Finding Aids to Personal Papers and
Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 7473
Alice Pike Barney Papers,
circa 1889-1995

By Susan Haskell and Zora Martin Felton

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Introduction

Historical Note

Descriptive Entry

Series Descriptions

  Series 1. ALICE PIKE BARNEY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

  Series 2. THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS: SCRIPTS.

  Series 3. THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS: SELECTED SCENES AND ROLES.

  Series 4. NON-THEATRICAL, LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS.

  Series 5. MUSICAL SCORES AND SHEET MUSIC.

  Series 6. THEATRE MART PLAYS: CONTRACTS.

  Series 7. THEATRE MART PLAYS: SCRIPTS.

  Series 8. LAURA CLIFFORD DREYFUSS-BARNEY PAPERS.

  Series 9. BARNEY STUDIO HOUSE AND OTHER RESIDENCE RECORDS.

INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL NOTE

Alice Pike Barney (1857-1931) is best remembered for her efforts to transform Washington, D.C., into the nation's cultural capital during the first quarter of the twentieth century. Barney's interest in art began in her childhood, under the influence of her father, Samuel Nathan Pike, a multimillionaire businessman and active patron of the arts in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Alice married Albert Clifford Barney in 1876, after a short-lived engagement to celebrated African explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley. Although her husband did not approve of her art interests, Alice went to Paris to study with John Singer Sargent's teacher, Carolus-Duran, and with the French pre-Raphaelite painter, Jean Jacques Henner in the fall of 1896-1897. A year later, she returned to Paris to study with expatriate American painter James MacNeill Whistler. Barney returned from her experience in Parisian salons intent on building a thriving arts center in the District that would cater to every member of society, not just the social elite. At the time, Washington, D.C., lacked an indigenous arts community or sufficient galleries to sponsor artists' work. Barney began to show her paintings in exhibitions with other prominent or up-and-coming Washington painters, including James Henry Mosher, Richard Norris Brooke, William Henry Holmes, and Hobart Nichols. In November 1901, she presented her first solo exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art's new Hemicycle gallery. Her unique, individual style moved her rapidly to a position of leadership in local art circles. Within a week of the Corcoran exhibition opening, she was elected vice-president of the Society of Washington Artists.

Alice Pike Barney, 1906.

Barney also earned a reputation in Washington, D.C., for her lavishly detailed, artistically rendered ballets, mimes, tableaux, plays, and other theatrical productions. During World War I, Barney pushed for and convinced Congress to fund the building of the National Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument. The theater, dedicated on April 4, 1917, was the nation's first federally supported outdoor theater.

One of Barney's most important contributions to the Washington art scene was Studio House, located at Sheridan Circle and designed by architect Waddy B. Wood in 1902. During Barney's residence in Washington, D.C., the house functioned as her home, her art studio, and the District's cultural center. Elaborately decorated by Barney herself, the house hosted countless theatrical productions, art exhibitions, and visiting avant-garde artists. Her guest list included the Franklin Roosevelts and Cabot Lodges; Sarah Bernhardt and G. K. Chesterton; Admiral Dewey and the Levi Leiters; Emma Calve and Anna Pavlova; Alice Roosevelt and Chief Justice Harlan; President Taft and Countess Cassini.

Barney also devoted her time and her gift for fund raising to Neighborhood House, a settlement house in southwest Washington, and to the women's suffrage cause. In 1914, she was elected president of the Washington branch of the newly founded Women's Peace Party, established by settlement house founder Jane Addams. In 1927, at age 70, Barney moved to Hollywood, California, to be near her oldest sister. There she continued her painting, opened a small theater called Theatre Mart, and wrote plays, including a rewrite of her daughter Natalie's play The Lighthouse, which won the Drama League of America contest in 1927. In 1931, at the age of 74, Alice Pike Barney died of a heart attack.

Alice's daughters, with whom she remained close, lived most of their lives in Paris. Natalie became an author of books of poetry and aphorisms in French. An outspoken lesbian, Natalie was a longtime lover of expatriate American artist Romaine Brooks. Laura married French lawyer Hippolyte Dreyfuss, was an early proponent of Bahaism, and an active campaigner for women's rights and world peace. She was made a chevalier and then an officier of the French Legion of Honor for her service to France during both World Wars. Both sisters died in Paris in their nineties.

In 1960, Natalie and Laura gave Studio House to the Smithsonian Institution for use as an arts and cultural center. The building initially housed offices and visiting scholars and guests. After renovation in 1980, Studio House was opened to the public for tours and entertainment events, including restagings of several of Alice Pike Barney's plays. In March 1995, the Smithsonian approved the pending sale of Barney Studio House, the proceeds to go toward the endowment fund for its National Museum of American Art.

For more biographical information, see Jean L. Kling's Alice Pike Barney, Her Life and Art (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994).

DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

SERIES 1.
ALICE PIKE BARNEY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION.

This series includes Alice Pike Barney's fictionalized, unpublished autobiography, covering the years of her childhood to circa 1904. The manuscript, in two bound volumes, mainly documents the period when Barney was romantically involved with Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), whom she was engaged to marry in 1874. Barney's 1926 date book lists appointments, providing insight into Barney's daily activities in Hollywood. Also included is extensive Barney family lineage information compiled by James Perrine Barney in 1921 and sent to Natalie and Laura Barney in 1948. The documents trace the Barney name back as early as the 13th century. A letter of explanation from James Perrine Barney to the two sisters is included with the lineage information.

Box 1 of 31

Folder	1		Date Book, Alice P. Barney, 1926.
Folder	2		Stanley's 'Lady' Alice by One Who Knew (1927), Volume I
Folder	3		Stanley's 'Lady' Alice by One Who Knew (1927), Volume II
Folder	4		Barney Family Lineage Information, 1948.

SERIES 2.
THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS: SCRIPTS.

This series consists of manuscripts by Alice P. Barney for plays, mime dramas, ballets, and musical productions at various stages of editing. The scripts are arranged alphabetically by title. Most of the scripts were written between 1904 and 1931, although some are not dated. Some of the scripts are co-written with her daughters or with other writers. Barney often signed her manuscripts using the name Mrs. Christian Hemmick and the pseudonyms "Alfred Clifford" and "L[aura]. A[lice]. Pike." Most of the performances took place at Barney Studio House or at the following theaters in Washington: Belasco Theater, Lafayette Square Theater, Oaks Estate, National Theater, and National Sylvan Theater. Some were performed at Theatre Mart in Hollywood. Productions of particular note include The Lighthouse, which won first prize in the Washington, D.C. Drama League of America playwrighting contest in June 1927; L'Ecole en Crinoline, a ballet written for and performed by Anna Pavlova; The Opium Pipe, a play written in reaction to friend Renee Vivien's death from anorexia and substance abuse; The Awakening, performed at the base of the Washington Monument on Memorial Day to protest American involvement in World War I; False Value, a semiautobiographical portrayal of Barney's relationship with Christian Hemmick, which won first prize in the D.C. Play National Arts Club; and Jimmie (or Whistler), which she based on her friendship with James MacNeill Whistler. Many of the scripts include notes and occasional sketches for sets by Barney. Clippings of newspaper reviews are included with Transgressors. Not all of Barney's scripts are represented here. Miscellaneous script pieces and one unidentified script are at the end of the series.

Box 2 of 31

Folders	1-5		About Thebes, 1922.
Folder	6		Andy the Moonshiner, co-authored by Martha S. Gielow, 1924.
Folder	7		Atlantis, 1916.
Folder	8		The Awakening, co-authored by Hazel MacKaye, 1915.
Folder	9		A Botticelli Interlude, 1921.
Folder	10		The Brides of Venice, 1921.
Folder	11		The Call of the Allies, 1917.
Folder	12		Call of the Bells, 1921.
Folder	13		Challenge of Youth (or The Heart of Gold), 1921.
Folder	14		Colorado (or California), undated.
Folder	15		The Colour of His Soul (or Horace Littlefield Esq., or Legitimate Lovers), co-authored by Natalie Barney, 1918. (1 of 3)

Box 3 of 31

Folders	1-2		The Colour of His Soul (or Horace Littlefield Esq., or Legitimate Lovers), co-authored by Natalie Barney, 1918. (2-3 of 3)
Folder	3		Commerage, 1921.
Folder	4		Contrasts, undated.
Folders	5-10		The Courtesan of Rome, 1918. (1-6 of 7)

Box 4 of 31

Folder	1		The Courtesan of Rome, 1918. (7 of 7)
Folder	2		A Dainty Farce, 1918.
Folder	3		The Dancer, 1928.
Folder	4		Dear, Unfair Sex, undated.
Folder	5		Dispute of the Muses, 1915.
Folders	6-7		Do and Be Done, 1926.
Folder	8		The Dream of Queen Elizabeth, 1904.
Folder	9		Driven, 1923.
Folders	10-11		L'Ecole en Crinoline, 1915.
Folders	12-14		False Values, 1924.
Folder	15		Fancy Women, co-authored with Samuel Ross, 1927.
Folder	16		The Foreign Dancer, 1928.

Box 5 of 31

Folder	1		The Gold Diggers, 1921.
Folder	2		Gossip, 1921.
Folder	3		Graft, 1927.
Folder	4		The Great Pearl, 1921.
Folder	5		His Birthday, 1928.
Folder	6		Horace Littlefield, Esq. (or Legitimate Lovers or Colour of his Soul), co-authored by Natalie Barney, 1928.
Folders	7-9		Is Wrong Right?, 1928. (1-3 of 4)

Box 6 of 31

Folder	1		Is Wrong Right?, 1928. (4 of 4)
Folders	2-6		Legitimate Lovers (or Horace Littlefield, Esq. or Colour of His Soul), co-authored by Natalie Barney, 1928.
Folders	7-9		The Lighthouse, 1926. (1-3 of 12)

Box 7 of 31

Folders

1-9

The Lighthouse, 1926. (4-12 of 12)

Box 8 of 31

Folder	1		The Lost Cat, 1921.
Folders	2-9		Luna-The Man in the Moon (or Moon Madness), 1925. (1-8 of 9)

Box 9 of 31

Folder	1		Luna-The Man in the Moon (or Moon Madness), 1925. (9 of 9) (miscellaneous pieces)
Folders	2-4		Luna-The Man in the Moon, Musical Scores, by Sol Cohen, 1925.
Folder	5		The Lure (or The Moth and the Butterfly), 1922.
Folder	6		Mam'selle Moonshine, undated.
Folders	7-11		Mata Hari, 1930.

Box 10 of 31

Folder	1		L'Ombrelle Volee, 1921.
Folder	2		On the Road to Shiraz, circa 1927.
Folder	3		On the Stairs, undated.
Folder	4		The Opium Pipe, co-authored by Laura Dreyfuss-Barney, 1909.
Folder	5		Pageant Egyptienne, 1916.
Folders	6-7		Passions (or Transgressors), co-authored by Clarence Woods de Knight, 1929.
Folder	8		The Planets, 1921.
Folder	9		A Play in One Act, 1918.
Folder	10		Power, co-authored by Clarence Woods de Knight, 1914.
Folder	11		Pride Has a Fall, 1921.
Folders	12-13		The Resourceful Rice Seller, 1921.

Box 11 of 31

Folders

1-9

The Scar, 1930.

Box 12 of 31

Folder	1		The Scourge, 1921.
Folder	2		The Secret of the Scarab, 1928.
Folder	3		The Seller of Dreams, 1921.
Folders	4-5		The Senator, undated.
Folder	6		The Shepard of Shiraz, 1927.
Folder	7		Some Years Hence, 1913.
Folder	8		The Spring Has Come, 1929.
Folder	9		Static, co-authored by James Land, 1928.
Folder	10		A Sticking Party, undated.
Folder	11		The Stolen Sunshade, 1921.
Folder	12		Tom, Toms of Revenge, 1928.
Folders	13-15		Transgressors (or Passions), co-authored by Clarence Woods de Knight, 1929. (1-3 of 8)

Box 13 of 31

Folders	1-5		Transgressors (or Passions), co-authored by Clarence Woods de Knight, 1929. (4-8 of 8)
Folder	6		Triumph of the Drama, 1917.
Folder	7		The Veil, 1926.
Folders	8-10		Whistler (or Butterfly or Jimmie), 1931. (1-3 of 4)

Box 14 of 31

Folder	1		Whistler (or Butterfly or Jimmie), 1931. (4 of 4)
Folder	2		Why One Should Send Clothes to the Laundry, 1928.
Folders	3-4		Women and War (or The Awakening), 1915.
Folder	5		The Woman Plays, 1929.
Folder	6		Unidentified, Bound Scripts, undated
Folder	7		Miscellaneous, Unidentified Script Parts, undated

SERIES 3.
THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS: SELECTED SCENES AND ROLES.

This series consists of segments of plays used for auditions and memorization work, known in theater circles as "sides" or "parts." Only a small number of Barney's many plays and other works are represented. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.

Box 15 of 31

Folders	1-4		Sides/Parts from Barren, undated.
Folders	5-6		Sides/Parts from The Foreign Dancer, 1928.
Folders	7-9		Sides/Parts from Inheritance (or Passions), 1929. (1-3 of 5)

Box 16 of 31

Folders	1-2		Sides/Parts from Inheritance (or Passions), 1929. (4-5 of 5)
Folders	3-6		Sides/Parts from Is Wrong Right?, 1928.
Folders	7-9		Sides/Parts from Legitimate Lovers, co-authored by Natalie Barney, 1928.

Box 17 of 31

Folders	1-4		Sides/Parts from Mata Hari, 1930.
Folders	5-8		Sides/Parts from Moon Madness (or Luna - The Man in the Moon), 1925. (1-4 of 5)

Box 18 of 31

Folder	1		Sides/Parts from Moon Madness (or Luna - The Man in the Moon), 1925. (5 of 5)
Folders	2-4		Sides/Parts from Whistler, 1931.

SERIES 4.
NON-THEATRICAL, LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS.

This series consists of manuscripts for novels, short stories, and movie scenarios written by Alice P. Barney in various stages of editing. Included is an earlier version of her autobiography entitled, The Love of Henry M. Stanley, with Chapter 1 missing. According to her note on the cover, she had mislaid Chapter 1 and wanted to start over from the beginning. It is possible that Stanley's 'Lady' Alice By One Who Knew is the revised manuscript (see series 1 description). An 8 x 10 photograph of a painting is included with "The Brides of Venice". Some of the manuscripts were reworked from play form, and others were transformed into plays. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.

Box 19 of 31

Folder	1		"All's Well" (or "Ich Diem"), undated.
Folder	2		"The Brides of Venice: A Romance from an Historical Episode", undated.
Folder	3		"Is Wrong Right?", undated.
Folders	4-6		Joan of U.S.A., undated.
Folder	7		"The Legend of the Great Pearl: A Fantasy", undated.
Folders	8-9		The Lighthouse, undated. (1-2 of 3)

Box 20 of 31

Folder	1		The Lighthouse, undated. (3 of 3)
Folder	2		The Love of Henry M. Stanley, undated
Folder	3		"The Scar, Story of a Motion Picture", undated
Folders	4-6		Stanley's 'Lady' Alice By One Who Knew, undated, original manuscript
Folder	7		Stanley's 'Lady' Alice by One Who Knew, undated copy (1 of 3)

Box 21 of 31

Folders	1-2		Stanley's 'Lady' Alice By One Who Knew, undated copy (2-3 of 3)
Folder	3		"The Story of Fad, a Waif of Syria", undated
Folders	4-6		The Tower of Iron, undated, Manuscript 1
Folders	7-9		The Tower of Iron, undated, Manuscript 2
Folder	10		The Tower of Iron, undated, Manuscript 3

Box 22 of 31

Folders	1-4		The Tower of Iron, undated, Manuscript 4
Folder	5		Miscellaneous, Unidentified Manuscripts

SERIES 5.
MUSICAL SCORES AND SHEET MUSIC.

This series consists of orchestral scores, sheet music, and individual instrumental scores written as accompaniment to several of Alice P. Barney's theatrical productions. Composers include Henry Cowell, Eugene Goossens, L. M. Rogowski, Sol Cohen, Louis von Gaertner, Gustav Holst, and Chaminade, with Barney often appearing as lyricist.

Box 23 of 31

(Oversized - Unbound Items) 12" x 17.5"

Box 24 of 31

(Oversized - Bound Items) 12" x 17.5"

• Atlantis, Piano score, by Louis von Gaertner, circa 1916.
• Atlantis, Orchestral score, by Louis von Gaertner, circa 1916.

Box 25 of 31

(Oversized - Bound Items) 12" x 17.5"

• Luna - The Man in the Moon, Piano score with voice, by Sol Cohen, circa 1925.
• Moon Madness, Orchestral score, by Sol Cohen, circa 1925.
• The Planets, Full orchestral score, by Gustav Holst, circa 1921.

Box 26 of 31

(Oversized) 24.5" x 21"

SERIES 6.
THEATRE MART PLAYS: CONTRACTS.

This series consists of contracts between Alice P. Barney and the playwrights producing their plays at Barney's Theatre Mart in Hollywood. The contracts, spanning the years 1928-1930, are arranged alphabetically by playwright.

Box 27 of 31

Folder	1		Blackmore - Terrel
Folder	2		Osman - Wright

SERIES 7.
THEATRE MART PLAYS: SCRIPTS.

This series includes manuscripts of playwrights who produced their plays at Alice P. Barney's Theatre Mart in Hollywood. Barney handwrote comments regarding the quality of the plays on a select number of works. The scripts, spanning the years 1919-1930, are arranged alphabetically by playwright.

Box 27 of 31

Folder	3		Adam - Badger
Folder	4		Beyer - Brown
Folder	5		Carter - Cruger
Folder	6		Fawcett - Hendell
Folder	7		Ingersoll - Rumsey
Folder	8		Stout - Terrel

Box 28 of 31

Folder	1		Terrel - Terry
Folder	2		Terry - Von Blon
Folder	3		White - Wright
Folder	4		Wright - Yenrah

SERIES 8.
LAURA CLIFFORD DREYFUSS-BARNEY PAPERS.

This series contains materials documenting the life of one of Barney's daughters, Laura Clifford Dreyfuss-Barney, from 1890 to her death in 1963. An autograph book contains quotes and signatures of friends and family, including notes from her sister Natalie and mother Alice. Laura's manuscript, From the Peace of the East to the War of the West records impressions and specific incidents relating to her travels with her mother across the United States and with her husband Hippolyte Dreyfuss to Korea, Japan, and Northern China. Outlines and Shadows represents an unpublished compilation of 25 of Laura's short stories and one play. The diaries document (in French) Laura's various correspondents from 1931 to 1963. Diary entries for 1940-1950 and for 1952 are not extant. Laura preserved one of her father's handkerchiefs as a memento, and it is included in the collection. Finally, her Legion of Honor awards for service in both World Wars and a poster celebrating Laura and Hippolyte's visit to the Dayton Car Works in 1912 are included.

Box 29 of 31

(Oversized) 12" x 17.5"

• Legion of Honor award posters for Laura Dreyfuss-Barney, 1920, 1925, 1931.
• Poster honoring arrival of Laura and Hippolyte Dreyfuss to the Dayton Car Works, circa 1912.

Box 30 of 31

Folder	1		Autograph book, 1890 - 1895.
Folder	2		From the Peace of the East to the War of the West, 1916.
Folder	3		Outlines and Shadows, undated.
Folders	4-7		Diaries, 1931-1939, 1951, 1953-1955.

Box 31 of 31

Folders	1-4		Diaries, 1956-1963.
Folder	5		Monogrammed handkerchief of Albert Clifford Barney.

SERIES 9.
BARNEY STUDIO HOUSE AND OTHER RESIDENCE RECORDS.

This series consists of a set of undated floorplans of Barney Studio House, drawings of Barney Studio House created for renovation and exhibition use in the 1970s and 1980s, and original floorplans of the Barneys' vacation home in Bar Harbor, Maine, dating circa 1889. The Barney Studio House visitors' register spans the years from 1981 to 1991. Newspaper clippings cover the events surrounding the divestment of the Barney Studio House by the Smithsonian Institution.

Barney Studio House, Interior

Box 31 of 31

Folder	6		Newsclippings regarding disposition of Barney Studio House, Washington, D.C., March 1995.
Folder	7		Visitors' register, Barney Studio House, Feb. 10, 1981-Jan. 26, 1984.
Folder	8		Visitors' register, Barney Studio House, Feb. 14, 1984-Dec. 22, 1991.

Oversize

• Floorplans: Studio House (5 sheets), blueprint drawings, 15" x 20.5 ". Wm. K. Karsunky, Consulting Engineer, undated.
• Renovation: Entrance Railing, Studio House (1 sheet), blueline floor plan with elevations, 22" x 34". Unlabeled, undated.
• Renovation: Electrical Plans for Rooms 142 and 242, Studio House (1 sheet), blueline floor plan, 24" x 36". Ron Hunt, 1977.
• Excavation: Paving Plan and Details, Studio House (1 sheet), blueline floor plan, 24" x 36". R[on]. H[unt]., 1981.
• Exhibition Installation/Design: National Museum of American Art, Portraits by Alice P. Barney. (1 sheet), blueline floor plan, 22" x 34". A. K., 1984. (2 copies)
• Floor Plans: Bar Harbor, Maine, House (5 sheets), ink on coated linen paper, 23" x 36". S. V. Stratton, circa 1889.

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Revised: February 27, 2004