University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
The University of Montana--Missoula
Missoula, MT 59812
406-243-2053
http://www.lib.umt.edu/asc
library.archives@umontana.edu
Mss 481
Todd, James
G., Jr., 1937-2025
James G. Todd, Jr. Papers
1985-2022
1.5 linear feet and 9 monographs
3 digital files (2.34 GB)
James Gilbert Todd, Jr. was a professor
of art and humanities at The University of Montana from 1970 to 2000. This
collection contains publications, artwork, videos, and classroom instruction materials.
Materials
are in English
Biographical Note
James Gilbert Todd, Jr. was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Oct. 12,
1937. He spent part of his childhood in Seattle, Washington. Todd attended the
College of Great Falls, Montana, from 1956-1959. From 1959-1961, he attended
both the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago, before
returning the to College of Great Falls in 1963. Todd completed his B.A. in
1964. Todd continued his education at the University of Montana, receiving an
MA degree in 1965, and a MFA degree in 1969. Todd also lived in Germany during
the 1960s and worked as a newspaper illustrator and art instructor.
Todd began teaching in 1969 at Okaloosa-Walton Jr. College, in
Niceville, Florida. In 1970 he returned to Montana to teach at the University
of Montana. He taught a variety of classes, specializing in wood engraving and
the social history of art. James Todd's art works include: the book
Fire in the Bushes by Patrick Todd (7 illustrations) in
1977; the book
A Radiant Map of the World by Rick Newby (5 illustrations)
in 1981; the book
Still Another Day by Pablo Neruda (portrait of Neruda) in
1983;
Images from Leipzig-1991-92; the catalog
Engravers Two by Simon Brett (print on pp.82-83) in 1992;
and the novel
Woman Who Lives in the Earth by Swain Wolfe (14
illustrations) in 1995.
James Gilbert Todd became an elected member in two international
British organizations, the Society of Wood Engravers in 1986, and the Royal
Society of Painter-Printmakers in 1997. He retired from the University of Montana in 2000. Todd died in April 2025.
This collection contains publications, artwork, a video, and classroom instruction materials. The collection has both
original and print artwork, 1988-2002. The collection also contains Todd's fine
arts presentation to the 13th Annual National Conference on Liberal Arts and
Education of Artists at New York, in 2000, entitled, "Hitler: Artist as
Dictator."
The collection is divided into four series:
Series I: Publications, 0.2 linear feet and 9 monographs, 1989-2022
Series II: Artwork, 0.2 linear feet, 1988-2020
Series III: Manuscripts, 2 folders, 2000 and undated
Series IV: Audio and Video Materials, 5 items, 1980-2012
Series V: Classroom and Teaching Materials, 1.0 linear feet, 1972-2016
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of
Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and
The University of Montana--Missoula.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and
any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of
Montana.
[Name of document or photograph number], James G. Todd, Jr. Papers,
Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The
University of Montana--Missoula.
The materials in this collection remained with the creator until
donation to Archives and Special Collections.
Gift of James Todd, 1988, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022.
In 2002, the collection was processed for the first time. Four
separate donations from Todd were integrated to create one collection.
The monographs,
Remembrances of a Great Falls Jazz Trumpeter - John Huber
,
Hussman's Inc, (1917-1977),
Pioneers of the Unseen, Jazz Icons, Messages from Montana, Trading Eights: the Faces of Jazz and Looney Toones: World War II Drawings, 1941-1945, Interpretive Wood Cuts, 2000-2016 are considered part of the Todd
collection but have been cataloged for and physically placed into the Mansfield Library's Special Collections. Here We Are: Engravings by Members of the Wood Engravers
Network, was originally included with collection materials and was
transferred to Special Collections in 2002.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Artists--Montana--Missoula
Hitler, Adolf,
1889-1945
University of
Montana--Missoula--Faculty
Montana
Arts
and Humanities
Series I
Publications
1989-2022
0.2 linear feet and 9 monographs
This series contains journal articles and monographs written or illustrated by Todd. It also contains a folder of material related to his publication
Trading Eights. Five
articles were published in
Art and Academe: "The Liberal Education of Studio
Artists in the Post-Modern Age", 1989; "The Ethical and Aesthetic Education of
Artists in the 1990's", 1991; "Varieties of Modernism", 1993; "The Russian
Avant-Garde: A Tale of the Cold War", 1996; and "Some Thoughts on Art at the
Millennium", 1998. Todd published one article in
The Montana Professor, "The Crisis of Modernism" in
Last Best Place, 1995, "James Todd Retrospective:
1941-2002," Jan. 18 - Mar. 30, 2002, Art Museum of Missoula, and "The Wood
Engravings of Jim Westergard" in
The Private Library, Volume 8:2, Summer 2005.
In 2020, biographical information about Todd, which was published in the print and online versions of the international encyclopedia Allgemeines Kuenstler Lexikon (AKL), was added to this series.
The monographs,
Here We Are: Engravings by Members of the Wood Engravers Network (1999),
Messages from Montana (2004),
Remembrances of a Great Falls Jazz Trumpeter - John Huber (2007),
Hussman's Inc, (1917-1977) (2008),
Pioneers of the Unseen (2011),
Jazz Icons (2012),
Trading Eights: the Faces of Jazz (2016),
Looney Toones: World War II Drawings, 1941-1945, Interpretive Wood Cuts, 2000-2016 (2017), and
Separations (2022)
are considered part of the Todd
collection but have been cataloged for and physically placed into Special Collections.
This series is arranged chronologically.
1/1
Art and Academe
1989
1/2
Art and Academe
1991
1/3
Art and Academe
1993
1/4
The Montana Professor
1995
1/5
Art and Academe
1996
1/6
Art and Academe
1998
1/7
James Todd Retrospective: 1941-2002
2002
1/8
The Private Library
2005
1/9
Trading Eights, Review and Ephemera
2016-2017
1/20
Biographical submission to
Allgemeines Kuenstler Lexikon (German Artists Encyclopedia) and English translation
2020
Series II
Artwork
1988-2020
3 folders
This series contains fifteen original works Todd contributed to
the compilation of
Last Best Place. The drawings feature fifteen notable
people in Montana history: Chief Charlot, Andrew Garcia, J.J. Audubon, William
Clark, Meriwether Lewis, Joseph K. Howard, Norman MacLean, Charles Russell,
Richard Hugo, Joseph Welch, Dan Cushman, Myron Brinig, Ivan Dioq, Taylor
Gordon, and Thomas McGuane. Other artwork includes prints of
Hannah Hoech and
Mulligan and Monk, 1994, featured in
Wood Engraving: Here and Now, a program for the
Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition of The Society of Wood Engravers in 1995.
The program also features biographical information for Todd and a statement of
his beliefs about the importance of wood engraving. Todd's work,
St. Petersburg, is featured in
Wood Engraving: A Newsprint Edition, 2002. Todd
discusses his visit to Russia in 1995 along with the inspiration for
St. Petersburg.
This series is arranged chronologically.
5/1
Original artwork for
Last Best Place
1988
1/10
Wood Engraving: Here and Now,
Hannah Hoech"
print 1995
1/11
Wood Engraving: A Newsprint Edition,
St. Petersburg"
print 2002
5/2
Reproductions of an original ink and pencil drawing series entitled
On the Road to Fascism in the USA
Artist's note: this folder "contains drawings done in July and August 2020 while quarantined at home during the pandemic. I have feared for many years that our nation was headed in this direction. The ink and pencil drawings are political caricatures of the current Washington DC officials who in my opinion have been instrumental in this late stage of our democratic decline."
2020
Series III
Manuscripts
2000 and undated
2 folders
This series contains Todd's fine arts presentation,
Hitler: Artist as Dictator, given to the School of
Visual Arts at the 13th Annual National Conference on Liberal Arts and
Education of Artists, in New York City. Todd discusses the importance of art in
Hitler's life and the stigma attached to art from the Nazi era. Included with
the manuscript are eleven copies of Hitler's artwork spanning form
1910-1938. Also included is a manuscript outline of a book Todd considered writing but ultimately decided would take too much time away from his art.
1/12
Hitler: Artist as Dictator
2000
1/13
Introduction to the Social History of the Visual Arts, outline of book proposal
undated
Series IV
Audio and Video Materials
1980-2012
7 items
This series contains audio and video of James Todd, including a video of Todd demonstrating his wood engraving and printing technique and two interviews with Todd.
4
"Humanities Lecture"
audiocassette
February 14, 1980
Electronic File
Wood Engraving and Printing
The original video was created on the U-matic videocassette format. The original media is unavailable; the copy in this collection is an electronic file. Please contact Archives and Special Collections to view the video.
1985
4
Studio Tulsa interview
audiocassette
February 14, 1995
3/1
Crit. Adv., lecture
VHS tape
1996
3/2
"Greek Art, LS 151," lecture
VHS tape
September 16, 1999
Electronic File
"Jazz Icons," interview at Holter Museum of Art Education Department
September 8, 2012
Electronic File
"Blind Mexican Musicians," interview
undated
Series V
Classroom and Teaching Materials
1972-2016
1.0 linear feet
This series contains material related to Todd's teaching of art history courses at the University of Montana, including audiocassettes of a 1999 course. Two folders of material are restricted because they contain student papers submitted to Todd.
1/14
Art 305: Social History of Art, Facpac
1989
1/15
Art 203: Intro to Art Criticism, Facpac
2000
1/16
Art: Varieties of Modernism, Facpac
2000
1/17
Summary Outline of the Social History of Art: Art Criticism 203 and 303, manuscript
2016
1/18
Suggested Readings List
undated
1/19
Summary Outline of the Social History of Art: Art Criticism 203 and 303
undated
4
Social History of Art, recorded lectures and student discussion
audiocassettes
1999
2/1
Papers on Indian Studies and Indian Mythology, Student Papers
RESTRICTED - student papers, potential cultural sensitivity issues
1975-1991
2/2
Trail of Broken Treaties, Student Journals
RESTRICTED - student papers
1972
2/3
Scans of restricted student papers
RESTRICTED - student papers
1972-1991