Joseph J. Sullivan was born in Covington, Indiana on April 7th, 1877. He studied fine arts at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He was ordained on June 20, 1912, and taught high-school level art classes and did parish work for 19 years before being assigned to Providence College in 1931. He taught Art at Providence College for 25 years, continuing to work on his own projects while teaching. A major work represented in the collection are his series of panels for an illustrated manuscript based on the life of Jesus, titled “Two-Edged Sword.” His most recognizable work is the design for the Holy Name Society’s logo and pin. He retired from Providence College in 1959 and passed away in Harrison, New York, in 1960.
This collection is comprised of the following materials: personal correspondence and family photographs; clippings of text and images which served as artistic inspiration; a wide variety of sketches, studies, and artworks in media which include graphite, colored pencil, charcoal, watercolor, and oil paint; draft panel illustrations for an unpublished manuscript; and objects used for the creation of art: a small easel, a protractor, and a French curve drawing tool.
Providence College Archives and Special Collections owns the property rights to this collection. Consideration of the copyrights is the responsibility of the researcher.
This collection is open to researchers.
Author Last Name, First Name Middle Name or Initial. Title or description of material. Day month year. Joseph J. Sullivan, O.P. collection. SC057, Box number, Folder number. Providence College Archives and Special Collections, Phillips Memorial Library. URL if applicable.
Upon initial acquisition, all materials were grouped into large, numbered envelopes. Materials were all removed from the envelopes; however, original envelope numbers have been noted in folder descriptions to provide the context of the creator’s original order. The collection is organized into five series:
Transferred to Providence College Archives and Special Collections by Art and Art History Department, January 2020.
Processed by Liam Back in 2025.
The materials were found in the Art and Art History Department’s offices in a suitcase and transferred to the Archives in 2020.
No accruals are expected.
Conservation information: The draft manuscript of “Two-Edged Sword” has been removed for conservation and mold remediation. This belongs in Series 4. Additionally, some art inspiration clippings were disposed of due to mold and water damage.
This series is comprised of personal correspondence and greeting cards between Father Sullivan, other priests, family members, and past students. All the postcards range between the time he was an art professor at Providence College.
This series contains inspiration for artwork: pictures, prints, news clippings, cards, color theory templates, and other materials which Sullivan collected during his time in the US and Europe. The groupings maintain the original organization of the materials.
This series contains Sullivan’s personal works, organized according to genre of art. Works include: pattern design, templates for stained glass windows, posters and poster designs, color theory, male and female figure drawings, studies of hands, landscapes, sketches of family and fellow priests, still life, botanical drawings, and drawings of animals.
This series contains draft work for an unpublished illustrated liturgical text on the life of Jesus titled “Two-Edged Sword.” Includes several dozen small, approximately 3” x 5” illustrations (“panels”) of scenes from Jesus' life. Also included are final drafts of the manuscript’s text, notes, and negative prints of panel drawings. The original order and titles of the sections of the material have been maintained, and the original envelope number has been noted.
This series is comprised of Sullivan’s small easel, with a protractor and French curve fixed to the back of the easel.