The collection is arranged as 10 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1888-1955 (Boxes 1 and 15; 0.25 linear feet) Series 2: Correspondence, 1896-1965 (Box 1; 0.7 linear feet) Series 3: Diaries and Daily Journals, 1900-1938 (Boxes 1-2; 1.0 linear feet) Series 4: Writings and Notes, circa 1881-1963 (Boxes 2-4; 1.6 linear feet) Series 5: Medieval Art and Collections, circa 1905-1958 (Boxes 4, 15 and OV 17; 0.9 linear feet) Series 6: Business Records, circa 1900-1938 (Boxes 4-5; 0.9 linear feet) Series 7: Financial Records, circa 1920-1941 (Boxes 5-7; 1.3 linear feet) Series 8: Printed Materials, circa 1890-1969 (Boxes 7-8, 15-16 and BVs 25-26; 1.5 linear feet) Series 9: Photographs, circa 1860-1963 (Boxes 8-13, 15, and OV 17-24; 4.5 linear feet) Series 10: Artwork, circa 1880-1938 (Boxes 11, 14, 16 and OV 17; 0.5 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Summary:
The papers of New York sculptor, collector, and dealer George Grey Barnard measure 13.8 linear feet and date from 1860 to 1969, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1880-1938. These papers document his life and work as an artist, as well as his activities as a collector and dealer of medieval art, through correspondence, collecting notebooks, diaries and daily journals, ephemera, inventories, business and financial records, exhibition catalogs, newspaper clippings, reference materials, publications, photographs, and a small number of sketches.
Citation:
George Grey Barnard papers, circa 1860-1969, bulk 1880-1938. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2012 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website. Selected financial records, photographs of works of art, some business records, and printed materials have not been scanned.
Material lent for microfilming is available on 35mm microfilm reel 3658-3664 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
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:
Additional George Grey Barnard papers are available at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels 3658-3664) including correspondence, exhibition files, and sketches. Originals of microfilmed items can be found at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This material has not been described in the collection container inventory.
Biography Note:
George Grey Barnard (1863-1938) was an American sculptor, collector, and dealer, whose collection of medieval art formed the nucleus of the Cloisters, the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art of the middle ages. Barnard was born to a Presbyterian minister and his wife in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania in 1863. While he was still a young boy, the family left Pennsylvania for the Midwest, eventually settling in Muscatine, Iowa. He married Edna Monroe in 1895 and had three children: Monroe, Vivia, and Barbara.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The bulk of the George Grey Barnard papers were transferred from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (formerly the National Collection of Fine Arts) in 1975 and 2003, where the artist's son, Monroe Barnard, had given it in 1970. In 1971, Monroe donated the Archives of American Art additional papers, the Pennsylvania State University Archives gave more material in 1976, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art loaned 4.0 linear feet of material for microfilming in 1985.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of George Grey Barnard in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2016. The bulk of the papers have been scanned, and total 5,708 images. Selected financial records, photographs of works of art, some business records, and printed materials have not been scanned.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) Search this
