Francesca Woodman's first camera: FROM THE ARCHIVES
In 1972, Francesca Woodman received her first camera, a 6x6 twin-lens reflex Yashica Mat-124G, from her father, George Woodman.
Tools used by Betty Woodman and George Woodman: FROM THE ARCHIVES
October is American Archives Month and we are celebrating by looking at some of the tools of the trade used by George Woodman and Betty Woodman in our collection.
Happy 71st anniversary to Betty Woodman and George Woodman
Happy 71st anniversary to Betty Woodman and George Woodman, who were married on this day in 1953.
Betty Woodman and George Woodman in Japan, 1990
As the solstice today marks the official beginning of summer, we are reminded of the Woodmans’ extensive travels around the world and their months immersed in global artistic influences.
Happy birthday to Betty Woodman
Happy birthday to Betty Woodman—a garden enthusiast and artist who ingeniously experimented with her lifelong muse, the vase, and its multitude of sculptural possibilities.
Happy birthday to George Woodman
Happy birthday to George Woodman—lover of color, pattern, and setting the stage—who was born on this day in 1932 in Concord, New Hampshire.
Across oceans and borders, a customs declaration became a promise: FROM THE ARCHIVES...
Around 1952, a young George Woodman in Cambridge, Massachusetts, penned his devotion on a USPS customs form: “Little box with littler box inside” and “1 engagement ring of Navajo silver with turquoises.” The precious 4-ounce package was destined for the hands of Elizabeth Abrahams (later to be known as Betty Woodman) across the ocean in Fiesole, Italy, where she had been living and working for the past year.
Betty Woodman's glazes, paints, and brushes: FROM THE ARCHIVES...
Betty Woodman’s numerous glazes, paints, and the varied configurations of brushes—sometimes mixed or assembled by the artist herself to achieve desired color swatches, brushy marks, and parallel stripes—reflect her continuously innovative work with ceramic forms.
The Woodmans, Nancy Graves and Richard Serra in Italy: FROM THE ARCHIVES...
Over the course of a year from 1965-66, the Woodman family lived and worked in Italy, just outside of Florence. During that time, Betty and George became close friends with the artists and then-couple Nancy Graves and Richard Serra, who, like Betty, was there for the year on a Fulbright-Hays scholarship. They spent many hours together around the table, sharing meals, funny hats and conversations about art.
A glimpse into George Woodman's slide collection: FROM THE ARCHIVES...
Our archival intern Erin Moss, who is in her second year at the Pratt School of Information earning her MLIS, has been processing George Woodman's extensive slide collection this semester. The slide collection consists of thousands of 35mm or medium format slides from the 1950s through the early 2000s documenting both George's work and personal life. Erin has been struck by the experience of discovering an artist through their own archival materials.
Ephemera used in George Woodman's photographs: FROM THE ARCHIVES...
"…[T]hings have a life, greater or smaller, in the eye and the mind. This life unfolds, no limits can be set upon it, and the way it happens may be similar or very dissimilar from one person to another,” George Woodman wrote of objects generally, when considering those housed in museum collections, but these observations illuminate his own approach to still life and photography. The Woodman Family Foundation Archives include an eclectic array of found objects, toys and fabrics used by Woodman in his photographs.
Yucatán, Mexico, c. 1980s: SUMMER TRAVELS WITH THE WOODMAN FAMILY
The Woodmans’ travels also took them beyond the historical and cultural capitals of Europe. For Betty and George, this included trips to India, China, Japan, Korea, and more than one visit to Mexico—a country where they spent three months on their honeymoon in the summer of 1953. Here they are in the 1980s exploring the ancient Mayan city of Uxmal, home to the Pyramid of the Magician, as well as some of Yucatan’s more recent architectural gems.