Papers created by Asian art historian, curator, and collector Dr. James Francis Cahill. Includes personal and professional correspondence and project files documenting his many publications, lectures and activities in the Asian art field. Documents span his early career at the Freer Gallery of Art, where he served as curator of Chinese art from 1957-1965, and his tenure 1965-1994 as Professor of the History of Art at the University of California, Berkeley.
Scope and Content Note:
The James Cahill Papers span the years 1945 to 1996 and measures 15 linear feet. The collection includes: personal and administrative correspondence with other art historians, art dealers and collectors; lecture manuscripts and administrative material and correspondence with art museums, universities and other organizations in the Asian art community. There are also several personal letters and postcards with family friends of James and Dorothy Cahill. The folder descriptions were retained from Cahill's own folder titles and organized alphabetically within each series.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 2 series:
Series 1 -- Project Files, 1945-1996
Series 2 -- Correspondence with Individuals, 1945-1996
Biographical Note:
1926 -- Born, Fort Bragg, CA
1950 -- Receives BA degree in Oriental Languages from University of California, Berkeley
1952 -- Receives MA degree in Art History from University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor
Circa 1953 -- Holds a museum training fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
1954-1955 -- Studies with Shujiro Shimada at Kyoto University in Japan on a Fulbright Scholarship
1956 -- Works with Osvald Sirén in Stockholm on his seven-volume series "Chinese Painting: Leading Masters and Principles" Joins staff of Freer and Sackler Gallery as Curator of Chinese Art
1958 -- Receives PhD in Art History from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, working principally with Max Loehr
1960 -- Publishes first and highly influential book: "Chinese Painting." In: Treasures of Asia series, Editions d'Art Albert Skira, Geneva, Switzerland 1960. Published also in French and German editions
1965 -- Leaves the Freer and Sackler Gallery to accept position as Professor of History of Art at the University of California, Berkeley
1973 -- Goes to China as member of the Chinese Archaeological Delegation, first group of art historians to visit China from the US
1976 -- Publishes first of projected five-volume series on later Chinese paintings: "Hills Beyond a River: Chinese Painting of the Yuan Dynasty"
1977 -- Visits China as chairman of Chinese Old Painting Delegation
1978 -- Publishes second of projected five-volume series on later Chinese painting: "Parting At the Shore: Chinese Painting of the Early and Middle Ming Dynasty"
1978-1979 -- Accepts appointment as Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard; delivers series of lectures titled, "The Compelling Image: Nature and Style in 17th Century Chinese Painting"
1982 -- Publishes "Barnhart-Cahill-Rogers Correspondence, 1981" (collection of correspondence published for colleagues) The Harvard lecture series: "The Compelling Image: Nature and Style in 17th Century Chinese Painting" published as a book, receives College of Art Association's Morey Prize for Best Art History book
1998-1999 -- Spends a year at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton with his wife, the art historian and artist Hsingyuan Tsao
2007 -- Former students organize 80th birthday party/symposium at Berkeley, titled: "Returning to the Shore"
2010 -- Became the 12th Recipient of the Charles Lang Freer Medal
Present -- Living in Vancouver, Canada
Related Material:
The James Cahill website, http://www.jamescahill.info/ which contains digitized versions of selected unpublished papers, correspondence and personal reminisces.
Provenance:
Gift of James Cahill.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Due to cold storage requirements, digital surrogates are prefered for access. One week's notice is required prior to access originals.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.
James Cahill papers, 1945-1996. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of James Cahill, December 12th, 2001.
This booklet was published by the Freer Gallery of Art for the presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal to Tanaka Ichimatsu who assisted with art conservation in Japan after World War II. The booklet is inscribed to George Stout by Ichimatsu.
Collection Restrictions:
The George Leslie Stout papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Collection Citation:
George Leslie Stout papers, 1855, 1897-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Office of the Director Search this
Extent:
9 cu. ft. (9 record storage boxes)
Type:
Archival materials
Collection descriptions
Brochures
Clippings
Manuscripts
Newsletters
Illustrations
Architectural drawings
Floor plans
Date:
1971-1987
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records created and maintained by Thomas Lawton, Director, 1977-1987, documenting participation in professional associations; events held
for, or by, the Freer or the Sackler; development; fellowships and grants; the Freer Medal; acquisitions; exhibitions; various committees and boards on which the Director
served; construction of the South Quadrangle; trips to Asia; and the search for an Assistant Secretary for Research of the Smithsonian Institution. Materials include correspondence;
memoranda; staff newsletters; brochures about exhibitions and the galleries; correspondence, memoranda, financial reports, timelines, architectural drawings, and office floor
plans associated with the construction and furnishing of the South Quadrangle; illustrations of objects; budgets and budget summaries; clippings, studies, reports, correspondence,
memoranda, brochures, membership lists, meeting agendas and supporting documents, and press releases associated with committees, boards, and associations in which the Director
participated; dissertation evaluations; lists of fellows; meeting agendas; research files; clippings; event planning files; curricula vitae for and papers written by Assistant
Secretary for Research candidates; press releases; and travel files.
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Scholarly Programs and Publications Search this
Extent:
0.25 cu. ft. (1 half document box)
Type:
Archival materials
Collection descriptions
Manuscripts
Date:
1998-2003, 2010-2011
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records documenting the awarding of the Charles Lang Freer Medal and the Shimada Prize including plans for the award ceremonies. Materials
include planning documents, correspondence, schedules, biographical information, programs, guest lists, notes, invitations, and related materials.
Rights:
Restricted for 15 years, until Jan-01-2027; Transferring office; 12/17/2014 memorandum, Wright to Simavi/Stein/Amro; Contact reference staff for details.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 15-090, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Scholarly Programs and Publications, Award Files
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Office of the Director Search this
Extent:
0.5 cu. ft. (1 document box)
Type:
Archival materials
Collection descriptions
Brochures
Manuscripts
Pamphlets
Compact discs
Videotapes
Date:
1983, 1998
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records documenting a variety of topics related to the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, including celebrations for the
75th anniversary of the Freer Gallery of Art, presentations of the Charles Lang Freer Medal, documentaries featuring objects from the collections, and professional activities.
Materials include pamphlets, videotapes of a documentary, recordings of musical performances, brochures, copies of remarks made at events, press releases, and related materials.
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Office of the Director Search this
Extent:
0.25 cu. ft. (1 half document box)
Type:
Archival materials
Collection descriptions
Manuscripts
Brochures
Black-and-white photographs
Color photographs
Date:
1988-1990, undated
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records created and maintained by Milo Cleveland Beach, Director, 1987-2001, documenting the administration of the Freer Gallery of Art and
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Materials include annual records and a brochure requesting contributions to the Memorial Endowment Fund as well as photographs and publications
related to the presentation of the Charles Lang Freer Medal to Alexander Coburn Soper.
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Office of Special Events Search this
Extent:
1.43 cu. ft. (1 record storage box) (1 12x17 box)
Type:
Archival materials
Collection descriptions
Manuscripts
Color negatives
Black-and-white photographs
Color photographs
Color transparencies
Date:
1920s-1994
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of photographs documenting award presentations, exhibition openings, receptions, staff members, and visitors at the Freer Gallery of Art and
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Award presentations include the Freer Medal to Osvald Siren, 1956; Ernst Kuhnel, 1960; Tanaka Ichimatsu, 1973; Laurence Sickman, 1973; and Roman
Ghirshman, 1974. Staff members include William Reynolds Beal Acker, Martin Amt, Carl Whiting Bishop, John Bundy, Alice Crawford, Richard Ettinghausen, Robert Evans, Elisabeth
West FitzHugh, Grace Dunham Guest, Rutherford J. Gettens, George Jonathon, Thomas Lawton, John Ellerton Lodge, Russell C. Mielke, John Alexander Pope, Helen Quail, Harold
P. Stern, Burns Archer Stubbs, Archibald G. Wenley, and David H. Zirkle. Materials include black and white and color photographs, color slides, color negatives, and minimal
textual information about the photographs.
![view Ninth Presentation of Charles Lang Freer Medal - Alexander C. Soper, 1990 digital asset: Milo Cleveland Beach presenting Freer Medal to Alexander C. Soper [SIA2011-2818]](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=170&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/electronicresource.gif "Milo Cleveland Beach presenting Freer Medal to Alexander C. Soper [SIA2011-2818]")
![View Ninth Presentation of Charles Lang Freer Medal - Alexander C. Soper, 1990 digital asset: Milo Cleveland Beach presenting Freer Medal to Alexander C. Soper [SIA2011-2818]](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=120&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/electronicresource.gif "Milo Cleveland Beach presenting Freer Medal to Alexander C. Soper [SIA2011-2818]")
