The collection is open for research.
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Visit the Center for Oral History Research at UCLA for more information.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Streeter Blair Oral History Transcript, Ms1975-008, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Streeter Blair Oral History Transcript was donated to Special Collections in March 1984.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Streeter Blair Oral History Transcript commenced and was completed in May, 2012.
Streeter Blair was born in Cadmus, Kansas in 1888. After graduating from Kansas University, he moved to Sabatha, Kansas, where he married Camille Hook in 1913. The couple would have two children. Blair served as principal of Sabatha's high school while teaching English and Latin and coaching the football team. Later, he opened a clothing business, then operated a successful advertising agency. After moving to Los Angeles, the Blairs opened a successful antiques business. Blair's art career began around 1948. With no formal training, Blair nostalgically recalled in his works day-to-day life in rural and small town America. Streeter Blair died in Los Angeles on November 3, 1966.
This collection consists of the transcript from a 23-hour oral history interview of American primitive artist Streeter Blair, conducted by Elizabeth I. Dixon and Donald J. Schippers (under the auspices of the Oral History Program of the University of California Los Angeles). The transcript, titled "Primitive Painter of the West," focuses on Blair's youth and education in Kansas as well as his careers in education, advertising, and art. Containing more than 800 pages and several illustrations, the transcript is divided into two volumes and is fully indexed. A small collection of Blair-related printed materials accompanies the transcript and includes a brochure for a 1967 Blair retrospective exhibition.
The original of the oral history interview of Streeter Blair is at the Center for Oral History Research at UCLA and is available online.
The guide to the Streeter Blair Oral History Transcript by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).