Dates: 1942-1992; Bulk Date Span: 1951-1971
The papers of Eleanor R. Piacenza include correspondence between Harry S. Truman and Thomas Hart Benton, related correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other items. The collection mostly documents the creation of Benton's mural at the Harry S. Truman Library, "Independence and the Opening of the West," and the relationship between Truman and Benton.
Size: Less than one-half of one linear foot (about 200 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: The Truman Library has received no donation of copyright for the papers of Eleanor Piacenza. The copyright to documents in this collection presumably belongs to the creators of the documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Jeremy Spencer, Dennis Bilger, Randy Sowell, and Sharie Simon (2003).
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]
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1909 (May 11) |
Born, Needham, Massachusetts |
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1930 |
Graduated from Wheaton College |
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c. 1930-2002 |
Married James W. Worthington and had three children; after end of marriage to Worthington, married Louis Piacenza, brother of Rita Benton (Thomas Hart Benton's wife); became founding member of Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society |
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2002 (May 15) |
Died, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts |
The papers of Eleanor R. Piacenza mostly document the relationship between Harry S. Truman and his fellow Missourian, the artist Thomas Hart Benton, who was Piacenza's brother-in-law. In 1958, Benton was commissioned to paint a mural for the front lobby of the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. The mural, entitled "Independence and the Opening of the West," was completed and dedicated in 1961. Its theme was the history of Independence as the starting point of the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon Trails. As Benton worked on the project, he and Truman met frequently at the Library, discovered that they had much in common, and developed a friendship that would endure until the former President's death in 1972.
The papers are organized into a single series, a Subject File. The correspondence in the collection mostly consists of letters received by Thomas Hart Benton and his wife, Rita Benton, from such persons as Harry S. Truman, Bess Truman, David D. Lloyd (executive director of the Harry S. Truman Library, Inc.), and others. The Truman-Benton correspondence is largely routine, marking such occasions as birthdays and holidays, but it does include some references to the mural and to pleasant meetings between the Trumans and the Bentons. The correspondence between Lloyd and Benton documents the process of commissioning the mural and paying the artist for his services. Included with Lloyd's letters is the contract for the mural, executed between Benton and the National Academy of Design, and a draft of the press release announcing the project. The collection also contains many newspaper and magazine articles dealing with the creation of the mural, the dedication ceremony at the Truman Library in 1961, and a celebration honoring Benton in his hometown of Neosho, Missouri in 1962. Another significant item in the collection is a list of preliminary sketches and watercolors for the mural; Benton loaned these works of art to the Truman Library for exhibit.
The papers consist entirely of photocopies that Piacenza donated to the Truman Library in 1992. The first item in the collection is a list of the copies that were donated. The original documents were retained by the donor.
Other relevant materials at the Truman Library include an oral history interview with Thomas Hart Benton (Oral History Interview No. 36) and the Post-Presidential Papers of Harry S. Truman.
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Container Nos. |
Series |
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1
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SUBJECT FILE, 1942-1992 (Bulk Date Span: 1951-1971) Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other items concerning the relationship between Harry S. Truman and Thomas Hart Benton, and the creation of Benton's mural at the Harry S. Truman Library. Arranged in alphabetical order. |
Box 1
SUBJECT FILE, 1942-1992 (Bulk Date Span: 1951-1971)
- A List of Material from Mrs. Piacenza
- Benton, Thomas Hart-Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1957-1960
- Benton, William [publisher and chairman of the Encyclopedia Britannica]-Correspondence, June 12, 1958
- Brooks, Dr. Philip C. [director of the Harry S. Truman Library]-Correspondence, May 15, 1961, With List of Mural-Related Artwork on Loan to Library
- Dedication of the Mural, "Independence and the Opening the West," April 15, 1961
- Hassett, William D. [secretary to President Truman]- Correspondence, April 19, 1951
- Lilienthal, David-Correspondence, October 2, 1963
- Lloyd, David D. [executive director of the Harry S. Truman Library, Inc.]-Correspondence, 1957-1962, Undated
- Newspaper and Magazine Clippings
- Official First Day Cover, 1821-1971, Missouri [envelope]
- Open House for President and Mrs. Truman, May 8, 1955
- Trever, Karl-Correspondence, May 7, 1958
- Truman, Bess W.-Correspondence, 1957-1968
- Truman, Harry S.-Correspondence with Jerome Walsh, 1942-1948
- Truman, Harry S.-Correspondence with Mr. and Mrs. Earl F. Bennett, 1964
- Truman, Harry S.-Correspondence with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hart Benton, 1953-1969, Undated
- Truman, Harry S.-Correspondence with Randall S. Jessee, 1955-1966