Pauline A. Pinckney Papers

An Inventory of the Collection

Biographical Note

Pauline A. Pinckney was born in 1889 in Austin, Texas, to Pauline Mellette and Theodore Frelinghuysen Pinckney, and was one of six children. Her siblings included Stephen L. Pinckney (1887-1949) and Sallie Pinckney (1893-1970). Pauline Pinckney earned her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Texas in 1917 and later obtained a master's degree from Columbia University. Over the course of her career, she served as an instructor of art and design at Texas Woman's College (now Texas Wesleyan), Southern Methodist University, Purdue University, and Kansas State College. During the Great Depression she served as Assistant Director of Research for the Index of American Design, part of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, where she researched such topics as early American furniture, textile arts, and decorative arts.

In 1940, Pinckney published her first book, American Figureheads and Their Carvers, which was praised for its thorough coverage of a previously undocumented art form. During World War II, Pinckney contributed her writing skills to the war effort as an Editorial Assistant for the Storage Division of the War Department.

After the war and into the 1960s, Pinckney's interest in woodcarving continued, resulting in several published articles and an unpublished manuscript titled "The American Tobacconist or the Sign of the Indian Chief". She organized a photographic exhibit of American figureheads at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in 1948 and later served as Folk Art Consultant for the museum (circa 1955-1961). Her interests later expanded to include early Texas painting, which led to her 1967 book Painting in Texas: The Nineteenth Century, published by University of Texas Press and sponsored by the Amon Carter Museum. Painting in Texas filled a gap in art historical research, covering the work and lives of 50 Texas painters. Several organizations such as the Austin Heritage Society and the Texas Institute of Letters honored Pinckney with awards for her book.

Pinckney spent her childhood and later years in Austin but lived many years in New York and Washington, D.C. She died on October 25, 1982, in Austin and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Contents

The Pauline A. Pinckney Papers span the years 1918-1971 with the bulk of the materials dating from 1930-1971. Created and collected by Pauline A. Pinckney, the documents include correspondence, creative works, reports, printed material, and photographic material. The collection is arranged into six series: Personal; Professional - Research and Writing; Professional - Positions; Photographs; Stephen L. Pinckney; and Sallie Pinckney.

The Personal series comprise correspondence dating from 1938 to 1971 (and undated) as well as resumes, travel notes, and a guestbook.

The Professional - Research and Writings series contains materials collected during Pinckney's research, correspondence, and writings on American woodcarving, specifically ship figureheads and cigar store figures, as well as material relating to her writings on 19th century Texas painters, American cabinetmakers, printmaking, and mural painting. Also included are awards she received for her publications.

The Professional - Positions series contain administrative records, reports, notes, and publicity from her time as Assistant Director of Research at the Index of American Design; materials from her time as Editorial Assistant at the Storage Division of the War Department in 1944; correspondence and notes from her position as Folk Art Consultant at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts; correspondence and notes from her work with the Texas State Historical Survey Committee; and course proposals and workshop notes.

The Photograph series includes images of paintings and carvings used in her research and publications. Of interest are a set of black-and-white photographs of a Texas Rural Communities, Inc. project creating model farming communities in the Trinity, Texas area during the 1930s.

The final two series contain legal documents and financial information pertaining to her brother Stephen L. Pinckney (1887-1949) and her sister Sallie M. Pinckney (1893-1970).

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Use Restrictions

The Austin History Center (AHC) is the owner of the physical materials in the AHC collections and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the AHC before any publication use. The AHC does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Related Material

Return to the Table of Contents

Separated Material

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Pauline A. Pinckney Papers (AR.R.015). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, Texas.

Acquisition Information

Donor #:DO/1966/039

Donation Date: 1980

Processing Information

Original Processing and Finding Aid By/Date: Rebecca Brooks, Joanna Cook, Shannon Jarrett, and Melinda Johnson/1999.

Final Processing By/Date: Ruth Baker/2000.

Finding Aid Updated By/Date: Molly Hults and Kelly Hanus/2017.

Return to the Table of Contents

Detailed Description of the Collection

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents