James Taylor Harwood oral history video collection, 1991

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Harwood, Jim
Title
James Taylor Harwood oral history video collection
Dates
1991 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 DVDs
Collection Number
A0090
Summary
The James Taylor Harwood oral history video collection (1991) consists of interviews with Harwood's widow, Ione, and daughter, Lark, about Harwood's artwork and the process and circumstances of its creation. The video was taken by Harwood's son, Jim, in Ione Harwood's Honolulu, Hawaii home and features shots of her husband's artwork as displayed in the home. Born in Lehi, Utah, J.T. Harwood (1860-1940) was the first of the late-nineteenth-century Utah artists to study in Paris. As a painter, he his work shows the beginning of Utah impressionism.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Materials must be used on-site; no use of original material, access copies will be made available for viewing. Five business days advanced notice required. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

James Taylor Harwood (1860-1940) was born in Lehi, Utah. His father was a saddle and harness maker. Harwood began drawing as a child, making pictures of animals and portraits of his schoolmates. In his boyhood, he formed lifelong friendships with artists John Hafen and Cyrus E. Dallin. In his teens, Harwood carried mail and worked in his father's shop to earn enough money to go to art school.

At the age of 25, he entered the San Francisco School of Design. At the end of one year, he won a gold medal for the best painting of the year. In 1886, he returned to Utah, opened a studio, and taught art. Two years later he had saved enough money to go to France and enter the Ecole des Beaux Arts. From 1891 to 1893 he studied at the Academie Julian in Paris where he won a medal for painting.

In 1891, Harwood married one of his art students, Harriet Richards. They settled in Salt Lake City, after their sojourn in France, where he taught at East and West high schools. They had five children. During the next twenty-five years, the Harwoods divided their time between France and Utah. In 1920, the family moved to California due to Harriet's poor health. She died in 1922 and the family returned to Salt Lake City.

Harwood became head of the art department at the University of Utah in 1922. He held that position until 1931, when he resigned in order to devote more time to his painting. At the university, he taught the first class in color etching ever given in the United States. In 1929, Harwood married Ione Godwin. They traveled to Europe for two years where Harwood developed his impressionist painting technique. He became famous in Europe as well as in the United States and won many honors for his works. The Harwoods returned to California in 1939 with their two children, Jim and Lark. In 1940, the University of Utah assembled the James Taylor Harwood art exhibition. This exhibit was in honor of his 80th birthday and represented his life's work. He died in Salt Lake City on 16 October 1940. Ione Harwood passed away at the age of 96 in November 2003. Lark succumbed to cancer in October 1998.

From Jim Harwood: During the period of their marriage, "Ione was usually with [her husband] on his excursions searching for subject matter and would be nearby as he worked at his easel or drawing pad. Some of his works included Ione in the distance relaxing on a blanket or just on the grass within the scene, usually reading a book while he worked . . . children were sometimes there also."

Harwood "didn't creat the finished work in the field. He would make sketches, notes, and sometimes take photos for use back in the studio, where conditions were controllable and amenable for hours spent at the easel."

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The James Taylor Harwood oral history video collection (1991) consists of interviews with Harwood's widow, Ione, and daughter, Lark, about Harwood's artwork and the process and circumstances of its creation. The video was taken by Harwood's son, Jim, in Ione Harwood's Honolulu, Hawaii home and features shots of her husband's artwork as displayed in the home. All materials have been digitized and are available to view on the DVDs described in this finding aid.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the James Taylor Harwood oral history video collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Multimedia Archivist.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: James Taylor Harwood oral history video collection A0090, Special Collections and Archives. University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Following Citations:A0090.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Donated by Jim Harwood in 2011.

Processing Note

Processed by Molly Creel in 2012.

Related Materials

See also the James Taylor Harwood papers (Ms 507) and photograph collection (P0117) and the William R. Harwood oral history audio recordings (A0180).

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
disc
1-2 Ione Harwood personal video raw footage

DVD
Raw footage from a series of interviews with James Taylor Harwood's widow, Ione, at her Honolulu, Hawaii home where she had her late husband's artwork displayed on the walls. Son Jim Harwood conducts the interview, asking his mother questions about the circumstances leading to the creation of the work displayed on camera. Daughter Lark appears near the end of the recordings duscussing a colored pencil drawing of herself at the age of five in the garden of the family's Salt Lake City home. Material spread over two DVDs. Chapter breaks every two minutes.
1991

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Artists - Utah
  • Painters - Utah

Personal Names

  • Godwin, Ione

Form or Genre Terms

  • Moving images