This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Leon Kroll papers, circa 1900-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Leon Kroll papers, circa 1900-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Correspondence is the largest series within the collection and contains both Kroll's personal and professional correspondence. There is correspondence with many fellow New York and European artists, including members of the social realist and ashcan schools of painting and artists he met on his travels and participation in national and international art organizations and committees. There is also correspondence with students and publishers, requests for Kroll to teach, lecture, or write articles, and business correspondence regarding exhibitions, sales, donations, and commissions. A small amount of correspondence is in French.
Artists that Kroll corresponded with include John Taylor Arms, Gifford Beal, George Bellows, Edwin Blashfield, George Biddle, Isabel Bishop, Marc Chagall, Arthur Covey, Randall Davey, Sonia Delaunay, Edwin Dickinson, Barry Faulkner, Ernest Fiene, Joseph Floch, William Glackens, Ellen Day Hale, Samuel Halpert, Robert Henri, Joseph Hirsch, Robert and Edward Hopper, Berthe Koch, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Richard Lahey, Paul Manship, Ezio Martinelli, William McKillop, Gari Melchers, Hobart Nichols, Henry Schnakenberg, John Sloan, Raphael Soyer, Eugene Speicher, Maurice Sterne, Stuyvesant Van Veen, Hutton Webster, Esther Williams, Hamilton Wolf, and Andrew Wyeth, among many others.
Kroll also corresponded with many art historians and critics, curators, and gallery owners, such as Arthur Byne, Alfred Churchill, Frank Rehn, and Louis Stern, and several art patrons and collectors such as J. S. Carpenter, Etta Cone, Aldus Higgins, Julius Lempert, and Carl Weeks.
A large amount of the correspondence found here is Leon Kroll's professional correspondence with arts organizations, clubs, and committees in which he participated. These include the American Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers; Artists Equity Association; Municipal Art Committee of New York; National Academy of Design; and the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and many others. These files may contain copies of letters between other members, press releases, printed material, meeting minutes, or memos Kroll sent to members. Also found is correspondence with arts administrators regarding federal government art projects and funding, including Edward Bruce, Forbes Watson, and Edward Rowan.
A significant amount of family correspondence, particularly from Leon Kroll to his sister Tess Pergament and mother Harriet Kroll are found in the 2019 additions.
Arrangement note:
In general, letters are filed alphabetically by person or corporate name. Names with five or more letters are filed in their own folders, and the remainder of correspondence is filed in miscellaneous files. Selected correspondents whose names do not appear in headings are indicated in a note following the folder heading. Some correspondence with individuals may also be filed according to the name of the organization with which they were associated. Where they exist, Kroll's outgoing letters are interfiled with incoming letters.
This series has been scanned in its entirety except for the 2019 addition.
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Leon Kroll papers, circa 1900-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Leon Kroll papers, circa 1900-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Leon Kroll papers, circa 1900-1988. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Chester Beach papers, 1846-1999, bulk circa 1900-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection 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.
The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own in the following material: all writings by Avis Berman.
Collection Citation:
Avis Berman research material on Juliana Force, 1857-circa 2010. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Max Weber papers, 1902-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Original film reels and archival negative copies are stored off-site and are closed to researchers.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Stefan Hirsch and Elsa Rogo papers, 1851-1986, bulk 1920s-1960s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Funding for the preservation of the Stefan Hirsch and Elsa Rogo home movies shot in Mexico was provided by the National Film Preservation Foundation. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Chronological professional and personal letters received by Ben Benn relating to exhibitions, affiliations with various artists' groups, and relationships with other artists and friends. Found are letters from Alfred Barr, Holger Cahill, Juliana Force, Sidney Geist, Kaj Klitgaard, Rowan and Irene LeCompte, Audrey McMahon, Elie and Viola Nadelman, Samuel Rosenblum, Harry Salpeter, and Hugh Stix, and various art galleries and museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Newark Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Walker Art Center Also found is correspondence from containing letters from Hudson Walker and others, relating to Benn's one-man exhibition; included are price lists of Benn's paintings.
See Appendix for list of notable correspondents from Series 2.1. and 2.3.
Appendix: Notable Correspondents from Series 2.1. and 2.3.:
Abbott, Jere, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
American Artists' Congress, 1936 (1 letter)
American British Art Center, 1944 (1 letter
American Federation of the Arts, 1959 (1 letter)
American Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers, 1935-1936 (3 letters)
American Society for Technion, Women's Division, Israel Institute of Technology, 1958 (4 letters)
Anderson Galleries, The, 1922 (2 letters)
Arden Studios, Inc., 1931 (1 letter)
Art Appreciation Movement, 1942
Art For Living, 1949 (1 letter)
Art USA, 1959 (2 letters)
Artists Equity Association, 1951 (1 letter)
Artists' Gallery, The, 1937-1956 (11 letters)
Artists' and Sculptors' Division, Joint Distribution Committee, 1938 (1 letter)
Artists for Victory, 1943 (1 letter)
Artists Welfare Fund, Inc., 1973 (1 letter)
Associated American Artists, 1942 (1 letter)
Avery, Milton, 1930 (1 letter)
Barr, Alfred A., 1953-1956 (2 letters): See also The Museum of Modern Art
Baziotes, William, 1942 (1 letter)
Beer-Monti, Federica, (See The Artists' Gallery)
Bender, William H., 1968 (1 letter)
Benton, Tom, undated (1 letter)
Benton, Rita and Tom, 1925 (1 letter)
Benton, Rita, 1926-1928, undated (2 letters)
Biddle, George, 1949-1950 (3 letters)
Bluemner, Oscar, 1918-1932 (2 letters)
Blume, Peter, (See The National Institute of Arts and Letters)
Board, Brewster, (See First Municipal Art Exhibition)
Bourgeois Galleries, 1917-1918 (5 letters)
Bourgeois, P., (See Bourgeois Galleries)
Bourgeois, S., (See Bourgeois Galleries)
Breckinridge, Mrs. Henry, (See City of New York, Municipal Art Committee)
Brooklyn Museum, 1931-1932 (4 letters)
Brown, George Lippincott, 1922 (1 letter)
Brownell-Lamberston Galleries, 1930 (1 letter)
Bruckel, Fred H., (See Montross Gallery)
Bry, Edith, (See Artists' and Sculptors' Division, Joint Distribution Committee)
Bummell, Peter, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Burck, Jacob, (See New Masses)
Cahill, Holger, (See First Municipal Art Exhibition): See also Works Progress
Administration/Federal Art Project
Carmel, Hilda, (See Artists Welfare Fund)
Chidsey, Alan C., 1937 (1 letter)
City of New York, Municipal Art Committee, 1936 (3 letters)
Coady, R.W., 1915-1918 (5 letters)
Codry, Patrick, (See New Masses)
Coffey, Katherine, (See The Newark Museum)
Cohen, Mildred, (See College Art Association)
College Art Association, 1932-1936 (5 letters; 1 press release)
Committee of Five/League for American Citizenship, 1928 (1 letter)
Corcoran Gallery of Art, The, 1938 (1 letter)
Dasburg, Andrew, 1921, undated (2 letters)
Educational Art Alliance, 1944 (1 letter)
The Day, 1935 (1 letter)
Egan, Charles, (See Egan Gallery)
Egan Gallery, 1946 (1 letter)
Elliott, James H., 1954 (1 letter)
Fair Lawn Art Association, The, 1950 (1 letter)
Ferargil Galleries, 1934 (1 letter)
First Municipal Art Exhibition, 1934 (2 letters)
Fisher, William, 1917-1925 (5 letters)
Fitzgerald, Eleanor M., The Studio Theatre, 1941 (2 letters)
Force, Juliana, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Ford Foundation, The, 1958-1960 (7 letters)
Forum Exhibition Committee, The, 1916 (6 letters)
Fraser, Joseph T., (See The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)
Frueh, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred, 1916 (1 invitation)
Frueh, Alfred, 1917 (1 invitation)
Frueh, Giuliette, 1923 (1 letter)
Geist, Sidney, 1939-1959 (35 letters)
Gerdts, William H., (See The Newark Museum)
Glassgold, C. Adolph, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Goff, Carleton, (See Providence Art Club)
Gollomb, Joseph, 1931, undated (2 letters)
Goodyear, A. Conger, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Hale, Robert Beverly, (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Hamlin, Elizabeth, (See Brooklyn Museum)
Hanna Ray, (See John Wanamaker New York)
Harris, Ruth F., (See The New York Times)
Hartley, Marsden, 1934 (1 postcard)
Hellman, George, 1926-1927 (2 letters): See also The New Gallery
Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 1974 (1 letter)
Horch, Louis L., (See Roerich Museum)
Irvine, Rosalind, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Johnston, E.M., (See Bourgeois Galleries)
Katz, Harry, The Library of Congress, 1993 (1 letter)
Kent, H.W., (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Klitgaard, Georgina and Kaj, 1920 (1 letter)
Klitgaard, Kaj, 1921-1936, undated (8 letters)
Korzenik, Lillian, (See American Society for Technion, Women's Division, Israel Institute of Technology
Krasne, Bell, 1954-1955 (2 letters)
Kruse, Alexander Z., 1941 (1 letter)
Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, (See American Artists' Congress)
LaGuardia, Fiorello, 1941 (1 letter)
Lambertson, Dorothy, (See Brownell-Lambertson Galleries)
Lang, Gladys V., (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Laurent, Robert, 1920 (1 letter)
Lechay, James, 1971 (1 letter)
LeCompte, Rowan, 1949-1953 (12 letters)
LeCompte, Irene and Rowan, 1952-1967 (12 letters)
LeCompte, Irene, 1951-1953 (4 letters)
Lerner, Abram, (See Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden)
Lewis, Robert, 1950-1952 (5 letters)
Lowry, W. McNeill, (See The Ford Foundation)
McBride, Henry, 1932 (1 letter)
McCausland, Elizabeth, 1951 (1 letter)
McKinney, Roland, (See Pepsi-Cola's Fifth Annual Art Competition): See also The Metropolitan Museum of Art
McMahon, Audrey, (See College Art Association)
Mallette, Alice, (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Marantz, Evelyn, (See Art For Living)
Marvel, Josiah P., The Springfield Museum of Art, 1932 (2 letters)
Meeting Place, The, 1931, (2 letters)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, The, 1939-1957 (8 letters)
Miller, Ann, (See The Fair Lawn Art Association)
Minnigerode, C. Powell, (See The Corcoran Gallery of Art)
Montross Gallery, 1930 (1 letter)
More, Hermon, (See Whitney Museum of American Art)
Museum of Modern Art, The, 1931-1951, undated (5 letters)
Musgrove, Louis, 1935-1954, undated (4 letters)
Musgrove, Nonnie, 1963 (1 letter)
Nadelman, Elie, 1915 (1 letter): in French
Nadelman, Elie and Viola, 1921-1947, undated 6 letters)
Nadelman, Viola, 1925-1929 (4 letters)
National Society of American Art, 1934 (2 letters)
Nestor, Bernard and Dudley Pratt, (See Seattle Art Museum)
New Gallery, The, 1926-1927 (2 letters)
New Masses, 1933 (3 letters)
Newark Museum, The, 1958 (4 letters)
New York Times, The, 1938-1957 (2 letters)
Nordness, Lee, (See Art USA)
Ostrowsky, Abbo, (See Educational Art Alliance)
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The, 1942-1965 (3 letters)
Pepsi-Cola's Fifth Annual Art Competition, 1948 (3 letters)
Phillips Memorial Gallery, 1929 (1 letter)
Providence Art Club, 1965 (3 letters)
Rickey, George, 1936 (1 letter)
Ritchie, Andrew C., (See The Museum of Modern Art)
Robinson, Eleanor, (See Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.)
Rockefeller, Mrs. John D., 1940 (1 letter)
Roerich, Horch L., (See Roerich Museum)
Roerich Museum, 1936 (1 letter)
Rogovin, Howard, 1956 (4 letters)
Rollins, Lloyd L., 1944 (3 letters): See also Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project
Ross, Sidney, (See Theatre in Art Exhibition)
Rowan, Edward B., (See Treasury Department, Section of Painting and Sculpture)
Saarinen, Aline B., (See The New York Times)
Salpeter, Harry, (See Harry Salpeter Gallery, Inc.)
Harry Salpeter Gallery, Inc., 1956-1961 (11 letters)
Seattle Art Museum, 1933 (1 letter)
Shahn, Ben, 1949 (1 letter)
Slatkin, Charles E., (See Charles E. Slatkin Galleries)
Charles E. Slatkin Galleries, Inc., 1959 (1 letter)
Society of Independent Artists, The, 1923 (1 letter)
Marie Sterner Fine Arts, 1930 (1 letter)
Stix, Hugh, 1930-1960 (6 letters): See also The Artists' Gallery
Theatre in Art Exhibition, 1932 (2 letters)
Treasury Department, Section of Painting and Sculpture, 1934 (1 letter)
Tschudy, Herbert B., (See Brooklyn Museum)
Usher, Elizabeth, (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Van Deventer, S., Kröller-Müller Museum, 1924 (1 letter)
Varian , Dorothy, 1937 (1 letter)
Von Groschwitz, Gustave, (See Ferargil Galleries)
Walker Art Center, 1953-1954 (17 letters)
Walker, Hudson, 1948-1958 (6 letters): See also Hudson Walker Art Center
Walkowitz, Abraham, 1928 (1 letter)
John Wanamaker New York, 1934 (1 letter)
Wehle, Harry B., (See The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Weichsel, John, The People's Guild, 1915 (1 letter)
Whitney Museum of American Art (pre-1930: Whitney Studio Club), 1927-1950, undated (16 letters)
Woodstock Artists Association, 1977 (1 letter)
Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project, 1935-1936 (2 letters)
Wright, Willard Huntington, (See The Forum Exhibition Committee)
Yiddisher Kultur Farband, 1951 (1 letter)
Zorach, William, 1916 (1 letter)
Notable Correspondents from Series 2.3: Velida Benn Correspondence, 1906-1963
Art Foundation, The, 1943 (Page proof of advertisement for Art News)
Hitchings, Elisabeth J., College Art Association 1935 (1 letter)
Kelly, Anne, (See Mrs. John D. Rockefeller)
Klitgaard, Kaj, undated (1 note)
LeCompte, Irene, 1951-1953, (2 letters)
LeCompte, Rowan and Robert Lewis, 1949 (1 letter)
Mora, Luis F., 1911 (1 letter in Spanish)
Nadelman, Viola, 1942 (1 letter)
Osma, Julio, 1923-1924 (4 letters: 2 letters in Spanish)
Rockefeller, Mrs. John D., 1931 (1 letter)
Rollins, Lloyd, 1944 (2 postcards)
Salpeter, Betty and Harry, 1956 (1 letter)
Salpeter, Harry, 1960 (1 postcard)
Sanger, William, 1915 (1 letter)
Stella, Joseph, 1918 (1 letter)
Stieglitz, Alfred, 1925 (1 letter)
Weber, Max, 1918 (1 letter)
Weischel, Mr. and Mrs., 1915 (1 postcard)
Zorach, Marguerite, 1915-1916 (2 letters)
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. research facility.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Ben Benn papers, 1905-1993. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This series contains files or records of arts organizations in which Bishop participated, including the American Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers and the New Society of Artists. The files contain a variety of materials, such as a constitution, lists of members, various receipts and bills, a dues ledger, and price lists. Note that her role as an officer in the National Institute of Arts and Letters is not documented here. Bishop's file on UNESCO includes documents regarding her participation in the 1952 International Conference of Artists and contains agendas, reports, notes on panels, and other documents.
Arrangement note:
Items are arranged chronologically within each folder.
Collection Restrictions:
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Isabel Bishop papers, 1914-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Isabel Bishop papers, 1914-1983. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
