Photography in the Fine Arts (PFA) Exhibition V Collection

Collection

Identifier: MC 2212

Staff Only
Select files to request

Content Description

The collection contains photographic prints that were part of a traveling exhibition organized by the Photography in the Fine Arts (PFA) organization, for which E. Nobles Lowe was the lawyer. Also included are several folders of documents, including exhibition catalogs and correspondence, related to the PFA and its exhibits.

The collection contains 177 original photographic prints of 176 unique images; there are two prints of Thomas Nebbia's "Wales Chimney." Three prints from the original exhibition were not included in the donation: #2, Jack S. Andersson’s “Nude Asleep”; #23, Wynn Bullock’s “Rocks, Sea and Time”; and #93, Leon Kuzmanoff’s “The Chef.”

Dates

circa 1941-2005

Creator

Lowe, E. Nobles (Edwin Nobles), 1912-2015 (Owner, Person)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Conditions Governing Use

Use Restrictions Apply: Materials shall not be used for commercial purposes without the prior written approval of the International Center for Photography, Margaret B. Lowe, and any additional third-party rights holders.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical / Historical

The Photography in the Fine Arts (PFA) organization was founded by Ivan Dmitri (1900-1968) around 1956-1957, with the intent of presenting photography as a fine art equal to any other artistic medium. With the support of the Saturday Evening Post and others, Dmitri launched the first PFA exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 8, 1959. PFA V, the final exhibition hosted by the PFA, was on display between 1967-1968.

Extent

26.15 Linear Feet (14 boxes)

Additional Description

Arrangement

Items have been physically arranged by format; items in the finding aid are arranged by their original exhibit numbers, which were assigned alphabetically by photographer's last name. Three prints were not part of the donation, so there are no print numbers 2, 23, or 93.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Photography in the Fine Arts (PFA) Exhibition V Collection was donated to Special Collections by Margaret B. Lowe on behalf of the estate of her late husband, E. Nobles Lowe of Carmel, New York, on March 20, 2017.

E. Nobles Lowe had served as a legal representative of the PFA, and later of the estate of the PFA's founder, Ivan Dmitri. E. Nobles Lowe was born in Minturn, Arkansas, and was a graduate of the University of Arkansas.

Processing Information

Processed by Katrina Windon; completed July 2022.

Prints were originally stored in non-preservation-quality enclosures. Three prints (Items 5, 6, and 82) were re-framed in museum-quality frames by Scott Frame and Art in April 2018. Other prints were removed from their original enclosures by conservator Rebecca Elder in March 2022.