Papers of art collectors Pauline Baerwald Falk (1910-2000) and Myron Samuel (Johnny) Falk Jr. (1906-1992). This collection includes correspondence; art collection documentation; research materials; photographs (slides and prints) and audiovisual materials; financial information; biographical data; records of philanthropic and social activities; travel records; and appointment books.
Arrangement:
Organized into five series:
• Series 1: Biographic Materials
• Series 2: Travel
• Series 3: Correspondence
• Series 4: Collection Files
• Series 5: Slides
Biographical / Historical:
Pauline Baerwald was born in New York City in 1910, living there until her death in 2000. In 1932 she graduated from Smith College and went on to the School of Social Work at Columbia University. Pauline's father, Paul Baerwald, was a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist, as well as an executive board member of the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an agency chartered to provide refugee services for European Jews who were victims of persecution throughout Russia and Europe. Pauline was an active volunteer with the JDC throughout World War II. After the war she was one of the founders of the National Refuge Service (later the New York Association for New Americans) as well as the Jewish Social Service Association. She also served as president of the Jewish Family Services, a predecessor agency of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. In 1935 Pauline Baerwald married Myron "Johnny" S. Falk, Jr., and raised three children: Patricia, Michael and Nancy. Pauline, with support from Johnny, was a founder of the New Lincoln School in Manhattan, having attended the Lincoln School as a child. They maintained connection to charitable social work throughout their lives.
Myron "Johnny" S. Falk, Jr., son of Myron S. Falk, was born in New York City in 1906. In 1928 he earned a degree at Yale and a B.S. in Engineering from MIT in 1929. During World War II Johnny was a commissioned officer in the army, posted to the Pentagon ordinance section, applying his engineering and management skills to the task of munitions production. The family moved to Washington, D.C. during the war. In addition to his professional career as an investment banker with Ralph E. Samuels and Co., Johnny was a director of the New York Foundation and Hebrew Technical Institute. He was a board member of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and Bennington College.
Pauline and Johnny were both introduced to Chinese art early in life. Johnny's father collected Chinese porcelain to decorate his New York home. In keeping with the taste of the times, most of his pieces were Kangxi blue and white porcelains. On his sixtieth birthday he divided his porcelains among his three children. Several years later Johnny and his sister, Mildred, gave many of those Kangxi porcelains to the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to be permanently installed, together with many other porcelains, to re-create the original appearance of the Whistler Peacock Room.
Pauline was introduced to Chinese art by her uncle, Emil Baerwald, who took her to the Metropolitan Museum to see the Bishop Collection and on visits to Yamanaka and Company on Fifth Avenue, where Mr. Shirai would take them into the private rooms to see the rarest pieces. Emil Baerwald lived in Europe, and, as an active collector of Chinese ceramics, he became acquainted with leading Chinese art collectors there, including George Eumorfopoulos and Sir Percival David. He provided introductions to collectors when Pauline and Johnny visited England in 1950.
In 1937 Pauline and Johnny made their first trip to China on Pan Am's Clipper, flying from San Francisco to Manila. It was during their first visit to China that Johnny and Pauline began buying early Chinese pottery and works of art. Pauline referred to this trip as the one trip that formed their collection. On this flight they met K.C. Chung, a consultant and friend for years to come. Pauline's uncle, Ernst Baerwald, lived in Tokyo and was well connected in the arts. Through his introductions they met significant art dealers, including Mathias Komor, who became an advisor to them.
Pauline and Johnny were contributors the founding of many Asian art organizations in America during the years following World War II and the Korean War. They participated in the establishment of the Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America in 1945, a scholarly journal which was renamed Archives of Asian Art in 1966 and continues publication today.
Pauline and Johnny were strong supporters of the Asia Society, where Johnny was a trustee. In 1971 they were among the first participants in the Japan Society and were founding members of the Friends of Japan House Gallery. Johnny was also a trustee of the Research Laboratory of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from 1966 until his death. In 1950 Pauline and Johnny attended a meeting of the Oriental Ceramic Society (OCS) of London, and a few years later Johnny became the OCS representative in North America, a post he held for more than thirty years.
Johnny Falk died in 1992 and Pauline Baerwald Falk passed away in 2000, the same year the collection of approximately 700 items was assigned to Christie's.
Provenance:
Gift of the Falk family.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting Search this
Genre/Form:
Correspondence
Photographs
Diaries -- 20th century
Maps -- 20th century
Citation:
Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers, FSA.A2002.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the Falk family.
Sponsor:
Processed in 2022 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative.
1 Film positive (silent, 16 minutes, black and white, 16mm)
Container:
Reel 1
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Film positives
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Place:
China -- Description and Travel
Philippines
Hong Kong
China
USA -- New York -- New York
Date:
1937
Scope and Contents:
One of four reels 16mm motion picture film taken during Johnny and Pauline Falk's 1937 trip to China, Korea and Japan. Kodak had only recently made color film available, so this may be the earliest color footage of many of the locations the Falks visited.
广州 厦门 汉口重庆
Biographical / Historical:
The Falks took one of the inaugural Pan Am Clipper flights to China in 1937. Myron S. (Johnny) Falk Jr., and his wife Pauline Baerwald Falk were active philanthropists, prominent Asian art collectors and were both active in the Jewish and Art communities.
0:00 - 0:39: Alameda Airport, boarding the Philippine Clipper (March 24-25); 0:39 - 0:49: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (March 26); 0:49 - 2:49: 1. Pan American Airways Hotel at Midway / Wake Island (March 27-30); 2:49 - 4:34: Military parade of soldiers and children, Guam (March 31); 4:24 - 4:52: Manila (April 1); 4:55 - 5:47: Xiamen (April 5); 5:47 - 6:30: Hong Kong Harbor, on the boat to Kowloon (April 6); 6:30 - 6:38: Ruins of St. Paul's in Macau (April 8); 6:38 - 6:42: ? 6:42 - 7:04: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Guangzhou (April 10-11); 7:04 - 7:32: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall or Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou; 7:32 - 7:36: Hills outside of Guangzhou (April 10-12); 7:36 - 7:41: ? 7:41 - 8:09: Train from Guangzhou to Wubei on Hangkow Railroad (April 12); 8:09 - 8:11: Locals somewhere near train station between Guangzhou and Wubei (April 12); 8:12 - 8:20: Viewing Temple of the Six Banyan Trees from a distance, railroad stations along Hangkow RR (April 12); 8:20 - 8:33: Wuhan, along the Yangtze. Perhaps taken from the Chinese Customs House (April 12); 8:33 - 8:44: Nina & George Blowers, Hankou (April 13); 8:44 - 8:57: Hangkow Country Club (April 14); 8:57 - 9:06: Spectators in Hankou watching plane departure (April 15); 9:06 - 10:43: Pilot Hugh Chen preparing to fly a small Loening, views of Hankou port, Standard Oil Company, men carrying gasoline barrels (April 15); 10:43 - 11:30: Airport in Shasi District of Jingzhou, watching planes land and take off (April 15); 11:30 - 12:30: Crossing Yangtze river at Chongqing, looking out onto the mountains (April 16); 12:30 - 14:52: Taking "chairs" up into Chongqing hillside, looking out onto the hills, visited temple with many graves, looked down at Yangzi and Chongqing industry (April 16); 14:52 - 15:16: "Mr. Hamburger" or "Mr. Reuss" and Falks in Chongqing, home of a K.Z. Yang (April 17); 15:16 - 16:13: Crossing Yangzi in Chongqing on the way to Shanghai (April 17)
Local Numbers:
FSA A2002.03 4.1
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
Genre/Form:
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Collection Citation:
Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers, FSA.A2002.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the Falk family.
Sponsor:
Processed in 2022 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative.
1 Film positive (silent, 14 minutes, black and white, 16mm)
Container:
Reel 2
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Film positives
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Place:
China -- Description and Travel
Shanghai (China)
Beijing (China)
Date:
1937
Scope and Contents:
One of four reels 16mm motion picture film taken during Johnny and Pauline Falk's 1937 trip to China, Korea and Japan. Kodak had only recently made color film available, so this may be the earliest color footage of many of the locations the Falks visited.
上海 杭州 北京
Biographical / Historical:
The Falks took one of the inaugural Pan Am Clipper flights to China in 1937. Myron S. (Johnny) Falk Jr., and his wife Pauline Baerwald Falk were active philanthropists, prominent Asian art collectors and were both active in the Jewish and Art communities.
0:00 - 1:16: Landing at Shanghai airport, met by "Mr. Chung's car" (April 17); 1:17 - 1:52: Shanghai Harbor, ferry crossing the water, Mrs. Falk and K.C. Chung (April 17); 1:52 - 2:13: riding up "dike road" to Hangzhou from Shanghai with K.C. Chung (April 20); 2:13 - 2:24: Heavy rainfall on the sightseeing tour in Hangzhou, tea at the "largest temple in grove" (April 21); 2:24 - 3:37: Hangzhou, walking along the dike road that cuts off a part of the lake (April 21); 3:37 - 3:43: Huanglong Cave ("Grotto of Yellow Dragon"); in Hunan (April 22); 3:34 - 3:53: Winter Palace (Beihai Park) Pavilion, White Dagoba, Beijing (April 27); 3:53 - 5:51: Forbidden City (April 28-29); 3:51 - 6:11: Scenes from the train from Beijing to Hankou (April 30); 6:11 - 7:38: Donkey ride up to Great Wall from the Hankou pass (April 30); 7:38 - 8:11: Ming Tombs and stone elephant, Beijing (April 30); 8:11 - 8:41: Funeral procession, Beijing (April 30/May 1); 8:41 - 8:50: Duobao Glazed Tile Pagoda, Summer Palace, Beijing (May 1); 8:50 - 9:04: Summer Palace (May 1); 9:04 - 9:55: The Pagoda of Buddhist Virtue with KC Chung and his mother, Summer Palace, Beijing (May 1); 9:55 - 10:07: Summer Palace, Archway, bronze male lions (May 1); 10:08 - 10:14: Pagoda of Buddhist Virtue (May 1); 10:14 - 10:24: Viewing Pagoda of Buddhist Virtue from boat (Unknown date, likely May 1-7); 10:30 - 10:39: Banbi Bridge, Summer Palace (May 7); 10:39 - 10:55: Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, Summer Palace (May 7); 10:56 - 11:01: In the Summer Palace grounds (May 7); 11:01 - 11:12: Duobao Glazed Tile Pagoda, Summer Palace (May 7); 11:12 - 11:15: Detail of dragon head on Summer Palace roof (May 7); 11:15 - 11:21: Stupa, Summer Palace (May 7); 11:21 - 11:26: Bronze lion, Summer Palace (May 7); 11:26 - 11:32: Mrs. Falk and (likely) Mrs. Finnell in the Summer Palace grounds (May 7); 11:32 - 11:41: Lama monument, Beijing (May 4); 11:41 - 12:09: Lama monument, bas reliefs from Lama tomb (May 4); 12:09 - 13:32: Scenes from the Temple of Confucius, Beijing (May 4); 13:32 - 14:32: Nine Dragon Screen, Beihai Park, Beijing (April 27)
Local Numbers:
FSA A2002.03 4.2
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
Genre/Form:
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Collection Citation:
Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers, FSA.A2002.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the Falk family.
Sponsor:
Processed in 2022 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative.
1 Film positive (silent, 12 minutes, black and white, 16mm)
Container:
Reel 3
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Film positives
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Place:
China -- Description and Travel
Beijing (China)
Date:
1937
Scope and Contents:
One of four reels 16mm motion picture film taken during Johnny and Pauline Falk's 1937 trip to China, Korea and Japan. Kodak had only recently made color film available, so this may be the earliest color footage of many of the locations the Falks visited.
北京 承德 热河
Biographical / Historical:
The Falks took one of the inaugural Pan Am Clipper flights to China in 1937. Myron S. (Johnny) Falk Jr., and his wife Pauline Baerwald Falk were active philanthropists, prominent Asian art collectors and were both active in the Jewish and Art communities.
0:00 - 0:42: Sedan chairs and donkey ride in Western Hills (April 25); 0:42 - 1:40: "Feast Day of first Yuan Emperor" festival and procession, Western Hills (April 25); 1:40 - 1:46: unknown woman and elderly man at the "Mummy Temple" in Western Hills (April 25); 1:46 - 2:38: "Mummy Temple" in Western Hills (April 25); 2:38 - 4:02: Continued procession, sedan chair and donkey rides in Western Hills (April 25); 4:02 - 4:14: Forbidden City, Beijing (April 27); 4:14 - 5:03: Temple of Heaven, Beijing (April 27); 5:03 - 5:15: Mrs. Falk and friends at the Temple of Heaven, Beijing (April 27); 5:15 - 5:59: Temple of Heaven, Beijing (April 27); 5:59 - 6:06: Putuo Zongcheng Temple, Chengde (May 11); 6:06 - 6:28: Puning Temple, Chengde (May 11); 6:28 - 7:36: Puning Temple, unknown statues, Chengde (May 11); 7:36 - 7:40: Xumifushou Temple (Temple of Happiness and Longevity of the Sumeru Mountain, Chengde (May 11); 7:40 - 8:10: Liuli-Wanshou pagoda (Glazed Tile Pagoda of Longevity) Xumifushou Temple, Chengde (May 11); 8:10 - 9:17: Putuo Zongcheng Temple, Chengde; (May 11); 9:17 - 9:33: Main hall of the Putuo Zongcheng temple surrounding Wanfaguiyi Hall, Chengde (May 11); 9:33 - 9:40: Looking down at the Sarira Pagoda, Chengde (May 11); 9:40 - 10:02: Corner pavilion of Wanfaguiyi, Putoh Zongcheng Temple, Chengde (May 11); 10:02 - 10:54: Putuo Zongcheng Temple, Chengde (May 11); 10:54 - Villagers in Chengde, ruins 11:30 - 11:47: Sarira Pagoda at Chengde Mountain Resort (May 11); 11:47 - 11:55: Mrs. Falk and friends (May 11)
Local Numbers:
FSA A2002.03 4.3
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
Genre/Form:
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Collection Citation:
Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers, FSA.A2002.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the Falk family.
Sponsor:
Processed in 2022 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative.
1 Film positive (silent, 12 minutes, black and white, 16mm)
Container:
Reel 4
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Film positives
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Place:
China -- Description and Travel
Korea
Japan
Date:
1937
Scope and Contents:
One of four reels 16mm motion picture film taken during Johnny and Pauline Falk's 1937 trip to China, Korea and Japan. Kodak had only recently made color film available, so this may be the earliest color footage of many of the locations the Falks visited.
沈阳 서울 京都 日光 鎌倉
Biographical / Historical:
The Falks took one of the inaugural Pan Am Clipper flights to China in 1937. Myron S. (Johnny) Falk Jr., and his wife Pauline Baerwald Falk were active philanthropists, prominent Asian art collectors and were both active in the Jewish and Art communities.
0:00 - 1:08: Qing Tombs, Shenyang (May 14); 1:08 - 1:33: Injeongjeon Hall, Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul, Peony gardens and another building - not sure exactly which building within the palace (May 15); 1:33 - 1:48: Wongaksa Pagoda at Tapgol Park, Seoul (May 15); 1:48 - 2:00: Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, Gyeongbokgung Palace (May 16); 2:00 - 2:06: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul (May 16); 2:06 - 2:11: Yasaka Shrine OR Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto (May 18); 2:11 - 2:22: Kyoto Schoolchildren (May 18-19); 2:22 - 2:25: Horyu-ji temple, Nara (May 19); 2:25 - 4:01: Riding on the rapids of the Hozugawa River, Kyoto (May 20); 4:01 - 6:00: Nikko Tosho-gu, Nikko, Japan (May 23); 6:00 - 8:09: Daibutsu, Kamakura, Japan (May); 8:09 - 9:29: Unknown residence, perhaps "Ernst and the children" as mentioned in the diary, likely in Kyoto (May 21); 9:29 - 11:40: Unknown ryokan or the Miyako Hotel in Kyoto (date unknown); 11:40 - 12:00: Mrs. Falk and unknown friends appearing to be on board a ship (date unknown)
Local Numbers:
FSA A2002.03 4.4
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
Genre/Form:
Home movies
Motion pictures (visual works)
Collection Citation:
Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers, FSA.A2002.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the Falk family.
Sponsor:
Processed in 2022 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative.
