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I apologize as a Canadian art librarian and art historian in advance for
the naivety of this question. I am researching Canadian artists who worked
in the U.S. during the 19th and early 20th centuries, often as
illustrators and graphic designers. There were literally hundreds doing
this, although they didn't wave Canadian flags, and were generally thought
by most Americans to be one of them. It is in their biographical entries
that you see where they were born and studied, and how they maintained
artistic links with other artists, artists' societies, and museums in both
countries. I have done extensive research in Canada, but apart from the
Archives of American Art, little in the U.S.
What I would appreciate learning from my esteemed U.S. colleagues
is: if one is looking for the work of a particular artist, is there one or
more sources where one can search the art holdings of several museums, or
is it necessary to approach each individual museum who MIGHT have some
work. I am interested also in archives. I know the AAA collections, and
should probably try to gain access to RLIN (which can be expensive from
Canada) but are there any databases for archives that would be helpful? I
would appreciate any information, suggestions, but please do not go out of
your way. All replies will be acknowledged.
I am grateful for replies to my inquiry regarding the cataloguing of
prints in books and periodicals, and I expect to soon reply to those of
you who responded with such care. It is taking a while to digest the
information. For a non-cataloguer, an understanding of this requires a
quick but thorough study of modern cataloguing methodologies.
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Mary Williamson, Fine Arts Bibliographer and Senior Librarian,
York University (retired);
Adjunct Faculty, Graduate Dept. of Art History.
email: [log in to unmask] *** fax: (416) 484-0345
