The collection is arranged as 10 series. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1910-1947 (4 folders; Box 1) Series 2: Project Files, 1846-1999 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 11, OV 12-13) Series 3: Business Records, circa 1900-1958 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 2-3) Series 4: Writings, 1913-1935 (2 folders; Box 3) Series 5: Correspondence, 1875, 1933-1996 (0.5 linear feet; Box 3) Series 6: Christmas Cards, 1909-1961 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 3-4) Series 7: Artwork, circa 1900-1955 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 4, 11) Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1903-1972 (0.3 linear feet; Box 10) Series 9: Printed Material, 1910-1997 (0.4 linear feet; Box 4) Series 10: Photographs, circa 1885-circa 1960s (3.1 linear feet; Boxes 4-9, 11, 14)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Summary:
The Chester Beach papers measure 7.32 linear feet and date from 1846 to 1999, with the bulk ot the material dating from circa 1900 to 1999. The work and professional activities of Beaux Arts sculptor Chester Beach (1881-1956) and his family's efforts to exhibit and sell work from the estate are documented by project files, business records, correspondence, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The papers also include many artist-designed Christmas cards sent and received by the Beach family, and artwork by Chester Beach and others.
Citation:
Chester Beach papers, 1846-1999, bulk 1895-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2017 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website. Materials which have not been scanned include blank pages, blank versos of photographs, and duplicates. In some cases, exhibition catalogs and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.
Materials lent for microfilming are available on 35mm microfilm reels N727-N729 and N68-11 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Funding:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Use Note:
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.
Related Materials:
Also in the Archives of American Art is microfilm of papers lent for microfilming (reels N727-N729 and N68-11) including passports, genealogical materials, photograph albums, travel sketches, travel diaries of Mrs. Beach, and business and family correspondence. While the obituary letters on reel N68-11 are referenced in a scrapbook in Series 8, all other loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Biography Note:
Sculptor Chester Beach (1881-1956) was known for portrait busts, allegorical and mythological figures, coins and medallic art in the Beaux-Arts tradition. He lived and worked in New York City and Brewster, New York.
Language Note:
English
Provenance:
Chester Beach's daughter, Eleanor Beach Fitchen, lent materials for microfilming in 1967 and 1967. Subsequent papers were donated in 2009 by the estate of Eleanor Beach Fitchen, through her grandson and executor, John Fitchen.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Chester Beach in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2017, and total 6,572 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Sculptors, American -- New York (State) -- New York Search this