Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Tom and Rita Bottoms collection
- Dates:
- 1946-1958
- Creators:
- Bottoms, Tom and Rita
- Abstract:
- This collection contains printed material; three painted books and two silkscreen portfolio sets by author Kenneth Patchen.
- Extent:
- 1 flat
- Language:
- Languages represented in the collection: English
- Preferred citation:
-
Tom and Rita Bottoms collection. MS 176. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Printed material is divided into two series: Painted Books, and Silkscreen Prints.
The Painted Book series initially began out of economical necessity in 1942. Unable to publish an expensive fine print edition of The Dark Kingdom, Patchen's aesthetic concerns propelled him to create individually designed and hand-painted book covers. The one-of-a-kind covers included a total of nine titles, ranging from 50 to 108 copies per title.
The silkscreen portfolio editions, Glory Never Guesses (1955), and A Surprise for the Bagpipe Player (1956) represent Patchen's creative midpoint, illustrated poems that stretch the boundaries of a traditional book format. The unbound editions were produced from the original manuscript pages screened onto handmade Japanese paper in a variety of textures and colors. A total of 200 copies were hand printed by Patchen's friend Frank Bacher in San Francisco.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Rita Bottoms, the Head of Special Collections at UC Santa Cruz from 1966-2003, played a central role in establishing and promoting Kenneth Patchen Archive. The main collection includes over 150 Patchen's "painted poems", colorful paintings that incorporate free-verse poetry and surrealistic and whimsical creatures and images to manuscripts of poetry and prose, as well as Patchen's letters, other painted books editions, papier-mache creatures, and recordings of some of his poetry readings.
During a period of four years, 1997-2001, Mrs. Bottoms and her husband donated their collection of Kenneth Patchen painted books and silkscreen portfolios. The volumes were donated to be used as exhibition copies with intention of enhancing the existing Kenneth Patchen collection, and to help to promote the other Patchen collections and Patchen's works outside the repository.
The silkscreen print portfolios were loaned on two occasions to institutions overseas: In June 1998, they were the focus of events at two major London venues, a reading at the Tate Gallery and an exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall's Poetry Library. In June 1999 Rita Bottoms, accompanied by Miriam Patchen, delivered two portfolios containing over 30 serigraphed pages and participated in a public program and exhibition focusing on the UCSC's Kenneth Patchen Archive at Centro Studi Americani in Rome, Italy.
Along with silkscreen prints there are three Kenneth Patchen's painted book editions, which were purchased from the collection of Hortense Baer, a patron of the author.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Tom and Rita Bottoms, 1997-2001.
- Physical location:
- Stored offsite at NRLF: Advance notice is required for access to the papers.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 2004
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid created by UCSC OAC Unit. Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: October, 2004.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to publish or to reproduce the material, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
Tom and Rita Bottoms collection. MS 176. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
- Location of this collection:
-
Special Collections and Archives, University Library1156 High StreetSanta Cruz, CA 95064, US
- Contact:
- (831) 459-2547