Florence B. Smithburn Sketchbooks, Mid-20th Century

Item Details

Florence Bartley Smithburn (American, 1904 – 1989)
Six sketchbooks with mostly African scenes, figure studies, and portraits, mid-20th century
Graphite, charcoal, pastel, and conté crayon on paper
Unsigned

Smithburn studied art at the John Herron Art School in Indianapolis, Indiana, before moving to Uganda for ten years where she portrayed 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

- sketches to most pages of each book with the largest and smallest being roughly half full; major toning throughout; embrittlement to pages with edge loss and tears; smudging across all media and transfer to verso of pages; binding loose to some notebooks with pages falling out; foxing to some pages and throughout the largest notebook; tears and loss to the edges of sheets; tears, abrasions, and wear to the covers and spines.

Dimensions

- measures largest book.

Item #

ITMG273771