A Guide to the Adele Clark Papers, 1855-1976
Call Number Mss1 C5472a FA2

(Part of the Virginia Heritage: Guides to Manuscripts & Archival Collections in Virginia)

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Main Entry:	Clark, Adèle, 1882-1983
Title:	Papers, 1855, 1976
Size:	900 (ca.) items. (2 archival and 1 oversize boxes)
Biographical Note:	Adèle Clark was a major figure in Richmond's art scene and political life for nearly three-quarters of a century. Born in Montgomery, Ala., she spent her childhood in New Orleans, La., before moving to Richmond in 1894. Seven years later she graduated from the Miss Virginia Randolph Ellet School (now St. Catherine's). While working as a stenographer for the chamber of commerce, Miss Clark studied art with Lily Logan at the Art Club of Richmond. In 1906, Miss Clark received a scholarship to the Chase School of Art in New York, where she studied under Robert Henri and Kenneth Hays Miller. Shortly after her return to Richmond to teach at the Art Club, she became involved in the women's suffrage movement.
Scope Note:	Include scattered business and personal correspondence, ca. 1916-1950, as well as newspaper clippings, organizational minutes, notes and other published and manuscript materials pertaining to a wide array of Clark's political and artistic interests. Among the organizations with which Miss Clark worked were the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, the League of Women Voters of Virginia, and the Federal Art Project in Virginia. Correspondence, 1916-1940 and 1926-1939, with Nora Houston (1883-1942) and Willoughby Ions (1881-1977) illuminates the relationship between women's personal and professional networks and their political activities. The correspondence, 1906-1929, of Clark's mother, Estelle (Goodman) Clark (1847-1893) with her three daughters offers insights into relationships between mothers and their adult children. The collection also contains information on teaching art history in a variety of contexts, on women's suffrage and women's rights, and on other civic and political activities.
Provenance:	The Adèle Clark papers (Mss1C5472aFA2), the Goodman family papers (Mss1G6245aFA2) and the Houston family papers (Mss1H8185aFA2) came to the Virginia Historical Society in 1979 from the same source, the home of Adèle Clark. Researchers should understand the interrelationship of these collections and are advised to consult all three descriptions before requesting materials.
Restrictions:	None.