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Ralph Fasanella Papers and Photographs

Call Number

ALBA.235

Date

1937-1993, inclusive

Creator

Fasanella, Marc
Fasanella, Ralph

Extent

2.25 Linear Feet
in 2 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize flat box, and 1 folder.

Language of Materials

Materials are in English and some Spanish.

Abstract

Ralph Fasanella (1914-1997) was a Abraham Lincoln Brigade veteran, painter, and United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 1227 organizer. This collection contains his papers, correspondence, and photographs, the bulk of which are from 1970-1993. There are some materials from Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

Historical/Biographical Note

Ralph Fasanella, born September 7, 1914, was a self-taught painter whose large, detailed works depict urban working life. The child of Italian immigrants, Fasanella was born and raised in the Bronx and later became a member of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 1227 while working as a machinist in Brooklyn. Fasanella also fought in the Spanish Civil War with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and after returning from the war began to work as a union organizer for the UE. Fasanella died on December 18, 1997.

Arrangement

This collection has not been arranged by an archivist.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the photographs and papers of Ralph Fasanella, the bulk of which are from 1970-1993. There is some material from Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The collection contains correspondence from friends, activists, school children, and art world figures. Prominent correspondences include Milton Wolfe and Ernest DiMaio. Other materials in the collections include materials from Fasanella's 1949 campaign for New York City Council on the American Labor Party slate, exhibit materials including a guest book, lecture notes, press clippings on his career, research notes about Lawrence, Massachusetts, brochures, and an oversized magazine entitled, "Un Ano de las Brigadas Internacionales" (Spanish). A significant portion of the collection contains color and black-and-white photographs, some of Fasanella at work or a show. There are also some photographs of Fasanella and others taken in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. It also includes a jacket and trousers worn by Fasanella in Spain.

Access Restrictions

Materials are open to researchers. Please contact the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives for more information and to schedule an appointment, tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu or 212-998-2630.

Use Restrictions

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. For more information, please contact the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu or 212-998-2630.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; Ralph Fasanella Papers and Photographs; ALBA 235; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Custodial History

Given by Marc Fasanella in two donations; one in 1996 and the second in 2005. A part of this collection was acquired in December 2000 from Brandeis University.

Separated Materials

Multiple books on labor history and the Spanish Civil War and several issues of the Local 450 Shop News (UE), 1942-1943 were separated to the library collection.

Collection processed by

Nicole Greenhouse

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-06 13:56:08 -0500.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information

The first segment of the collection was donated in February 1996, labelled as TAM 181 and photographs were separated to the Ralph Fasanella Photographs (PHOTOS 157). When the ALBA collections were donated in December 2000, the collection was likely renumbered ALBA 235. In 2005, a second addition was added to the collection.

In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the Ralph Fasanella Papers and Photographs.

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012