Jan de Swart papers, 1916-1994
Object Details
- Place of publication, production, or execution
- United States
- Physical Description
- 4.3 Linear feet
- Arrangement
- The collection is arranged as 6 series. Series 1: Correspondence, 1925-1991 (Box 1; 5 folders) Series 2: Invention Files, 1930-1980 (Box 1; 0.5 linear ft.) Series 3: Writings, 1920-1983 (Box 1; 0.3 linear ft.) Series 4: Printed Material, 1919-1994 (Boxes 2, 4; 0.3 linear ft.) Series 5: Miscellaneous Records, 1916-1989 (Boxes 2, 4; 14 folders) Series 6: Photographs, 1933-1987 (Boxes 2-4, OVs 5-14; 2.5 linear ft.)
- Access Note / Rights
- Use of original papers requires an appointment.
- Summary
- The papers of southern California sculptor and inventor Jan de Swart measure 4.3 linear feet and are dated 1916-1994. They consist of correspondence, records concerning de Swart's inventions, writings, printed material, miscellaneous records, and photographs.
- Citation
- Jan de Swart papers, 1916-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
- Use Note
- The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
- Biography Note
- Jan de Swart (1908-1987) was a sculptor and inventor that lived and worked primarily in southern California.
- Jan de Swart was born in Breda, Holland in 1908. At age 13, he began a five-year apprenticeship in the atelier of Master Yonkers in S'Hertgenbosch, run by a famous carver of ecclesiastical sculpture and furniture, and then completed compulsory military service before emigrating to the United States in 1929.
- During his early years in California, de Swart worked as a furniture maker. He prospected for gold in Arizona, and lived in an artists' colony at Calabasas, California, during the 1930s, eventually settling in Eagle Rock, outside of Los Angeles, where he remained for the rest of his life. In the 1940s, he devoted himself to sculpture in wood, metal, and plastic, and participated in many exhibitions. His many commissions included murals, jewelry, furniture, and sculptured screens in a wide variety of media.
- In addition, de Swart was an inventor who held over 100 scientific patents. Many of his inventions were for rivets, grommets, and other types of fasteners used for ships, aircraft, and machinery; he also developed a strong, honey-combed core material that was used for a variety of structural purposes.
- He died in 1987 after suffering a heart attack.
- Language Note
- English .
- Provenance
- Gift of the artist's son, Jock de Swart, in 1996, with an addition received in 2001.
- Location Note
- Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
- Data Source
- Archives of American Art
- Record number
- (DSI-AAA_CollID)6632
- (DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215944
- AAA_collcode_deswjan
- Creator
- De Swart, Jan, 1908-1987
- Subject
- De Swart, Ursula
- Type
- Manuscripts
- Slides (photographs)
- Visitors' books
- Patents
- Drawings
- Essays
- Photographs
- Notes
- Blueprints
- Theme
- Lives of artists
- Topic
- Inventors -- California -- Los Angeles
- Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles
- Modernism (Art)
- Theme
- Lives of artists
- Record ID
- AAADCD_coll_215944
