Preliminary Inventory of the Man Ray Letters to Ferdinand Howald, 1921-1922 SPEC.RARE.0078 Finding aid prepared by Audrey Wimbiscus Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2025 April This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2025-04-08T11:51-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Man Ray Letters to Ferdinand Howald SPEC.RARE.0078 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 1 0.02 Cubic feet 1921-1922 Ferdinand Howald was an American businessman and art collector; Man Ray was an American visual artist who worked in the mediums of photography and painting. The Man Ray Letters to Ferdinand Howald date from between August 18, 1921 and the fall of 1922, and discuss Man Ray's 1921 move to Paris, France which was funded by Howald. (1) letter file folder English Man Ray, 1890-1976 Arrangement of Materials

This collection is unprocessed. Materials are arranged in the order received.

 Acquisitions Information

Donated by David Howald Shawn, 1969

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Man Ray Letters to Ferdinand Howald, SPEC.RARE.0078, Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

This collection is unprocessed. Finding aid written by Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 April

 Biographical Note

Ferdinand Howald (1856-1923) was an American businessman and art collector, especially of American modern art. After immigrating from Switzerland as a child, Howald lived in Columbus, Ohio, where he made his fortune operating a coal mine in West Virginia. Following his retirement in 1906, Howald moved to New York City and began collecting art. He was a patron of artist Man Ray, and financed his trip to Paris in 1921, where Man Ray took up photography. In exchange for this patronage, Howald was allowed his pick of selected works by Man Ray. Following his death, much of Howald's art collection was donated to the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio.

Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky, 1890-1976) was an American visual artist who primarily worked as a painter and photographer. He moved to Paris in 1921 with Howald's financial help, and remained there until 1939. Man Ray was a member of the Dada and Surrealist art movements, and known for his fashion and portrait photography.

 Scope and Contents

The Man Ray Letters to Ferdinand Howald date from between August 18, 1921 and the fall of 1922. During that time, Howald financed Man Ray's move to Paris, France, which is where Man Ray picked up photography as an artistic medium; the fourteen letters discuss this move. The letters were originally laid inside copy number 3 of a limited edition portfolio of Man Ray's photography prints entitled Champs délicieux: album de photographies owned by Howald; it is unknown how Howald obtained this portfolio, but the letters remained with it until it was donated to the Ohio State University.

 Related Materials The following can be found in the Ohio State University Libraries catalog: Champs délicieux : album de photographies / Man Ray ; avec une préface de Tristan Tzara Howald, Ferdinand Man Ray, 1890-1976 Art--Collectors and collecting--United States--20th century Artists and patrons--20th century Businessmen--Ohio--20th century Correspondence Painters--France--Paris--20th century Painting--France--Paris--20th century Photographers--France--Paris--20th century Photography--France--Paris--20th century