That’s Distinctive!: Hollywood Portraits
Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created the series because I genuinely believe there is something in our collections for everyone, whether you’re writing a paper or just want to have a look. “That’s Distinctive!” will provide a more lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique materials at Spencer – including items that many people may not realize the library holds. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
If you haven’t already, you might be starting to wonder just how obsessed I am with Spencer’s Tibbetts collections. The answer is VERY. This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing a third collection from John C. Tibbetts: his portraits collection. The finding aid mentions that “this collection consists of over 560 portraits of musicians, writers, actors, and other notable figures, in gouache and pen and ink, done by Tibbetts. Each portrait is signed or inscribed by its subject(s). Tibbetts painted hundreds of portraits of the subjects he interviewed during his time working in television and radio.” The Tibbetts portrait collection consists of twenty oversized boxes and one oversized folder. An article covering Tibbetts’ first accession to the library can be found in the Lawrence Journal-World.
This week we share Tibbetts’ portraits of Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Sigourney Weaver, and Tim Burton. The collection houses signed portraits of many other well-known names and faces from Hollywood. Most portraits show individuals who were active in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Previous That’s Distinctive! posts have shared Tibbetts’ collection of Hollywood press kits and his collection of movie stills. More information on Dr. Tibbetts can also be found within those posts.
Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services
Tags: John Tibbetts, portrait, Special Collections, That's Distinctive, Tiffany McIntosh