhaus, Weimar, Germany under Max

Krehan, master potter and Gerhard Marcks, sculptor.

1926 Certified as Master Potter

1926- Chair of ceramics department, Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, Halle, Germany.

1929 Married fellow Bauhaus student, Frans Wildenhain

1933- Moved to Holland and operated pottery studio with Frans in Putten.

1937 Models for mass-production pieces for Regout Porcelain factory in Maastricht won second

prize at International Exhibition in Paris.

1940 Left Holland for the United States. Husband conscripted by German Army.

1940 Taught at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California.

1942 Appointed director of the pottery division of the Appalachian Institute of Arts and Crafts

in Banner Elk, North Carolina. School closes upon death of founder.

1942 Settled at "Pond Farm," Guerneville, California as craftsperson and teacher.

1952 Began conducting workshops at colleges around the United States.

1955 Divorced from Frans Wildenhain

1960 Traveled to Peru for World Crafts Council meeting.

1962 Wrote Pottery: Form and Expression.

1973 Wrote The Invisible Core

1985 February 24, Died in Guerneville, California at Pond Farm

During her career in America, Marguerite's work was represented in thirteen shows between 1942 and 1981. Her summer workshops at Pond Farm became sought after experiences for artists at all stages of their careers. She was an active member of the American Craft Council and was the Western representative. After her death, three major retrospective shows kept her work before museum audiences. She is widely respected for her theory of artistic integrity.

The Pond Farm summer workshops drew a large number of Luther College students and graduates. This connection was strengthened over the years at personal and professional levels. During commencement exercises at Luther College in 1969, Marguerite was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities. In 1970 she gave the first of a series of gifts to Luther College's Fine Art Collection in the form of 51 pieces of pottery. She later gave drawings done by herself, Gerhard Marcks and Picasso as well as woodcuts and lithographs by Marcks. After her death, Luther College received sculptures by Marcks, a collection of pre-Columbian pottery, and archival material making up the "Papers of Marguerite Wildenhain".

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The papers are by no mean a complete record of Wildenhain's life and work but they are a significant cross section and contain numerous pieces of historical significance. The collection is organized into six series: Biographical files, Correspondence, Financial Records, Property Records, General Business Files and Non-Textual materials.

The first Series, Biographical Files spans the dates 1896-1990, although the bulk of the material ranges from the 1960's to 1985. The series is made up of material in Marguerite's personal files which were transferred upon her death from her estate, as well as family mementos and obituaries sent to the Archives by her brother Henri Friedlander. Genealogical material includes an original birth announcement and family history record book, dated 1896 and 1897 respectively. A small amount of material pertaining to Marguerite's childhood is included in the form of school reports and a textbook. Other personal materials include her passports, medical history, and exhibition programs. There are remarkably few press clippings, given the span of her career and the fact that she was well known, especially in the San Francisco area. There is one file folder of undated notes to herself which reflect both the artist's work and personal life.

The Correspondence Files are ordered chronologically and alphabetically according to Marguerite's personal record keeping. The chronological letters span 1967-1985 and include letters from former students, friends and admirers. Most significant is her lifelong correspondence with Gerhard Marcks. The alphabetical correspondence files are arranged by topic and contain business correspondence with galleries and recipients of her work. An address book and envelope corners containing addresses were assembled by he Archives staff as part of this Series. Correspondence with her publisher can be found in the Financial Records series. Letters between Wildenhain and the National Park Service regarding the dispensation of Pond Farm can by found among the Property Records series. In addition a small collection of post cards were among her papers. Some were sent to her as correspondence, some were kept by her for aesthetic reasons. These can be found among the non-textual materials.

The Financial Records were no longer in any order, if in fact there was an original order. Judging from the detail in the account books and the careful tendering of her correspondence, the Archives concluded that the financial materials were used by the professionals executing her estate. There is no way of knowing what, if anything was lost in the transfer. Of particular interest are two account books of Marguerite's expenditures and income covering the years 1940-1978 and a similar account book covering Pond Farm School income and expenditures, covering 1949-1980. Marguerite also kept records of her travels, although only a small amount of this material exists in the form of receipts and logs from a trip in 1978 and 1980. Records of transactions with her publisher, Pacific Books, are well represented and cover the years 1971-1983. Some personal financial records exist from a few years prior to her death and include a number of receipts from her charitable giving. Records from the sale of pottery is here, although the researcher is referred to the General Business files for more comprehensive records of donations of her work.

Files pertaining to the Pond Farm land are in the fourth series, Property Records. Marguerite's donation of Pond Farm in exchange for a life lease is documented in this series. It includes a hand-drawn survey of the property done in 1956. The bulk of the series contains the correspondence and contract negotiations between Marguerite and the National Park Service, which cover the years 1966-1982.

The series, General Business Files accommodates a variety of files Marguerite kept covering her appointments, donations of property, lectures and students at Pond Farm. These records are mostly in the form of Inventories of donation to seven art museum and individuals, from 1972-1981. The Pond Farm student records contain only lists of students from 1966-1980. Her appointment book for 1982 is the only one transferred with her papers. The file folder of carbon copies of her typescript lectures was included and is one of the most important parts of the collection. The files consists of eleven lectures, at least one of which appeared as an article in the journal, Craft Horizons. Seven are dated and range from 1950-1977; the remaining are undated. The writings give further insight to the philosophy and aesthetics Marguerite developed in her published works as can be seen by the following titles:

"Design and Its Relationship to Technique," 1957

"Discipline and Freedom," n.d.

"Elements of Design," n.d.

"External Pressure on Creativity," n.d.

"Hand Made Pottery in the Machine Age," n.d.

"Nature as a Source of Inspiration," 1966

"The Philosophy of a Potter," 1960

"Pottery as a Creative Craft," 1950

"Pots: Technique, Form and Life," 1972 & 1977

"The Pursuit of Excellence in Art Education," 1965

"Vision in Art," 1963

The final series, Non-textual Materials, includes photographs from 1920-1990, a small postcard collection and two pieces of textiles. Included in this series is a copy of the film "Marguerite" and supporting documents made with permission from the film's distributor.

FINDING GUIDE TO THE PAPERS OF MARGUERITE WILDENHAIN

SERIES DESCRIPTION

Series I, Biographical Files, 1896-1989, 0.2 linear foot. Includes family history, personal data, press clippings and an obituary.

Series II, Correspondence, 1963-1985, 0.6 linear foot. Contains 0.4 linear foot of chronological personal correspondence from 1967-1985 and undated. Also contains 0.2 linear foot of topical files arranged alphabetically covering 1863-1981.

Series III, Financial Records, 1940-1984, 0.4 linear foot includes personal account books, lists of income and tax deductible donations of cash and pottery. Also miscellaneous records of travel expenditures, insurance policies and sales tax permits. Business correspondence and royalty records from Pacific Books Publishers are included.

Series IV, Property Records, 1956-1982, 0.2 linear foot contains a land survey and the contract negotiations pertaining to the donation of Pond Farm to the National Park Service.

Series V, General Business Files, 1966-1982, 0.2 linear foot contains records of Marguerite's donations of pottery and Fine Art, and inventory of her work, undated, lists of her Pond Farm students from 1966-1980. Her carbon copies of typescript lectures are also found here.

Series VI, Non-textual Materials, 1920-1990, 0.2 linear foot and 4 oversize boxes. Contains personal photographs and documentation of her work, post cards, two small textile mementos, and a film of her life and work.

ASSOCIATED COLLECTIONS

Within the Luther College Archives, the researcher is referred to the Papers of Frans Wildenhain, the Papers of Ruth Kath, and the Records of the Committee for the Centenary of Gerhard Marcks. The Luther College Fine Arts Collection holds the works of Wildenhain and additional background data on its interpretation.

PROVENANCE

The collection came to Luther College from the attorney for the estate of Marguerite Wildenhain with later additions by her brother, Henri Friedlander. Copyright is held by the estate of Marguerite Wildenhain.

BOX INVENTORY

RECORD GROUP 15

THE PAPERS OF MARGUERITE WILDENHAIN

SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL FILES, 1896-1989, 0.2 l.f.

BOX 1

Biographical Files, 0.2 l.f.

Biographies of Wildenhain, n.d.

Birth Announcement, 1896

Divorce Decree, 1955

Essay, 1973

Exhibition Programs, n.d., 1980-1989

Family History Record Book, 1897

Fortmann, James File, 1963-1989

Gumps Dept. Store, ca. 1947

Honorary Degree Citation, 1969

Medical Records, 1977-1983

Notes to Herself, n.d.

Obituary, 1985

Passports, 1965-1975

Press Clippings, 1968

Rock Collection Catalog, 1940-1959

School Reports, 1903-1908

Sketchbooks (photocopies), 1928-1940, 1976

Textbook, 1917

SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE, 1963-1985, 0.6 l.f.

BOX 1

Correspondence (chronological), n.d., 1967-1985, 0.4 l.f.

BOX 2

Correspondence (alphabetical), 1963-1981, 0.2 l.f.

Addresses, n.d.

American Craft Museum, 1980-1981

Archives of American Art, 1981

Lee Nordness Galleries, 1977

Luther College, 1981

Oakland Museum, 1980

St. Louis Art Museum, 1980

SERIES III. FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1940-1984, 0.4 l.f.

BOX 1

Account Book - Personal, 1940-1955, 0.4 l.f.

Account Book - Personal, 1972-1978

Account Book - Pond Farm School, 1949-1980

Bank Statements of Assets, 1981-1984

Bequest from C. Friedlander, 1976

Charitable Giving Records, 1980-1983

SERIES III. FINANCIAL RECORDS (Con't)

Income Records, ca. 1980

Insurance Policies, 1977-1983

Log Book - Travel Expenses, n.d., 1978

Pacific Books (Publishers) - Records & Correspondence, 1975-1983

Pacific Books - Records & Correspondence, 1971-1974

Receipts - Travel to Guatemala, 1980

Receipts - Miscellaneous, n.d., 1961-1981

Receipts - Sale of Pots, n.d., 1961-1981

Sale Tax Permits, 1941-1948, 1983

Social Security Records, 1966

SERIES IV: PROPERTY RECORDS, 1956-1982, 0.2 l.f.

BOX 1

Records re: Pond Farm, 1956-1982, 0.2 l.f.

Survey of Pond Farm, 1956

Land Transfer Records, 1966-1982

Correspondence: Michael Blume, Esq., 1967-1976

Correspondence: Eugene Wait, Esq., 1964-1967

Correspondence: State of California, 1963-1970, n.d.

SERIES V: GENERAL BUSINESS FILES, 1966-1982, 0.2 l.f.

BOX 1

Personal Business Records, 1966-1983. 0.2 l.f.

Appointment Book, 1982

Records of Donation - Art Museum of Sacramento, 1973

Records of Donation - Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1974

Records of Donation - Des Moines Art Museum, 1977

Records of Donation - To Individuals, 1980

Records of Donation - Luther College, 1972-1981

Records of Donation - Luther College/the Marcks Collection, 1981

Records of Donation - Oakland Museum, 1977

Records of Donation - Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1974

Inventory of Her Works, n.d.

Lectures, 1957-1977, n.d.

Lists of Students at Pond Farm School, 1966-1980

SERIES VI: REFERENCE MATERIALS, n.d., 1945-2003, 1.8 l.f.

BOX 1

Monographs, 1958-1984 (inc), 0.2 l.f.

BOX 2

Periodical Articles, 1945-1997 (inc), 0.4 l.f.

BOX 3

Periodical Articles, 1945-1997 (inc), 0.2 l.f.

BOX 4

Exhibit Catalogs, 1958-1980 (inc), 0.4 l.f.

Miscellaney, n.d., 1960-1993 (inc)

BOX 5

Material About Pond Farm Founders, 0.4 l.f.

Pond Farm Articles

Trude Guermouprez Publications

Victor Ries Publications

BOX 6

Lectures/Essays, 1940-1965, 0.2 l.f.

BOX 7

Pond Farm Collection Launch Publicity, Publications, Photos, 2003

SERIES VII. NON-TEXTUAL MATERIALS, 1920-2002, 1.0 linear foot, 4 oversize boxes

BOX 1

Photographs, 1920-1990, 0.4 l.f.

BOX 2

Postcards, n.d., 1 small box

BOX 3

Textile Realia, n.d., 1 oversize box

BOX 4

Mounted and Matted Photographs, n.d. 1 oversize box

BOX 5

Video, "Marguerite" and “Pond Farm” Narrative, 0.2 l.f.

BOX 6

Papers, Videos, & Tiles of James Fortmann, Pond Farm Alumnus, 0.2 l.f.

BOX 7

Papers, Videos, & Tiles of James Fortmann, Pond Farm Alumnus, blue clam shell box

BOX 8

Papers, Videos, and Cassettes relating to "Ripples" exhibit, Alfred University, Alfred, NY, December 2002

MEDIA RANGES

Range 24

16 mm. color film, Marguerite Wildenhain: Master Potter, 16 minutes. Produced by

Younger Design & Associates. [ca. 1979]

Range 25

#0196; #0197: Videotape of Marguerite Wildenhain: Master Potter, 16 minutes.

Produced by Younger Design & Associates. [ca. 1979]

#0209; #0220: Videotape of Pond Farm, 35 minutes. Produced by Otto Hagel. [ca. 1960]

#0252: Videotape of photos of Pond Farm, produced for Wildenhain Centenary,

1996. Contains photos taken by Dale Raddatz/Lackore (1963) and Jane Kemp (1993).