Alphonse Mucha, 1729-1978 (bulk, 1850-1978)
Series
Scope and Content
From the Collection:
The collection revolves around the internationally recognized sculptor and longtime resident of Santa Fe -- Eugenie Fredericka Shonnard. The bulk of the collection is from the mid-nineteenth century to the late 1970s. The collection is arranged both topically and chronologically. Biographical sketches precede those individuals whose papers comprise a significant portion of the overall collection.
Collection consists of letters, diaries, ledgers, clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, business and financial documents. Collection also includes the papers of her husband Edward Gordon Ludlum, her father Frederic Shonnard, her mother Eugenie Smyth Shonnard, her friend and mentor Alphonse Mucha, and her friend Pedro Ribera Ortega. Among the Shonnard family's papers are genealogies and family histories of the Shonnard, Smyth, and Seymour families.
Collection consists of letters, diaries, ledgers, clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, business and financial documents. Collection also includes the papers of her husband Edward Gordon Ludlum, her father Frederic Shonnard, her mother Eugenie Smyth Shonnard, her friend and mentor Alphonse Mucha, and her friend Pedro Ribera Ortega. Among the Shonnard family's papers are genealogies and family histories of the Shonnard, Smyth, and Seymour families.
Dates
- 1729-1978 (bulk, 1850-1978)
Language of Materials
From the Collection:
English.
Access Restrictions
None
Biographical / Historical
Alphonse Mucha (8-24-1860 to 7-14-1939) was born in Ivancice, Moravia. He began his education in Brno, Moravia and continued it in Vienna. He studied art in Munich (1883 to 1888) and in Paris (1888 to 1889). In 1894 Mucha was commissioned to design a poster advertising Sarah Bernhardt's operatic appearance in Gismonda. Bernhardt liked Mucha's work so much that she gave him a six year contract to execute other posters and design stage sets, costumes and jewelry. Additional commissions for posters and magazine illustrations soon followed. Mucha then became the main exponent of a new artistic style known as "Art Nouveau." Between 1903 and 1922 Mucha made four trips to the United States. He taught at the New York School of Applied Design for Women, secured an American patron to subsidize his "Slav Epic" series of twenty large murals (1912-1930) and received lavish praise for his one man show at the Brooklyn Museum (1921-1922). Mucha returned to Czechoslovakia in 1922 where he continued to paint and design banknotes and postage stamps for his country. Mucha died in Prague preceding his wife, Maruska; son, Jiri; and daughter, Jaroslava.
Extent
From the Collection: 12 Linear Feet
Repository Details
Part of the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library Repository
Contact:
Fray Angélico Chávez History Library
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Ave
Sante Fe NM 87501 USA
(505) 476-5090
historylibrary@state.nm.us
Fray Angélico Chávez History Library
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Ave
Sante Fe NM 87501 USA
(505) 476-5090
historylibrary@state.nm.us