Florence Smithburn Sketchbooks

Item Details

Untitled
Charcoal on paper
Unsigned

Florence Bartley Smithburn (Indiana, 1904 – 1989)
Untitled, mid 20th century
Three sketchbooks

A group of three sketchbooks belonging to the artist Florence Bartley Smithburn (1904-1989). These books contain drawings, studies, sketches, and thumbnails in a variety of drawing media and depicting portraits, figures, landscapes, environments, and still lifes. They are presented together in an acetate sleeve, and two are signed to the cover.

Smithburn studied art the the John Herron Art School in Indianapolis, Indiana, before moving to Uganda for ten years, recording the African tribal way of life with her artwork. Her experiences living in Africa and the United States ultimately shaped her artistic oeuvre, as her art continued to address socio-economic and political issues relevant to the times. Her work has been exhibited widely in Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Indianapolis and has been included in the collections of the Georgia Museum of Art and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Condition

- to Fair; discoloration throughout covers and pages; edge wear; loose sheets within books.

Dimensions

- measures as a stacked group.

Item #

16CIN997-2919