Philadelphia Area Archives Research Portal (PAARP)

Bucks County Council on the Arts (BCCA) was established in 1973 to foster, promote and coordinate support for the arts in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In 1983, BCCA's bylaws were revised to reflect its new name: Bucks County Council for the Arts. In 1985, BCCA was charged with running a new museum that was to occupy the recently closed Bucks County Prison in Doylestown. The museum opened to the public in 1988 as the James A. Michener Arts Center (now known as the James A. Michener Art Museum). Bucks County Council for the Arts records, 1973-1995 (bulk 1974-1986), consist of administrative and financial records, photographs and slides, scrapbooks, performing arts files, and other materials. (View full finding aid.)

Charles Rudy (1904-1986) achieved national status as a sculptor for his work on public buildings across the United States, as well as for his prize-winning sculptures. His work has been exhibited at such prestigious institutions as the Corcoran Gallery, the Carnegie Institute, and the National Sculpture Society, as well as at local Bucks County, Pennsylvania galleries. Charles Rudy papers, circa 1930s-1995, includes an extensive compilation of newspaper and magazine clippings, sketchbooks, exhibition catalogues, and correspondence documenting Charles Rudy's career as an artist. There are also photographs and a small amount of personal papers. (View full finding aid.)

Daniel Garber (1880-1958) was a painter best known for his landscapes and scenic paintings of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Garber also excelled at etching and taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for over forty years. Daniel Garber photographs, negatives, and exhibition catalogs, circa 1900s-1945, consist of exhibition catalogs, portrait and other photographs, negatives, slides, and glass plate negatives. (View full finding aid.)

Donald C. Meyer (1945-2012) was a painter from Villanova, a western suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Donald C. Meyer journals, 1986-2008, consist of fifteen journals with sketches and studies, writings, diary entries, poetry, printed matter and ephemera, and correspondence and emails. (View full finding aid.)

Edward J. Byrne (1898-1968) was a prominent stained-glass window designer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and nearby areas. After partnering with George Sotter, he opened the Edward J. Byrne Studio in 1933 in Carversville, PA. The studio relocated to Doylestown in the 1960s and was taken over by Byrne's son, Edward J. Byrne, Jr. Edward J. Byrne Studio drawings, photographs, and pamphlets, circa 1920s-2000s, consist of presentation drawings and full size cartoons of stained glass window designs for area churches, as well as photographs and negatives and pamphlets, computer printouts, and photocopies of newspaper articles showcasing the work of Edward J. Byrne Studios. (View full finding aid.)

George Nakashima (1905-1990) was an American architect and furniture designer and maker, often referred to as one of the fathers of the American craft movement. After being interned during World War II, Nakashima moved to New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania and set up a woodworking studio. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Nakashima's furniture was in high demand; he had exhibitions all over the world and pieces were purchased and displayed in museums. George Nakashima papers, circa 1907-2000s, consist of letters, business records, sketches, handwritten notes, architectural drawings, photographs, catalogs, awards, subject files, printed material relating mostly to Nakashima's work as a furniture designer, artwork from Nakashima's personal collection, tools, and other materials documenting Nakashima's professional and personal life. There are also materials from his daughter, Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, related to her work and her book about her father. There is a small amount of materials from George Nakashima's sister-in-law, Thelma Shizuko Okajima. (View full finding aid.)

George W. Sotter (1879-1953) was a painter and stained-glass window designer in Holicong, Pennsylvania, near New Hope, Bucks County. George Sotter papers, 1930-1954, consist of Sotter's sketchbooks; negatives and slides of Sotter's work; reference materials, drawings, oversized cartoons, and layouts for stained-glass window designs; and correspondence. There are also some materials from his wife, Alice (Bennett) Sotter (1883-1968), and New Hope Art Associates minutes, 1939-1942. (View full finding aid.)

Harry Leith-Ross (1886-1973) was a painter in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was an influential teacher and author as well as one of the most decorated Pennsylvania Impressionist artists. Leith-Ross became renowned for his vibrant, carefully composed oil paintings, and for his transparent watercolor technique in the tradition of the eighteenth-century. He gained recognition for depicting humble genre scenes of rural life and finding beauty in the everyday activities of people. Harry Leith-Ross papers, circa 1906-2003, consist of correspondence; inventories, photographs, and sales records of Leith-Ross's work; a manuscript for Harry Leith-Ross's book; materials from Leith-Ross exhibits; records of his work kept by his family after his death; correspondence with his family about post-mortem exhibitions; family photographs; genealogical research and family documents; newspaper clippings; medals, certificates, and awards; and other materials. (View full finding aid.)

Herman Silverman (born in 1920) is the founder of Sylvan Pools, the Bucks County, Pennsylvania Artmobile, and advocate for the James A. Michener Art Museum. Silverman was a longtime friend of author James Michener and the two enjoyed lengthy discussions on varied topics. Herman Silverman correspondence, press clippings, and photographs, 1949-1998, is comprised of copies of 538 letters dating from 1949 to 1997, the majority of which are to or from Herman Silverman or James A. Michener. In addition, there is an extensive collection of press clippings pertaining to both Silverman and Michener, photographs, and a 1998 Crystal Quill award presented to Michener by the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. (View full finding aid.)

The Bucks County Prison was built in 1885 on Pine Street in Doylestown, Pennsylvania to relieve overcrowding at the county jail and was used for a century. James A. Michener Art Museum Archives collection of Bucks County Prison photographs and ephemera, 1880-1987, consists of photographs of the Bucks County Prison while it was in use and after it was abandoned, photographs of prison warden John Case and his family, and other materials. A majority of the photographs are facsimiles. (View full finding aid.)

James A. Michener (1907-1997) was a best-selling American author of more than forty books, a large number of which were historical novels based in specific locations around the world where Michener had traveled. Michener was known for his extensive research of each location's history, culture, and geology. Michener was a generous philanthropist and donated over one hundred million dollars to various educational programs, arts related institutions, and other organizations. James A. Michener: A Living Legacy is a permanent exhibit at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. James A. Michener Art Museum Archives exhibition materials from James A. Michener: A Living Legacy, 1907-1997, include numerous objects, some manuscript materials, photographs and negatives, books from Michener's personal collection, books written by Michener, art reproductions, records and reel-to-reel tapes, video clips of Michener's work that was adapted for film and television, printed matter and ephemera, awards and certificates, and other materials. (View full finding aid.)

The James A. Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Opened in 1988, the museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer James A. Michener. James A. Michener Art Museum Archives oral history project records, 1980s-2015, consist of audio, audiovisual, and textual materials from an ongoing project whose purpose is to collect interviews with individuals with links to the old Bucks County prison (Doylestown, Pennsylvania), the surrounding area, and/or James A. Michener Art Museum. (View full finding aid.)

The James A. Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Opened in 1988, the museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer James A. Michener. James A. Michener Art Museum Archives photograph and oral history collection on Bucks County (Pa.) artists, circa 1978-1990s, consists of photographs and oral history interviews with Bucks County artists conducted by Bucks County Community College students in 1978, recordings relating to the Bucks County Council for the Arts, and assorted interviews from various Bucks County media personalities that were broadcast on local radio and television stations. (View full finding aid.)

The James A. Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Opened in 1988, the museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer James A. Michener. James A. Michener Art Museum Archives small collections on Bucks County artists, photographers, and significant individuals, circa 1841-2014, consist of small amounts of papers, scrapbooks, photographs, artworks, audiovisual materials, exhibition catalogs, blueprints, and other items from individual artists, photographers, and significant figures associated with Bucks County. (View full finding aid.)

The James A. Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Opened in 1988, the museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer James A. Michener. James A. Michener Art Museum Archives subject files, circa late-1970s-2016, consist of reference files with printed matter and ephemera on more than 1500 artists, groups, and organizations of various creative disciplines in the Bucks County, Pennsylvania area. (View full finding aid.)

The James A. Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Opened in 1988, the museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer James A. Michener. James A. Michener Art Museum records, circa 1979-2016, consist of administrative and financial records, departmental files, photographic materials, property and building records, publications and printed matter, and other materials. (View full finding aid.)

James A. Michener (1907-1997) was a best-selling American author of more than forty books, a large number of which were historical novels based in specific locations around the world where Michener had traveled. Michener was known for his extensive research of each location's history, culture, and geology. Michener was a generous philanthropist and donated over one hundred million dollars to various educational programs, arts related institutions, and other organizations. James A. Michener papers, circa 1925-1990s, consist of correspondence, financial records, personal documents, large amounts of photographs and negatives, audio and audio visual materials, documents from organizations with which Michener was involved, printed matter and published materials, artwork, objects, and various other materials. (View full finding aid.)

Katharine Steele Renninger (1925-2004) was a painter and printmaker in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A self-described "abstract realist," Renninger was known for depicting architectural structures and everyday objects in her artwork, things that to her represented a disappearing way of life. Katharine Steele Renninger papers, 1941-2003, consist of ledgers, scrapbooks, day planners, correspondence, photographs, press clippings, exhibition materials, awards, objects, and other materials that document Renninger's artistic and professional development. (View full finding aid.)

Mike Ellis (1917-2008) owned and operated the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania, from 1954 to 1964. Ellis was considered a dynamic producer and during his tenure the Bucks County Playhouse was considered one of the most significant summer stock theaters on the East Coast in the United States. Mike Ellis Bucks County Playhouse collection, 1954-1970, consists of playhouse programs, correspondence, magazines, newspaper clippings, oversized posters from productions at the Playhouse, and other materials. (View full finding aid.)

Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008) was a woodworker and furniture craftsman in New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Phillip Powell papers, circa 1919-2008, consist of personal correspondence and documents, business records, exhibition and publicity materials documenting the artist's career, photographic and audiovisual materials, and other materials. There is a small amount of materials from Powell's friends, including other artists. (View full finding aid.)

Born in 1924, Robert Whitley is a third-generation craftsman known for his wood sculpture and furniture designs. His studio is in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His pieces can be found throughout prestigious art institutions in the United States and the Hermitage in Russia. Robert Whitley papers, 1955-2002, consist of a scrapbook, photographs, books and printed matter pertaining to Whitley, posters, newspaper clippings, and a couple of drawings. (View full finding aid.)

Sidney Joseph Perelman (February 1, 1904-October 17, 1979), almost always known as S. J. Perelman, was an American humorist, author, and screenwriter. He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker. He also wrote for several other magazines, as well as books, scripts, and screenplays. S. J. Perelman ephemera, 1929-1992, consists of 44 items relating to Perelman, ranging from passports to stamp dedications to newspaper clippings. (View full finding aid.)

William Arthur Smith (1918-1989) was a painter, illustrator, and photographer. In 1956, he moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and established a studio and gallery in New Hope. Smith received several high profile commissions, traveled extensively, and has work in many major museums, including the National Portrait Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Library of Congress. William Arthur Smith papers, 1918-1989 (bulk 1930s-1960s), consist of biographical information, press clippings, exhibit catalogs, materials from travel and international exhibitions, business correspondence, personal correspondence, documents related to commissioned and non-commissioned artwork, lecture and presentation materials, materials relating to or from Pearl S. Buck and Carl Sandburg, photographs and negatives, honors and awards, materials from organizations with which Smith was involved, sketchbooks and original artworks, and other materials. There are several oversized items in the collection. (View full finding aid.)

William Langson Lathrop (1859-1938) was an artist, teacher, and sailor. He helped establish the artists colony in New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When he was not working on his own art or teaching others, he would sail on his boat The Widge. William L. Lathrop papers, 1741-2000s, consist of both original Lathrop papers and materials about him that were created or collected by his descendants. Materials include personal and professional/exhibition-related correspondence, exhibition materials, diaries, photographs, slides, scrapbooks, newspaper and magazine clippings, genealogical research on the Lathrop family, artworks, and other materials. There are some 18th century documents from the Langson family. Several items relate to Lathrop's boat, The Widge. (View full finding aid.)