The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, and photographs.
Scope Content:
The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, financial material, architectural drawings, and photographs.
Correspondence, circa 1860-1921, includes Freer's correspondence, 1876-1920, with artists, dealers, collectors, museums, and public figures; letterpress books contain copies of Freer's outgoing letters, 1892-1910; correspondence collected by Freer of James McNeill Whistler, and his wife Beatrix, 186?-1909, with Lady Colin Campbell, Thomas R. Way, Alexander Reid, Whistler's mother, Mrs. George W. Whistler, and others; correspondence of Whistler collector Richard A. Canfield, 1904-1913, regarding works in Canfield's collection; and correspondence of Freer's assistant, Katharine Nash Rhoades, 1920-1921, soliciting Freer's letters from his associates, and regarding the settlement of his estate.
Also included are twenty-nine pocket diaries, 1889-1890, 1892-1898, 1900-1919, recording daily activities, people and places visited, observations, and comments; a diary kept by Freer's caretaker, Joseph Stephens Warring, recording daily activities at Freer's Detroit home, 1907-1910. Inventories, n.d. and 1901-1921, of American, European, and Asian art in Freer's collection, often including provenance information; vouchers, 1884-1919, documenting his purchases; five volumes of scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeill Whistler, 1888-1931, labeled "Various," "Peacock Room," "Death, etc.," "Paris, etc.," and "Boston...London" ; three volumes of newsclippings, 1900-1930, concerning Freer and the opening of the Freer Gallery of Art.
Correspondence regarding Freer's gift and bequest to the Smithsonian Institution, 1902-1916; and photographs, ca. 1880-1930, of Freer, including portraits by Alvin Langdon Coburn and Edward Steichen, Freer with others, Freer in Cairo, China and Japan, Freer's death mask, and his memorial service, Kyoto, 1930; photographs of artists and others, including Thomas Dewing, Ernest Fenollosa, Katharine Rhoades taken by Alfred Stieglitz, Rosalind B. Philip, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Abbott H. Thayer, Dwight Tryon, and Whistler; and photographs relating to Whistler, including art works depicting him, grave and memorial monuments, works of art, the Peacock Room, and Whistler's memorial exhibition at the Copley Society.
Organization of the Papers:
This collection is organized into twelve series.
Series 1: Genealogical and Biographical Data
Series 2: Correspondence
Series 3: Diaries
Series 4: Freer Colleague Materials
Series 5: Art Inventories
Series 6: Financial Materials
Series 7: Exhibition Loan Files
Series 8: Biblical Manuscripts and Gold Treasure Files
Series 9: American School of Archaeology in China
Series 10: Printed Material
Series 11: Outsize Material
Series 12: Photographs
Biographical Note:
1854 February 25 -- Born in Kingston, New York
1873 -- Appointed accountant and paymaster of New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad by Frank J. Hecker (1846-1927)
1876 -- Moves to Indiana to work, with Hecker, for the Detroit and Eel River and Illinois Railroad
1880 -- Moves to Detroit, participates in organization of the Peninsular Car Works with Hecker
1883 -- Becomes vice president and secretary of Peninsular Car Company when it succeeds Peninsular Car Works
1883 -- Begins collecting European prints
1884 -- Peninsular Car Company constructs plant on Ferry Avenue
1887 -- Meets Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)
1887 -- Acquires proofs of 26 etchings, Venice, Second Series(1886), by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
1887 -- Purchases a small Japanese fan attributed to Ogata Korin(1658-1715)
1887 -- Buys land on Ferry Avenue
1889 -- Meets Frederick Stuart Church (1826-1900) and Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925) in New York
1890 -- Commissions Wilson Eyre (1858-1944) to design house on Ferry Avenue, Detroit, Michigan
1890 -- On first trip to London, meets James McNeill Whistler(1834-1903)
1892 -- Moves to Ferry Avenue house
1892 -- Tryon and Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) undertake decoration of reception rooms
1893 -- Lends American paintings to World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
1893 -- Purchases first piece of Chinese art, a small painting of white herons by an anonymous Ming dynasty (1368-1644) artist
1894 -- Begins yearlong trip around the world, which includes visit to the Whistlers in Paris and first trip to Asia, stopping in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, China, and Japan
1896 -- Meets Matsuki Bunkyo (1867-1940) in Boston
1899 -- Takes part in consolidation of railroad-car building companies then retires from active business
1900 -- Attends Exposition International Universelle in Paris
1900 -- Buys villa in Capri with Thomas S. Jerome
1901 -- Meets Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) in Paris and Ernest Fenollosa(1853-1908), who visits Freer in Detroit
1902 -- Meets Dikran Kelekian (1868-1951)
1902 -- Spends summer in Britain building Whistler collection
1902 -- Views Whistler's, Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room
1904 -- Purchases Whistler's Peacock Room
1904 -- Offers his art collections and funds to build a museum in which to house them to the Smithsonian Institution
1905 -- Smithsonian committee visits Freer in Detroit
1906 -- United States government formally accepts Freer's gift on January 24
1906 -- Freer signs Deed of Gift to Smithsonian Institution on May 5
1907 -- On second tour of Asia, meets Hara Tomitaro 1868-1939) in Yokohama, Japan
1908 -- Takes third trip to Asia, specifically to West Asia to study Rakka ware
1909 -- Tours Europe to study art museums
1909 -- On fourth trip to Asia, attends memorial ceremony for Fenollosa (d.1908 September) at Miidera, Japan, and meets Duanfang (1861-1911) in China
1910 -- On last trip to Asia, visits Longmen Buddhist caves in China
1911 -- Suffers stroke
1912 -- Lends selection of objects for exhibition at Smithsonian Institution
1913 -- Meets Eugene (1875-1957) and Agnes E. (1887-1970) Meyer
1913 -- Commissions Charles Adams Platt (1861-1933) to design museum building in Washington
1914 -- Meets Katharine Nash Rhoades (1885-1965) in Detroit
1915 -- Settles in New York City
1915 -- Site of future Freer Gallery of Art is determined
1916 -- Platt's plans for Freer Gallery are approved by Smithsonian Regents and Commission of Fine Arts and ground is broken in September
1918 -- After falling ill in Detroit, Freer travels to New York for treatment
1918 -- Work on the museum building is delayed by the war
1919 -- Freer appends codicil to will permitting acquisitions of Asian, Egyptian, and Near Eastern (West Asian) art
1919 -- Dies in New York City on 25 September and is buried in Kingston, New York
1919 -- Construction of Freer Gallery completed
1920 -- John Ellerton Lodge (1876-1942) is appointed director of the Freer Gallery
1923 -- Freer Gallery opens to the public on May 9
1930 -- Memorial ceremony for Freer is held at Koetsuji, Kyoto
Charles Lang Freer was an American industrialist who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. He was a well-known collector of Asian art, and strongly supported the synthesis of Eastern art and Western art. One of his most famous acquisitions was James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room.
Index:
Index to cross-referenced correspondents in the series Charles Lang Freer correspondence
Beal, Junius E. -- See: -- Warring, Joseph Stephens
Black, George M. -- See: -- Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Board of Education (Kingston, New York) See: Michael, M. J.
Bonner, Campbell See: University of Michigan
Boughton, George H. See: Yardley, F. C.
British Museum See: Binyon, Laurence; Hobson, R. L.
Brown, Harold H. See: Art Association of Indianapolis
Buchner, Evelyn B. See: Knoedler, M., and Company
Buckholder, C. H. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Butler, S. B. See: Unidentified correspondents
Carnegie Institute See: Balken, Edward Duff; Harshe, Robert B.
Carpenter, Newton H. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Caulkins, Horace James See: Pewabic Pottery
Chao, Shih-chin See: Gunn, Chu Su
Chicago & North Western Railway Co. See: Hughett, Marvin
Clark, Charles Upson See: Clark, Arthur B.
Cleveland Museum of Art See: Whiting, Frederic Allen
Columbia University See: Braun, W. A.; Gottheil, Richard; Hirth, Friederich
Commission of Fine Arts See: Moore, Charles
Corcoran Gallery of Art See: Minnigerode, C. Powell
Crocker, Anna B. See: Portland Art Association
Dannenberg, D. E. See: Karlbeck, Orvar
De Menoncal, Beatrice See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection
De Ricci, Seymour See: Ricci, Seymour de
Defnet, William A., Mrs., See: Franke, Ida M.
DeMotte See: Vigouroux, J.
Detroit Institute of Arts See: Detroit Museum of Art
Detroit Publishing Company See: Livingstone, W. A.
Detroit School of Design See: George Hamilton; Stevens, Henry
DeVinne Press See: Peters, Samuel T.; Witherspoon, A. S.
Dyrenforth, P. C. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Eddy, Arthur J. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Eggers, George Williams See: Art Institute of Chicago
Farr, Daniel H. See: Robinson and Farr
Farrand School (Detroit) See: Yendall, Edith
Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) See: Laufer, Berthold
Flagg, Frederick J. See: Allen, Horace N.
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University See: Forbes, Edward; Pope, Arthur Upham; Sachs, Paul J.
French, M. R. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Fu, Lan-ya See: Pang, Lai-ch'en
Fujii, Yoshio See: Yoshio, Fujii
Gerrity, Thomas See: Knoedler, M., and Company
Goupil Gallery See: Marchant, William
Gray, William J. See: Barr, Eva
Great Lakes Engineering Works See: Hoyt, H. W.
Grolier Club See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Heinemann, W. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Holden, Edward S. See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy
Hudson, J. L. See: Weber, William C.
Hutchins, Harry B. See: University of Michigan
Hutchins, Charles L. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Kelekian, H. G. See: Kelekian, Dikran G.
Kent, H. W. See: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lee, Kee Son See: Li, Chi-ch'un
Levy, John See: Schneider, A. K.
Library of Congress See: Rice, Richard A.; Wright, Helen
Louvre (Paris, France) See: Midgeon, Gaston
Matsuki, Z. See: Matsuki, Kihachiro
McKim, Mead and White See: White, Stanford
Mills, A. L., Colonel See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Miner, Luella See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection
Minneapolis Institute of Arts See: Breck, Joseph; Van Derlip, John R.
Monif, R. Khan See: Rathbun, Richard
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston See: Lodge, John Ellerton
Naser, Katen & Nahass See: Katen, K.
Nordlinger, Marie, Miss See: Meyer-Riefstahl, Marie
Panama Pacific International Exposition See: Moore, Charles C.; Trask, John E. D.
Peabody Museum See: Morse, Edward Sylvester
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Trask, John E. D.
Saint-Gaudens, Augusta H. See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Saint-Gaudens, Homer See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus
Samurai Shokai See: Nomura, Yozo
San Francisco Art Association See: Laurvik, J. Nilsen
Scribner's, Charles, Sons See: Van Dyke, John C.
Shaw, Wilfred B. See: University of Michigan
Shirae, S. Z. See: Yamanaka and Company
Smith College See: Clark, Arthur B.
Smithsonian Institution See: Holmes, William Henry; Rathbun, Richard; Ravenel, Walcott, Charles D.
Society of Arts and Crafts (Detroit) See: Plumb, Helen
Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander
Stevens, George W. See: Toledo Museum of Art
Stratton, Mary Chase Perry See: Pewabic Pottery
Tanaka, Kichijiro See: Yamanaka and Company
Tuttle, William F. See: Art Institute of Chicago
Union Trust Company (Detroit) See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
United States Military Academy See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy
University of Chicago See: Zug, George Breed
University of Pennsylvania, Univ. Mus. See: Gordon, George Bryon
Ushikubo, D. J. R. See: Yamanaka and Company
Wallis & Son See: Barr, Eva; Thompson, C. Croal Ward, Clarence See: Oberlin College
Warren, Edward K. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Warring, Stephen See: Warring, Joseph Stephens
Watkin, Williams R. T. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie
Watson, Margaret, Miss See: Parker, Margaret Watson
Whistler, Anna See: Stanton, Anna Whistler
Whiting, Almon C. See: Toledo Museum of Art
Williams College See: Rice, Richard A
Wright, F. G. See: Orbach and Company
Yatsuhashi, H. See: Yamanaka and Company
Index to cross-referenced correspondence in the series Whistler correspondence
Bell, William See: Unidentified correspondents
Brown, Ernest See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee
Cowen, John T. See subseries: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence
Ford, Sheridan See: Reid, Alexander
Haden, Francis Seymour See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee
Haden, Francis Seymour, Lady See: Haden, Deborah Whistler
Leighton, Frederick, Baron See: Campbell, Lady Colin
Moore, Albert See: Reid, Alexander
Morley, Charles See: Pall Mall Gazette
Morris, Harrison S. See: Reid, Alexander
Pennell, Joseph See: Miscellaneous typescripts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Reid, Alexander
Prange, F. G. See: Reid, Alexander
Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander
Society of Portrait Painters See: Reid, Alexander
Stevens Fine Art See: Reid, Alexander
Studd, Arthur See: Miscellaneous typescripts
[Vanderbilt?], George, Mrs. See: George, Mrs.
Whistler, William McNeill, Mrs. See: Whistler, Nellie
Whistler Memorial Committee See: Miscellaneous typescripts
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art microfilmed portions of the Freer papers in 1992. The microfilm is available at the Archives of American Art's Washington D.C. office, the Freer Gallery of Art Library, and through interlibrary loan.
Provenance:
Gift of the Estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs collected by Charles Lang Freer during his lifetime, including portraits, art objects, and travels to countries including China, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Japan, and Syria. Many of the photos depict temples, mosques, castles, landscapes, and people, with a special focus on architecture. Also includes photographs of memorial ceremonies to Freer conducted in Kyoto in 1921 and 1930.
Series 12: Charles Lang Freer, Collected Photographs
Arrangement:
Organized by country.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Collected photographic portraits of Charles Lang Freer by Edward Steichen, Alvin Langdon Coburn, etc. Taken in Detroit, Capri, Japan, Egypt etc. Photographs date from the 1880s to near his death in 1919.
Photographic portraits of Charles Lang Freer
Arrangement:
Organized by photographer and by country.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.01
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs of artists and others, including Thomas Dewing, Ernest Fenollosa, Rosalind Birnie Philip, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Abbott Handerson Thayer, Dwight Tryon,Shugio Hiromichi, Stanford White, and Michael Tomkinson.
Series 12.3: Portraits of artists and colleagues
Arrangement:
Organized by country.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.03
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Seven albumen prints prints taken in 1892 by commission of Goupil Gallery director D.C. Thomson. The photographs were taken prior to the sale of 49 Prince's Gate, so furniture and porcelains have been removed. The prints were sent to Charles Freer by Goupil Gallery staff in 1902.
Photographs of the Peacock Room at 49 Prince's Gate, London
Arrangement:
Organized in 1 box.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.02.3.1
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Seven collodion prints prints taken by S.B. Bolon & Co. in 1904 by commission of Obach & Co., London. The photographs were taken as the present owner of 49 Prince's Gate sought to sell the room.
Photographs of the Peacock Room at 49 Prince's Gate, London
Arrangement:
Organized in 1 box.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.02.3.2
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs of Charles Lang Freer at Villa Castello in Capri, ca.1903. Also includes photograph of Freer's friend Thomas Spencer Jerome (1864-1914), and views of the villa.
Photographs of Charles L. Freer in Capri
Arrangement:
Organized by country.
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Freer first visited the Mediterranean island of Capri in 1894. In 1900 he purchsed the Villa Castello with fellow Michigander Thomas Spencer Jerome. In 1906, Jerome purchased Freer's share of the Villa.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.01.4
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs of Charles Lang Freer and colleagues in japan, between 1895 and 1910. Although none are dated, two photographs of Freer with his rickshaw men are likely from his first visit to Japan in 1895. The other two were likely take in 1909 or 1911 at the Yokohama villa of Freer's friend Hara Tomitaro (原富太郎; 1868-1939).
Photographs of Charles Lang Freer in Japan
Arrangement:
Organized by country.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.01.6
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs of Charles Lang Freer's home in Detroit Michigan, taken between 1892 and 1918. Views include 4 exteriors, showing before and after the addition built in 1906 to house the Peacock Room. Interior views include the Picture Gallery above the stables in 1906, and a glass plate negative of the new gallery completed in 1911.
Photographs of Charles Lang Freer's house in Detroit
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.04
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
One album, measuring 39 x 31 cm., of approximately 150 black and white photographs of the Chinese art collection of Seaouke Yue [You Xiaoxi], which included paintings, porcelain and works in bronze. The prints are pasted into the album and identified by typed identification slips, also pasted into the album. A paper label on the front cover reads "Photos of Chinese Arts Seaouke Yue Collection." A one-volume descriptive catalog accompanies the photo album. The catalog (39 x 27 cm.) consists of 50 tipped-in leaves, with typescript descriptions of each art work pasted onto the leaves. The descriptions have been annotated in pencil. A paper label has been pasted to the front cover and bears the typed title "Description of antique Chinese paintings and brass wares as well as of porcelains of different ages", with the author's name and "Photo list #298" printed underneath in black ink.
游篠溪 端方
Description of antique Chinese paintings and brass wares as well as of porcelains of different ages
Arrangement:
Organized in the original manner by the creator.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 04.08
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Twelve photographs depicting scenes and buildings in the Syrian city of Aleppo, likely acquired druing Freer's travel there in June of 1908. Nine additional prints depict the Byzantine and early Islamic period ruins at Resafa.
Photographs of Syria collected by Charles Lang Freer
Arrangement:
Organized by subject.
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Lang Freer traveled to Syria in June 1908, mostly to pursue more examples of Raqqa pottery. The source of the prints are unknown.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.11
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs of Charles Lang Freer taken by Alvin Langdon Coburn, February 1909. They depict Freer in a variety of poses, such as leaning against a desk, examining some artwork, or simply facing the camera. One print was sent to the Freer Gallery in 1955 by a relative of Freer's business partner Frank Hecker. Two autochromes and 14 platinum prints.
Arrangement:
Organized by country.
Biographical / Historical:
Alvin Langdon Coburn (1882-1966) was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a middle class British family. Coburn began exploring photography after receiving a camera for his eighth birthday. However, it was not until a few years later that he began exploring photography seriously. Coburn opened his first studio in New York City in 1902 to exhibit his prints, and became part of a crowd that wanted to establish photography as art. He moved to London in 1904 to take portraits of celebrities, including an iconic one of George Bernard Shaw posed nude as Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker." Coburn not only shot portraits, but also unique street scenes of New York City. He was quite interested in creating the fractured affects of cubism and futurism through use of photography, as demonstrated in his "vortographs." He experimented with perspective and abstract patterns. Later in his life, Coburn became disinterested in photography as his interest in mysticism grew. He resumed photography in the 1950s before his death in 1966.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.01.2
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs of Ernest Fenellosa's memorial service at Homyoin, Miidera in Otsu, November 14, 1909. Attendees included Charles Freer, Gaston Migeon, Hara Tomitaro and Fenollosa's widow. Includes 8 large format prints of the ceremony and 3 smaller, undated prints of the memorial.
Arrangement:
Organized by country.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.03.03
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Twenty one photographic images depicting the Peacock Room in Freer's home in Detroit, take by George R. Swain in Spring of 1908. The collection contains 10 standard size prints; 4 mammoth plate prints; 7 original glass plate negatives. The photographs also display selections from Freer's own extensive ceramics collection.
Arrangement:
Organized in two boxes, for prints and negatives, and one folder for large format prints.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.02.3.3
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs depicting temples, roads, sculpture, and artwork in Egypt. Photographers and studios represented include Antonio Beato (1832-1906); Maison Bonfils (active 1867-early 20th century), and Zangaki Adelphoi (active 1870s-1890s).
Arrangement:
Organized by subject.
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Lang Freer likely acquired most of the prints during his first travel in Egypt in late 1906-early 1907, although he made two subsequent visits in 1908 and 1909.
Felix Bonfils was a French photographer who spent most of his time in the Middle East. Many tourists bought his photos while visiting the Middle East.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.06
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographic prints acquired by Freer duriing his tour of Colombo in February 1907, depicting the archaeological, religious, and scenic sites of Sri Lanka. Photographs include works by the major studios in Colombo such as Skeen & Co., and Scowen and Co. (later Apothecaries Co.), as well as works by unknown photographers. Geographically the images display a wide range of sites from across the island but emphasize the ancient ruins of the Anuradhapura District. All the prints are gold-toned albumen prints.
1: Alsophila Crinita. Caption: "Alsophila Crinita Woolly Tree-Ferns." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 2: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri ViharaComplex, Abhayagiri Thupa, from the south. Caption: "Jetawanarama Dagoba 245 high. Anuradhapura." Captions: "Jetawanarama DagobaAnuradhapura", "Anuradhapura" Scowen; Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 3: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri Vihara Complex, Kanda-oru. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 4: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri Vihara Complex, Kuttum Pokuna. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 5: Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri Vihara Complex, Mahasena's Pavilion, moonstone and stairway. Captions: "Kings Palace Moonstone, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 6: Anuradhapura, Isurumuniya Temple, carved stone images. Captions: "Carved stone in S-steps, Isurumuniya", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1896; 7: Anuradhapura, Isurumuniya Temple, front from the east. Captions: "Isurumuniya Temple, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura, Isurumuniya." Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1896; 8: Anuradhapura, Magul Uyana, rock cut pond. Caption: "A rock cut recess in connection with a bathing pond on the east side of the Tisawewa, Anuradhapura." Captions: "Rock cut recess east of Tissawewa", "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 9: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, "Dalada Maligawa" idol house.; 10: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Kujjatissa Pabbata. Caption: "Sala Chaitiya Dagoba, Anuradhapura." Caption: "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 11: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Kujjatissa Pabbata. Caption: "Sala Chaitiya Dagoba. Anuradhapura." Caption: "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co. Between the 1876 and ca.1894; 12: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, monastic cistern and dyeing vessel near the Thuparama Dagoba. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 13: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, monastic ruins west of the Ruvanvalisaya. Caption: "Ruins of the north west side of the Ruanwelli Dagoba, Anuradhapura." Caption: "Anuradhapura" Scowen & Co; Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 14: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex,monastic ruins south west of the Ruvanvalisaya. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 15: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, monastic ruins south west of the Ruvanvalisaya. Caption: "Anuradhapura" Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 16: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Ruvanvalisaya, east entrance. Captions: "Ruanwella Dagoba from the east showing carved entrance", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 17: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Ruvanvalisaya, southern vahalkada. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 18: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Sri Maha Bodhi Shrine. Caption: "Ficus Religiosa, the sacred Bo tree at Anuradhapura. This ancient tree is an object of the most profound veneration to the Buddhists; its parent in India being the identical tree under which Gautama is said to have attained the Buddhaship. The original branch was planted by King Dewanpiya Tissa, B.C. 288. " Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 19: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, stone bulls near the Ruvanvalisaya. Captions: "Stone Bulls, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 20: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, stone figure. Caption: "Stone figure in Kachcheri ground, Ruanwella." Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 21: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Thuparama Dagoba, pillar capital. Caption: "Pillar at the Thuparama, Anuradhapura.". Not before 1862; 22: Anuradhapura, Mahavihara Complex, Thuparama Dagoba and surrounding ruins. Caption: "Polonnaruva?" Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 23: Anuradhapura, Mirisvatiya Dagoba. Captions: "Merisawatte Dagoba, Ruanwella", "Anuradhapura, Miriswetiya." Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 24: Anuradhapura, Western Monasteries, stone canopy. Skeen & Co. Between 1886 and 1903; 25: Anuradhapura District, Mihintale, Mahinda's Bed. Caption: "Mihintale,, Mahinda's Bed"; 26: Colombo District, Colombo Fort, from the south. Captions: "Barracks, Fort, Colombo. No. 62", "Colombo" C.A. Co. Ltd. Between the 1870s and ca.1890; 27: Kandy, Dalada Maligawa, entrance. Caption: "Entrance to the Buddhist Temple, Kandy." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 28: Kandy, Dalada Maligawa, front view. Caption: "Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth) Kandy." Caption: "Kandy,, Maligawa." Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 29: Kandy, back of Temple. Captions: "Back of Temple, Kandy," Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 30: Kandy, "Florence Villa." Caption: "Florence Villa, Kandy, No. 193." C.A. Co. Ltd. Between the 1870s and ca.1890; 31: Kandy, Kandy Lake with Hantanne Peak in back. Caption: "Kandy Lake and Hantanne Peak." Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 32: Kandy, Kandy Lake and city from the South-east. Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 33: Kandy, Old Palace. Caption: "Old palace, Kandy"; 34: Kandy District, Panwila, "Holton Estate" tea plucking. Caption: "Plucking tea leaf-Holton Estate. Panwila." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 35: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Mahavali River. Caption: "River at Peradeniya." Skeen & Co. Between the late 1860s and 1903; 36: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, Creeper. Caption: "A Creeper in the Peradeniya Gardens" Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 37: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, fig tree. Caption: "Fig tree, Peradeniya"; 38: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, palms. Caption: "Group of palms in the Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 39: Kandy District, Peradeniya, Royal Botanic Gardens, palms. Caption: "Group of Palms in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 40: Kandy District, Peradeniya, the Satinwood Bridge over the Mahavali River. Captions: "Satinwood Bridge from the gardens", "Peradeniya,, Royal Botanic Gardens.". Not after 1904; 41: Matale District, Aluvihara Rock Temple. Caption: "Matale. Aluwihara Rock Temple. Where Buddhist books were first committed to writing in B.C. 90." Caption: "Matale,, Aluvihara." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 42: Matale District, Aluvihara Rock Temple. Caption: "Rock Temple at Matara showing the Great Gorge"; 43: Matale District, Dambulla Cave Temple, entrance to a cave. Captions: "Rock Temple entrance, Mihintale", "Mihintale" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 44: Matale District, Dambulla Cave Temple, terrace. Captions: "Buddhist Rock temple view from terrace, Mihintale", "Mihintale" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 45: Matale District, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, assent to the summit. Captions: "Sigiri remains of galleries running to the top of the rock", "Sigiriya" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 46: Matale District, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, view to summit from the Lion Terrace. Captions: "Sigiri Rock", "Sigiriya"; 47: Matale District, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, stairs of the lower gallery. Captions: "Sigiri end of the remaining portion of the lower gallery", "Sigiriya"; 48: Nuvara Eliya, landscape. Captions: "Nuwera Eliya", "Nuwara Eliya" C. Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 49: Polonnaruva, Ancient City, Dalada Maluva Complex, Hatadage. Captions: "Atadage, Ruawella", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1903; 50: Polonnaruva, Ancient City, Dalada Maluva Complex, Hatadage, broken stone Buddha. Captions: "Atadage inner chamber"; "Polonnaruwa, Atadage." Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Not after 1903; 51: Polonnaruva, Ancient City, Siva Devale No. 1, east entrance. Captions: "Anuradhapura", "Anuradhapura" Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 52: Ratnapura District, Sripada. Caption: "Temple of Adam's Peak"; 53: Matale District, unidentified gorge. Caption: "Vicarton Gorge, Matale." Scowen & Co. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 54: Unidentified temple. Caption: "Buddhist Temple, Colombo No. 92." Caption: "Colombo." Apothecaries Co. Ltd; 55: Unidentified temple. Caption: "Buddhist Temple, Peradeniya." Caption: "Peradeniya." C.A. Co. Ltd; Apothecaries Co. Ltd. Between the 1870s and ca.1890; 56: Unidentified house. Captions: "Hill Club", "97' Moliya", "Nuwara Eliya" C. Scowen. Between 1876 and ca.1894; 57: Unidentified river. Captions: "Maskeliya river", "Maskeliya"; 58: Unidentified waterfall. Captions: "Maskeliya Falls", "Maskeliya"; 59: Unidentified waterfall.
Captions: "Naliawilla Falls Haputale,", "Haplutale"; 60: Unidentified waterfall. Captions: "The double Ramibadde Falls", "Ramboda"; 61: Unidentified ruins of stairs. The Colombo Apothecaries Company, Ltd. Photographers; 62: Unidentified brick ruin. The Colombo Apothecaries Company, Ltd. Photographers.
Arrangement:
Organized in the original manner by the creator.
Local Numbers:
FSA A.01 12.10
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Topic:
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Art, American -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
Photographs depicting temples, landscapes, and and views in Japan, collected by Charles Lang Freer. Locations include Kinkakuji (Rokuonji) and Ginkakuji (Jisshoji) in Kyoto; Horyuji and Todaiji in Nara. Most images are unsourced, although a photograph of Lafcadio Hearn's studio is attributed to Burton Holmes.
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
