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Alexander Liberman papers

Creator:
Liberman, Alexander, 1912-1999  Search this
Names:
André Emmerich Gallery  Search this
Bennington College  Search this
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this
Beaton, Cecil Walter Hardy, Sir, 1904-  Search this
Cartier-Bresson, Henri, 1908-  Search this
Chernow, Burt  Search this
Dalí, Salvador, 1904-1989  Search this
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this
Dietrich, Marlene  Search this
Emmerich, André  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this
Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Klein, William  Search this
Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this
Leibovitz, Annie, 1949-  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Mulas, Ugo  Search this
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Newton, Helmut, 1920-  Search this
Parks, Gordon, 1912-2006  Search this
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Penn, Irving  Search this
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this
Ritts, Herb  Search this
Snowdon, Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of, 1930-  Search this
Steichen, Edward, 1879-1973  Search this
Vogel, Lucien  Search this
Vreeland, Diana  Search this
Extent:
59 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drafts (documents)
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Sketches
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Video recordings
Date:
circa 1912-2003
Summary:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and publishing executive Alexander Semeonovitch Liberman date from circa 1913-2003 and measure 59 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; correspondence with family, galleries, museums, and many artists; numerous recorded interviews and transcripts with and by Liberman, including one of Walter Hopps; writings and writing project files; extensive subject files maintained by Liberman; exhibition files; printed materials; scattered drawings; and extensive photographs of Liberman's artwork, exhibitions, Liberman, and of Liberman with notable artists, dealers, collectors, and critics. Many of the photographs were taken by noted photograhers. Also found within the papers are unidentified sound and video recordings. Additional sound and video recordings have been integrated into other series.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and publishing executive Alexander Semeonovitch Liberman date from circa 1913-2003 and measure 59 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; correspondence with family, galleries, museums, and many artists; numerous recorded interviews and transcripts with and by Liberman, including one of Walter Hopps; writings and writing project files; extensive subject files maintained by Liberman; exhibition files; printed materials; scattered drawings; and extensive photographs of Liberman's artwork, exhibitions, Liberman, and of Liberman with notable artists, dealers, collectors, and critics. Many of the photographs were taken by noted photograhers. Also found within the papers are unidentified sound and video recordings. Additional sound and video recordings have been integrated into other series.

Biographical materials include awards, biographies and chronologies, family history materials, membership cards, writings by Liberman's mother, and a scrapbook about his father.

Correspondence is extensive and concerns both personal and professional affairs. It is with artists and photographers, art magazines, organizations and museums, art collectors, businesses, and family. Notable correspondents include Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Burt Chernow, Salvador Dali, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnett and Annalee Newman, Additional correspondence is found within the subject files compiled and organized by Liberman (series 6).

There are sound and video recordings and transcripts of interviews with and by Liberman, most completed for broadcast television and radio shows. Of particular interest are sound cassettes, a sound tape reel, and a transcript of an interview with Walter Hopps by Liberman.

Writings by Liberman include essays, short stories, and a play entitled 2+1. Writing project files were organized by Liberman for writing projects for which he was the author, collaborator, or subject. There are numerous files concerning Barbara Rose's book about Liberman Alexander Liberman that also include recorded interviews with Liberman and transcripts. Other books for which there are files include The Art and Technique of Color Photography, The Artist in His Studio, Vogue: The First 100 Years, Vogue History of Fashion Photography, and others.

Subject files were organized by Liberman for a wide variety of work projects, activities, topics, and entities of interest. Files cover commissions, the filming and distribution of the 1981 documentary film Alexander Liberman: A Lifetime Burning, Liberman's personal collection of art, gifts of artwork, and his relationship with galleries and dealers, particularly André Emmerich Gallery.

Exhibition files document exhibitions of Liberman's artwork, and include those held at André Emmerich Gallery, Bennington College, the Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art, among other venues. Files contain correspondence, contracts, photographs, plans and drawings, notes, etc. Also found are inventory records of Liberman's artwork in the form of lists, index cards, bound registers, and notes.

Ten linear feet of printed materials include exhibition announcements and catalogs, books and book flyers, brochures, calendars, clippings, postcards, posters, press releases, and other materials.

There are scattered drawings and sketches found within the papers, some of which are sketches of sculpture pieces.

Nearly one-half of the collection is comprised of photographs of Liberman and his artwork, and of artists and colleagues, many of which were taken by noted photographers, including Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Klein, Henri Lartique, Annie Leibowitz, Inge Morath, Ugo Mulas, Hans Namuth, Helmut Newton, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Herb Ritts, and Lord Snowden, among others. Subjects of note found in the photographs include Alfred Barr, Salvador Dali, Marlene Dietrich, Willem de Kooning, Andre Emmerich, Helen Frankenthaler, Clement Greenberg, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Betty Parsons, Pablo Piccaso, Edward Steichen, Lucien Vogel, and Diana Vreeland, among many others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into twelve series. Photographs retain Liberman's original numerical and alpha schemas and the corresponding indexes are found in the Inventory Records in Series 8.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1930s-1999 (1 linear foot; Box 1, 56)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1944-1997 (4 linear feet; Boxes 1-5, 56, OV 65)

Series 3: Interviews, 1946-1996 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-7, 56)

Series 4: Writings, 1948-1995 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 5: Writing Project Files, 1951-1997 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 8-9, 56)

Series 6: Subject Files, 1946-2000 (6 linear feet; Boxes 9-15, 56, OV 66-67)

Series 7: Exhibition Files, 1954-1991 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 15-16, 56, OV 68)

Series 8: Inventory Records, 1938-1998 (6 linear feet; Boxes 16-22)

Series 9: Printed Materials, 1932-2003 (10 linear feet; Boxes 22-31, 56-57, OV 69)

Series 10: Artwork, circa 1940s-1990s (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 32, 57, OV 70)

Series 11: Photographic Materials, circa 1912-1999 (26 linear feet; Boxes 32-55, 57-64, OVs 71-77)

Series 12: Unidentified Sound and Video Recordings, circa 1941-1999 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 55, 64)
Biographical / Historical:
Alexander S. Liberman (1912-1999) was a sculptor, painter, photographer, graphic designer, writer, and publishing executive who worked primarily in New York City. He held senior positions at Condé Nast Publications for 32 years.

Alexander Semeonovitch Liberman was born in 1912 in Kiev Russia. He was educated in London and the École des Beaux Art in Paris. He began his journalistic career in Paris at VU magazine owned by Lucien Vogel and there he befriended photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassai, Robert Capa, and André Kértesz. He served in the French army for a short time in 1940, but he and his family fled Paris in 1941 to New York City. Condé Nast hired Liberman in 1941 as an assistant to the art director of Vogue magazine. Liberman became art director in 1943 and editorial director of Condé Nast Publications in 1962, a position he held until his retirement in 1994.

Liberman was also a photographer whose subjects included Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Marlene Dietrich, among others, many represented in his 1960 book entitled The Artist in his Studio and Marlene: An Intimate Photographic Memoir (1992). He was also the subject of the work of noted photographers Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Lord Snowden, Jill Krementz, Henri Lartique, Annie Leibovitz, and Hans Namuth.

Liberman took up painting and sculpting in the 1950s. Although his first exhibition was at the Betty Parsons Gallery, he was primarily associated with the André Emmerich Gallery in New York City. His monumental sculptures were mostly assembled from industrial parts and painted and can be seen in museums and public sites worldwide.

Liberman was briefly married to Hildegarde Sturm. He married his second wife Tatiana Yacovleff du Plessix in 1942. Before their marriage, they fled occupied France together. She was a noted hat designer, working for Henri Bendel and Saks, where she became known as Tatiania of Saks. She died in 1991 and, in 1992, Liberman married Melinda Pechangco, a nurse who had earlier cared for Tatiania. Alexander Liberman died in 1999 in Miami, Florida.
Related Materials:
Related collections found at the Archives of American Art include the Dodie Kazanjian and Calvin Tomkins research materials on Alexander Liberman and numerous collections of gallery records.
Provenance:
The Alexander Liberman papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Liberman Art Partners in 2010 via Dodie Kazanjian.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Publishers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Graphic designers  Search this
Topic:
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photography  Search this
Sculptors -- France -- Paris  Search this
Fashion photography  Search this
Painters -- France -- Paris  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photographers -- France -- Paris  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drafts (documents)
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Sketches
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Video recordings
Citation:
Alexander Liberman Papers, circa 1912-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.libealex
See more items in:
Alexander Liberman papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw942e7024f-773e-4db8-b545-31138550580a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-libealex
Online Media:

Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005

Creator:
Gray, Cleve, 1918-2004  Search this
Subject:
Richter, Hans  Search this
Marin, John  Search this
Lipchitz, Jacques  Search this
Pollock, Jackson  Search this
Grace, Louise N.  Search this
Gray, Francine du Plessix  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel  Search this
Dillenberger, Jane  Search this
Gabo, Naum  Search this
Ernst, Jimmy  Search this
Davis, Jim  Search this
Calder, Alexander  Search this
Barzun, Jacques  Search this
Weber, Nicholas Fox  Search this
Smith, David  Search this
Villon, Jacques  Search this
Pratt Institute  Search this
Rhode Island School of Design  Search this
Neuberger Museum of Art  Search this
Jacques Seligmann & Co  Search this
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Connecticut. Commission on Arts, Tourism, Culture, History and Film  Search this
Princeton University  Search this
Berry-Hill Galleries  Search this
Type:
Poems
Articles
Photographs
Reviews (documents)
Notes
Illustrations
Notebooks
Sketches
Drafts (documents)
Video recordings
Sound recordings
Interviews
Manuscripts
Paintings
Prints
Watercolors
Drawings
Lectures
Citation:
Cleve Gray papers, 1933-2005. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements -- United States  Search this
Designers  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9567
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211768
AAA_collcode_grayclev
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211768
Online Media:

Robert "Mack" McCormick Collection

Collector:
McCormick, Mack  Search this
Musician:
Badeaux, Ed, 1926-2015  Search this
Chenier, Clifton, 1925-1987  Search this
Cotten, Elizabeth  Search this
Estes, Sleepy John, 1899-1977  Search this
Hopkins, Lightnin', 1912-1982  Search this
House, Son  Search this
Howling Wolf  Search this
James, Harry  Search this
Jefferson, Blind Lemon, 1897-1929  Search this
Johnson, Robert, 1911-1938  Search this
Leadbelly, 1885-1949  Search this
Lipscomb, Mance, 1895-1976  Search this
Muddy Waters, 1915-1983  Search this
Rinzler, Ralph  Search this
Shaw, Robert, 1908 August 9-1985  Search this
Thomas, Henry, 1874-1952  Search this
Wallace, Sippie  Search this
Historian:
Oliver, Paul, 1927-2017  Search this
Singer:
Spivey, Victoria  Search this
Producer:
Strachwitz, Chris  Search this
Extent:
60 Cubic feet (171 boxes, 9 map folders)
Culture:
African Americans -- Mississippi  Search this
Arkansas  Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Business cards
Compact discs
Contracts
Correspondence
Folklore
Newspaper clippings
Posters
Road maps
Television scripts
Ephemera
Black-and-white negatives
Contact sheets
Color slides
Business records
Family papers
Resumes
Diaries
Journals (periodicals)
Financial records
Audio cassettes
Manuscripts
Playbills
Field recordings
Writings
Transcripts
Manuscripts for publication
Color negatives
Negatives
Articles
Place:
United States -- Race relations
Delta (Miss.)
Sugarland Prison (Tex.)
Greenwood (Miss.)
Robinsonville (Miss.)
Dallas (Tex.)
Houston (Tex.)
San Antonio (Tex.)
Tunica (La.)
Texarkana (Tex.)
Galveston (Texas)
Date:
1858-2015, undated
Summary:
Field notes, manuscripts, photographs, booking contracts, correspondence, personal papers, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, interviews, and other research materials primarily relating to the history of American blues music. Collection documents the lives of significant blues musicians Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Mance Lipscomb; insight into the life, writings, and research practices of Robert "Mack" McCormick; and the business side of recording and selling the blues.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the life, writings, research practices, and business activities of blues scholar Robert "Mack" Burton McCormick who came to serve as a leading authority on the genre. Personal papers include diaries, curriculum vitae, biographical sketches, school papers, employment documents, correspondence, financial records, and an interview transcript. McCormick's writings consist of published magazine and journal articles, plays, essays, television scripts, short stories, and album liner notes. There are complete unpublished manuscripts, drafts with notes and research materials, and ideas for future work. McCormick's research practices and subjects of interest are documented in correspondence, field notes, annotated maps, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, city directories, interviews, photographic prints, negatives, slides, and contact sheets. American blues, Texas blues, and the music of significant blues artists, who McCormick served as an agent and manager for, dominated his extensive research efforts. In addition, the collection documents the recording, distribution and sale, and identification of consumer markets for American music in correspondence, contracts, agreements, music journals, publicity and promotional materials, music manuscripts, and interviews.

Throughout the collection preservation measures were performed to ensure long term use of the materials. Newspaper clippings were photocopied, and the originals were discarded. Audio cassette tapes have been reformatted and the digital copies will soon be available for research use.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into fifteen series.

Series 1: Photographic Negatives, Photographs and Slides, 1959-1998, undated

Subseries 1.1: Photographic Negatives and Contact Sheets, 1967-1977, undated

Subseries 1.2: Photographs, 1959-1998, undated

Subseries 1.3: Photographs, Texas Blues (TB), 1961-1964, undated

Subseries 1.4: Photographic Slides, 1964-1977, undated

Subseries 1.5: Negative and Photograph Indices and Assorted Material, 1963-1975

Series 2: Personal Papers, 1937-2015, undated

Subseries 2.1: Biographical Information, 1945-2003, undated

Subseries 2.2: Correspondence, Greeting Cards, and Postcards, 1937-2010, undated

Subseries 2.3: Education, 1938-1946

Subseries 2.4: Employment Records, 1948-1961, undated

Subseries 2.5: Family Papers, 1945-1988, undated

Subseries 2.6: Press, 1960-2015, undated

Subseries 2.7: Archive, 1972-2015, undated

Subseries 2.8: Campaign, 1959-2015, undated

Subseries 2.9: Financial Papers, 1952-2015

Subseries 2.10: Legal Papers, 1950-2015, undated

Subseries 2.11: Business Records, 1941-2006, undated

Series 3: Project Files, 1960-2003, undated

Subseries 3.1: Library of Congress, 1960-1964

Subseries 3.2: Newport Folk Festival, 1965-1969

Subseries 3.3: Hemisfair, 1968

Subseries 3.4: Smithsonian Institution, Festival of American Folklife 1966-1980, undated

Subseries 3.5: Other Blues Project, 2001-2003, undated

Series 4: Manuscripts and Writings, 1952-2015, undated

Subseries 4.1: Almost A Savage Joy, 1959-1980

Subseries 4.2: Another Fine Mess, 1981-1987, undated

Subseries 4.3: Blues: A New Look, 1965-1984, undated

Subseries 4.4: Blues Odyssey, 1971, undated

Subseries 4.5: Death and Tragedy, 1975-1980, undated

Subseries 4.6: Down in Texas Blues, undated

Subseries 4.7: Folk Songs of Men, 1952-1977, undated

Subseries 4.8: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley, 1958-1976, undated

Subseries 4.9: Henry Thomas, 1975-2002, undated

Subseries 4.10: Ira, George, Edward, and Lee, 1994, undated

Subseries 4.11: The Magic Room, 1961-1962, undated

Subseries 4.12: Origin of Blues, 1991-2004, undated

Subseries 4.13: Snake in the Belly, 1956-1957, undated

Subseries 4.14: Wiley, 1957-1984, undated

Subseries 4.15: Articles, Ideas and Drafts, 1961-2004, undated

Series 5: Artist Files, 1880-2010, undated

Series 6: Texas Blues Research, 1858-2011, undated

Subseries 6.1: Texas Blues Research, 1910-2010, undated

Subseries 6.2: Lead Files, 1962-1980, undated

Subseries 6.3: Trip Notes, 1960-1989, undated

Subseries 6.4: Song Histories, 1920-1982, undated

Subseries 6.5: Music, 1928-2011, undated

Subseries 6.6: Record Catalogs, 1963-2006, undated

Subseries 6.7: Maps, 1958-1989, undated

Series 7: Robert Johnson, 1910-2015, undated

Subseries 7.1: Research Materials, 1910-2015, undated

Subseries 7.2: Who Killed Robert Johnson Manuscript, 1955-2015, undated

Series 8: Office Files, 1938-2000, undated

Series 9: Correspondence, 1959-2015, undated

Series 10: Organizations, Groups and Buffs, 1961-2003, undated

Series 11: Festivals and Living Museums, 1960-2003, undated

Series 12: Music Journals, 1971-2006, undated

Series 13: Subject Files, 1896-2015, undated

Series 14: People Files, 1928-2014, undated

Series 15: Audio Cassette Tapes and Digital Files, 1941-2007, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Burton "Mack" McCormick (August 3, 1930-November 18, 2015) was a self-taught folklorist who spent a lifetime researching, collecting, and writing about vernacular music in the United States. Most of his work focused on the blues and other musical traditions of Black, brown, and white communities living throughout Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. After experiencing a difficult, transient childhood and eventually dropping out of high school, McCormick settled in Houston, Texas and began to work a series of odd jobs while relentlessly pursuing his goal of becoming a successful writer. Although researching and writing about music came to occupy most of his time, he also pursued passions as a screenwriter and novelist. The volume of historical research and personal interviews he conducted from the 1950s through the early 1970s is remarkable, and his published writings during this period about music and the musicians he doggedly studied were lauded by his peers as among the best in the field. Along the way he worked for a time as a manager for the careers of the Texas songsters Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins and Mance Lipscomb, and briefly ran his own record label. He made hundreds of hours of field recordings with musicians living throughout the South. He collaborated with colleagues such as Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie Records, and Paul Oliver, with whom McCormick spent over a decade researching and writing a manuscript on the history of Texas Blues. Beginning in the late 1960s, he was contracted by the Smithsonian Institution as a field worker for its annual Festival of American Folklife, and around the same time began researching the life of blues legend Robert Johnson for a manuscript that McCormick wrote and re-wrote but failed to publish in his lifetime.

McCormick's research, along with his personal archive, became the stuff of legend among fellow blues researchers and enthusiasts, particularly after his publishing output dwindled in the 1970s. He lived with a bipolar disorder that drew him into bouts of depression and paranoia. He came to distrust many of those colleagues working most closely with him, and sometimes shared untrue information to throw them off the trail of his research discoveries. He also "borrowed" heirloom photographs from the family members and descendants of blues artists and, in several cases documented in this collection, he refused to return them. Overcome with challenges that lay both within and without his control, he came to describe the massive archive in his Houston, Texas home as "the monster," and spent his final decades attempting with little success to publish his writings.
Related Materials:
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

W. C. Handy Collection, NMAH.AC.0132

Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 3, African American Music, NMAH.AC.0300

Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 16: Country, Western, and Folk Music, NMAH.AC.0300

Duke Ellington Collection, NMAH.AC.0301

Frank Driggs Collection of Duke Ellington Photographic Reference Prints, NMAH.AC.0389

Program in African American Culture Collection, NMAH.AC.0408

Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials, NMAH.AC.0415

Alan Strauber Photoprints, 1990-1994, 1999, NMAH.AC.0517

Jonas Bernholm Rhythm and Blues Collection, NMAH.AC.0551

Ray McKinley Music and Ephemera, NMAH.AC.0635

Bluestime Power Hour Videotapes, NMAH.AC.0657

Edward and Gaye Collection of Duke Ellington Materials, NMAH.AC.0704

Bill Holman Collection, NMAH.AC.0733

Andrew Homzy Collection of Duke Ellington Stock Arrangements, NMAH.AC.0740

Harry Warren Papers, NMAH.AC.0750

Benny Carter Collection, NMAH.AC.0757

W. Royal Stokes Collection of Music Photoprints and Interviews, NMAH.AC.0766

Fletcher and Horace Henderson Collection, NMAH.AC.0797

Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection, NMAH.AC.0808

William Russo Music and Personal Papers, NMAH.AC.0845

Milt Gabler Papers, NMAH.AC.0849

Leonard and Mary Gaskin Papers, NMAH.AC.0900

Bobby Tucker Papers, NMAH.AC.1141

Floyd Levin Jazz Reference Collection, NMAH.AC1222

Duncan Schiedt Jazz Collection, NMAH.AC1323

Maceo Jefferson Papers, NMAH.AC1370

Jazz and Big Band Collection, 1927-1966, NMAH.AC.1388

Nick Reynolds Kingston Trio Papers, NMAH.AC.1472

McIntire Family Hawaiian Entertainers Collection, NMAH.AC.1511

Native Peoples Musicians and Music Collection, NMAH.AC.1512

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Arhoolie Business Records and Audio Recordings, 1960-2016, CFCH.ARHO

Moses and Frances Asch Collection, 1926-1986, CFCH.ASCH

CFCH Audiovisual Projects, 2011-2018, CFCH.AVPR

Diana Davies Photographs, 1963-1969, CFCH.DAVIE

Frederic Ramsey Audio Recordings, 1945-1959, CFCH.RAMS

Ralph Rinzler Papers and Audio Recordings, 1950-1994, CFCH.RINZ

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1968 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1968

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1969 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1969

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1970 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1970

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1972 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1972

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1973 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1973

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1974 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1974

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1975 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1975

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1976

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1983 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1983

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1985 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1985

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1987 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1987

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1988 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1988

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1989 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1989

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1991 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1991

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1996 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1996

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 1997 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.1997

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Records: 2011 Festival of American Folklife, CFCH.SFF.2011

Smithsonian Institution

Division of Performing Arts Records, 1966-1979, Accession T90055

Office of Public Affairs, Biographical Files, 1963-1988, Record Unit 420, SIA.FARU0420

National Museum of American History, Department of Public Programs, 1968-1992, Record Unit 584, SIA.FARU0584

Smithsonian Productions, 1967-2000, undated, SIA.FA09-055
Separated Materials:
National Museum of American History's Division of Culture and the Arts

Artifacts acquired as part of the collection include:

Washburn style G guitar, serial number 46472, Accession number 2019.0234.01.

Set of quills (or panpipes) made and played by blues artist Joe Patterson. Accession number 2019.0234.02.

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

Audio recordings acquired as part of the collection are listed in The Guide to the Mack McCormick Audio Tapes Collection prepared by Jeff Place, 2020-2022.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Susannah Nix to the Archives Center in 2019.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access to original materials in boxes 76-80 is prohibited. Researchers must use digital copies.

Additional materials have been removed from public access pending investigation under the Smithsonian Institution's Ethical Returns and Shared Stewardship Policy.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Occupation:
African American musicians  Search this
Topic:
Drafts (documents)  Search this
Blues (Music)  Search this
Blues musicians  Search this
Photographs  Search this
Postcards -- 20th century  Search this
telephone -- Directories  Search this
Plays  Search this
African American music -- 20th century  Search this
Sharecropping  Search this
Plantations  Search this
Zydeco music  Search this
Commercial recordings  Search this
Piano music (Barrelhouse)  Search this
Genealogy  Search this
African Americans -- Texas  Search this
Songsters  Search this
Blues (Music) -- Delta (Miss. : Region)  Search this
Rodeos -- United States  Search this
Prisons -- Songs and music  Search this
Festival of American Folklife -- History  Search this
Festival of American Folklife -- Planning  Search this
Street scenes  Search this
Blues (Music) -- Texas.  Search this
African Americans -- Folklore  Search this
American South  Search this
African American -- Social life and customs  Search this
Blues (Music) -- Mississippi.  Search this
Blues (Music) -- Alabama.  Search this
Blues (Music) -- New Orleans (La.)  Search this
Conjunto music  Search this
Jazz -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Folk music -- United States  Search this
Ethnomusicology -- History  Search this
Sound recordings  Search this
Sound recording and reproduction  Search this
Tejano music  Search this
Transcripts  Search this
Folklorists  Search this
Zydeco musicians  Search this
Musicians, Cajun  Search this
Folk music -- United States -- History and criticism.  Search this
Music -- History and criticism  Search this
Festival of American Folklife  Search this
African Americans -- Alabama -- Music  Search this
Guitar -- 20th century  Search this
Guitar music  Search this
Guitarists  Search this
Country musicians  Search this
Sound recording executives and producers -- United States -- Biography.  Search this
Sound recording industry  Search this
Blues (Music) -- Southern States.  Search this
Blues musicians -- United States -- Interviews.  Search this
Hawaiian guitar  Search this
Hawaiian guitar music  Search this
African American farmers  Search this
Sharecroppers  Search this
Labor -- Southern states -- 20th century  Search this
manuscripts -- Editing  Search this
African Americans -- Songs and music  Search this
Sound recordings -- Album covers  Search this
African American prisoners  Search this
Crafts  Search this
Museum outreach programs  Search this
Folk music -- New Orleans (La.)  Search this
Black people -- Race identity  Search this
Race discrimination -- United States  Search this
Sound recordings -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Genre/Form:
Business cards
Compact discs
Contracts
Correspondence
Folklore
Newspaper clippings
Posters
Road maps -- United States
Television scripts
Ephemera -- 20th century
Black-and-white negatives
Contact sheets -- 20th cenury
Color slides -- 20th century
Business records -- 20th century
Family papers -- 20th century
Resumes
Diaries -- 20th century
Journals (periodicals) -- 20th century
Financial records -- 20th century
Audio cassettes -- 20th century
Manuscripts -- Music -- 20th century
Playbills
Field recordings
Writings -- 20th century
Transcripts -- 20th century
Manuscripts for publication
Manuscripts -- 20th century
Color negatives
Negatives -- 20th century
Articles -- 20th century
Citation:
Robert "Mack" McCormick Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1485
See more items in:
Robert "Mack" McCormick Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep87d0d0dd0-eaee-4e5e-9e87-ebca1a5d86d7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1485
Online Media:

Ferargil Galleries records, circa 1900-1963

Creator:
Ferargil Galleries  Search this
Subject:
Miller, Barse  Search this
Lucioni, Luigi  Search this
Parsons, Lloyd  Search this
Parrish, Maxfield  Search this
Platt, Dan Fellows  Search this
Pike, John  Search this
Sample, Paul  Search this
Price, F. Newlin (Frederic Newlin)  Search this
Van Soelen, Theodore  Search this
Sawyer, Wells  Search this
Willams, Lois  Search this
Van Vleck, Natalie  Search this
Bliss, Lizzie P. (Lizzie Plummer)  Search this
Käsebier, Gertrude  Search this
Carlsen, Emil  Search this
Arkell, Bartlett  Search this
Benton, Thomas Hart  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen)  Search this
Diedrich, Hunt  Search this
Dabo, Leon  Search this
Davey, Randall  Search this
Lawson, Ernest  Search this
Lowrie, Agnes Potter  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Prints
Drafts (documents)
Gallery records
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Citation:
Ferargil Galleries records, circa 1900-1963. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Gallery owners  Search this
Theme:
Art Gallery Records  Search this
Art Market  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8905
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211090
AAA_collcode_feragall
Theme:
Art Gallery Records
Art Market
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211090
Online Media:

Ferargil Galleries records

Creator:
Ferargil Galleries  Search this
Names:
Arkell, Bartlett  Search this
Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975  Search this
Bliss, Lizzie P. (Lizzie Plummer), 1864-1931  Search this
Carlsen, Emil, 1853-1932  Search this
Dabo, Leon, 1868-1960  Search this
Davey, Randall, 1887-1964  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928  Search this
Diedrich, Hunt  Search this
Lawson, Ernest, 1873-1939  Search this
Lowrie, Agnes Potter  Search this
Lucioni, Luigi, 1900-1988  Search this
Miller, Barse, 1904-1973  Search this
Parrish, Maxfield, 1870-1966  Search this
Parsons, Lloyd  Search this
Pike, John, 1911-1979  Search this
Platt, Dan Fellows, 1873-1938  Search this
Price, F. Newlin (Frederic Newlin)  Search this
Sample, Paul, 1896-1974  Search this
Sawyer, Wells, 1863-1960  Search this
Van Soelen, Theodore  Search this
Van Vleck, Natalie, 1901-1974  Search this
Willams, Lois  Search this
Photographer:
Käsebier, Gertrude, 1852-1934  Search this
Extent:
18.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Prints
Drafts (documents)
Gallery records
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Date:
circa 1900-1963
Summary:
The Ferargil Galleries records date from circa 1900-1963 and document the activities of this New York gallery that dealt primarily in American contemporary art from shortly after its 1915 founding by Frederic Newlin Price (1884-1963) to it's closure in 1955. 18.7 linear feet of records include incoming and outgoing correspondence with artists, dealers, schools and colleges, and museums and other art institutions; artist files; estate and legal records including papers relating to the Arthur B. Davies estate; gallery business and financial records; printed material; scrapbooks; scattered personal papers of Price; artwork; and photographs of artists, exhibitions and artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The Ferargil Galleries records date from circa 1900-1963 and document the activities of this New York gallery that dealt primarily in American contemporary art from shortly after its 1915 founding by Frederic Newlin Price (1884-1963) to it's closure in 1955. 18.7 linear feet of records include incoming and outgoing correspondence with artists, dealers, schools and colleges, and museums and other art institutions; artist files; estate and legal records including papers relating to the Arthur B. Davies estate; gallery business and financial records; printed material; scrapbooks; scattered personal papers of Price; artwork; and photographs of artists, exhibitions and artwork.

Correspondence is both incoming and outgoing and documents the day-to-day activities of the galleries, primarily from the 1920s to the 1950s. Significant correspondence with, or relating to, many of the artists represented by Ferargil Galleries can be found here including correspondence with Bartlett Arkell, Thomas Hart Benton, Randall Davey, Hunt Diedrich, Ernest Lawson, Agnes Potter Lowrie, Luigi Lucioni, Barse Miller, Maxfield Parrish, John Pike, Paul Sample, Wells M. Sawyer, Theodore van Soelen and many others.

Artist files consist primarily of material compiled about artists represented by Ferargil Galleries, including biographical information, press releases for exhibitions, and scattered price lists and information about individual works of art.

Estate and legal records include estate inventories for the estates of Lizzie P. Bliss, Arthur B. Davies, and Dan Fellows Platt, and document several legal actions involving Ferargil Galleries. Of particular significance are the records documenting Price's involvement with the estate of Arthur B. Davies, including correspondence with Davies's wife, Virginia, and sales and inventory records for Davies's artwork at Ferargil Galleries and elsewhere.

Business and financial records date primarily from the 1920s and document inventories, sales, insurance, shipping, and taxes for the bulk of the gallery's operating years.

Printed material contains Ferargail Galleries exhibition catalogs and announcements from 1918 to the 1950s in addition to scattered printed material from other galleries and one folder relating to Arthur B. Davies.

Scrapbooks provide a more comprehensive and detailed history of the gallery's exhibitions, through multiple news clippings of press coverage, in addition to catalogs, announcements, and photographs. Of particular note is a circa 1908 photograph of Arthur B. Davies taken by Gertrude Kasëbier.

Scattered personal records of Frederic Newlin Price document Price's work with the Benjamin West Society at Swarthmore College and further reveal Price's interests through an inventory of his art collection and drafts and copies of his writings on artists such as Arthur B. Davies, and on changing trends and tastes in the art world.

A small series of artwork includes 6 pencil sketches, a print, 3 plans, and an Arthur B. Davies exhibition catalog mock-up with pencil sketches, all by unidentified artists.

Gallery photograph files include some photos of artists such as Emil Carlsen, Leon Dabo, Lloyd Parsons, Natalie Van Vleck and Lois Williams, in addition to 13 folders of photos relating to collections and exhibitions, and photographs of artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Correspondence, 1920s-1963 (Boxes 1-15; 6.0 linear ft.)

Series 2: Artist Files, circa 1920s-1950s (Boxes 16-17; 0.7 linear ft.)

Series 3: Estate and Legal Records, circa 1925-circa 1939 (Boxes 17-18; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 4: Business and Financial Records, 1919-1956 (Boxes 18-21; 1.2 linear ft.)

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1900-1956 (Boxes 21-22; 0.7 linear ft.)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, circa 1920s-1950s (Boxes 23-34, 40, OV 41; 5.4 linear ft.)

Series 7: Frederic Newlin Price Records, 1920s-1950s (Box 34; 6 folders)

Series 8: Artwork, circa 1920s-circa 1950s (Box 34, OV 41; 2 folders)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1920-1950s (Boxes 35-39, OV 40; 4.4. linear ft.)
Historical Note:
Frederic Newlin Price (1884-1963) opened Ferargil Galleries in 1915 at 24 East 49th Street and 607 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Art critic W. Frank Purdy (1865-1943)was the President of the Art Alliance of America in 1918 and director of the School of American Sculpture worked at the galleries as director of sculpture.

Named from a combination of "fer" (ferrous-iron) and "argil" (clay), Ferargil Galleries dealt in wrought iron, sculpture, paintings and prints, and focused on exhibitions of work by American artists such as George Bellows, Thomas Hart Benton, Emil Carlsen, John Steuart Curry, Arthur B. Davies, W. Hunt Diederich, Thomas Eakins, Edward Hicks, Ernest Lawson, Albert P. Ryder and Grant Wood. Ferargil was also known for its representation of a group of contemporary watercolorists including Charles Dickinson, Phil Dike, Hardie Gramatky, Barse Miller, and Paul Sample.

In 1927 the business moved to 37 East 57th Street (later 63 East 57th Street) and housed a print room, a sculpture gallery with a fountain, and the main painting galleries.

In 1931 Price became the Director of the newly-formed Benjamin West Society at his alma mater, Swarthmore College. There, he promoted the arts at Swarthmore through annual lectures and exhibitions by contemporary artists and also acquired artwork for the college, primarily by Benjamin West. Price served as President of the American Art Dealers Association in the early 1930s and published a number of books and articles on artists including Arthur B. Davies, Walter Griffin, Eric Hudson, Ernest Lawson, Arthur P. Ryder and Horatio Walker.

Price closed Ferargil Galleries in 1955.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels D321-D322, and N68-14-N68-15) including personal and business correspondence with artists and other records. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
In 1958, Frederic Newlin Price donated circa 70 letters to the Archives of American Art and loaned material for microfilming on reels D321-D322. The remaining records were donated anonymously in 1968.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Topic:
Art, American -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Gallery owners  Search this
Function:
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State)
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Prints
Drafts (documents)
Gallery records
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Citation:
Ferargil Galleries records, 1900-1963. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.feragall
See more items in:
Ferargil Galleries records
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93168e3a9-3aa5-43c5-8811-da96c9975228
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-feragall
Online Media:

Alexander Liberman papers, circa 1912-2003

Creator:
Liberman, Alexander Semeonovitch, 1912-1999  Search this
Subject:
Leibovitz, Annie  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Kline, Franz  Search this
Klein, William  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr.  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Cartier-Bresson, Henri  Search this
Beaton, Cecil Walter Hardy, Sir  Search this
Penn, Irving  Search this
Parks, Gordon  Search this
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Newman, Barnett  Search this
Newton, Helmut  Search this
Mulas, Ugo  Search this
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Picasso, Pablo  Search this
Snowdon, Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of  Search this
Ritts, Herb  Search this
Vogel, Lucien  Search this
Steichen, Edward  Search this
Vreeland, Diana  Search this
Dalí, Salvador  Search this
Chernow, Burt  Search this
Dietrich, Marlene  Search this
De Kooning, Willem  Search this
Emmerich, André  Search this
Greenberg, Clement  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen  Search this
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this
Bennington College  Search this
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
André Emmerich Gallery  Search this
Type:
Drafts (documents)
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Sketches
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Video recordings
Citation:
Alexander Liberman papers, circa 1912-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photography  Search this
Sculptors -- France -- Paris  Search this
Fashion photography  Search this
Painters -- France -- Paris  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photographers -- France -- Paris  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)15871
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)295430
AAA_collcode_libealex
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_295430
Online Media:

Forbes Watson papers, 1840-1967, bulk 1900-1960

Creator:
Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960  Search this
Subject:
Sheeler, Charles  Search this
Saint-Gaudens, Homer  Search this
Marsh, Reginald  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo  Search this
Kroll, Leon  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr.  Search this
Zorach, William  Search this
Gallatin, A. E. (Albert Eugene)  Search this
Adams, Ansel  Search this
Citron, Minna Wright  Search this
Bruce, Edward  Search this
Brancusi, Constantin  Search this
Glackens, Ira  Search this
Genthe, Arnold  Search this
Klonis, Stewart  Search this
Dows, Olin  Search this
Coleman, Glenn O.  Search this
Pène Du Bois, Guy  Search this
Matisse, Henri  Search this
Morgenthau, Henry  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo  Search this
Manship, Paul  Search this
Mangravite, Peppino  Search this
Shimin, Symeon  Search this
Beal, Gifford  Search this
Sterne, Maurice  Search this
Ray, Man  Search this
Rowan, Edward Beatty  Search this
Watson, Nan  Search this
Weber, Max  Search this
Tucker, Allen  Search this
United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Painting and Sculpture  Search this
United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Pepsi-Cola Company  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
Red Cross  Search this
United States. Public Buildings Administration. Section of Fine Arts  Search this
Type:
Notes
Photographs
Drafts (documents)
Scrapbooks
Place:
United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945
New York N.Y. -- Buildings, structures, etc., Photographs
Citation:
Forbes Watson papers, 1840-1967, bulk 1900-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Arts (Magazine)  Search this
Art and state  Search this
Art, American  Search this
Art publishing  Search this
Architecture, New York State, New York -- Photographs  Search this
Architecture -- New York, N.Y. -- Photographs  Search this
New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Theme:
Architecture & Design  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)11027
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211525
AAA_collcode_watsforb
Theme:
Architecture & Design
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211525
Online Media:

Forbes Watson papers

Topic:
Arts (Magazine)
Creator:
Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960  Search this
Names:
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Pepsi-Cola Company  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
Red Cross  Search this
United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Fine Arts  Search this
United States. Department of the Treasury. Section of Painting and Sculpture  Search this
United States. Public Buildings Administration. Section of Fine Arts  Search this
Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this
Beal, Gifford, 1879-1956 -- Photographs  Search this
Brancusi, Constantin, 1876-1957  Search this
Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943  Search this
Citron, Minna Wright, 1896-1991  Search this
Coleman, Glenn O., 1887-1932  Search this
Dows, Olin, 1904-1981  Search this
Genthe, Arnold, 1869-1942  Search this
Glackens, Ira, 1907-1990  Search this
Klonis, Stewart, 1901-1989  Search this
Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974 -- Photographs  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953 -- Photographs  Search this
Mangravite, Peppino, 1896-  Search this
Manship, Paul, 1885-1966  Search this
Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954 -- Photographs  Search this
Matisse, Henri, 1869-1954  Search this
Morgenthau, Henry, 1891-1967  Search this
Pène Du Bois, Guy, 1884-1958  Search this
Ray, Man, 1890-1976  Search this
Rowan, Edward Beatty, 1898-1946  Search this
Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880 -- Photographs  Search this
Shimin, Symeon, 1902-  Search this
Sterne, Maurice, 1878-1957  Search this
Tucker, Allen, 1866-1939  Search this
Watson, Nan, 1876-1966  Search this
Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this
Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this
Photographer:
Gallatin, A. E. (Albert Eugene), 1881-1952  Search this
Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this
Extent:
13.92 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Notes
Photographs
Drafts (documents)
Scrapbooks
Place:
United States -- Social conditions -- 1933-1945
New York N.Y. -- Buildings, structures, etc., Photographs
Date:
1840-1967
bulk 1900-1960
Summary:
The papers of New York City art critic, writer, and lecturer Forbes Watson date from 1840-1967 with the bulk of materials dating from 1900-1960 and measure 13.92 linear feet. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, business records relating to the Arts Publishing Corporation, records documenting Watson's work for the Public Works of Art Project and the Section of Painting and Sculpture, reference files, an exhibition file from the Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition, writings and notes, ten scrapbooks and loose pages, printed materials, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of New York City art critic, writer, and lecturer Forbes Watson date from 1840-1967 with the bulk of materials dating from 1900-1960 and measure 13.92 linear feet. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, business records relating to the Arts Publishing Corporation, records documenting Watson's work for the Public Works of Art Project and the Section of Painting and Sculpture, reference files, an exhibition file from the Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition, writings and notes, ten scrapbooks and loose pages, printed materials, and photographs.

Biographical material includes Watson's Harvard diploma, documents concerning his service with the Red Cross in World War II, biographical accounts, and obituaries.

Correspondence is primarily with colleagues and includes scattered letters from Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Ira Glackens, Allen Tucker, and Max Weber. Other letters are from artists, art historians, and museum curators. A notebook contains shorthand drafts of letters from Watson.

Business records include personal business records consisting of various tax and stock records. The Arts Publishing Corporation records concern Watson's tenure as editor of The Arts magazine and contains a contract, correspondence, financial records, stockholders reports, press releases, a scrapbook, and issues of The Arts. Also included are business records pertaining to the Art in Federal Buildings, Inc..

The U.S. Treasury Department file is the largest series and documents Watson's federal employment as technical director, chief advisor, and consultant for Treasury Department's public art programs - the Public Works of Art Project and the Section of Painting and Sculpture. The files contain correspondence, financial reports, prospectuses, exhibition files, typescripts, clippings, exhibition catalogs, miscellaneous printed material, and photographs, and a scrapbook. The files contain a record of Watson's and other federal administrators' interactions with many artists during the Depression Era. Correspondence is primarily between Watson and Edward Bruce, Olin Dows, Henry and Elinor Morgenthau, and Edward B. Rowan. Found are scattered letters from artists including Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Paul Manship, and William Zorach, among many others. There are exhibition files for "Art for Bonds," "Army at War," and "War Against Japan." There are also photographs of U. S. Treasury Department events including a radio broadcast by John Dewey, Robert La Follette, Jr., and Sumner Welles.

Documents from the Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition at the National Academy of Design contains a prospectus, an exhibition catalog and artists' statements.

Artist/Patron files contain reference material concerning painters, sculptors, photographers, dancers, composers, authors, art collectors, art dealers, and museum administrators. Files may include writings, notes, artworks, exhibition catalogs and other printed materials. Of particular note are photographs, which include portrait photographs of artists and of artists in their studios. Notable photographers include Ansel Adams, Arnold Genthe, Man Ray, photographs of New York City by Charles Sheeler and a photo of Henri Matisse by A. E. Gallatin. Files for Nan Watson, Symeon Shimin, and Glenn O. Coleman contain artworks. A file for Constantin Brancusi contains legal documents concerning U. S. Customs vs. Brancusi.

Art and Architecture files consist of reference material including photographs and notes concerning miscellaneous unattributed art works, American architecture, and furnishings.

Notes and writings consist of miscellaneous notes and typescripts of lectures and published articles, and notebooks.

Nine scrapbooks and loose scrapbook pages contain clippings of articles written by Watson, lists, and exhibition announcements and catalogs. Additional printed material includes clippings, copies of the Hue and Cry newspaper, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, calendars of events, brochures for the Art Students League, book catalogs, published books, and miscellaneous printed material.

Photographs are of Forbes Watson; family members including his wife, painter Nan Watson; and members of the Art Students League including Peggy Bacon, Minna Citron, Stewart Klonis, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Reginald Marsh. There are also photographs of juries for the Carnegie Institute International Exhibitions that include colleagues Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Gifford Beal, Guy Pene DuBois, Leon Kroll, Henri Matisse, Homer Saint-Gaudens, and Maurice Sterne.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 11 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1902-1960 (Box 1; 4 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1913-1960 (Box 1; 33 folders)

Series 3: Business Records, 1920-1944 (Box 1-3, 14, 22; 2.0 linear feet)

Series 4: U. S. Treasury Department File, 1926-1945 (Box 3-6, 14, 17, 22, OV 21; 3.4 linear feet)

Series 5: File for Pepsi-Cola Company's Third Annual Exhibition "Paintings of the Year," 1946 (Box 6; 5 folders)

Series 6: Artist/Patron Files, 1840-1967 (Box 6-9, 15, OV 21; 2.8 linear feet)

Series 7: Art and Architecture File, 1929-1930 (Box 9; 35 folders)

Series 8: Notes and Writings, 1875-1950 (Box 9-10, 22; 1.3 linear feet)

Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1904-1951 (Box 9, 11, 14, BV 18, BV 19, BV 20; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 10: Printed Material, 1900-1961 (Box 10, 12-13, 16-17, 22; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 11: Photographs, 1900-1950 (Box 13, 22; .4 linear feet)

All material is arranged chronologically, with the exception of the Artist/Patron Files which are arranged alphabetically.
Biographical Note:
Forbes Watson (1879-1960) worked primarily in New York City and Washington, D.C. as an art critic, writer, lecturer, and consultant to the U. S. Treasury Department's Public Works of Art Project and Section of Painting and Sculpture (Section of Fine Arts).

Forbes Watson was born on November 27, 1879 in Boston, the son of stockbroker John Watson and his wife Mary. Watson grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, attending the Phillips Academy in Andover, and graduating from Harvard University in 1902. After a brief period of freelance writing, he was hired by The New York Evening Post as an art critic in 1911 and worked there until 1917. In 1910, he married Agnes, professionally known as painter Nan Watson.

During World War I, Watson served with an American volunteer ambulance unit with the French army, later working with the American Red Cross in Paris. After the war, he moved back to New York City and worked as art critic for The World, from the early 1920s until 1931 and as editor of The Arts magazine from 1923-1933. Watson also lectured at the Art Students League, and at various universities and arts organizations.

In 1933, Watson moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as technical director of the U. S. Treasury Department's short-lived Public Works of Art Project. In October 1934, Watson was employed as Chief Adviser to the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture (later renamed the Section of Fine Arts) and later as Consultant to the Secretary's Office of the Treasury. During World War II, he organized various traveling exhibitions including "Art for Bonds" that promoted the sale of war bonds. Watson retired in 1946 and lived in Gaylordsville, Connecticut.

Watson was the author of numerous essays and reviews, and several books including American Painting Today and Winslow Homer, a biography of the noted American artist. With Edward Bruce, he produced a pictorial volume Art in Federal Buildings, Vol. I: Mural Designs. At his death he was working on his autobiography.

Forbes Watson died on May 31, 1960 in New Milford, Connecticut.
Provenance:
The Forbes Watson papers were donated by Watson's widow, Nan Watson, in 1961. An additional folder of material was donated in 2018 by the Museum of Modern Art via Michelle Elligott, Chief of Archives, Library and Research.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Art and state  Search this
Art, American  Search this
Art publishing  Search this
Architecture, New York State, New York -- Photographs  Search this
Architecture -- New York, N.Y. -- Photographs  Search this
New Deal, 1933-1939  Search this
World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Genre/Form:
Notes
Photographs
Drafts (documents)
Scrapbooks
Citation:
Forbes Watson papers, 1840-1967, bulk 1900-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.watsforb
See more items in:
Forbes Watson papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b62b4c1c-aa40-4979-bbf3-d90fa4e127b6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-watsforb
Online Media:

William Kienbusch papers, 1915-2001, bulk 1936-1980

Creator:
Kienbusch, William Austin, 1914-1980  Search this
Subject:
Maitland, Walter McClymonds  Search this
Rattner, Abraham  Search this
Poor, Henry Varnum  Search this
Tam, Reuben  Search this
Davis, Stuart  Search this
Kraushaar, Antoinette M.  Search this
Schrag, Karl  Search this
Clifford, Stanley  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Drawings
Drafts (documents)
Visitors' books
Sketchbooks
Notes
Notebooks
Citation:
William Kienbusch papers, 1915-2001, bulk 1936-1980. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Landscape painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- United States  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Painting -- Technique  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7726
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209890
AAA_collcode_kienwill
Theme:
Diaries
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209890
Online Media:

William C. Seitz papers, circa 1930-1995

Creator:
Seitz, William C. (William Chapin), 1914-1974  Search this
Subject:
Ashton, Dore  Search this
Banks-Woodson, Ellen  Search this
Gorky, Arshile  Search this
Stella, Frank  Search this
Seitz, Irma  Search this
Segal, George  Search this
Rosati, James  Search this
Monet, Claude  Search this
Krebs, Rockne  Search this
Gottlieb, Adolph  Search this
Elliott, Philip Clarkson  Search this
Duchamp, Marcel  Search this
D'Harnoncourt, Rene  Search this
Conner, Bruce  Search this
Baziotes, William  Search this
Barr, Alfred Hamilton  Search this
University of Virginia  Search this
Type:
Resumes
Poems
Photographs
Awards
Sound recordings
Interviews
Sketches
Notebooks
Drafts (documents)
Lectures
Citation:
William C. Seitz papers, circa 1930-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Painters -- Virginia -- Charlottesville  Search this
Educators -- Virginia  Search this
Theme:
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8462
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210638
AAA_collcode_seitwill
Theme:
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210638
Online Media:

Joseph Lindon Smith papers, 1647-1965, bulk 1873-1965

Creator:
Smith, Joseph Lindon, 1863-1950  Search this
Subject:
Pershing, John J. (John Joseph)  Search this
Manship, Paul  Search this
Loring, Charles Greely  Search this
James, Henry  Search this
Smith, Corinna Lindon  Search this
Sargent, John Singer  Search this
Ross, Denman Waldo  Search this
Alma-Tadema, Lawrence, Sir  Search this
Thayer, Abbott Handerson  Search this
Beaux, Cecilia  Search this
Benson, Frank Weston  Search this
Brush, George de Forest  Search this
Carson, Kit  Search this
Gardner, Isabella Stewart  Search this
Académie Julian  Search this
Type:
Notebooks
Photographs
Prints
Interviews
Drafts (documents)
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Diaries
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Place:
Egypt -- Antiquities
Egypt -- description and travel
Citation:
Joseph Lindon Smith papers, 1647-1965, bulk 1873-1965. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Historical drama  Search this
Community theater  Search this
Art, Egyptian  Search this
Art, Ancient  Search this
Art, Egypt  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)8473
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210649
AAA_collcode_smitjose
Theme:
Diaries
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210649
Online Media:

Jules Langsner papers, circa 1910s-1998, bulk 1950-1967

Creator:
Langsner, Jules, 1911-1967  Search this
Subject:
Turnbull, William  Search this
Feitelson, Lorser  Search this
Guston, Philip  Search this
Feldman, Eddy  Search this
Fogg, Adelaide  Search this
Brice, William  Search this
Adams, Clinton  Search this
Perls, Frank  Search this
Ray, Man  Search this
Ray, Julie  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton  Search this
Lundeberg, Helen  Search this
Kadish, Reuben  Search this
Lebrun, Rico  Search this
Guston, Musa  Search this
Harwood, June  Search this
University of Southern California  Search this
Santa Barbara Museum of Art  Search this
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this
Ford Foundation  Search this
Art Institute of Chicago  Search this
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts  Search this
California Watercolor Society  Search this
Art in America  Search this
Pasadena Art Museum  Search this
New York Times  Search this
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Los Angeles County Museum of Art  Search this
International Association of Art Critics  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Articles
Sound recordings
Essays
Lectures
Drafts (documents)
Manuscripts
Poems
Citation:
Jules Langsner papers, circa 1910s-1998, bulk 1950-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Works of art  Search this
Painting, Abstract -- California  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art criticism  Search this
Curators -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Theme:
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9117
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211311
AAA_collcode_langjule
Theme:
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211311
Online Media:

Harry Sternberg papers, 1927-2000

Creator:
Sternberg, Harry, 1904-2001  Search this
Subject:
Warner, Malcolm  Search this
Walker, Hudson D. (Hudson Dean)  Search this
Zigrosser, Carl  Search this
Wickey, Harry  Search this
Secunda, Arthur  Search this
Kent, Rockwell  Search this
Siqueiros, David Alfaro  Search this
Blume, Peter  Search this
Evergood, Philip  Search this
Art Students League (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Idyllwild School and Museum for the Arts  Search this
Type:
Video recordings
Notes
Manuscripts
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Drafts (documents)
Sound recordings
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Drawings
Citation:
Harry Sternberg papers, 1927-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Printmakers -- California  Search this
Printmakers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Educators -- California  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9477
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211675
AAA_collcode_sterharr
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211675
Online Media:

Roi Partridge papers, 1909-2003, bulk 1909-1984

Creator:
Partridge, Roi, 1888-1984  Search this
Subject:
Partridge, Roi  Search this
Neuhaus, Eugen  Search this
Arms, John Taylor  Search this
Anderson, Sherwood  Search this
Adams, Ansel  Search this
Linsky, Elizabeth  Search this
Jacques, Bertha  Search this
Hunter, Dard  Search this
Cunningham, Imogen  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this
Type:
Travelogs
Scrapbooks
Christmas cards
Drafts (documents)
Photographs
Notes
Citation:
Roi Partridge papers, 1909-2003, bulk 1909-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Printmakers -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Etchers -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)10831
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)214574
AAA_collcode_partroi
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_214574
Online Media:

Research material on Amedeo Modigliani, circa 1920-1962, bulk 1950-1959

Creator:
D'Atri, Alberto G.  Search this
Subject:
Modigliani, Amedeo  Search this
Type:
Drafts (documents)
Notes
Manuscripts
Photographs
Citation:
Research material on Amedeo Modigliani, circa 1920-1962, bulk 1950-1959. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6555
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215831
AAA_collcode_datralbe
Theme:
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215831
Online Media:

Chaloner Prize Foundation records, 1915-1974

Creator:
Chaloner Prize Foundation  Search this
Subject:
Rand, William  Search this
Lewis, George F.  Search this
French, S. LeRoy  Search this
Dows, Olin  Search this
Platt, Charles A. (Charles Adams)  Search this
Chaloner, John Armstrong  Search this
Rand, Robert  Search this
Platt, William  Search this
Parker, Lawton  Search this
Type:
Legal records
Drafts (documents)
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Citation:
Chaloner Prize Foundation records, 1915-1974. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art -- Scholarships, fellowships, etc  Search this
Art -- Competitions  Search this
Theme:
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6285
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)220220
AAA_collcode_chalpriz
Theme:
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_220220
Online Media:

J. Stewart Johnson papers relating to Anne Ryan, 1970-1983

Creator:
Johnson, J. Stewart, 1925-2006  Search this
Ryan, Anne, 1889-1954  Search this
Subject:
Ryan, Anne  Search this
McFadden, Elizabeth  Search this
Citation:
J. Stewart Johnson papers relating to Anne Ryan, 1970-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)22083
AAA_collcode_johnjstew
Theme:
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_22083

Milton Wolf Brown papers, 1908-1998

Creator:
Brown, Milton Wolf, 1911-1998  Search this
Subject:
Panofsky, Erwin  Search this
Meltzoff, Stanley  Search this
Lynes, Russell  Search this
Lozowick, Louis  Search this
Lawrence, Jacob  Search this
Brown, Blanche  Search this
Prendergast, Charles  Search this
Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph)  Search this
Prendergast, Maurice Brazil  Search this
Century Association (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Armory Show 50th anniversary exhibition (1963 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Brooklyn College  Search this
Archives of American Art  Search this
Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this
City University of New York  Search this
Type:
Travel diaries
Articles
Interviews
Essays
Drafts (documents)
Transcripts
Photographs
Notebooks
Lectures
Scripts (documents)
Citation:
Milton Wolf Brown papers, 1908-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, American History Sources  Search this
Theme:
Diaries  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6321
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)225216
AAA_collcode_browmilt
Theme:
Diaries
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_225216
Online Media:

John Caldwell papers, circa 1909-1996

Creator:
Caldwell, John, 1941-1993  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Essays
Drafts (documents)
Video recordings
Citation:
John Caldwell papers, circa 1909-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Curators -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Authors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Authors -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburg  Search this
Curators -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburg  Search this
Theme:
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6004
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)230114
AAA_collcode_caldjohn
Theme:
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_230114
Online Media:

Calvert Coggeshall Papers, 1920-1999, bulk 1965-1989

Creator:
Coggeshall, Calvert, 1907-1990  Search this
Subject:
Evans, Walker  Search this
Lekakis, Michael  Search this
Washburn, Gordon B. (Gordon Bailey)  Search this
Tworkov, Jack  Search this
Penn, Arthur  Search this
Morgan, Priscilla  Search this
Shoji, Sadao  Search this
Perkins, Frances  Search this
Jack Tilton Gallery  Search this
Artists Space (Gallery)  Search this
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Bowdoin College, Museum of Art  Search this
William A. Farnsworth Library and Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Architectural drawings
Oral histories (document genres)
Notes
Transcripts
Essays
Blueprints
Photographs
Drafts (documents)
Poems
Citation:
Calvert Coggeshall Papers, 1920-1999, bulk 1965-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Designers -- Maine  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Poets -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Interior decorators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)13414
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)264617
AAA_collcode_coggcalv
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_264617
Online Media:

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