A Day in the Life: Artists’ Diaries from the Archives of American Art – September 26, 2014 to February 28, 2015, Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery, 8th and F Streets, NW, Washington DC.
Margaret True’s diary, including these pages will be displayed in “A Day in the Life” exhibit
One of the diaries included in this exhibit is Allen’s mother Margaret Tupper True’s (1858-1926) diary. The majority of entries are written by Margaret, a few by True’s father Henry Alphonso (1837-1925) and other family members (identified as “Grandma” and “Auntie Min”). His mother faithfully recorded developmental milestones, illnesses, and other events from her son’s early years and pasted or inserted into the diary two photographs of Allen as a baby, a lock of his hair, a cyanotype of Franklin School in El Paso, Texas, a ribbon, and a leaf. The diary forms part of Allen Tupper True and True family papers, 1841-1987 in the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.
The Archives’ description of the exhibit: “Reading an artist’s diary is the next best thing to being there. Direct and private, diaries provide firsthand accounts of appointments made and met, places seen, and work in progress—all laced with personal ruminations, name-dropping, and the occasional sketch or doodle. Whether recording historic events or simple day-to-day moments, these diary entries evoke the humanity of these artists and their moment in time.”
Margaret True’s diary, including these pages will be displayed in “A Day in the Life” exhibit
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