Series comprises textual material relating primarily to the life and interests of Matthew Martirano. Several scrapbooks contain clippings of art works, newspaper articles, and reproductions of famous works. Included are images by Italian, Dutch, English, German and American masters; clippings of religious interest, on modern art, nudes, children, animals, and figure studies; the faces of movie idols; the work of particular artists such as William Bouguereau (1825-1905), Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898), Francesco Iacurto (1908-2001) and Bernard Plockhorst (1825-1907); and one scrapbook focusing on the hugely successful American illustrator John La Gatta (1894-1977).
Personal correspondence is minimal and includes a few letters from friends, postcards, and military records from Martirano's service at Longue Pointe, Quebec, including furlough permissions. Business correspondence includes letters relating to work commissioned for churches such as the Immaculate Conception in Edmunston, New Brunswick, Église Sainte-Croix in Penatanguishine, Ont., and Trinity Church in Morin Heights; a small amount of invoices, bills and contracts; and letterhead and business cards.
Small diaries provide a record of Martirano's exploration of church embellishments in Canada and the United States. They also contain notes on Saints and seraphim, church symbols, religious miracles and rituals, priests' habits, and quotations from the Bible. Also included in this group of material are 1929 loose diary entries which record progress of work on an unidentified church; 1931 loose items with miscelleanous notes; 1932 loose diary notes on paintings seen and on religious customs (one sketch removed - art Acc. no 1998-57-77.13V); 1936-38 loose diary notes with friends' addresses, notes on a "Les Rapins" annual party and on art outings (two sketches removed - art Acc. nos. 1998-57-78.2V and 1998-57-78.3R); 1939 diary entry possibly on members of "Les Rapin" (one sketch removed - art Acc. no. 1998-57-79.2); 1941 loose diary notes on theatres and paintings; loose diary notes on churches completed and on trips (one sketch removed - art Acc. no. 1998-57-80.7V).
Clippings and published material relate primarily to stained glass installations and production, church decorations and patterning, art and religious issues, and the Second World War.
