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The Dorothy Reifel Collection on J. Ottis Adams contains primary source documents and research files about the life and times of Indiana artist J. Ottis Adams, collected by Dorothy Reifel.

Every Way Possible: 125 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art Research Papers
contain materials relating to the research, writing, editing, and publication of the
book Every Way Possible: 125 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The
collection’s contents span the existence of the institution known as Newfields (as of
August 2017), from founding in1883 to 2008, the book’s publication year. Former
institution names include: Art Association of Indianapolis, John Herron Art Institute,
and at the time of publication, Indianapolis Museum of Art. The collection includes
notes, research papers (e.g. primary source photocopies, secondary source
photocopies, minimal primary source originals), book drafts, correspondence,
museum ephemera, and other miscellaneous research materials and media. The
project was initiated and facilitated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art in connection
with its 125th anniversary. The book itself was written by freelance writers.

The J. Ottis Adams Papers Addition includes three scrapbooks containing clippings, ephemera, correspondence, and photographs of the artist’s home and studio. The first and second scrapbooks document the artist’s professional life between the periods of 1891-1927 and 1895-1904. The final scrapbook was assembled by the artist’s family and contains additional material and notes related to the artist’s life, dated between 1901 and 1967. A letter from the St. Louis World’s Fair Department of Art (1904) is also included.

The first series, Personal and Professional Materials, includes business cards, clippings, a postcard from the artist Clifton Wheeler, small black and white reproductions of the J. Ottis Adams painting The Gleaners, 1886, and an anonymous painting of Mary Queen of Scots, as well as the Adams family's inventories of the collection. The second series, Exhibition Materials, consists of exhibition catalogues, announcements, and art association bulletins. The last series, Journals, includes journals with articles about J. Ottis Adams, Winifred Adams, and other artists of the Hoosier Group.