Anne Louise D'Olive Papers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of a wide variety of materials gathered by Anne Louise D'Olive.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1930-1980
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
Anne Louise D'Olive was born on October 5, 1907, the fourth child of Leila and Rudolph D'Olive. As a child, Anne Louise lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with her parents, two elder sisters, Agnes and Beulah, and her elder brother, Charles. Her father was a saw filer at a local lumber mill. In 1920 at the age of twenty-one her eldest sister Agnes worked as a bank clerk at the First National Bank. Anne Louise's elder brother, Charles, was born in Suggesville, Alabama and served as a pilot in World War I. He was flight Commander of the 141st Air Squadron, 4th Pursuit Group at Toul Airdrome in France. After the war he left the service and became vice president of the Chamberlain Corporation in Waterloo, Iowa.
Anne attended Hattiesburg High School and graduated in 1924. After graduation she enrolled at the newly renamed Mississippi State Teachers College in Hattiesburg, which had formerly been known as Mississippi Normal College. Here she studied in the new Fine Arts Division under the direction of Mrs. Elizabeth Cunningham, who was to have a great influence on her choice of career. As a senior in 1927 she was a member of the World Affairs Club and was also featured as a campus beauty in the student annual of that year, "Neka Camon". In the annual, Anne Louise was described as an "alluring brunette with dark dreamy eyes and a charming smile. She is an excellent student with a fine, noble character."
After receiving a B.S. degree in 1927, D'Olive taught English at the Williamsburg Consolidated School in Collins, Mississippi. In June 1928 she returned to the State Teachers College and worked as an assistant in the Fine Arts Division. Between 1929 and 1930 she engaged in graduate work at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1934 she received a Masters Degree from the Teachers College of Columbia University.
By this time D'Olive had taken over for her mentor, Elizabeth Cunningham, as the head of the Fine Arts Division. She held this position until 1948 when Walter J. Lok became head of the Art Department in the Division of Art and Music under Frank Earl Marsh. D'Olive remained an assistant professor in the Art Department until her retirement in 1966. After she retired she was made Assistant Professor Emeritus of Art in recognition of her thirty-eight years of service to the University.
As a faculty member D'Olive was active in campus life. In 1953 she served as faculty director of the Women's Faculty Club and was involved in the Art and Courtesy Faculty Committees in the fifties. After her retirement D'Olive joined the U.S.M. Retired Faculty Club. She was also an enthusiastic member of the Alumni Association, and participated in the golden reunion of the class of 1927 in 1977.
Beyond the campus D'Olive was heavily involved in the Mississippi art community. From 1938 to 1944 she was chair of the Art Section of the Mississippi Education Association. In 1940 she was instrumental in the founding of the Hattiesburg Art Association, and served as its president from 1940 to 1967. During her presidency she coordinated numerous art exhibits featuring the works of students, as well as that of Hattiesburg, State, and Southern artists. In 1941 she attended the Dixie Art Colony and during she World War II organized art supplies for the recreation of the servicemen stationed at Camp Shelby.
D'Olive was also an active member of the Mississippi Folklore Society. In 1971 she was chairman of the Local Legends Committee, and in 1973 the Society published her poem "Cemetery Cedars," in the "Mississippi Folklore Register". A year later D'Olive had another poem, entitled "Bondage," published in The Lyric. She was also a member of the John Rolfe Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Mississippi Historical Society, and she attended the Parkway Heights Methodist Church in Hattiesburg.
Anne Louise D'Olive died on September 4, 1982 after a brief illness. Her funeral was officiated by her nephew, the Rev. R.E. Price. She was also survived by her two sisters, Mrs. R.T. Davis of Hattiesburg and Mrs. R.E. Price of Corinth Mississippi; two nieces, Mrs. M. Alexander of mar del Plata, Argentina, and Mrs. John Mozena of Grosse Point Farms, Michigan. Her elder brother Charles died in July 1974.
Extent
2.80 Cubic Feet : MC1/D7
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
These items express D'Olive's personal and professional interests, and the collection has been arranged into 12 series that reflect these areas:
Series
1. D'Olive Sketchbooks and Artwork.
2. Hattiesburg Art Association.
3. Mississippi Folklore Society.
4. Personal Items.
5. Student Artwork.
6. USM: Individuals; Events; and Items of Personal Interest to D'Olive.
7. USM: Fine Arts Presentations.
8. Magazine and Newspaper Articles Pertaining to Self-Help and Fashion in the 1940 and 1950s.
9. Mississippi Artists, 1950s to 1970s.
10. Southern Writers.
11. Southern Art Presentations.
12. Books of Personal Significance to D'Olive.
The collection begins with nine of D'Olive's sketchbooks, dating from her 1934 work for a Masters Degree and continuing through the 1970s. The second series covers her long presidency of the Hattiesburg Art Association. It includes two scrapbooks from this organization. The first contains newspaper clippings dating from 1940 to 1950, which have been photocopied for preservation purposes. The second scrapbook spans her entire presidency from 1940 to 1967. It includes a variety of material, such as membership lists; correspondence; newspaper clippings; and promotional literature for exhibits. In addition, there are also exhibit flyers and photographs of works by local artist John Kolb, which she had kept with the scrapbooks.
The third series consists of items gathered by D'Olive while she was a member of the Mississippi Folklore Society. These items are from the late 1960s and 1970s, and include copies of the "Mississippi Folklore Register"; programs of the society's annual meetings; information on Mississippi folklore and history, including a bibliography; correspondence; and newspaper clippings.
The strength of D'Olive's affiliation with the University is reflected in series 4 through 7. Series 4 consists of personal items, a few of which refer to her family, but the majority relate to faculty members she was associated with. The next series includes student artwork that D'Olive kept, which consists of originals and photographs. Although most are unsigned and undated, it appears that the majority date from the 1930s and 1940s with a few from the 1970s. Series 6 includes various items pertaining to University that D'Olive gathered, such as photographs and Alumni Association material. In addition to these items series 7 consists of programs for, and clippings about, cultural events that were sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts.
D'Olive was clearly an avid hoarder of articles from magazines and newspapers that caught her eye. Series 8 consists of self-help and fashion articles from the 1940s and 1950s. However, those clippings of a miscellaneous nature that can readily be obtained elsewhere, such as biographies of movie stars, were removed from the collection.
D'Olive also gathered articles about Mississippi and Southern artists. Series 9 consists of magazine and newspaper articles, dating from the 1950s through the 1970s, about Mississippi artists and performers. The next series contains articles about notable Southern writers and a program from the Deep South Writers and Artists Conference that she attended in 1967
In addition to articles about local artists, D'Olive also collected flyers and promotional literature for exhibits sponsored by the Mississippi Art Association and the Lauren Rogers Library and Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi. These items, along with catalogs and pamphlets for Southern art exhibits and artists, constitute series 11.
The last series brings together the art books that influenced D'Olive. Some volumes were removed from the collection, but those publications that were annotated and clearly well loved were retained.
The Anne Louise D'Olive Papers afford insight into Mississippi art and artists spanning the period from the 1930s through the 1980s. More specifically, they are a valuable resource for research into the Hattiesburg Art Association. In addition, the collection provides information on Mississippi history and folklore, and the Mississippi Folklore Society. For those interested in the history of the University of Southern Mississippi, especially the Fine Arts Department, this collection is useful due to D'Olive's long affiliation with the University. Finally, from a social perspective her papers highlight attitudinal concerns in the 1940s and 1950s, reflected in her collection of articles on self-help and fashion.
Provenance
This collection was donated by Rev. R.E. Price, nephew of D'Olive, in 1982.
Photograph Log
8 X 10 B&W 1947
Photogarph of oil painting by John Kolb, Hattiesburg artist, part of art exhibit by Hattiesburg Art Association, October 6-24, 1947. Shows a figure crouched on the floor.
M269-2 Painting, Local Artist
8 X 10 B&W 1947
Photograph of oil painting by John Kolb, Hattiesburg artist, part of an art exhibit by Hattiesburg Art Association, October 6-24, 1947. Shows a figure playing violin.
M269-3 Painting, Local Artist
8 X 10 B&W 1946
Photograph of painting by John Kolb, Hattiesburg artist, dated 1946. Part of art exhibit by Hattiesburg Art Association, October 6-24, 1947. Shows a figure balancing a ball.
M269-4 Painting, Local Artist
6 1/2 X 10 B&W 1947
Photograph of painting by John Kolb a Hattiesburg Artist, dated 1947. Part of an art exhibit by the Hattiesburg Art Association, October 6-24, 1947. Picture shows figure lying down with vines growing out of it. Inscription: “Ye shall make flowers grow” by John Kolb. Held for Miss D’Olive. Not for Display
M269-5 Delora Hanel (Miss), Instructor of Drawing & Manual Training
3 1/2 X 5 B&W Ca. 1915
Portrait of Miss Hanel. Instructor of Drawing and Manual Training Mississippi Normal College. Born 1882, died July 31, 1959. Described as instrumental in Anne Louise's decision to make art her career.
M269-6 Elizabeth Cunningham (Mrs.), Head of Department of Fine Arts
1 3/4 X 2 1/4 B&W Ca. 1900
Mounted portrait of Mrs Elizabeth Cunningham who was head of the Fine Arts Dept. The photograph is initialed. Accompanying note describes Cunningham as instrumental in D'Olive's choice of art as her "life's work."
M269-7 Anna Evans George, Music Faculty MS Southern
4 1/2 X 6 B&W Ca. 1940s
Portrait of Anne E. George at piano, mounted on card with music "Blue Distance" below the photo. Above photo is inscription: "to my friend Annie Louise D'Olive." George was on music faculty from 1938, she died in 1955.
M269-8 Helen Janet McDonald
3 1/2 X 5 Color ca. 1970s
Helen Janet McDonald, 600 West Calle Serville, Tucson Arizona, 85706. Undated snapshot of woman on crutches. Undetermined relationship to D'Olive.
M269-9 Carl Oswell and grandchildren
3 1/2 X 5 color ca. 1970s
Carl Oswell and grandchildren, Kristen and Glenn Ducoter with dog called Mabel (21 yrs old). Snapshot outside home, appears to be 600 West Calle Sevilla, Tucson, Arizona.
M269-10 Marjorie, Tod and Mary Frances
3 1/2 X 3 1/2 color 1967
1967 snapshot. Shows D'Olive seated with Marjorie Jackson Pasche (sp?) and Tod and Mary Frances standing behind.
M269-11 Female Portrait, unidentified
8 X 6 1/2 B&W Ca. 1930s
Female, unidentified, possibly in her mid-30s. Originally mounted on card in cellophane folder. At left hand corner is a small picture of a man (M 269-12), and at right hand corner is a small picture of a young girl called Sherry, age 9 (M 269-13). Photo removed from mount.
M269-12 Man, unidentified
2 1/2 X 1 1/4 B&W Ca. 1930s
Male, outside building in winter coat and hat. Small photo originally at left hand corner of large female portrait (M269-11). Removed from mount.
M269-13 Young Girl, Unidentified
2 1/2 X 1 1/4 B&W 1947
Young girl, fair hair, standing on steps of a building in a summer dress. Photo originally at right hand corner of large portrait of female (M269-11). Photo removed from mount. Inscription: Sherry 9 yrs, Oct 8, 1947
M269-14 Female (unidentified) playing electric organ
9 1/4 X 7 1/2 B&W Ca. 1930s
Unidentified female playing electric organ. Originally mounted on card on verso of M 269-11. Probably 1n her mid 30s. Photo removed from mount.
M269-15 Watching Army Band Parade
7 1/4 X 5 B&W Ca. 1920s
Back view of two soldiers reviewing a military band from a parade stand. Unidentified.
M269-16 Student Artwork: Marionette
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photograph of the "hangman" from Punch and Judy. Note says hands unfinished. D'Olive student's artwork.
M269-17 Student Artwork: Marionette
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of the "Policeman" from Punch and Judy. Note says hands unfinished. D'Olive students' artwork.
M269-18 Student Artwork: Marionette
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of unidentified puppet. D'Olive students' artwork.
M269-19 Student Artwork: Marionette
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Puppet "Third Shepherd" by Ida Mae Farish. For "The Nativity" performed by Department of Fine Arts.
M269-20 Student Artwork: Marionette
8 X 10 B&W Undated
"Mean Old Woman" puppet from an undisclosed play. Note says that model is 18 inches tall. D'Olive students' artwork.
M269-21 Student Artwork: Marionette
8 X 10 B&W 1936
Hansel and his dog "Prince." Puppets by Mary Lou Steade and Bill Kert, for a production of "Hansel and Gretel" directed by Anne Louise D'Olive, Dept of Fine Arts, December 11, 1936. Note says puppet was 24 inches tall.
M269-22 Student Art Display
8X10; 4X5 B&W 1939
Photo of drawing by Leah Blackwelder, D'Olive student, called "Night Must Fall." Picture was chosen for a student art display in Hattiesburg Public Library in 1939.
M269-23 Student Artwork, 1939
8X10; 4X5 B&W July, 1939
Photo of drawing by E. Whyte, D'Olive student, entitled "Lady in Waiting, a study from the H&S.L. Railway Station."
M269-24 Student Artwork, 1939
8X10; 4X5 B&W July 1939
Photo of still life painting by Folsie Evans, D'Olive student.
M269-25 Student Artwork, 1939
8X10; 4X5 B&W July, 1939
Photo of still life painting by Mamie E. Pendarvis, student of D'Olive.
M269-26 Student Artwork, 1939
4 X 5 B&W 1939
Photo of Homecoming poster by D'Olive student.
M269-27 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of papier-mâché models of clowns and a horse. Work of unidentified D'Olive student.
M269-28 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of papier-mâché models, a goat and a troll by unidentif1ed D'Olive student.
M269-29 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of leaf design from D'Olive Design Class. Unidentified.
M269-30 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of plates made in D'Olive Design Class. Unidentif1ed.
M269-31 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of chalk board picture of a wagon train. Picture also shows its female artist. Unidentified.
M269-32 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of soap carvings from D'Olive Art Fundamentals Class. Unidentified.
M269-33 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of "Rabbit and Owl" a story illustration from D'Olive Drawing and Painting Class. Unidentified.
M269-34 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of three papier-mâché figures against a black background. Unidentified.
M269-35 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student's drawing showing a bent over ragged old man with a stick walking towards a gate. Unidentified.
M269-36 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of picture of the USM Administration Building. Unsigned.
M269-37 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student drawing entitled "California" by Clariee Beggerly.
M269-38 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student drawing by John Blamie Mashburn. Shows a stick figure of a cowboy fallen off a horse with a grin.
M269-39 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of a model of a black cat with a bow at its neck. Unidentified.
M269-40 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of papier-mâché goat. Unidentified.
M269-41 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of a poster for a pre-thanksgiving dance. Dance at college Gymnasium. Unsigned.
M269-42 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of a student picture entitled "La F (T?) nica" by Mrs. Edmond Chester (Anna Mary Picket). Note on verso states "scene characteristic of India by a student who had lived there."
M269-43 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of a student's "free brush drawing" showing a mouse. Unidentified.
M269-44 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student's "free brush drawing" of a mouse crouching. Unidentified.
M269-45 Student Artwork: General
8 X10 B&W Undated
Photo of student picture entitled "Mammy" by O.L. Breland.
M269-46 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student picture entitled "View from 28th Ave," by Mary Lou Steede (Mrs. J.O. Burns).
M269-47 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student artwork from the Design Class, entitled "Batik Wall Hanging for Child's Room."
M269-48 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student artwork showing a floral design. Unidentified.
M269-49 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student artwork entitled "All Over pattern," from the Design Class. The actual silkscreen is also in the collection.
M269-50 Student Artwork: General
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of student artwork entitled, "Abstract," from the Design Class. Actual picture in collection.
M269-51 USM: Items of Interest
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of Lake Byron.
M269-52 USM: Items of Interest
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of drawing of an aerial view of the USM campus. Trolly car on Hardy Street gives some clue to age.
M269-53 USM: Items of Interest
8 X 10 B&W Undated
Photo of Administration Building.
M269-54 USM: Items of Interest
8 X10 B&W Undated
Photo of four men, three in uniform. Man in civilian clothes possibly J.B. George, USM president during WWII. On verso says photo provided by Army Signal Corps.
- Title
- Anne Louise D'Olive Papers
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345
