Edward B. Thomas papers, 1923-1984

Scope and Content: Correspondence, notes, writings, lecture notes, exhibition files, photographs, and clippings from the period 1923-84 (bulk 1950-80). The bulk of the papers were created during Thomas’ career as an administrator, educator, and curator at the Seattle Art Museum (1951-67). Also included are papers documenting Thomas’ role as an arts educator in his weekly television show, “Community Workshop” (1955-65), his teaching career at the Cornish Institute and Western Washington University, and his additional involvement with the Seattle Art Museum and other arts organizations from the 1950s to the early 1980s. The exhibition series includes material from two retrospective exhibitions, one in 1959 and another in 1963, of the painter Mark Tobey. (See the inventory for accession 2863-2 for a list of other exhibition files in the collection). Correspondents include the Museum of Modern Art.

Organization of this accession generally follows Thomas’ career at the Seattle Art Museum, with groupings for his tenure as Education Director, Assistant Director, Associate Director, and Trustee (1970-82). Additional groupsings document Thomas’ work on various museum committees and with other regional and national arts organizations, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Museum of Modern Art’s National Committee on Art Education (1964-65). Personal papers (1923-1984, bulk 1933-54) contains correspondence, writings, class notes, sketches and cartoons, photographs, clippings, and ephemera. This material is similar in subject to personal papers in accession 2868-3.

Material regarding major exhibitions that took place during Thomas’ tenure at the Seattle Art Museum has been placed in the grouping of the directorship he held at the time of each exhibition. Some records in the Education Director grouping, however, contain material dated later than 1961. Two subject series for Mark Tobey were placed within the grouping Seattle Art Museum, Education in order to keep the bulk of the Tobey material together and in the same grouping as the major Tobey retrospective of 1959. Similarly, the record series Subject Series/Background Material/Project and Planning Files has been placed in the Education Director grouping, although some items have dates much later than 1961. This sprawling series contains mostly undated material. It is possible that some of the folders are lecture notes intended for use at Western Washington University or for the television program at KING, but without dates or clearer labeling this is purely conjecture. It is also possible that some notes have been placed in the WWU and KING-TV groupings in error. Users should keep in mind that the telegraphic style of the notes made them very difficult to identify; all possibilities should be examined.

Scope and Content: Correspondence, photographs, diaries, clippings and other records series from the period 1939-84. It is divided into five groupings: Personal Papers (1940-1984), Seattle Art Museum (1954-75), Western Washington University (1967-83), American Association of Museums (1967), and 1500 42nd Avenue East, Seattle Vigilance Committee (1966-84). Personal papers are divided into several series including correspondence and photographs. Subject series document Thomas’ trip to Europe in 1966 and his “Japan 1956” University of Washington Extension Lecture. This grouping also includes drawings by Thomas, student work, and student class notes, as well as photographs from World War II.

Material in the grouping of Seattle Art Museum (approximately .42 cubic feet) has not been organized at the series level, but includes museum and personal correspondence, articles Thomas wrote, a Gemberling exhibit file from 1962, and miscellaneous notes. Papers in Western Washington University grouping include correspondence regarding Thomas’ employment there, lecture notes, several files marked sabbatical, personal correspondence, and teaching evaluations. Papers in the American Association of Museums grouping document Thomas’ aborted 1967 campaign for Director of the American Association of Museums. The Vigilance Committee grouping consists of a folder of correspondence from 1975-84 pertaining to efforts to improve security in Thomas’ neighborhood.