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Comfort family papers relating to George Fisk Comfort, circa 1857-1955

Creator:
Comfort, George Fisk, 1834-1910  Search this
Subject:
Massaranti, Marcello  Search this
Cesnola, Luigi Palma di  Search this
Cox, Kenyon  Search this
Johnson, Andrew  Search this
Johnson, Eastman  Search this
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts  Search this
Syracuse University. College of Fine Arts  Search this
Type:
Sketchbooks
Citation:
Comfort family papers relating to George Fisk Comfort, circa 1857-1955. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9664
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211872
AAA_collcode_comfgeor
Theme:
Sketches & Sketchbooks
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211872

Comfort family papers relating to George Fisk Comfort

Creator:
Comfort, George Fisk, 1834-1910  Search this
Names:
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts  Search this
Syracuse University. College of Fine Arts  Search this
Cesnola, Luigi Palma di, 1832-1904  Search this
Cox, Kenyon, 1856-1919  Search this
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875  Search this
Johnson, Eastman, 1824-1906  Search this
Massaranti, Marcello  Search this
Extent:
2 Linear feet ((on 3 microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Date:
circa 1857-1955
Scope and Contents:
Biographical materials, correspondence, manuscripts, notes, sketchbook, subject files, photographs and printed materials documenting George Fisk Comfort's career as an educator and museum director, selected from the Comfort Family papers at Syracuse University.

Biographical materials consist of autobiographical writings, a biographical essay and abstract of a thesis about Comfort, and an address given at his funeral. Personal and professional correspondence includes numerous lengthy letters to his son, Ralph Manning Comfort. Correspondents include Luigi di Cesnola, Kenyon Cox (1901), Eastman Johnson (1902) and Andrew Johnson, who writes about the aims of his administration shortly after becoming President. Interfiled in the correspondence are a 15-page holograph list of "Works of Art Exhibited in the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts" (1903); a brochure on the organization and first meeting of the American Association of Museums (1906); and material relating to the founding of the Metropolitan Museum of Art including minutes, a transcript of Comfort's address at the 40th anniversary, and a brochure about the role he played in the organization of the museum. Also included are correspondence and documents relating to the Southern College of Fine Arts, La Porte, Texas, and a sketchbook of an Italian tour. The subject files concern the (Marcello) Massaranti collection; the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, including organizational material, minutes of trustees meetings, correspondence, and exhibition materials; and Syracuse University, including Comfort's resignation and printed materials about the role he played in the organization of the museum.

Drafts and completed manuscripts of Comfort's unpublished writings include a 12-page history of Syracuse University, a 2-page holograph on the art season of 1909-1910 in New York, and miscellaneous notes including "Fine Art Notes," possibly by a student, which contains a summary of a lecture by Comfort. Lectures consist of manuscripts of 4 talks given at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and an excerpt from an address about establishing a Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts. Other materials consist of clippings and photographs of Comfort, his family, his home and of works of art depicting him.
Biographical / Historical:
George Fisk Comfort was a museum director, educator, and one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y. Comfort established the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts (now known as the Everson Museum of Art) and the College of Fine Arts, Syracuse University. He served as dean of the College (1873-1893) and as director of the Syracuse Museum from its founding in 1869 until his death in 1910.
Provenance:
Comfort's son, the architect Ralph Manning Comfort, assembled and donated the family's papers to the George Arents Research Library for Special Collections at Syracuse University. The Archives of American Art microfilmed selected material from the papers pertaining to George Fisk Comfort. The lender kept letters exchanged among family members with the papers of the writer, not the recipient. Therefore, letters from relatives to Comfort are to be found in the author's papers rather than Comfort's and were not microfilmed.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Art museum directors -- New York (State) -- Syracuse  Search this
Educators  Search this
Museum directors -- New York (State) -- Syracuse  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Identifier:
AAA.comfgeor
See more items in:
Comfort family papers relating to George Fisk Comfort
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw97bdbb3f1-a169-4eb7-8a45-b569a73535c6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-comfgeor

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