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ODU Community Collections
3000 Perry LibraryWilliam B. Taylor Jr.
Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.
Collection is open to researchers without restrictions.
[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Norman Taylor, Jr
Gift. Accession #A81-4
Bertha Fanning Taylor was born on July 30, 1883 in New York City. She was the daughter of Spencer A. Fanning and Mary A. Switt. In 1889, she moved to Spotswood, New Jersey after her mother's death. In 1896, she attended Hunter College in New York. Upon graduation, Mrs. Taylor studied under Bryson Burroughs at the Women's Art School of Cooper Union in New York City where she received a certificate in 1903.
In 1908, Bertha Fanning married Norman Taylor who was Assistant Curator at the New York Botanical Gardens. The next year, Bertha Fanning Taylor and her husband went on a trip to the West Indies for botanical studies. In 1924, she went to Montpellier, France with her two daughters. From 1929-1933, Mrs. Taylor studied at L'Ecole du English-speaking groups at the Louvre and became assistant to the Art Editor in Paris for The American Herald. In this period, Mrs. Taylor exhibited many of her own works in major salons in Paris.
In 1933, Mrs. Taylor visited her daughter frequently in Rome and visited major art centers of Italy. At the outbreak of World War II, she lived for two months in Rome, but returned to the United States and lived in Greenwich Village.
Upon leaving New York in 1945, Mrs. Taylor came to Norfolk as Curator of the Sloane collection at the Heritage Foundation Museum. In 1948, she taught extension courses in art appreciation, art history, painting and drawing for the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary (presently Old Dominion University) until 1951. During this period Mrs. Taylor in 1950 began teaching classes in painting and drawing at the, Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, as well as classes at the YWCA until 1960. She then opened her own studio.
In 1963, Mrs. Taylor was awarded the medal of the Order of the Palmes Academique by the French government for efforts in the founding of Salon Francais of the Women's Club in Norfolk, In 1966, Mrs. Taylor had a one person show at the Norfolk Museum of Arts of Sciences of graphic work, including drawings, etchings and wood block prints.
Mrs. Taylor published two works. The first was in 1959 entitled Form and Feeling in-Painting and the second in 1968 entitled My Fifteen Years in France. From 1968 to 1977 Mrs. Taylor was very active in the Norfolk Women's Club and taught students on a personal basis.
In 1977 Mrs. Taylor sustained a fall and stayed in the hospital for many weeks and then lived at the Medi-Center nursing home until her death on July 3, 1980.
A long time friend of Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Benjamin F. Clymer of the Reference Department at Old Dominion University summarized Mrs. Taylor as, "Blue Blood, Blue Stocking, and True Blue with the brilliance of gold and the warmth of red."
Note written by Norman Taylor, Jr.
The collection contains literary productions, printed materials, correspondence, scrapbooks, charts, photographic materials, and memorabilia. Information in art and art forms is available in the collection. In addition to the artistic significance of the papers, the collection has a significance in the history of Norfolk, especially in the arts.
The collections is organized into seven series: Series I: Literary Productions; Series II: Printed Materials; Series III: Correspondence; Series IV: Scrapbooks; Series V: Charts; Series VI: Photographic Material; and Series VII: Memorabilia.
Publications by Bertha Fanning Taylor in the Libraries include: My fifteen years in France (Call #: ND237.T39 A3 1968) and Form and Feeling in Painting (Call #: ND1471 .T39 1959).
Series I is made up of the literary productions produced by Bertha Fanning Taylor, including notes, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, periodical clippings and reminiscences. Because of the nature of the collection, the series is arranged by subject.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 1, Artists, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 2, Art Styles, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 3, Book Notes, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 4, Greek Notes, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 5, History-Chronologies, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 6, Murals, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 7, Religion and Art, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 8, Sciences, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 9, Building Anew at Sixty Years in a Southern City; A Book of Memories by Bertha Fanning Taylor from 1939 to 1972: 12 Chapters-Chapters 1 and 2, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 10, Building Anew at Sixty Years in a Southern City; A Book of Memories by Bertha Fanning Taylor from 1939 to 1972: 12 Chapters-Chapters 3, 4, and 5, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 11, Building Anew at Sixty Years in a Southern City; A Book of Memories by Bertha Fanning Taylor from 1939 to 1972: 12 Chapters-Chapters 6 and 7, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 12, Building Anew at Sixty Years in a Southern City; A Book of Memories by Bertha Fanning Taylor from 1939 to 1972: 12 Chapters-Chapters 8, 9, and 10, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 13, Building Anew at Sixty Years in a Southern City; A Book of Memories by Bertha Fanning Taylor from 1939 to 1972: 12 Chapters-Chapters 11 and 12, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 14, French Primitive Painting, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 15, Letter to Editor, "Etchings by John Taylor Arms", undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 16, "Around the Art Galleries", Series of Articles by Bertha Fanning Taylor, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 17, "Thoughts on Painting," Short Autobiography, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains certificates, newspaper clippings, periodical clippings, programs, publications, circulars and brochures. The series is arranged by subject.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 18, Women's School of Art, New York, 1905 June 3, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 19, Clippings-Italian, 1939 July-1951 March, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 20, Clippings-French, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 21, Artists, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 22, Glass, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 23, Japanese Crown Prince Akihito, Elizabeth Gray Vining, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 1, Rembrandt, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 2, Van Dyck, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 3, Reviews, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 4, Sculpture, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 5, Mrs. Taylor, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 6, Obituaries, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 7, Miscellaneous, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 8, Miscellaneous, 1942-1966, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 9, Lectures Offered by Bertha Fanning Taylor, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 10, Exhibit Programs for Bertha Fanning Taylor, 1966-1977, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 11, Museum Schedules for France, 1934-1936, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 12, U.S. Museums, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 13, General, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 14, Color by Clara Dudley, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 15, Himself and I by Mary Sinton Leitch, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 16, La Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 1, The Life of Forms in Art by Henri Focillion, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 2, The Life of Michelangelo by Morgan, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 3, Rinue by Michaelangelo Buonarotti, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 4, Song in Their Hearts by Grace Shepherd Ferebee, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 5, Twenty-Five Poems by Adam Mickiewicz, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 6, Circulars-Pantheon Art Publication Prices, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 7, Brochures-"A Guide to Authors" C & P Telephone, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains letters, postcards and Christmas cards.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 8, Letters, Postcards, Christmas Cards, 1938-1950, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains many news clippings. Of special interest is a letter to Mrs. Taylor from Claudia Alta Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson.
Clippings and a letter to Mrs. Taylor from Claudia Alta Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 9, Green Bound Scrapbook, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series consists of charts that contain hand-drawn furniture styles.
[Identification of item and date], Box 3, Folder 10, Furniture Styles, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
The series consists of photographic prints and negatives, the bulk of which are of Mrs. Taylor's works in painting and drawing. The series is arranged chronologically.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 1, Paintings by Bertha Fanning Taylor, circa 1930-1939, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 2, Paintings by Bertha Fanning Taylor, 1946-1966, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 3, Mrs. Taylor and Friends, circa 1960-1969, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 4, Mrs. Taylor and Friends undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 5, Mexican Cities by Early Settlers, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains invitations, tickets, book marks, postcards and sketches, some of which may be by Mrs. Taylor.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 6, Art Premieres and Previews, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 7, Italy, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 8, Hand-Painted, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 9, Paintings, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 10, Two Untitled Sketches, undated, Bertha Fanning Taylor Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.