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Time Capsule 21:
Correspondence

Vincent Fremont, one of Warhol’s associates, commented that the artist’s mission was to “document everything he came into contact with.” This included preserving a vast amount of his correspondence. The Time Capsules are full of telephone messages, business contracts, personal letters and postcards, exhibition invitations, and fan mail. Despite his busy schedule, Warhol opened all of his own mail, “although there were several assistants standing around doing nothing,” according to Bob Colacello, editor of Warhol’s Interview Magazine in the 1970s. “[Warhol] did it systematically; first he brought each piece of mail extremely close to his eyes and examined it intently, as if he were trying to see through the envelope or analyze the handwriting in the address. Then he tore the canceled stamps off each and every piece, domestic and foreign, and stuffed them into a large manila envelope. This was his “stamp collection”. Colacello noted that as he did this, Warhol sorted the mail into separate piles for invitations, bills, checks, and fan letters. After opening the mail, Warhol and his assistants would drop it into a new Time Capsule on the floor beside the desk.

Postcard from Bill

Front of a postcard featuring an image of Pablo Picasso’s painting “Harlequin on Horseback.” A man in a red harlequin costume with a pointed hat sits astride a blue-gray horse.

Postcard (to Andy Warhol, n.d.), front view, 1960-1961
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.8

TC21 Object: Postcard (to Andy Warhol, n.d.), front view, 1960-1961

This postcard bears the image of the painting Harlequin on Horseback by Pablo Picasso.

Handwritten note on the back of a postcard signed simply “Bill,” detailing the sender’s new opportunity for a touring jazz ballet company and expressing good wishes to Warhol, his mother, and the cats.

Postcard (to Andy Warhol, n.d.), back view, 1960-1961
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.8

TC21 Object: Postcard (to Andy Warhol, n.d.), back view, 1960-1961

This postcard is from “Bill” (no last name mentioned) to Andy Warhol. It concerns their friendship and his ballet company.

Kitten Postcard

Greeting card in the shape of a black kitten, with fuzzy black flocking. The kitten has blue eyes and a blue bow around its neck with a tag that says Hello!

Greeting card (front)
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.11

TC21 Object: Greeting card (front)

A greeting card in the shape of a black kitten, with a fuzzy black flocked surface. There is no correspondent or recipient name. The greeting inside reads, “Inky brings a warm ‘hello’ to someone very nice to know.”

Back of a greeting card in the shape of the back of a seated kitten, with fuzzy black flocking. The kitten has a blue bow around its neck with tag that says “Goodbye!”

Greeting card (back)
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.11

TC21 Object: Greeting card (back)

Invitation from Lance Loud

Envelope from Lance Loud in Andy Warhol, with return address in Santa Barbara, California. Postmarked 1968. Handwritten address with stars across Andy Warhol's name and a red air mail stamp on the front and Merry Christmas Andy across the sealing flap.

Envelope and invitation (from Lance Loud to Andy Warhol, posted Santa Barbara, California, 1968), 1968
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.110

TC21 Object: Envelope and invitation (from Lance Loud to Andy Warhol, posted Santa Barbara, California, 1968)

This envelope was from Lance Loud to Andy Warhol. It contained an invitation and is postmarked from Santa Barbara, California, 1968. A handwritten address with stars across Andy Warhol’s name and an “air mail” stamp in red ink with “Merry Christmas Andy” is handwritten on the sealing flap. At thirteen, Lance Loud wrote his first letter to Warhol and was astonished when Warhol wrote back. They continued their correspondence until 1968, when Warhol was shot. The card shown here was written about 6 months after the shooting.

Front of a handwritten invitation to a party at Lance Loud's home with illustrations of the sun, flowers, and a woman's head.

Front of invitation (from Lance Loud to Andy Warhol, posted Santa Barbara, California, 1968),
1968
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.110

TC21 Object: Front of invitation (from Lance Loud to Andy Warhol, posted Santa Barbara, California, 1968)

Inside the envelope, an invitation reads “You are invited to a party at the Louds Party, December 29, 1968…This is a happy peoples party, for people happy or not…” handwritten in black ink and illustrations of the sun, flowers, and a woman’s head. Lance Loud rose to fame when the PBS documentary series An American Family aired in 1973. The twelve-part series followed the lives of Lance, his parents, and his four siblings over the course of seven months. The series has become known as the first reality television show; Lance Loud was one of the first openly gay person to be depicted in a family setting on television. Loud finally met Warhol after moving to New York in 1973. Warhol had seen An American Family and remembered their letters. They became friends and colleagues: Loud wrote for Interview magazine from 1975-1990.

Handwritten note from Lance Loud on the back of a party invitation, expressing admiration as well as doubt that Warhol will attend and asking for acknowledgement.

Back of invitation (from Lance Loud to Andy Warhol, posted Santa Barbara, California, 1968)
1968
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.110

TC21 Object: Back of invitation (from Lance Loud to Andy Warhol, posted Santa Barbara, California, 1968)

Loud’s note to Warhol was written about 6 months after Warhol was shot. Loud plaintively asks to be acknowledged by his hero and states, “You, to me, are everything I ever want to be.” Loud later cited Warhol as a major influence for his self-described “outrageous” television personality in <em>An American Family</em>. For more on their relationship, visit Lance Loud on PBS.

Telephone Messages

A white envelope addressed to Andy Warhol's home address, postmarked November 26, 1972.

Envelope containing five telephone messages (to Andy Warhol, posted November 26, 1972, New York), 1972
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.49.1-TC21.49.6

TC21 Object: Envelope containing five telephone messages (to Andy Warhol, posted November 26, 1972, New York)

This envelope contains five telephone messages, posted November 26, 1972, New York. Four of five messages are for Andy Warhol, including collect calls. Warhol loved talking on the telephone, and reportedly could talk for hours.

Pale pink pre-printed telephone message card, with handwritten information about a collect call received on November 17 at 6:48pm.

Envelope containing five telephone messages (to Andy Warhol, posted November 26, 1972, New York), 1972
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.49.1-TC21.49.6

TC21 Object: Telephone message for Andy Warhol (posted November 26, 1972, New York)

This message addressed to Andy Warhol reads “station to station, collect call” with the note “serv. refused.”

A pale pink pre-printed telephone message card with handwritten information about a call received on November 20, from an indecipherable caller who asked for John.

Envelope containing five telephone messages (to Andy Warhol, posted November 26, 1972, New York), 1972
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.49.1-TC21.49.6

TC21 Object: Telephone message for Andy Warhol (posted November 26, 1972, New York)

This message was for Andy Warhol with the message “asked for John”.

Pale pink pre-printed telephone message card with handwritten information about a collect call received and refused on November 17 at 7:30pm.

Envelope containing five telephone messages (to Andy Warhol, posted November 26, 1972, New York), 1972
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
TC21.49.1-TC21.49.6

TC21 Object: Telephone message for Andy Warhol (posted November 26, 1972, New York)

This message was for Andy Warhol with the message “L.D. collect call, when serv. refused, party hung up.”