Correspondence (family, art organizations and associations, educational institutions, galleries and museums, patrons, fellow artists), artwork, writings, memorabilia of the American realist painter.

Spanning 1904 to 1969, the Ben Cunningham Papers comprises biographical material, correspondence, artwork, writings, and memorabilia of the American painter and art educator (1904-1975). The collection, which is heavily annotated by Cunningham, illuminates a professional career which encompassed WPA Federal Art Project mural work as well as the op art movement of the mid to late 1960s. Some of the items in the collection have been restricted to prevent their further deterioration. Photocopies of these embrittled items have been made available for researcher use.