The Dorathy Bruce Farr papers

The Dorathy Bruce Farr papers, 1965-1989

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Farr, Dorathy Bruce
Title: The Dorathy Bruce Farr papers
Dates: 1965-1989 (inclusive)
19651989
Quantity: 1 linear feet, (1 box)
Collection Number: WUA027
Summary: This collection contains materials written by and about artist Dorathy Bruce Farr from 1965 to 1989.
Repository: Willamette University Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Mark O. Hatfield Library
900 State Street
Salem, OR
97301
Telephone: 5033706866
Fax: 5033706141
archives@willamette.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open to researchers.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Dorathy Bruce (1904-1989), also known as Dorathy Bruce Farr, was a Portland painter and batik artist who spent a portion of her career in New York, where she and her husband, the painter Fred Farr, were associated with the Abstract Expressionist group which included Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Robert Motherwell. Bruce created murals in New York and Florida and had shows from New Hampshire to New Orleans. Bruce and her husband won a grant in the 1940s to work on a mural in the Social Security Building in Washington, D.C. In addition to murals, Bruce worked in lithography, woodblock, pottery, and mosaics.

Back in Portland, Dorathy Bruce had shows at the Fountain Gallery and Sally Judd Gallery from the 1960s to the early 1980s before becoming ill and unable to work. She died on August 21, 1989.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection of papers represents various stages of Dorathy Bruce Farr's life. There are letters she wrote to her friend Rex Amos; news clippings of art show reviews; photographs taken at a party late in her life, and a copy of her obituary from The Oregonian in 1989.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Library acts as "fair use" reproduction agent.

For further information, see the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.

Copyright Information: Before material from collections at Willamette University Archives and Special Collections may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in any collections held by University Archives and Special Collections should consult the University Archivist. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], The Dorathy Bruce Farr papers, Archives and Special Collections, Mark O. Hatfield Library, Willamette University.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Materials are arranged in two series in chronological order.

Location of Collection

Mark O. Hatfield Library

Acquisition Information

Donated by Rex Amos, 2011.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I: Correspondence, 1965-1971Return to Top

Letters from Dorathy Bruce to Rex Amos.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	1	Written from Anchorage, Alaska	1965 July 2
1	2	This letter, written from Anchorage, Alaska, is really a montage of news clippings and writing. The envelope was created out of a small paper bag.	1965 July
1	3	Written from Anchorage, Alaska	1965 August 2
1	4	Written from Anchorage, Alaska	1965 August 9
1	5	Written on a trip to New York City	1966 May 12
1	6	Written from New York City	1966 May 18
1	7	This letter is written in the margins of the May 26, 1966 edition of The Village Voice, New York City.	1966 May 26
1	8	Postcards written from New York City.	1966 May, undated
1	9	Written from New York City.	1966 June 28
1	10	Written from New York City.	1966 July 2
1	11	Written from New York City.	1966 July 10
1	12	Written from New York City.	1966 July 25
1	13	Self-portrait of Dorathy sick in bed with Sam the cat in attendance.	1969 April 2
1	14	Written from Portland, Oregon.	1970 March 8
1	15	Written from Portland, Oregon.	1970 April 23
1	16	Written from Portland, Oregon.	1971 August 19
1	17	Written from New York City on paper with clippings from newsprint and magazines and handwritten text surrounding. Another paper sack envelope.	undated
1	18	Two letters without dates or envelopes.	undated

Series II: Additional materials, 1965-1989Return to Top

Art reviews and other materials related to Dorathy Bruce, collected by Rex Amos.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	19	Various reviews of art shows Reviews of Bruce art shows, written by various authors.	1965-1970
1	20	Notes and drafts of a Rex Amos review of a Bruce art show	1968
1	21	Correspondence regarding Dorathy Bruce items donated to the Portland Art Museum.	1985
1	22	Photographs, notes, draft of article and copy of Northwest Magazine with the article	1985 June 23
1	23	Photographs and a negative of Dorathy Bruce and friends	1985 March 28
1	24	Obituary Copy of Bruce obituary from The Oregonian	1989 September 1

Archives West Finding Aid

Table of Contents