In an age of e-mail and instant messaging, More Than Words reconnects us with the wonders of handmade communications. The exhibition features more than 75 hand-illustrated letters from such celebrated artists as Alexander Calder, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and Andrew Wyeth. Their communications offer an intimate view of the artists’ worlds—their families, friends, business relations, travels, and personal observations. This impressive assortment of correspondence, including exuberant thank-you notes, winsome love letters, reports of contemporary events, and more—each in the sender’s own distinctive style, will fascinate anyone interested in American art or intrigued by the vanishing tradition of letter writing.

More Than Words: Artists’ Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art is sponsored by Pamela Deely with additional support from Cross, and Zaner-Bloser Educational Publishing.