William A. Griffith and Stevens family papers
Overview
William A. Griffith joined the KU faculty in 1899 and served as head of the Art Department for 21 years. He then moved his family to Laguna Beach and continued painting there. The William A. Griffith Collection includes correspondence, research materials and related information on Griffith's tenure at KU, as well as his Laguna Beach endeavors. The collection also includes correspondence, family papers, and records of the William C. Stevens, Flint, and Pugh-Tanner-Dart families.
Dates
- Creation: 1761 - 1981
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biographies of William A. Griffith and William Chase Stevens
William Alexander Griffith was born August 19, 1866 in Lawrence, Kansas, the son of James Monroe Griffith and Margaret Alexander Griffith. He studied art at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and at the Academie Julian in Paris, France. He joined the faculty at the University of Kansas in 1899.
In 1901, Griffith married Ida Greeley Smith. They had five children, two sons and three daughters. In addition to teaching drawing and painting at KU, Griffith designed residential and public buildings in Lawrence. After retiring from KU in 1920, Griffith relocated his family to Laguna Beach, California, where he became a noted plein air painter. Griffith died on May 25, 1940.
William Chase Stevens was born February 21, 1861 in Princeton, Illinois, the son of James T. Stevens and Elizabeth A. Flint. He received a bachelor of science degree in 1885 and a master of science in 1893, both from the University of Kansas. In 1888, he married Ada E. Pugh. They had five children, four sons and a daughter. Stevens joined the KU Natural History department in 1889, where he taught botany until retiring to emeritus status in 1937. Stevens died in 1955.
Extent
10.5 Linear Feet (13 boxes + 7 oversize boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
The Griffith family papers contain correspondence, clippings, family histories and many photographs of the Griffith, William C. Stevens, Flint, Pugh-Tanner-Dart, and Smith families. Also included are lectures, notebooks, books, prints, and paintings from the career of W. A. Griffith.
Physical Location
RH MS 1012
Physical Location
RH MS 1059
Physical Location
RH MS Q258
Physical Location
RH MS R207
Physical Location
RH MS-P 1012
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts, Ida Griffith Hawley, 1996; Lucinda Stevens Foster (descendent of the Griffith and Stevens families), 1996.
Subject
- Griffith, William Alexander, 1866-1940 (Person)
- Stevens, William Chase, 1861- (Person)
- Flint family (Family)
- Smith family (Family)
- Title
- Guide to the William A. Griffith and Stevens Family Collection
- Subtitle
- William A. Griffith and Stevens family papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by rh, 2009. Finding aid encoded by rh, 2009. Finding aid revised by mwh, 2018.
- Date
- 2009
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in<language encodinganalog="language">English</language>
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/0716723563
- Preferred citation
-
William A. Griffith and Stevens Family Collection, RH MS 1012, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository