Andrew Dreselly papers, 1900-1981

Archives of American Art

Object Details

Creator
Dreselly, Andrew, 1893-1985
Subject
Angel, John
Cascieri, Arcangelo
Keen, Edgar
Kirchmayer, John
Pellegrini, Ernest
Place of publication, production, or execution
Other
Physical Description
1.3 Linear feet
Access Note / Rights
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary
Correspondence, notes, art works, clippings, and photographs document the sculptural projects, primarily for churches, undertaken by Andrew Dreselly and his colleagues.
Correspondence (1927-1972), primarily letters exchanged with sculptors, architects, and other colleagues, concerning sculpture projects; two pages of writings, and 2 drawings (one annotated) concerning the ornamentation of the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Va.; eight pencil outlines for crucifixion figures will related reproductions; an outline and 2 rubbings depicting a memorial stone for Katherine Sullivan (1938); and several clippings (1929-1933).
Photographs include one, taken by his son David, of Dreselly (ca. 1981) and prints and ca. 1000 unprinted negatives (1900-ca. 1960) of Dreselly's work and that of his colleagues, including John Angel, Arcangelo Cascieri, Edgar Keen, Johann Kirchmayer, and Ernest Pellegrini. Among the projects are the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, St. James Cathedral, and the Riverside Baptist Church in New York City; the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Va.; the Washington Cathedral in Washington, D.C.; and the East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Citation
Andrew Dreselly papers, 1900-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Biography Note
Sculptor, wood carver; Cambridge, Mass. Born in Cambridge to Bavarian immigrant parents. In 1907, he was apprenticed to Johann Kirchmayer at W. F. Ross Company, becoming foreman of the woodcarving and modeling shop upon Kirchmayer's retirement in 1921. During the 1920s and 1930s, Dreselly worked, through the Ross Company, on many large church projects in New York, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Boston. Ancangelo Cascieri was Dreselly's apprentice. In 1943, Dreselly moved to the Schwamb Company and from 1948 until his retirement in 1967, he was head of carving and modeling at Irving & Casson.
Language Note
English .
Provenance
Donated 1981 by Andrew Dreselly; a photograph of Dreselly was donated 1985 by his son, David Dreselly.
Location Note
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Record number
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9781
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212208
AAA_collcode_dresandr
Type
Drawings
Theme
Lives of artists
Archives of American Art
Topic
Carving (Decorative arts) -- United States
Church decoration and ornament -- United States
Theme
Lives of artists
Record ID
AAADCD_coll_212208
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply