This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Research Library at the Nantucket Historical Association. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the internet.
Summary
A graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, C. Robert Perrin served six years in France and Germany during World War II, where he was a camp illustrator. He first painted on Nantucket in 1946. Perrin’s studio on Old South Wharf became the first active gallery on the wharf in 1956, and by 1966, he had moved permanently to Washington Street. He remained active in the arts community on Nantucket for more than fifty years. Perrin died in Nantucket, Mass., on 19 April 1999. This collection includes C. Robert Perrin’s high school yearbook, diploma, and ephemera, as well as cartoons, correspondence, and souvenirs from his military service during World War II and his later career as an artist.
Collection Details
- Collection Number:
- MS588
- Title:
- C. Robert Perrin Papers
- Date(s):
- 1934-1990
- Creator:
- Perrin, C. Robert, 1915-1999.
- Repository:
- Nantucket Historical Association
- Language:
- Material is in English.
Information for Users
Restrictions to Access: No restrictions. Open for research.
Restrictions to Use: No usage restrictions.
Copyright Notice: Copyright is retained by the authors of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation: [identification of item], in the C. Robert Perrin Papers, Nantucket Historical Association.
Acquisitions Information:
Folder 5 gift of Ellen Ray in 2010 (Acc. RL 2010.74). Folders 1-4 and 6-10 were found in collections in April 2022.
Sensitive Materials Statement:Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Nantucket Historical Association assumes no responsibility.
Related Collections
- PH1 C. Robert Perrin Photographic Collection, Nantucket Historical Association.
Subject Headings
-
Personal Name
- Perrin, C. Robert, 1946-1999.
-
Topical Term
- Artists - Nantucket.
- World War II.
Biographical Information
Charles Robert Perrin was born on 13 July 1915 in Medford, Mass. A graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, he served six years in France and Germany during World War II, where he was a camp illustrator. He first painted on Nantucket in 1946. Perrin’s studio on Old South Wharf became the first active gallery on the wharf in 1956, and by 1966, he had moved permanently to Washington Street. As reported in American Artist magazine in 1959, Perrin converted a Volkswagen bus into an en plein air studio on wheels. Originally an illustrator by trade, C. Robert Perrin illustrated children’s books such as Whopper and Nancy Tucket as well as posters used to market the island as a tourist destination. His work frequently included puddles, fog imagery, and ghosts. He remained active in the arts community on Nantucket for more than fifty years. Perrin died in Nantucket, Mass., on 19 April 1999.
Scope and Content
This collection includes C. Robert Perrin’s high school yearbook, diploma, and ephemera as well as cartoons, correspondence, and souvenirs from his military service and his later career as an artist. The correspondence includes letters to Perrin regarding the purchase of his cartoons and illustrations, as well as an invoice for photography services from 1989 and an invoice for accounting from 1990. The Medford High School ephemera includes two playbills for performances by the Medford High School Dramatic Club and Class of 1934. Other ephemera includes greeting cards, postcards, flyers, and a 1990 calendar featuring Perrin’s artwork. Also included are two scrapbooks. The first (1944–1951) focuses on his military service and political cartoons including newspaper clippings, correspondence, and souvenirs. Among the military souvenirs are Nazi insignia. The second (1952–1968) includes newspaper clippings, correspondence, and photographs documenting his career as an artist. The scrapbooks were deconstructed and are stored in folders.
Contents
OPF-588/2 Artwork, undated
Folder 1 Cartoon drafts, 1940–1949
Folder 2 Correspondence, 1942-1990
Includes letters to Perrin regarding the purchase of his cartoons and illustrations, as well as an invoice for photography services from 1989 and an invoice for accounting from 1990.
Folder 3 Diary, 1945
Folder 4 Diplomas, 1934, 1937
Folder 5 Ephemera, 1984, 1990, undated
Includes greeting cards, postcards, flyers, and a 1990 calendar featuring Perrin’s artwork.
Folder 6 Medford High School ephemera, 1934, undated
Includes two playbills for performances by the Medford High School Dramatic Club and Class of 1934.
Folder 7 Medford High School yearbook, 1934
Folder 8 Military passes, 1945-1946
Folder 9 Scrapbook, 1944-1951
Folder 10 Scrapbook, 1952-1968
OPF-588/1 Scrapbook, 1952-1968
Items Separated
- OPF-588/1-2
Processing Information
Processed by Ashley Miller, April 2022.