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Joanna Eckstein papers and oral history interview, 1878-1983

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983
Title
Joanna Eckstein papers and oral history interview
Dates
1878-1983 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.79 cubic feet (7 boxes) plus 5 sound cassettes, 2 transcripts, and 1 vertical file
Collection Number
2460
Summary
Oral histories, genealogical material, correspondence, writings, ephemera, and other materials related to arts organizations leader and traveler Joanna Eckstein
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Patron of the arts, arts organizations leader, world traveler, and friend and confidant of many of the Pacific Northwest's leading artists, Joanna Eckstein was a lifetime resident of Seattle. Born July 28, 1903, she was the daughter of Seattle civic leader and school board member Nathan Eckstein, and Mina Schwabacher Eckstein, whose family owned the Schwabacher Brothers and Company wholesale grocery business.

Although she worked briefly as a social worker for the Social Welfare League, and served as president of both the Seattle Children's Home and the Seattle Visiting Nurse Association, Eckstein was most notable for her longtime involvement with the Seattle arts community. She served on the boards of Allied Arts and the Seattle Opera Association, and succeeded her father as a Seattle Art Museum board member upon his death in 1945. In addition, she was an active patron of the arts and had close, personal relationships with many artists, including painter Mark Tobey and composer Elizabeth Poston. She was also known for her worldwide travels. Beginning with a four-month long trip to China and Japan in 1936, Eckstein eventually traveled to every continent.

She later worked as a travel agent, arranging, among others, tours sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum. During many of her travels in the 1950s and 1960s, she wrote travel articles for The Seattle Times, including her around-the-world trip in 1956. In 1955 she served as the curator of a United States Information Service traveling exhibit in Europe of four Seattle painters, including Mark Tobey, and four New York sculptors.

Eckstein's nephew, Stephen Joseph, has been credited with fostering the revival of traditional jazz in the Puget Sound area. Eckstein died September 30, 1983.

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Content Description

Tape recorded interviews in which Joanna Eckstein discusses her family history, the Seattle Jewish community, her education, her interest in art and the art climate in Seattle, as well as her experiences with anti-Semitism. Also included are genealogical records for the Eckstein, Schwabacher, and Haas families, as well as correspondence, writings, scrapbooks, ephemera, and other materials.

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Other Descriptive Information

This collection forms part of the Washington State Jewish Archives

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries. Some restrictions exist on copying, quotation or publication. Contact Repository for details.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized into 6 accessions.

  • Accession No. 2460-001, Joanna Eckstein oral history interview, 1975
  • Accession No. 2460-003, Joanna Eckstein oral history interview, 1977
  • Accession No. 2460-005, Joanna Eckstein oral history interview, 1981
  • Accession No. 2460-008, Joanna Eckstein papers, 1878-1983
  • Accession No. 2460-009, Joanna Eckstein papers, circa 1968-1971
  • Accession No. 2460-010, Joanna Eckstein papers, 1952-1975

Separated Materials

Material Described Separately:

Washington State Jewish Archives photograph collections (PH Coll 0650)

Related Materials

An additional art related interview with Eckstein is located in the Archives of American Art:Oral history interview with Joanna Eckstein.

The Nathan Eckstein papers (Mss Coll 0109) contain additional material about the Eckstein family.

The Betty Bowen papers (Accession No. 2441-005) and Mark Tobey papers (Accession No. 3593-003) include correspondence between Mark Tobey and Joanna Eckstein.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Art patronage--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Art--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Artists--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Jewish women--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983--Archives
  • Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983--Genealogy
  • Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983--Interviews
  • Jacobs, Orange, 1827-1914--Correspondence

Corporate Names

  • Cornish School of Allied Arts (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives
  • Jewish Welfare Society (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives
  • Settlement House (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives
  • Temple de Hirsch (Seattle, Wash.)--Archives

Family Names

  • Schwabacher family--Archives
  • Schwabacher family--Genealogy

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Boettinger, Anna Roosevelt (associated name)
    • Eckstein, Mina Schwabacher, -1942 (associated name)
    • Eckstein, Nathan, 1873-1945 (associated name)
    • Falkenstein, Claire, 1908-1997 (associated name)
    • Gatzert, Bailey, 1829-1893 (associated name)
    • Juvonen, Helmi, 1903-1985 (associated name)
    • Kizer, Benjamin H. (Benjamin Hamilton), 1878-1978 (associated name)
    • Koenig, John Franklin, 1924-2008 (associated name)
    • Poston, Elizabeth (associated name)
    • Ray, Dixy Lee (associated name)
    • Ross, Nancy Wilson, 1901-1986 (associated name)
    • Schwabacher, Abraham, 1838-1909 (associated name)
    • Tobey, Mark (associated name)
    • Toklas, Alice B (associated name)
    • Win, U (associated name)

    Corporate Names

    • Schwabacher Bros. & Company (Seattle, Wash.)
    • Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington)
    • Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington), (host institution)


2007 (Last modified: 6/11/2021)

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