Woody Guthrie’s Artwork Collection

Collection Guide prepared by:

Woody Guthrie Publications staff; updated by Kate L. Blalack, Archivist

Date Range:

1939-1950s

Extent:

21 Linear Feet (6 map case drawers)

Provenance:

Marjorie Guthrie & Harold Leventhal

Scope and Contents:

Drawings and watercolors by Woody Guthrie, his families and friends. Works are in pencil, pen or brush and ink, watercolor, finger paint, and pastel. The earliest works are drawings for his column “Woody Sez” (ca. 1939) and the latest are watercolor and fingerpaint works from the mid 1950s.

Language:

Materials entirely in English and some has no linguistic content.

Collection Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Usage Restrictions:

All material is copyrighted by Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc.

Arrangement:

Drawings are arranged into groups based on projects (e.g. “Bound for Glory”), or by medium and date. The groups based on media may have originated in the same tablet/portfolio (e.g. “Art Works,” 1951), or have additional stylistic or subject connections. Groups are placed in an order that approximates the original order as much as possible, using numbering, lettering or dates on the item. Items with drawings on recto and verso list recto drawing first, followed by drawing on verso. Drawings on versos are not included in the counts below in the Container list.

List of Series:

Series 1: Woody Sez Illustrations

Series 2: This is the Hand

Series 3: Dewey, Voters Registration

Series 4: Daily Almanac/Hard Hitting

Series 5: [Almanac era drawings]

Series 6: Portraits & caricatures

Series 7: Bound for Glory

Series 8: [Merchant Marine drawings]

Series 9: [Illustrations for “Sea” Manuscript]

Series 10: Drawings on long paper

Series 11: Army drawings

Series 12: So Long lyrics

Series 13: Works Songs to Grow On

Series 14: Sacco and Vanzetti drawings

Series 15: Drawings and Watercolors

Series 16: Pencil drawings and ink

Series 17: Practical Drawing tablet #1

Series 18: Practical Drawing tablet #2

Series 19: Drawings by WG and Cathy

Series 20: Crayons and pastels on construction paper

Series 21: Watercolor/construction paper/no

Series 22: Watercolor/construction paper

Series 23: Drawings, Coney Island, NYC

Series 24: Drawings of family

Series 25: What a beautiful world (1)

Series 26: What a beautiful world (2)

Series 27: What a beautiful world (3)

Series 28: [Drawings made in Los Angeles]

Series 29: Art Work (Rich Art Sketch)

Series 30: Art Works [Tablet]

Series 31: Kids songs illustrations

Series 32: Rina

Series 33: [fingerpaint?]

Series 34: Drawings by Jack Elliot

Series 35: Drawings by Cathy Guthrie

Series 36: Drawings by Arlo Guthrie

Series 37: Portraits by various artists

Series 38: Drawings by various people

Series 39: Drawings by Anneke Guthrie

Container List: