A Finding Aid to the Edna Andrade Papers, 1917-circa 1986, in the Archives of American Art Jayna M. Josefson Processing of this collection received federal support from the Collections Care Initiative Fund, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative and the National Collections Program 2021/05/24 Archives of American Art 750 9th Street, NW Victor Building, Suite 2200 Washington, D.C. 20001 https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions https://www.aaa.si.edu/ Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Scope and Contents........................................................................................................ 2 Biographical / Historical.................................................................................................... 2 Arrangement..................................................................................................................... 2 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 2 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 4 Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-circa 1986..................................................... 4 Series 2: Correspondence, 1925-1981.................................................................... 5 Series 3: Printed Material, 1930s-1970s.................................................................. 7 Series 4: Photographs, 1917-1980.......................................................................... 8 Edna Andrade papers AAA.andredna Collection Overview Repository: Archives of American Art Title: Edna Andrade papers Identifier: AAA.andredna Date: 1917-circa 1986 Creator: Andrade, Edna, 1917-2008 Extent: 5.4 Linear feet Language: English . Summary: The papers of painter and educator Edna Andrade measure 5.4 linear feet and date from 1917 to circa 1986. The collection documents Andrade's career through biographical materials including a video recording, personal and professional correspondence, printed material, and photographs including five photo albums. Of note are examples of propaganda Andrade created for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Administrative Information Acquisition Information Edna Andrade donated her papers to the Archives of American Art in 1987 and 2004. Related Materials The Archives of American Art also holds an oral history interview with Edna Andrade conducted 1987 April 1-29. Available Formats Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels 4225-4230 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm. Processing Information The 1987 donation was microfilmed after receipt. The entire collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2021. Preferred Citation Edna Andrade Papers, 1917-circa 1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Restrictions This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information. Page 1 of 8 Edna Andrade papers AAA.andredna Conditions Governing Use The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information. Biographical / Historical Edna Andrade (1917-2008) was a painter and educator active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was known for her optical illusion paintings. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1917, Edna Davis Wright began her study of art at the Barnes Foundation in Marion, Pennsylvania. Later, she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and earned her degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1937. She won Cresson Scholarships to travel to Europe in 1936 and 1937. In 1941, she married architect C. Preston Andrade. During WWII, Andrade worked under Eero Saarinen in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) where she designed propaganda. After the war, Andrade returned to Philadelphia, where she began a long teaching career at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1958 until her retirement in 1982. Andrade was part of the Op Art movement in the 1960s and also painted abstract landscapes. Edna Andrade died in 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Scope and Contents The papers of painter and educator Edna Andrade measure 5.4 linear feet and date from 1917 to circa 1986. The collection documents Andrade's career through biographical materials including a video recording, personal and professional correspondence, printed material, and photographs including five photo albums. Of note are examples of propaganda Andrade created for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Personal correspondence includes letters exchanged between Andrade with her parents, husband C. Preston Andrade, and sister, Mary. Professional correspondence concerns the exhibition of her works of art and teaching career. Arrangement The collection is arranged as 4 series. • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-circa 1986 (0.9 linear feet; Box 1, 6) • Series 2: Correspondence, 1925-1981 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2) • Series 3: Printed Material, 1930s-1970s (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-6, OV 7) • Series 4: Photographs, 1917-1980 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 5-6) Names and Subject Terms This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Smithsonian Institution under the following terms: Page 2 of 8 Edna Andrade papers AAA.andredna Subjects: Optical art Women artists Women educators Women painters Types of Materials: Video recordings Names: Andrade, C. Preston (Clarence Preston), 1912-1977 Occupations: Educators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Page 3 of 8 Series 1: Biographical Material Edna Andrade papers AAA.andredna Container Listing Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-circa 1986 0.9 Linear feet (Boxes 1, 6) Scope and Artworks by Andrade consist of childhood sketches and doodles, including her first attempt Contents: at the ABCs; four drawings; three signed woodcuts; and one abstract silkscreen print, signed and dated 1966. An artwork inventory gives the titles, dimensions, and possible sales records of works by Andrade. School records include report cards and completed assignments from elementary school through college. Of particular note is propaganda designed by Andrade for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, in the form of photographs of her work and printed material. A video recording produced by Hollins College is a profile of Edna Andrae. Box 1, Folder 1 "A Vision Transformed: Profile of Artist Edna Andrade" Hollins College, circa 1986 1 Videocassettes (VHS) Box 1, Folder 2 Artwork, circa 1920-1966 Box 1, Folder 3-7 Artwork Inventory, circa 1960s Box 1, Folder 8 Awards and Certificates, 1980-1982 Box 6, Folder 3 Awards and Certificates, Oversized, 1936, 1985 Box 1, Folder 9-10 Baby Books, 1917-circa 1922 Box 1, Folder 11 Biographical Sketches and Resumes, 1970s-1987 Box 1, Folder 12-13 OSS Propaganda Designs, circa 1940-1944 Box 6, Folder 2 OSS Propaganda Designs, circa 1940-1944 Box 1, Folder 14 Passports, 1936-1977 Box 1, Folder 15-16 School Records, 1920-1937 Box 1, Folder 17 Travel Souvenirs, 1936 Box 1, Folder 18 Wedding Invitation, 1941 Return to Table of Contents Page 4 of 8 Series 2: Correspondence Edna Andrade papers AAA.andredna Series 2: Correspondence, 1925-1981 1.6 Linear feet (Boxes 1-2) Scope and Letters between Edna and her family include correspondents C. Preston Andrade, Mary Contents: Wright, Ruth Porter Wright, and Thomas Wright. Letters from Andrade to her parents when she was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy include discussions of her teachers Hugh Breckenridge, Henry McCarter, and Albert Laessle, among others, and their critiques of her work. Additionally, she discusses her 1936 and 1938 trips abroad on Cresson Scholarships, and war work in Washington, D.C. Letters from C. Preston Andrade (Andy) discuss her exhibitions, sales, and her paintings, as well as document his work as an architect with the Ford Foundation in India. General correspondence is with friends and colleagues including Nell Blaine, Daisy Myers, Peggy James, Jay Robinson, and Allen Thrasher. Also found are Andrade's letters to famous figures including President Eisenhower and Walter Winchell. Professional correspondence relates to commissions, exhibitions, competitions, awards and loans to the East Hampton Gallery in New York City and to many Philadelphia art institutions, and the exhibition Philadelphia Focuses on Women in the Visual Arts. Some letters