The collection is arranged as # series: Series 1: Secretaries' Files, 1916-1974 (Box 1-2; 1.6 linear feet) Series 2: Trustees' Files, 1915-1974 (Box 2-4; 1.6) Series 3: Legal Records, 1917-1974 (Box 4; 0.3 linear feet) Series 4: Printed Material, 1919-1971 (Box 4; 8 folders) Series 5: Financial Records, 1917-1967 (Box 4; 0.3 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Summary:
The records of Chaloner Prize Foundation measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1915 to 1974. The records consist of the files of the two Secretaries, George F. Lewis and S. LeRoy French, and four of the Trustees, Charles Platt, William Rand, Olin Dows, and William Platt. Included within these records are correspondence, lists, files on award recipients, and three scrapbooks maintained by Dows. Also found within the collection are legal records, printed material, and financial records.
Citation:
Chaloner Prize Foundation records, 1915-1974. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reels 5664-5669 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Use Note:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission from President, American Academy in Rome. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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 available at the Archives of American Art are the American Academy in Rome Records, 1855-circa 1981.
Biography Note:
The Chaloner Prize Foundation was founded in 1890 by John Armstrong Chaloner in New York, NY, for the purpose of granting awards to individual artists for study of art in Paris. Initially known as the "Paris Prize Fund," held by the United States Trust Company of New York, the fund relied on contributions from art patrons such as Henry and Arthur Astor Carey. Due to personal troubles Chaloner could not manage the account and passed power of attorney to others. By 1917 the Trust had made only two grants. That year Chaloner brough suit against Bankers Trust Company and "others" in order to incorporate the foundation. The subsequent legal judgement by the New York State Supreme Court created the grant-administering institution.
Following the 1917 reorganization, the Foundation's first award for Paris Prize was $4,800 plus travel expenses to John Ferris Connah for five years (1921-1926). Subsequent awards were $6,000 with grantees selected every other year. With the beginning of World War II, Europe was not longer a secure place for visiting artists, and the 1939 and 1940 award recipients studied in Mexico. No further grants were given until 1948.
Lawton S. Parker, Charles A. Platt, and William Rand, Jr. were appointed to the first board of trustees. George F. Lewis was appointed as Foundation clerk. He maintained correspondence, set up board meetings, and communicated with artists as needed. When Charles Platt and William Rand, Jr. died in the early 1930s, they were succeeded by their sons, William Platt and Robert Rand. Shortly after Lewis resigned in 1938, S. LeRoy French secretary.
In 1969 national legislation regarding tax-exempt foundations made the future increasingly uncertain for trusts like the Chaloner Prize Foundation. In 1973 a final grant was made to the American Academy in Rome to be used for a fellowship in sculpture. In 1974 the foundation was dissolved and all assets and records were transferred to the American Academy in Rome.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 1982 by the American Academy in Rome, along with their records. During the processing of the Academy's records, it was determined that the Chaloner Prize Foundation records were a separate entity, and the collection was separated from the Academy records.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
