Oliver Frazer family papers

Abstract

The Oliver Frazer family papers (dated 1811-1918, undated; 0.9 cubic feet; 2 boxes, 1 folder) comprise correspondence, accounts, a ledger, and ephemera documenting Kentucky painter Oliver Frazer's tour through Europe in the 1830s as well as the lives of his wife and daughters following his death.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Oliver Frazer family papers
Date
1811-1918, undated
Creator
Frazer, Oliver, 1808-1864
Extent
0.9 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Artists--Kentucky.
Correspondence.
Medicine--Kentucky.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into ten series: Oliver Frazer; James Frazer; Martha B. Frazer; Nancy Frazer; Bessie Frazer; Fanny Frazer; Kate Frazer; Nannie Frazer; Assorted; and Photocopies.
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Megan Mummey
Preferred Citation
1997ms253: [identification of item], Oliver Frazer family papers, 1811-1918, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Kentucky artist, Oliver Frazer (1808-1864) was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to Alexander and Nancy Frazer. Frazer. One of the three most celebrated antebellum Kentucky portrait painters, Frazer studied art with Matthew Jouett in 1825, Thomas Sully in Philadelphia in the late 1820s, and with Thomas Coture and Baron Antoine-Jean Gros in France from 1834-1835. From 1835-1836, Frazer toured European art museums. He returned to Lexington in 1838 and painted portraits of many famous Kentuckians including Richard Meneffee, Joel T. Hart, and Henry Clay. He married Margaret Bell Mitchell (1816-1903), the niece of Matthew Jouett, in 1838; they had seven children including Bessie (1841-1910), Fanny (1846-1878), Kate (1847-1921), Nannie (b. 1848), and Florence (1854-1861).
Scope and Content
The Oliver Frazer family papers (dated 1811-1918, undated; 0.9 cubic feet; 2 boxes, 1 folder) comprise correspondence, accounts, a ledger, and ephemera documenting Kentucky painter Oliver Frazer's tour through Europe in the 1830s as well as the lives of his wife and daughters following his death. The papers primarily consist of letters from Oliver Frazer to his mother Nancy Frazer as well as correspondence with his uncle Robert Frazer and his brother James Frazer (b. 1813). Other correspondence consists of letters sent to Frazer's wife, Martha Bell Frazer and daughters, Bessie, Fanny, Kate, and Nannie. The letters from Frazer to his mother document his time in Philadelphia studying under Thomas Sully in 1828; his time studying art in Paris from 1834-1835; and his tour of European art from 1835-1836. In the letter dated September 14, 1835, Frazer notes "I have been visiting the pictures about the city...and I say to you what I would not say to anyone else that I felt myself equal to anything I saw there...In fact the painters in this city are not near so good as they are in Philadelphia." Additionaly, items of interest include accounts relating to Oliver Frazer's funeral; a memorial card for Florence Frazer; and a ledger of patient's accounts kept by Martha Bell Frazer's father, Frankfort physician Alexander John Mitchell from 1811-1815. Mitchell's patients included Richard Taylor, Isaac Shelby, Achilles Sneed, Harry Innis, Humphrey Marshall, Matthew Jouett, and Simon Kenton.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Use Restrictions
Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Special Collections.

Contents of the Collection

Oliver Frazer, 1825-1865, undated

Nancy Frazer correspondence, 1828-1856, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 1
  • Box OS-11, Folder 1
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Robert Frazer correspondence, 1835-1837

  • Box 1, Folder 2
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James Frazer correspondence, 1828 June

  • Box 1, Folder 3
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Accounts relating to Oliver Frazer's funeral and estate, 1865 November 22

  • Box 1, Folder 4
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James Frazer, 1830, undated

Correspondence, 1823, 1830, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 5
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Handwritten notes, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 6
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Martha B. Frazer, 1845-1886, undated

Correspondence, 1845-1886, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 7
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Accounts, 1864-1883

  • Box 1, Folder 8
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"In Memorium Little Florence", 1861 June

  • Box 1, Folder 9
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Nancy Frazer letters to James Frazer, 1826-1830

  • Box 1, Folder 10
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Bessie Frazer correspondence, 1859-1882, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 11
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Fanny Frazer, 1872, undated

Fanny Frazer correspondence, 1872, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 12
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Newspaper article about Fanny Frazer Redd and her home, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 13
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Kate Frazer correspondence, 1871, 1885

  • Box 1, Folder 14
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Nannie Frazer letter, 1910 May 21

  • Box 1, Folder 15
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Assorted, 1811-1815, 1895, 1918

Sons of Confederacty Camp List, 1895

  • Box 1, Folder 16
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Robert W. Hill letter to Alice Hill Whitcomb, 1918 April 25

  • Box 1, Folder 17
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Dr. Alexander John Mitchell account book, 1811-1815

  • Box 2, Item 1
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Photocopies, 1825-1918, undated

  • Box 1, Folder 18-21
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.

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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.

If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.