Hobson Pittman papers

The Hobson Pittman papers house the papers of Hobson Pittman, artist and instructor of art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and summer classes at the Pennsylvania State University. The collection, which ranges from 1929 to 1988, consists primarily of correspondence received by Pittman and his scrapbooks.

The collection is stored in two boxes. The first box contains correspondence and scrapbooks. The second box contains only scrapbooks.

The first box in the collection contains general correspondence from friends, 1944-1965; miscellaneous correspondence, 1950-1965; and formal invitations. It also contains letters from Lt. Col. Donald Gordan and Alyce “Tink” Gordan, Dean Stambourgh, Margaret Sanger, Franklin C. Watkins, and others. Furthermore, there are letters from other artists, students, galleries, and art dealers. It also contains four scrapbooks: from 1931-1941; from 1934-1944; from 1941-1946; and 1947-1951. The second box contains two more scrapbooks, one from 1938-1957 and one from 1954-1969. The scrapbooks include newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and brochures for exhibitions.

Pittman specialized in pastels and oil paintings of interiors and flowers. His use of color was acclaimed and his art can be found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. This collection would be of use to those interested in Pittman’s art and personal life.