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Fred Rodgers and Dr. Francis Martin Jr. Collection, 1829-2006

 

Summary

Creator:
Martin, Francis John, Jr.
Abstract:
The Francis Martin Jr. and Fred Rodgers collection contains a plethora of art pieces, correspondence, and photographs that correlate with numerous artists. The art pieces have varying subjects which include many species of canaries, depictions of Black Americans (mostly created by Edward W. Kemble), and various Mexican landscapes by Pataky. A key piece is the portrait of Alexander Hamilton by William Sartain. Edward W. Kemble is mostly known for his artistical satire of Black Americans in the 19th Century. The collection also contains meticulously hand drawn comics by Charles Crumb and beautifully rendered art by Winslow Homer found in antique magazine issues of publications such as Appleton's Journal and Harper's Weekly. Dr. Francis Martin Jr's processes in collecting information regarding his thesis on Edward W. Kemble which includes many items of correspondence with Kemble's family can also be found in the collection.
Extent:
3.25 Linear Feet 8 Boxes, 1 Flat File, 3 Art Frames
Language:
The materials are written in English.
Preferred citation:

Fred Rodgers and Dr. Francis Martin Jr. Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection is itemized and arranged in alphabetical and chronological order.

Series I, Artwork, 1881-2006, Undated, contains various drawings, illustrations, paintings, and posters from many artists, but primarily from Edward W. Kemble. Art from other contributors such as Pataky, Joan Cromwell and Richard Caton Woodville are also present. Subjects of the drawings mostly include canaries, depictions of Black Americans and various Mexican landscape. An illustration of particular note is the portrait of Alexander Hamilton by William Sartain.

Series II, Personal Files, 1895-2005, Undated, contains correspondence mainly to the Kemble family concerning Edward W. Kemble's work, awards from the Wishaw Association, newspaper clippings, news releases, hand-drawn comics by Charles Crumb, post cards, exhibition flyers, catalogs, & posters, and written work which involves Francis Martin's Thesis, Book copyright, chapters and appendices. Christmas cards from the Kemble family and postcards from R. Crumb testifies to the fact that Francis Martin developed a relationship with the families while he conducted research for the thesis being written. Additionally, clippings that feature art by Edward W. Kemble and an article on Steve Lotz and his family can be seen. Original comics meticulously crafted and created by Charles Crumb can also be found here.

Series III, Photographs, 1829-1962, Undated, contains prints of various subjects but mainly comics hand-drawn by Charles Crumb, portraits, illustrations and museum pieces. Photos of very small writing give the impression of Charles Crumb practicing to write the dialog in the comics he created. Photos of various museum art by artists such as Edward W. Kemble and Winslow Homer. Portraits of Edward W. Kemble and his family are also here.

Series IV, Publications, 1858-1952, Undated, contains clippings and issues of various magazine publications that features art from various artists such as Edward Kemble and Winslow Homer. The art in these clippings show the meticulous nature that Winslow Homer used to create the pieces found within. Harper's Weekly, which seems to focus more on news of a political nature, makes up the majority of the publications collected.

Biographical / historical:

Francis Martin Jr. was a professor at UCF for several years. He wrote his master's thesis on the American illustrator Edward W. Kemble. Martin Jr. was also heavily interested in birds and had quite the collection of bird illustrations and drawings from artist A.F. Lydon. Martin Jr. received the Journal of Popular Culture's Top award, the Russel B. Nye award, for his contribution to the publication with his article "To Ignore is to Deny: E.W. Kemble's Racial Caricature as Popular Art." This award is named after the scholar who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944 and is awarded to the Journal's best published article each year. In 2009, Martin Jr. was credited as the mentor for Amanda C. Banacki who was an honorable mention in the Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence 2009 Winners.

Acquisition information:
Francis Martin Jr. donated these materials to the University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives in 2018 (CFM2018_15) and 2020 (CFM2020_02, CFM2020_03, CFM2020_16).
Processing information:

Marlon Ffrench processed the collection in 2021. Items are sorted based on the format and placed them in acid-free folders and boxes.

Arrangement:

This collection is itemized and arranged in alphabetical and chronological order.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The entire collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred citation:

Fred Rodgers and Dr. Francis Martin Jr. Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Location of this collection:
John C. Hitt Library
12701 Pegasus Drive, Building 2
Orlando
FL
32816-8030
USA