Anna Catherine Wiley Sketches Collection
This collection is composed of approximately 150 sketches by Anna Catherine Wiley drawn during the early 20th Century. The pieces in this collection are from the early stages of Wiley's career, some while she was a student at the University of Tennessee. Along with a few original ink yearbook illustrations, there are numerous preliminary drawings and pencil sketches. The majority of the sketches were drawn by Wiley, but a small number are the work of Eleanor Wiley and Mary Grainger. Researchers should note that there are many pieces with sketches on both sides of the paper.
Dates
- undated
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
2 Linear Feet (3 flat boxes)
Abstract
This collection is composed of approximately 150 sketches by Anna Catherine Wiley drawn during the early 20th Century.
Biographical/Historical Note
Anna Catherine Wiley was born on January 9, 1879 to Edwin Floyd (1839-1919) and Mary Catharine (McAdoo) (1849-1926) Wiley in Anderson County, Tennessee. She was one of eight children, including Edwin Montgomery Wiley (1872-1924), Emma May Wiley (1874-1970), Eleanor McAdoo Wiley (1876-1977), Mary Virginia (Wiley) Letorey (1881-1970), John Earnest Wiley (1884-1975), Robert Alexander Wiley (1889-1966), and Noel Floyd Wiley (1890-1977). Anna Catherine "Kate" Wiley never married and died on May 16, 1958. She is buried with her family in Old Gray Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Though never gaining the experience necessary to bring wide recognition and lasting fame, Wiley's career is now regarded as that of an important early 20th century painter. After completing her studies at the University of Tennessee, Wiley left Knoxville to study at the Art Students League in New York, and spent several summers in New England painting with Robert Reid and other prominent artists. The experience in a thriving art center, and the exposure to the work of artists like Claude Monet and Mary Cassatt, must have been responsible for the new impressionistic quality her style began to reflect. Subsequently returning to her hometown of Knoxville, Wiley joined the University of Tennessee faculty as an art instructor, and continued to paint with an international flavor that led her to be grouped with a body of artists referred to as American Impressionists. Prior to her formal training in New York, Wiley, as a student at the University of Tennessee, was responsible for rendering many illustrations for the university's yearbook, the Volunteer.
Arrangement
This material is in three boxes. The collection is arranged by topic into six series and items are numbered sequentially:
- Series I: Portrait Studies in Pencil and in Charcoal
- Series II: Figure Drawings in Pencil and in Charcoal
- Series III: Other Types of Drawings in Various Media
- Series IV: Yearbook Illustrations in Ink
- Series V: Other Oversize Sketches
- Series VI: Materials Related to the Collection
Acquisition Note
The Anna Katherine Wiley Collection was a gift from Eleanor Wiley's heirs.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository