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Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Arthur J. Ballard, Costume Artist and Curator, Papers, A&M 3869, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Biographical / Historical

Arthur J. "Pete" Ballard (ca. 1931-2017) was born in Welch, West Virginia, and resided in Peterstown, WV in his later years. He was a nationally known costume designer, museum costume historian and conservator.

He received a degree in education from Concord University in 1953. His career as an educator also took him to Saudi Arabia to teach English as a second language for eight years, as well as to Vietnam and China. He then taught for many years at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

While teaching in Winston-Salem, Ballard was asked to become curator of the costume collection at the Reynolda House Museum, the former R.J. Reynolds estate. He continued to do costume curation and conservation work at several major museums in the South. Leftover scraps of fabric from his work with costumes inspired him to create dolls whose clothing exemplified authentic period fashions. His work in teaching, painting, and costumes led his to friendships with a wide variety of people, including Sarah Churchill, Vivien Leigh, and King Hussein of Jordan.

The recipient of many awards and honors for his work in multiple fields, Ballard was named one of the Outstanding Educators in America (1970). His work with costumes earned the Award of Merit from the North Carolina Historic Preservation Society (1978) and a Gold Award from the National Retail Merchants Associates (1978). He was named Concord University's Golden Alumnus in 2007. His West Virginia awards include the Order of the Arts and Historical Letters from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History (2006), the Distinguished West Virginian Award (2007), and the Order of the 35th Star (2010). He also chaired the Coal Heritage Highway Authority (2002).

Scope and Contents

Professional and personal papers of Arthur J. "Pete" Ballard, a teacher, museum curator, and costume artist. He taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts, curated the costume collection at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and exhibited his work as a painter and costume artist. The collection includes project files documenting his work involving costume and painting exhibits, lectures, and theatrical productions; slides and photographs of exhibits; and awards and honors records; among other material.

Contents List:

Regarding artwork: Note that B items are by Ballard, N items are not, and some paintings have additional notes on the back that are not reflected in the contents list.

Boxes 1 and 2:

Biographical Information -- Arthur Joseph "Pete" Ballard (father of the subject of this collection; includes Master's thesis in education, which includes photographs of Davy Junior High with students in the 1930s, as well as photocopies of clippings); ca. 1930s-1960s (front of box 1)

Miscellaneous (includes clippings, hat doll brochure working papers, and typescript regarding fashion history); ca. 1990-2010, undated

Project Files (includes programs, clippings, photographs, etc. regarding doll exhibits, painting exhibits, lectures, and theatrical productions by Pete Ballard; folders include annotations regarding projects); ca. 1960s-2000s

Books

Adams, Julie, and Mitchell Danton. The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon . United States: Hollywood Adventures Pub, 2011. Includes inscription to Pete Ballard and author's autograph.

Archer, William R. Legendary Locals of McDowell County, West Virginia . Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2013. Includes inscription to Pete Ballard and author's autograph, 2013.

Archer, William R. Welch . Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2006. Includes inscription to Pete Ballard and author's autograph, 2007.

Niven, Penelope, and Edward Albee. Thornton Wilder: A Life . New York: Harper, 2012. Includes inscription to Pete Ballard and author's autograph, as well as a postcard from the author.

Box 3:

Exhibit Slides (for dolls and paintings); ca. 1980s, undated
Diaries of Sketches (three books that include manuscript diary entries and sketches by Pete Ballard); ca. 1975-1997

Boxes 4 and 5:

Exhibit Photographs (for dolls and paintings; locations of exhibits are recorded); ca. 2000s, undated

Boxes 6 and 7:

Personality Files (arranged alphabetically; includes letters, greeting cards, photographs, clippings, and other material; original material is marked with three asterisks [***]); ca. 1960s-2000s

Margot Abbott, writer
Mona Abboud, actress
Nicholas Anderson, cellist
Maya Angelou, author
Jose Acosta, artist
Appalachian Indians of West Virginia
Jean Arthur, actress *** [2 signed Christmas cards]
Arthur Ballard, father
Miriam Ballard, mother
Pete Ballard (photos)
Pete Ballard (80th birthday)
Pete Ballard (appointments and honors)
Pete Ballard (photos)
Pete Ballard (high school talent show picture)
Mikhail Baryshnikov, ballet dancer
Barbara Baxley, actress *** [signed photo]
Cecil Beaton, fashion photographer (2 folders)
Aaron Berofsky, violinist
Ellen Berry
Stella Blum, director of costume institute
Dave Brubeck, jazz musician *** [signed Christmas cards]
Betty Bruce, actress *** [1 letter]
Richard Buckley, conductor
Bill Bushnell, theater director
Robert Byrd *** [autograph letter]
Michelangelo Canale, ballet director
Kitty Carlisle, actress *** [two signed notes]
Sarah Churchill
Morton Da Costa, film director *** [2 letters]
Franklin Cover, actor on Jeffersons *** [3 letters, Christmas card with long note]
Howard Da Silva, actor *** [3 Christmas cards]
Alexandra Danilova, ballet dancer
Bette Davis, actress *** [cigarette butt]
Ivan Davis, pianist
Dolly Sisters, vaudeville act
Drawings of Pete Ballard
Rosemary Harris Ehle *** [1 letter, 2 notes]
Queen Elizabeth
Svea Ekloff, ballet dancer
Donna Fargo, country singer
Erica Fischbach, ballet dancer
Garrett Fischbach, violinist
Ken Frazelle, composer
June Havoc, actress *** [2 letters, 1 note]
Melissa Hayden, ballet dancer *** [2 greeting cards, 1 of them with a note]
Helen Hayes, actress
Hal Holbrook, actor *** [1 letter]
Melva Houston, jazz singer
Claude Howell, artist
King Hussein of Jordan *** [greeting cards may contain original signatures]
Shah of Iran
John P. John, Milliner
Lyndon Johnson (in Welch, West Virginia)
Christine Jorgensen, actress *** [1 letter]
William Kapell, pianist
Joe King, artist
Nancy Lancaster, gardener
Angela Lansbury
Jerome Lawrence, playwright *** [2 signed notes]
Vivien Leigh, actress *** [1 signed photo]
Betty Lynn, actress
Samuel Magill, cellist
Jayne Mansfield, actress
Frederick Matthews, singer
Gayle Manchin *** [1 note]
Edward Maeder, costume curator
Reba McEntire *** [1 signed photo]
Ethel Merman, singer *** [1 letter]
Kuan Nai-Ping, artist
Armand De Navarre, artist
Cathleen Nesbitt, actress
Barbara Nissman, pianist
Brian O'Leary, astronaut
John Oller, author
Sultan of Oman
John Otis, actor
Janie Parker, ballet dancer
John Peragine, author
Miguel Pinero, author
David Pittenger, ballet dancer
Walter Plunkett, costume designer *** [1 letter, 1 drawing]
Baroness Katharine Raffalovich *** [3 letters]
Sally Rand, dancer
Nancy Reagan
Laura Ann Sarvay, art teacher
King Saudi of Arabia (includes short narrative)
Deanna Seay, ballet dancer
Daniel Selznick, son of Selznick *** [2 greeting cards, 1 postcard]
Sallie Jones Sexton (inherited Bryn Du Mansion) *** [1 note]
John Schuck, actor
Mary Starnes, Concord College actress
King and Queen of Spain
Robert Suderburg, chancellor
Paul Tazewell, costume designer
Blair Tindall, oboist
Governor Tomblin and Family
Mel Tomlinson, ballet dancer
Harry S. Truman (in Welch, West Virginia) *** [autograph on card]
Bertha Spafford Vesta
Katita Waldo, ballet dancer *** [1 letter, 1 greeting card with note, 1 signed photo]
Robert Ward, composer, chancellor
Mae West, actress
Thornton Wilder, author
Governor Wise

Jane Withers, actress *** [1 letter, 2 greeting cards with notes, 2 photos with signatures]
Edward Wright, dean
Former Students

Box 8:

Miscellaneous:
Fashion Plate Notebook; undated

Audio-Visual Material:
8 mm film and VHS (World's Fair -- unveiling of statue of Winston Churchill; 8 mm film is likely the source material for the VHS); 1965
DVD (Concord College -- 1. dolls; 2. unsolved mysteries); 2012

Box 9:

Awards and Honors:
Includes awards from Concord University, West Virginia University, the WV Governor, and the US Senate; includes paper records, plaque, and DVD); ca. 1970-2014

Box 10:

Oversize:
Item B01; Pete Ballard, View of Peters Mountain, painting, oil on hardboard, 11 1/8 x 14 1/8 inches, 2003. Inscribed on reverse, "View of Peters Mountain (From Kelly Whitmore's Front Yard, Wikel [sic], WV) Pete Ballard".
Item B02; Pete Ballard, View of Peters Mountain at the Narrows, painting, oil on hardboard, 11 1/2 x 14 1/4 inches, 1998 (?). Inscribed on reverse, "View of Peters Mountain at the Narrows from Michael Smith's Front Yard, Rich Creek Valley Road, Peterstown, WV".
Six Color Photographs of Dolls (mounted on foam board); undated
Silhouette of Pete Ballard, cut by Dr. Ed Hill, Winston-Salem, NC; 1992

[No box 11]

Box 12:

Artifact:
Scrap of fabric from skirt of restored "barbecue" dress from Gone With the Wind; ca. 1939

Books:
Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion: Englishwomen's Dresses & Their Construction . New York: Drama Book Specialists, 1972 (vol. 2) and 1977 (vol. 1).
Kaplan, Edward, and Ruth Devine. Pancratia . S.l.: Swamp Press, 1987. Includes inscription and Kaplan's autograph.
Color Copies of Ballard Paintings ; ca. 1987-2005

Oversize Personality Files:
King Hussein of Jordan *** [mounted Christmas card with photo of the king and Queen Alia and signatures]
Kathy Thornton *** [photo with inscription and signature]
Katharine Cornell *** [photo with signature]

Oversize:
Broadside from Old Brewery Theatre, where Ballard used to design costumes; early 1950s
Photo of Pete Ballard, taken by Kathy Thornton; late 1960s

Boxes 13-21:

Addendum of 2014/03/20:
ca. 1930-2013; 11 ft. 3 in. (located in boxes 13-21)
Papers of Arthur J. "Pete" Ballard, including genealogy records, honors and awards, museum costume collection records, artworks, personality files, dolls, and slides.

Addendum of 2015/06/20:
2015; 3/4 in. (located in box 21)
Contains material regarding Ballard's 84th birthday, including news clippings regarding the birthday celebration and photocopies of honors from the U.S. House of Representatives and from Senator Manchin; donation of dolls created by Ballard to Belmont County Victorian Mansion Museum; and exhibit of dolls created by Ballard at the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio.

Box 22:

Addendum of 2014/12/17:
ca. 1950-2014; 7 ft. 6 in. (located in boxes 22-27)
Papers of Arthur J. "Pete" Ballard, including autographed books, literary manuscripts, travel literature, greeting cards, and other material.

books autographed by authors (including Welch and Its People , by Rose R. Marino, 1985; and "Cookin' in a Coal Camp, 1995; and other books); 1985, 1995

Box 23:

autograph book (for guests are special events); ca. 1980s
painting, "small" still life; undated
literary manuscripts (by Pete Ballad); undated
travel literature, United States and overseas; ca. 1950-1990

Box 24:

literary manuscripts (by Pete Ballard; includes Haute Coutoure , Unsolved Mysteries); ca. 1960-1980
dvd ("Ballard, Dolls, Unsolved Mysteries"); undated

Box 25:

literary manuscript (by Pete Ballard; includes The Widow Hudson ); undated

Box 26:

manuscripts (contains a variety of topics and material, including: visit of Joe Manchin; Governor Tomblin; biographer Penelope Nixon; pianist Barbara Nissman; "Gone With The Wind Dolls"; and greeting cards; among other material); ca. 1980-2010

book ( Masterworks from the Butler Institute of American Art ); 2010

Addendum of 2018/04/04:
1960s, 2009-2015
Papers of Arthur J. "Pete" Ballard, including correspondence, printed material, CD, DVD, photographs, and more; subjects include friends and students of Ballard, Ballard's career, an exhibit he created, his honorary doctorate, and more.

Box 27:

literary manuscript (by Pete Ballard; includes Haute Coutoure ); undated

Box 28:

sketchbook

Addendum of 2018/04/04:
2015
Papers of Arthur J. "Pete" Ballard, including honorary Doctorate items from Concord University, and exhibit poster.

Box 29:

Artwork:

Item B05; Great Wall [of China] Pataling Pass, dry drawing, ink on paper, September 1981. Signature lower right, "Pete '81".

The following three drawings were made by Ballard in the summer of 1949, when he was a student at Ringling School of Art, Sarasota, FL. All three depict a nude model named "Alice".

Item B06; Alice, drawing, pencil or charcoal on paper, 18 x 14 1/2 inches, 1949. Signature lower right, "Ballard '49 "Alice"".

Item B07; [Alice Seated, Back], drawing, pencil or charcoal on paper, 24 3/4 x 18 7/8 inches, 1949.

Item B08; [Alice Standing, Back], drawing, pencil or charcoal on paper, 25 1/8 x 18 5/8 inches, 1949. Signature lower right, "Ballard 1-09-49 [?]".

Item N01; Kuan Nai Ping, Pete Ballard, painting, gouache?, 16 3/8 x 13 5/8 inches, ca. 1981. Signed lower left, "Kuan Nai Ping" with Chinese script. Inscriptions on reverse: "Pete Ballard portrait c. 1981. Painting by Kuan, Nai Ping, Chinese impressionist, Painted while on a picnic at the Summer Palace outside Beijing, China. The beautiful lake in the background is the man-made lake on palace property. See file folder on Kuan, Nai Ping in Pete Ballard portraits."

Item N02; Joan Clark, [Portrait of Pete Ballard], painting, oil on canvas, 23 3/4 x 19 5/8 inches, ca. 1949. Signed lower left, "Joan Clark". Label on reverse: "Pete Ballard portrait c. 1949 - While student for the summer at Ringling School of Art, Sarasota, Fla. Artist is fellow student, Joan Clark."

Box 30:

Item B09; [Unfinished Portrait of Miriam Brewster Ballard], painting, oil on board?, 20 x 16 inches, undated. No signature. Inscription on protective cardboard: "Unfinished oil of my mother, Miriam Brewster Ballard. Mother just couldn't "sit" longer than 3 minutes. It was hopeless - Ha! P. Ballard".

Item N03; J. Whits, [Mary Clifton Spangler], oval drawing, media unknown, 9 1/4 x 7 3/8 inches, undated. Signed lower right, "J. Whits". Label on reverse: "Pete Ballard. My Grandmother Mary Clifton Spangler This is the original drawing by "J. Whits" - he also drew her Mother, Mary Ann Peters Spangler. Mary Clifton Spangler M. [married?] Dr. Arthur Boreman Ballard."

Item N04; Armand di [de?] Navarre, [Mary Ann Peters], oval painting, oil on canvas, 13 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches, undated. No signature. Label on reverse: "Pete Ballard. My great grandmother Mary Ann Peters c. 1882 at the time of her marriage to Joseph Hudson Spangler, my great grandfather. This painting was done for me by Armand di Navarre from her photograph. Armand di Navarre did a large portrait of me. I gave it to Conrad U. Library."

Item N05; Kenneth Frazelle, [Untitled], painting, watercolor on paper, 8 x 10 inches, 2004. Signed lower left, "Kenneth Frazelle 04", lower right "for Peter Ballard". Inscription on reverse: "8-04".

Unboxed Artwork:

Item B03; My Mother [Miriam Brewster Ballard -- full-length portrait], painting, oil on board, 44 1/8 x 23 1/4 inches, 2005. Signed lower right, "GOD + PETE '05". Written on tape on reverse, "Portrait of my Mother, Miriam Brewster Ballard".

Item B04; Alice Hamilton Ballard (wife of Col. W. H. Ballard), painting, oil on board, 33 7/8 x 25 1/4 inches, ca. 1954-1955. Signed lower left, "Pete Ballard 3-55". Inscription on reverse, "Portrait of: Alice Hamilton Ballard by Pete Ballard c. 1954". Labels include information "Welch, W.V." and "Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Harry Hamilton Ballard, 4603 W. Fairway Drive, New Bern, N.C. 28562." ***ALSO: black and white photograph of Alice Hamilton as WVU May Queen, 1930, in envelope taped to back of frame.

Item B10; Oranges, painting, oil on board, 13 x 21 inches, 2011. Signed lower right, "Pete '11". Inscriptions: On reverse - still life with fruit and vegetables and inscription "Pete Ballard, Oranges 2011".

Item B11; Still Life with Bottles and Pear, oil on board, 16 1/8 x 11 1/2 inches, 1981. Signed lower left in pencil "Pete '81". Inscriptions on reverse: "Pete Ballard, Painted in Beijing, China, Stillife with bottles and pear, 1981."

Item B12; Wild Roses from Rich Creek, unknown medium, 10 x 8 inches, 2001. Signed lower left "Pete '01." Inscription on reverse: "Wild Roses from Rich Creek, Pete Ballard, Peterstown, W.Va. 2001."

Item B13; Still Life with Grapes, oil on board, 8 x 10 inches, 2010. Inscriptions on reverse: "Pete Ballard, Still Life with Grapes, 2010."

Item B14; Yellow Trumpet flowers in White Bowl, pastel on paper, 16 x 20 inches, 1949. Signed lower right, "Pete '49." Inscription on reverse "Yellow Trumpet Flowers in White Bowl by Pete Ballard 1949, student at Ringling School of Art, Sarasota, Fla."

Item B15; Baharain Island, oil on board, 13 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches, ca. 1960s. Faint signature lower right "Pete." Inscriptions on reverse: "Baharain Island, I painted this sitting in Saudi Arabia on the shore of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf, looking across the water to a hint of Baharainian Island. The 60s Quick effort - hot day!"

Item B16; Joe Brown's Turnip, Peterstown, WV, unknown medium, 3 1/4 x 4 3/8 inches, 2000. No signature. Inscription on label on reverse: ""Joe Brown's Turnip, Peterstown, WV" by Pete Ballard 2000".

Item B17; "White Hydrangeas" 2003; Painting: 13 ¼ in. x 19 in.; With frame: 16 ½ in. x 22 ¾ in.

Item B18; "Rhododendron" 2010; Painting: 22 in. x 29 in.; With frame: 32 ½ in. x 39 in.

Item B19; "Marigolds" 2002; Painting: 7 ¾ in. x 10 in.; With frame: 16 ½ in. x 18 ½ in.

Item B20; "Iris" 2004; Painting: 16 ½ in. x 30 in.; With frame: 22 in. x 35 in.

Item B21; "Hollyhocks" 1999; Painting: 23 ½ in. x 29 ½ in.; With frame: 27 ½ in. x 33 ½ in.

Item B22; "Inca Marigolds" 2002; Painting: 7 ¼ in. x 9 in.; With frame: 16 ½ in. x 18 ½ in.

Item B23; "Hester Hill Orchid" 1981; Painting: 12 ¾ in. x 14 ¾ in.; With frame: 14 ¼ in. x 16 ¼ in.

Item B24; "Marge Harrison's Pink Camellias"; Painting: 11 ½ in. x 16 in.; With frame: 15 ¼ in. x 19 ½ in.

Item B25; "Lillies of the Valley et al" 1985; Painting: 12 ¼ in. x 13 in.; With frame: 13 ¾ in. x 14 ¼ in.

Item B26; "Chinese Pears" 1981; Painting: 7 ¼ in. x 13 ¼ in.; With frame: 9 ¼ in. x 15 in.

Item B27; "South Dakota Field of Sunflowers" 2003; Painting: 5 ¾ in. x 8 in.; With frame: 7 in. x 9 in.

Item B28; "Oranges I"; Painting: 8 in. x 8 in.; With frame: 10 in. x 10 in.

Item B29; "Oranges II"; Painting: 8 in. x 8 in.; With frame: 9 ¾ in. x 9 ¾ in.

Item B30; "Rhododendron" 2004; Painting: 11 ½ in. x 15 ½ in.; With frame: 13 ¼ in. x 17 ¼ in.

Item B31; "Peonies" 2004; Painting: 8 ¾ in. x 11 ¾ in.; With frame: 10 ½ in. x 13 ½ in.

Item B32; "Wild Blue New England Asters" 2011; Painting: 19 ½ in. x 23 ½ in.; With frame: 26 in. x 29 in.

Item B33; "Marigolds" 2008; Painting: 21 in. x 29 ½ in.; With frame: 22 ¾ in. x 31 ¼ in.

Item B34; "Geraniums II"; Painting: 11 in. x 15 ½ in.; With frame: 20 ½ in. x 25 in.

Item B35; "Lilacs" 2012; Painting: 16 ½ in. x 20 ¾ in.; With frame: 22 ½ in. x 27

Item B36; "James Woods Crimson Peonies" 2011; Painting: 21 ¾ in. x 27 ¾ in.; With frame: 23 x 29

Item B37; "Potatoscape" 2011; Painting: 9 ½ in. x 20 in.; With frame: 12 ½ in. x 24 ¾ in.

Item B38; "Oranges"; Painting:8 x 10 ½ in. (oval); With frame: 10 ¾ x 13 ½

Bust of Pete Ballard, created by Pete Ballard.

Item N06; Portrait of Pete Ballard by Pat Johnston, early 1960s; Painting: 23 in. x 71 in.; With frame: 24 ¾ in. x 73 in.

Item N07; "Welch 88" print by George Jarvis; Print: 21 in. x 29 ¼ in.; With frame: 24 in x 32 in.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Art and artists
• Ballard, Arthur J., 1931-2017