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Partridge, Charlotte Russell, 1882-1975.Charlotte Russell Partridge and Miriam Frink papers, 1862-1980.Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 167 and Tape 1330A31.5 cubic ft. (69 archives boxes, and 6 oversize boxes) + 8 audio cassette tapes |
ABSTRACT: Papers of Partridge and Frink, who shared their personal and professional
lives for fifty-five years. The two women were co-founders of the Layton School of Art in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin which was established in 1920 and closed in 1974. Partridge is noted
not only for her educational achievements, but also for her major contributions to the
advancement of art in Wisconsin. The collection is extensive and contains the personal,
professional, and civic papers of the two women with a focus on Wisconsin art, artists,
and art education. Includes institutional records of the Layton
School of Art and Layton Art Gallery,
administrative records of Wisconsin Depression-era Federal Art
Programs which Partridge directed, a Reference
File of Wisconsin art exhibits and artists, and records of Wisconsin art
organizations. There are materials relating to Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural exhibit
which displayed at the Layton Art Gallery in 1930
and a reference file on the famous architect which Partridge maintained.
Partridge's personal correspondence is also extensive. Files pertaining to the women's
civic commitments include Walnut Area Improvement Council
in Milwaukee, Zonta Club of Milwaukee, Zonta Manor (a housing project for the well elderly
spearheaded by Partridge), Milwaukee County War Memorial building planning, and Meta
Berger Memorial Committee. Files of Susie Habenicht, Frink's niece and a researcher hired
by the two women to write the Layton school's history, include notes, an unpublished
manuscript, and transcribed interviews and some audio recordings with the two women and
with Layton alumnae Mary Lou Ballweg and Margaret Davis Clark.
ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
SCOPE AND CONTENT: Researchers using the collection should be aware that Partridge,
Frink, and Susan Habenicht, Frink's niece who was hired to write a history of the school,
have all made later notes on documents and, in some cases, reorganized the files.
Habenicht's red-penned notes and underlines are mostly found in the personal
correspondence. Notes written by Charlotte or Miriam are often dated. Since original order
of some files was confused, portions of the papers were reorganized to facilitate research
use.
The Partridge and Frink Papers have been organized into ten series: Personal
Papers of Charlotte Russell Partridge, Personal Papers of
Miriam Frink, Researcher's Files, Layton School of Art, Layton
Art Gallery, Layton Art Trust, Federal
Arts Programs, Reference File, Walnut Area Improvement Council, and Zonta Club and Zonta Manor.
Personal Papers of Charlotte Russell Partridge (1862-1978) contain
a variety of materials. Notable are her personal correspondence and that of her family,
biographical items, papers concerning family history and family members, lectures given by
Charlotte, materials relating to her work as a faculty member and head of the Fine Arts
Department at Milwaukee-Downer College, scattered records of various civic and service
organizations, journals and materials pertaining to her European and Latin American
travels, and some of her written work and sketches.
Charlotte's incoming correspondence from family, companion Miriam Frink, friends, and
professional acquaintances comprises the bulk of the series. The correspondence is
organized chronologically and begins in 1862 with earlier letters written between members
of her mother's family (Orr). Some of Charlotte's outgoing correspondence is included,
sent primarily to family members.
There also are scattered items concerning Charlotte's education including records of the
Church School of Art Alumni Group. A small file contains sketches and items concerning the
Mequon house and Fox Point Studio.
A smaller series, Personal Papers of Miriam Frink (ca.
1911-1975) includes some biographical information, personal correspondence, family
documents, scattered materials concerning her teaching career at Milwaukee-Downer, some of
her own written work, and a few items from the American Association of University Women
and the Meta Berger Memorial Committee. It appears that Frink did not save many of her own
papers. Notes were discovered in which Miriam instructed Susan Habenicht to dispose of
some of her files.
Researcher's Files (1920-1976) concern materials
developed and compiled by researchers hired by Charlotte and Miriam to write a history of
the school and their biographies. Margaret Fish Rahill was hired around 1964 and let go in
1970 due to concerns over her progress. Frink's niece, Susan Frink Habenicht was hired to
complete the project, which appears to have ended around the time Miriam went into the
nursing home. Habenicht had physical possession of much of the collection at her residence
in Boulder, Colorado until about 1976 when the papers were shipped to Golda Meir Library,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Researcher's Files are a particularly rich source
of condensed information about the school and its co-founders. Included are
correspondence; notes written by the researcher and the two women; research files;
transcribed oral interviews; and an unpublished manuscript of the school's history and
Charlotte's biography and obituary, written by Habenicht.
Of particular note are the transcribed interviews Habenicht conducted with Partridge,
Frink, and Layton alumnae Margaret Davis Clark and Mary Lou Ballweg. The Clark interview
is especially valuable in describing teaching methodology of the two women and the
school's learning environment and atmosphere. Selected audio recordings of these
interviews were retained to provide samples of verbal expression, when the transcription
was not complete, and for important segments (e.g. discussion of Frank Lloyd Wright
exhibit). There is also a transcribed interview with Partridge conducted by an Archives of
American Art staff member.
The Layton School of Art (1910-1980) files are extensive and
include the institutional records which Partridge and Frink took with them upon their
departure in 1954. There are also records which were received and compiled by the two
women up to the time of the school's closure. Included are administrative, statistical,
financial, curricular, historical, publicity, and student-related materials. However, few
files could be regarded as "complete" and it is likely they were part of a
larger administrative subject file housed in the school office. For the most part,
original order has been retained when known. Researchers are advised to also consult the
Layton School of Art and Design Records, Milwaukee Manuscript Collection
168.
The most complete records relate to publicity and student recruitment as Partridge paid a
great deal of attention to getting out information about the school and keeping it in the
public eye. News Clippings were meticulously saved in scrapbooks and later, in loose form.
Special note should be made of a lengthy run of general correspondence (1921-1972).
Correspondence with faculty documents Charlotte's emphasis on locating and hiring
excellent teaching staff. Files pertaining to the Board of Trustees, finances, fund
raising, the 1951 school building, enrollment, Layton Art League, and forced retirement of
the two women are sizeable and thorough.
Notably lacking are annual yearbooks, and much in the way of student/staff directories and
campus newsletters or newspapers. Materials pertaining to student activities and
governance is thin.
Partridge served as both director and curator of the Layton Art
Gallery (1882-1975) and the records reflect that dual function, as they pertain
both to gallery administration and gallery exhibitions. Administrative files include
annual reports, articles of incorporation and by-laws, records and meeting minutes of the
Board of Trustees, correspondence, financial records, catalogues and records of the
permanent collection, items pertaining to gallery activities such as teas and concerts,
public and radio lectures given by Partridge to promote art and gallery usage, and news
clippings (1888-1962). Gallery diaries, 1911-1946, contain both narrative and statistical
information about exhibitions and patrons. Files document Partridge's involvement in
planning the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. Also contained are newsletters,
catalogs, and miscellaneous records of various Wisconsin art and artist organizations,
including the Wisconsin Designer-Craftsmen and Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors.
Much of the series pertains to exhibitions. Organized alphabetically by exhibition name,
individual files may include exhibit programs, invitations, Partridge's notes,
correspondence with artist or promoter, records of incurred expenses, news clippings,
press releases, list of exhibited works, and miscellaneous materials.
Partridge served on the Wisconsin Centennial Art Committee which held an exhibition of
Wisconsin artists in the Layton Gallery and at the Wisconsin State Fair in 1948. The
series contains records of the committee and personal history cards for each artist.
Other files concern the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition at the Layton Gallery in 1930.
Partridge wrote a narrative account of events surrounding the exhibition. Reference files
about Wright were compiled by Charlotte and also form a part of this series. A taped NBC
radio interview (ca. 1956), entitled "Meet Frank Lloyd Wright" features
interviews with Wright himself, Charlotte Partridge, Douglas Orr (former president of the
American Institute of Architects), Walter Bublitz, real estate developer William
Zeckendorf, Madison Mayor Ivan A. Nestingen, son David Wright, and H. F. Johnson of
Johnson Wax Co. It was part of the radio series, "Biographies in Sound,"
moderated by Morgan Beatty.
A small series, the Layton Art Trust (1927-1952) contains
financial and administrative records, minutes of trust board meetings, annual reports, and
audit reports. The trust was established through provisions in Dr. Ernest Copeland's will.
Trust income was allocated to either the gallery or school and allocation decisions were
made by gallery trustees rather than the trustees of the art trust.
Federal Arts Programs (1933-1952) include administrative,
personnel, and project records relating to the Public Works of Art and Federal Arts
projects in Wisconsin. Partridge directed both. Although she was involved in early federal
planning for these Depression-era art projects, evidence of this activity is not found in
this series. The researcher is also referred to the Federal Art Project (Wis.) Records,
SHSW Mss 1 and Micro 1036. Records pertaining to artists accepted into the project and
their artistic assignments form the bulk of the Public Works of Art Project files.
Included are lists of artists, location artwork, a general index to artists, and a master
list of allocated projects.
Files of the Federal Arts Project, a project under the Works Progress Administration, are
less complete. Correspondence is primarily with federal project personnel, participating
artists, and Margaret Davis Clark, who succeeded Charlotte as project director after her
resignation in 1939. Other files include news clippings, mural competitions for Wausau and
West Allis post offices, records concerning project-related exhibitions, and scattered
materials of various projects including Civilian Conservation Corp camp artists, the Index
of American Design, and WPA Handicraft Project.
Correspondence, reports, and survey data pertain to a National Arts Survey which Charlotte
conducted in 1940, through Carnegie grant funding. The survey was conducted for the
Section of Fine Arts, Federal Works Agency. Reports include "Art in Public
Buildings" and "Report of Six Month Study of Art in the United States."
Survey data is arranged by state and is not complete.
Records documenting Partridge's work with the National Advisory Committee on WPA Community
Service Projects and the Wisconsin-based WPA Advisory Committee, and the resulting
National Art Week planning and activity files also form a part of the series.
Miss Partridge compiled a Reference File (ca. 1923-ca.
1970) containing information about Wisconsin artists and Wisconsin galleries and various
art collections. The files contain news clippings, and exhibition invitations, flyers, and
programs. Individual artist files are organized alphabetically by the artist's last name
and may also contain correspondence and photocopies of photographs. Researchers are
advised to also consult the Charlotte Partridge Collected Papers, Milwaukee Manuscript Collection
ED.
The Walnut Area Improvement Council (1965-1971) files contain
board meeting minutes, scattered financial records, correspondence, newsletters, and
miscellaneous materials concerning a self-help neighborhood group organized in one of
Milwaukee's African American neighborhoods. There is one file about professional
architects who assisted the council.
Both Charlotte and Miriam were involved with the Zonta Club and Zonta
Manor (1935-1965). There is some material concerning the Zonta Club of Milwaukee,
but the bulk of the records pertain to the planning and construction of Zonta Manor, an
apartment housing project for elderly persons of moderate incomes. Included are
administrative records, meeting minutes and reports, committee records, correspondence,
financial records, and building planning and construction files.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: As it awarded Charlotte Russell Partridge a distinguished
service award in 1965, the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects cited
her for "a lifetime of activity in promoting the cause of art." Foremost among
her accomplishments was establishment of the Layton School of Art to prepare students for
professional art-related careers in industry. Partridge served as director of the school
for 34 years, developing it into a nationally recognized and accredited four-year
professional art institution. Born in Minneapolis in 1881, Charlotte spent her childhood
in Duluth. Father Frederick was an invalid and financial assistance came from Mother
Carrie's wealthy brother, Arthur Orr. Uncle Arthur sent Charlotte to Dana Hall, a college
preparatory school in Massachusetts. Poor grades and her father's death brought Charlotte
home where she found her mother, sister, and brother in much reduced circumstances. The
family soon relocated to Illinois. Charlotte and her sister, Eleanor, were sent to
Northern Illinois Teacher's College in DeKalb. They both graduated in 1905 and were
rewarded with a summer tour of Europe. Charlotte and Eleanor returned to teaching jobs in
Oak Park, Illinois.
Family changes in 1909 included Eleanor's marriage to Arthur Harris, Mother's marriage to
Henry Jordan, and brother Thomas Orr's bad conduct discharge from the Navy. Always a
difficult child, the family grew increasingly suspicious that Orr (as he was called) was
mentally unbalanced. Taking major responsibility for Orr took an emotional toll on
Charlotte. Her mother urged her to give up teaching and offered to pay for Charlotte to
attend an art school. She did go back to school, but her responsibility and concern for
Orr continued until his death in 1963.
Charlotte thrived in her studies at the progressive Chicago School of Applied and Normal
Art (later renamed the Church School of Art) and received her diploma in 1912 for a
two-year course in normal art. She taught at the school for a year after graduation and
later at the Francis Parker School in Chicago and the Chicago Kindergarten College.
Concurrently, she engaged a studio where she devoted herself to design work, freelanced as
a commercial artist, and studied painting at the traditional Chicago Art Institute night
school. Her mother worried that Charlotte was "doing too much." In fact,
overworking became a lifelong habit for Charlotte. Under five feet tall, she was once
described as a "tiny bundle of vision and energy."
After she earned an Institute certificate, Charlotte jumped at an opportunity to do summer
teaching at Commonwealth Art Colony in Boothbay Harbor, Maine with her mentor and former
teacher, Miss Emma M. Church.
In 1914, Charlotte came to Milwaukee-Downer as a faculty member and later became head of
the Fine Arts Department. She blew fresh air into a tired art curriculum and initiated one
of the first occupational therapy courses in the country. Charlotte taught art as
self-expression, a new concept in art education. Downer faculty member Elizabeth Upham
later said, "Charlotte was a great teacher, especially of design and composition. She
pioneered this field in art education."
Charlotte met Miriam Frink, an English teacher at Downer, and the two hit it off based on
mutual interests in theater, music, and art. Their friendship grew and in 1921 they rented
their first apartment. The two lived together until 1973 when Charlotte entered the Mequon
Care Center. She resided there until her death in 1975 at 92 years of age. Charlotte and
Miriam built a studio cottage at Fox Point in 1930. Charlotte designed the cottage and
closely supervised the carpenter, who had never built anything larger than a hen house.
Their home in Mequon was completed in 1938. Functional and aesthetically pleasing, the
house was designed according to sketches drawn by Charlotte and she supervised its
construction.
Charlotte found Downer limiting and bristled under college president Ellen Sabin's strict
rule. However, starting an art school had not occurred to her until Emma Church, in poor
health, asked Charlotte to direct hers. Unwilling to move to Chicago, Charlotte bought
Church's equipment and started her own art school in Milwaukee. Layton Art Gallery
trustees committed their gallery basement, Miriam Frink joined Charlotte as co-director,
and the Layton School of Art was incorporated as a non-profit institution of higher
learning in August 1920. The school opened that fall with day and night courses for adult
students and free Saturday classes for children.
Miriam and Charlotte continued teaching at Downer for two more years, while the women
shared administrative duties and educational ideas at Layton. At Layton, Miriam taught
literature appreciation and oversaw business and student activities, while Charlotte
taught art classes and assumed responsibility for faculty and community activities.
In 1922, Partridge became director of the Layton Art Gallery, a position she kept until
1953. She also served on its board of trustees from 1921 to 1973. She brought current and
important art exhibitions to Milwaukee and promoted Wisconsin artists through individual
and group exhibits. Expanding the gallery's role, she prepared and circulated exhibitions
by Wisconsin artists around the state and was involved in organizing the Wisconsin
Centennial Art Exhibition in 1948.
A staunch supporter of modern art and design, Miss Partridge was involved in occasional
controversies with artistic traditionalists. The American Institute of Architects
criticized her in 1930 for showing an exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright's work at the Layton
gallery. Wright personally came to Milwaukee to set up the exhibit and speak on
architecture. Critical in reviving Wright's sagging career, the exhibit traveled to
various cities in the U.S. and Europe between 1930 and 1931. Asked to help plan and carry
out the Public Works of Art Project, Charlotte went to Washington, D.C. in 1933. She
helped lay the basic principles of the Federal Arts projects that gave financial support
and creative impetus to America's unemployed artists during the Depression. She later
served as Wisconsin State Chair of the project from 1933 to 1934 and continued as director
of the Wisconsin Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1939. In 1940, she was asked by the
Federal Works Agency to survey contemporary art and art institutions in the U.S. through
Carnegie grant funding.
The Layton School of Art prospered and in 1951, with enrollment at 1,100 students, the
school moved into its own building on Prospect Avenue. Employing cantilever construction
and walls of glass block, the building was hailed as the most modern, picturesquely
situated and functionally beautiful art school in the country.
Then, in a 1954 meeting, the Layton Board of Trustees voted to "retire"
Partridge and Frink. Carried out over their objections and those of faculty, students, and
alumni, the retirement was effective immediately. Earlier, Edmund Lewandowski had been
chosen to replace them. The Board's position was that the work was too exhausting for
them, but Partridge was told the school should be directed by a man.
A Layton graduate, Edmund Lewandowski was a controversial choice. Many felt that he was
chiefly interested in promoting himself and were dismayed that Partridge had not been
consulted regarding her replacement. Margaret Davis Clark, an alumna, later said, "I
felt it was the beginning of the end. The school could not go on in the same way. It was
very sad."
Although embittered, the two remained involved with and dedicated to the institution.
Partridge continued her service on the school's board of trustees until 1973, and both
women continued their involvement with the Layton Art League. However, the ever-busy
Charlotte had time on her hands and turned her attention to civic work.
Throughout her life, Charlotte was actively involved in an impressive array of
professional and civic organizations. These included the Wisconsin Design-Craftsmen,
Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors, Milwaukee Art Center, Women's Advertising Club of
Milwaukee, Women's Auxiliary of the State Historical Society, and the Zonta Club of
Milwaukee.
As president of the Zonta Service Committee, Charlotte spearheaded the Zonta Manor
project. Zonta Manor was planned as a non-profit apartment building offering
moderately-priced, independent living for the elderly. Serving as president of Zonta
Manor, Inc. from 1957 to 1965, she versed herself in the needs of the elderly and designed
practical, innovative aids which were incorporated into the structure by architects Willis
and Lillian Leenhouts. The building ran into financial difficulty and, in 1967, ownership
transferred to the American Baptist Management Corp. which carried on its original
purpose.
Miss Partridge was also a board member (ca. 1966-1969) of the Walnut Area Improvement Council
(WAICO), a self-help neighborhood project in a Milwaukee African American neighborhood.
Charlotte did whatever was asked of her, which included guiding the group in parliamentary
procedure and recruiting artists to teach at the community house.
In awarding Charlotte an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1969, Lawrence University
President Thomas S. Smith stated, "Your contributions to Wisconsin art--farsighted,
even prophetic--have reached beyond the field of art into industry and the general
cultural and social life of the state." Frank Lloyd Wright stated it more succinctly,
"She is something of a captain herself."
Charlotte Partridge once said of Miriam Frink, her lifelong friend and companion.
"Miss Frink is the head and I am the feet of the school." Margaret Clark Davis
stated, "Charlotte was marvelous and Miriam was tremendous along with her... Miriam
was like a Great Dane--[she] protected, undergirded, and saw to it that things worked out
for Charlotte." Tall and dignified, Miss Frink had an authoritarian appearance. She
ran the business end of the school and was the disciplinarian. Although herself talented
in writing and oral interpretation, Miriam always took a back seat to Charlotte. Their
individual talents complemented each other and the two, together, made Layton unique.
Miriam's father, Charles, was a prominent local physician in Elkhart, Indiana, where
Miriam was born in 1892. Miriam's mother, Maude Robinson, was liberal, progressive, and
taught Miriam to be open to new ideas. Frink received degrees at Milwaukee-Downer and
Smith colleges, returning to Downer in 1915 to teach freshman English.
After Charlotte's death, Miriam continued working with a researcher hired to write a
history of the Layton school and their biographies. In early 1977, she gave up the home
the two had shared. Miriam Frink spent her last days at the Mequon Care Center and died
later that year, at age 85, following a stroke.
COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:
Partridge, Charlotte Russell, 1882-1975. Charlotte Russell Partridge and Miriam Frink papers, 1862-1980. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 167 and Tape 1330A. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
RELATED COLLECTIONS:
Layton School of Art and Design. Records, 1888-1980. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 168)
Layton School of Art and Design. Photographs, ca. 1920-ca. 1974. (PH Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 168)
Milwaukee-Downer College. Records, 1852-1964. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection L)
Partridge, Charlotte Russell, 1882-1975. Collected papers, 1918-1968. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection ED)
Partridge, Charlotte Russell, 1882-1975. Charlotte Russell Partridge and Miriam Frink visual materials, 1864-ca. 1967. (PH Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 167)
Zonta Club of Milwaukee. Records, 1936-1972. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 179)
ACQUISITION: Presented by Golda Meir Library, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Miriam Frink of Mequon, Wisconsin, and Carolyn McGregor of River Hills, Wisconsin in 1969, 1975, 1983, 1984, and 1988 (accession numbers M69-431, M75-428, M83-136, M84-332, and M88-067).
PROCESSING: Processed by Gayle Martinson in 1998.
MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection: