Vivian Louise Aunspaugh was born August 14, 1869 in Liberty [now Bedford City], Virginia to John Henry and Virginia Fields (Yancy) Aunspaugh. Her father, a cotton buyer, moved the family from Virginia to Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia while Vivian was a child. At sixteen she graduated from Shorter College in Rome, Georgia, where she demonstrated early artistic aptitude and was awarded the Excelsior Art Medal by the school. For the next few years, Vivian taught art and took instruction from several notable art schools and instructors, including the Art Students’ League in New York, where she studied with John Henry Twachtman, and in Paris, France with Alphonse Mucha. In 1890, Vivian returned from Europe and in the following year moved to Texas where she first taught art, French, and penmanship at McKinney College in McKinney, Texas. During the next few years she took on different assignments, including teaching at the Masonic Female College in Bonham, heading the art department at Patton Female Seminary in Dallas, and later, teaching decorative arts at St. Mary’s College, also in Dallas. In 1900, she exhibited her work at the Expo Universelle in Paris, France, where she received a gold medal.
In 1898, Aunspaugh joined fellow Dallas artist Clyde Giltner Chandler, also a teacher of art at St. Mary’s College, in establishing joint studio classes designed for those wanting to teach art in public school and as a four-year preparatory course for college. They offered instruction in painting, drawing, modeling, outdoor sketching, illustrating, cartooning, commercial art, decoration and design. In 1902, their school eventually became known as the Aunspaugh Art School and was located in the Dreyfuss Building on Main and Ervay Streets in downtown Dallas. The school is credited as the first art school in the Southwest to offer classes in fine and commercial art, including the use of live models, nude and draped. In 1903, Chandler received a scholarship from the Dallas Art Association to study for two years at the Chicago Art Institute. Vivian Aunspaugh stayed with the school, which later moved to 3509 Bryan Street in Dallas. Vivian Aunspaugh continued to teach art in Dallas for the next 57 years and remained active in Dallas civic duties throughout her life. From 1912 to 1932, she was leader of the art department and responsible for the annual exhibition of Texas artists at the Dallas Woman’s Forum and for many years was director of the Gamma Omicron Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, the young businesswomen’s sorority.
Almost immediately after World War II ended, Vivian Aunspaugh’s current and former students, and others interested in studying art, met on September 17, 1945 to establish the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club. According to club minutes, the main objective of the club was "to create an individual interest of art." It was decided to have a meeting and luncheon in the home of members on the third Monday of each month and to have an annual exhibition at the Joseph Sartor Galleries located on McKinney Avenue. At the following monthly meeting the officers of the club were installed which included a President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Parliamentarian, Sponsor [Vivian Aunspaugh], Publicity Secretary and included a Yearbook Committee, Social Committee, and a Program Committee. On March 21, 1946, the club’s first exhibition was held at the Joseph Sartor Galleries and in 1956 members exhibited their work at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Although Vivian Aunspaugh died on March 9, 1960, the club continued to meet through the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s membership began to dwindle, yet the club exhibited members’ work Feb. 14 – 19, 1980 at D-Art Gallery in Dallas. The club disbanded on May 17, 1986.
Source:
Davis, Ellis Arthur and Edwin H. Grobe, editors.
Fisk, Frances Battaile,
The Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club collection consists of archival materials that include clippings, correspondence, documents, ephemera, photographs, publicity, published works, and two matted photographs. The three Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club scrapbooks contain ephemera, correspondence, documents, magazine and newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, photographs, and yearbooks relating to club business and art exhibits, club members, and to the life and career of Vivian L. Aunspaugh.
The collection is organized alphabetically into 8 series:
This is one of the visual art collections in Bywaters Special Collections that concentrates on the art of Texas and the Southwest. Related materials are located in the Bywaters Special Collections of the Hamon Arts Library of Southern Methodist University.
Collection is open for research use. Appointment with curatorial staff at Hamon Library is required.
Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the staff of Jerry Bywaters Special Collections.
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.
This collection is indexed under the following terms in the Southern Methodist University Libraries' online catalog. Researchers desiring related materials may search the catalog using these terms.
Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club records, Jerry Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, Southern Methodist University.
Gift, Existing members of the Vivian Aunspaugh Art Club and Leola B. Moss, President and Custodian of the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club (1984 – 1985), 1994, 1998.
The Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club papers were donated to Bywaters Special Collections in 1994 (two gifts) and 1998 by existing members of the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club and Leola B. Moss, President and Custodian of the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club, 1984 – 1985.
The Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club papers were donated in three parts beginning in 1994. The contents of each gift were divided into separate archival files for clippings, correspondence, documents, ephemera, photographs, publicity, and published works. The newspaper clippings were copied onto acid-free paper and placed in the files. Two of the photographs were matted and housed in an archival museum case. Two additional photographs were placed in a flat archival storage box. The three scrapbooks were placed in flat archival boxes.
Processed by Ellen Buie Niewyk, 2010.
Ellen Buie Niewyk, 2010.
Lara Corazalla, 2010.
The one Clippings file contains 5 items from various publications, including the
The one Correspondence file contains approximately 34 letters that concentrate on business relating to the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club.
The sixteen Documents files contain approximately 30 items that relate to the club members and the social and business operation of the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club. Documents include guest books from Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club meetings, membership lists, club meeting minutes, and record books for membership dues.
The one Ephemera file contains 4 mailing envelopes sent to the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art
The three Photographs files, the two matted photographs, and the one flat box contain 22 photographs of the early days of the Aunspaugh Art School, events and members of the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club, and Miss Vivian Aunspaugh.
The one Publicity file contains 12 items relating to exhibition and gallery openings of Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club and other Dallas organizations and artists.
The one Published Works file contains 11 items; mainly the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club Yearbooks, dating from 1967 – 1985.
The three scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, correspondence, documents, ephemera, photographs, publicity, and yearbooks relating to the Vivian L. Aunspaugh Art Club and club members.