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Creator:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Buffalo Fine Arts Academy  Search this

Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this

Gallery of William Macbeth  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Alexander, John White, 1856-1915  Search this

Beatty, John W. (John Wesley), 1851-1924  Search this

Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this

Brush, George de Forest, 1855-1941  Search this

Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this

Church, Samuel Harden  Search this

East, Alfred, Sir, 1849-1913  Search this

Hassam, Childe, 1859-1935  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880  Search this

Thayer, Abbott Handerson, 1849-1921  Search this

Extent:

265.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Letterpress books

Museum records

Place:

Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939

Date:

1883-1962

bulk 1885-1962

Summary:

The records of the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art measure 265.8 linear feet and date from 1883-1962, with the bulk of the material dating from 1885-1940. The collection includes extensive correspondence between the museum's founding director, John Beatty, and his successor, Homer Saint-Gaudens, with artists, dealers, galleries, collectors, museum directors, representatives abroad, shipping and insurance agents, and museum trustees. The collection also includes Department of Fine Arts interoffice memoranda and reports; loan exhibition files; Carnegie International planning, jury, shipping, and sale records; Department of Fine Arts letterpress copy books, and a copy of the original card catalog index to these records.

Scope and Contents:

The records of the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art measure 265.8 linear feet and date from 1883-1962, with the bulk of the material dating from 1885-1940. The collection includes extensive correspondence between the museum's founding director, John Beatty, and his successor, Homer Saint-Gaudens, with artists, dealers, galleries, collectors, museum directors, representatives abroad, shipping and insurance agents, and museum trustees. The collection also includes Department of Fine Arts interoffice memoranda and reports; loan exhibition files; Carnegie International planning, jury, shipping, and sale records; Department of Fine Arts letterpress copy books, and a copy of the original card catalog index to these records.

This collection is a complete record of the museum's work, starting with the planning of the first loan exhibition in 1885 and ending with the cancellation of the International at the start of World War II in 1940. The museum's day-to-day relationships with all aspects of the contemporary art world are documented within the historical context of artists' reactions to World War I; the economic repercussions of the Great Depression on art sales and museum budgets; the ramifications of fascism on German, Italian, and European art; the impact of civil war on Spanish art; and the tensions introduced by the rise of 'radical' modernist art in Europe.

Correspondence (Series 1) is the largest series in the collection (152.5 linear feet) and is comprised of extensive correspondence between the Museum of Art and over 8700 correspondents, with over 3600 correspondents specifically related to art and artists.

Correspondents related to the art world include museum staff, artists, collectors, museums, galleries, dealers, shippers, insurance agencies, art directors, associations, societies, clubs, critics, press, and governments. These exchanges include general requests for information; requests related to the museum's exhibitions, including the International; letters regarding the museum's involvement in the events of other art organizations; loan, sales, and provenance information for specific works of art; and information regarding the events of other art organizations.

The correspondence of the museum's staff provides the greatest insight into understanding the museum's evolution into an international cultural institution. Both directors' correspondence touch on their personal opinions on art, their rationale behind policy decisions, and their understanding of the extent to which the museum's work was dependent on the good relations they maintained in the art world. Additionally, the extensive, opinionated correspondence between Saint-Gaudens' European agents and museum staff during the 1920s and 1930s provide a unique perspective on emerging art trends and the skill, growth, and personalities of individual artists.

The most prolific of the museum staff correspondents include museum directors John Beatty and Homer Saint-Gaudens, Board of Trustees president Samuel Harden Church, assistant director Edward Balken, and European agents Guillaume Lerolle , Ilario Neri, Arnold Palmer, Margaret Palmer, and Charlotte Weidler. Additional prominent staff members include Helen Beatty, Robert Harshe, Caroline Lapsley, Henry Jack Nash, John O'Connor, Charles Ramsey, George Shaw, George Sheers, August Zeller, and Fine Arts Committee members John Caldwell, William Frew, William Hyett, and John Porter.

The most prolific artist correspondents include John White Alexander, George Grey Barnard, Cecilia Beaux, Frank Benson, George de Forest Brush, William Merritt Chase, William Coffin, Bruce Crane, Andre Dauchez, Charles H. Davis, Alfred East, Ben Foster, Daniel Garber, Charles P. Gruppe, John Johansen, Johanna Hailman, John McLure Hamilton, Birge Harrison, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Laura Knight, John la Farge, Gaston la Touche, John Lavery, Henri le Sidaner, Jonas Lie, Hermon A. MacNeil, Antonio Mancini, Gari Melchers, Emile Menard, Henry R. Poore, Edward Redfield, W. Elmer Schofield, Leopold Seyffert, Lucien Simon, Eugene Speicher, Abbott Handerson Thayer, Robert Vonnoh, J. Alden Weir, Irving R. Wiles, and Ignacio Zuloaga. Other artists of note include: Edwin Austen Abbey, George Bellows, Edwin Blashfield, Frank Brangwyn, Mary Cassatt, Kenyon Cox, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Thomas Eakins, William Glackens, Robert Henri, Eastman Johnson, Rockwell Kent, Paul Manship, Henry Ranger, John Singer Sargent, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Edmund Tarbell, James McNeil Whistler, N.C. Wyeth, and Charles Morris Young.

Frequent museum collaborators include the Art Institute of Chicago, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Brooklyn Museum, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Cleveland Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Detroit Institute of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Saint Louis Museum of Fine Arts, Toledo Museum of Art, and Worcester Art Museum.

Other prolific correspondents include collectors Chauncey Blair, Andrew Carnegie, Charles Lang Freer, George Hearn, Alexander Humphreys, Roy Hunt, Mrs. B.F. Jones, Burton Mansfield, Frank Nicola, Duncan Phillips, John Stevenson, and William Stimmel; dealers and galleries M. Knoedler, William Macbeth, Central Art Gallery, Charles A. Walker, C.W. Kraushaar Art Galleries, Downtown Gallery, Durand-Ruel and Sons, Ehrich Galleries, Ferargil Galleries, Frank Rehn, Frederick Keppel, Haseltine Art Gallery, R.C. Vose Galleries, and W. Scott Thurber Fine Arts; insurance agent Macomber Co.; and shippers Dicksee and Co., J.W. Hampton, P. Navel/R. Lerondelle, Stedman and Wilder, and W.S. Budworth and Son.

Correspondents not specifically related to the contemporary art world include businesses, educational institutions, libraries, and the general public. These exchanges detail the daily work of the museum, including the estimates and work orders of office suppliers, contractors, printers, and etc.; programming and research inquiries of k-12 and college/university institutions; acknowledgements of the receipt of Museum of Art publications; and general public inquiries regarding museum policies, exhibitions, and the permanent collection. Companies and institutions who worked particularly closely with the museum include Alden and Harlow (architects), Detroit Publishing Co., and Tiffany and Co.

Department of Fine Arts (Series 2) consists of art and artist lists, correspondence, memoranda, notes, and reports. These files were begun under John Beatty's tenure and streamlined under Homer Saint-Gaudens' directorship to track activities directly related to the museum's interoffice affairs. File headings continued under Saint-Gaudens focus on art considered and purchased for the permanent collection, employee records, exhibition proposals and loans, Fine Arts Committee minutes, museum programming, museum publications, press releases, requests for images, and requests for general information.

Under Saint-Gaudens, the Fine Arts Committee files contain voluminous impressions of contemporary European artists, which he composed during his annual studio tours of the continent in the early 1920s and late 1930s. These informal reports provide insight into the shaping of the International and include a running commentary on historical events of the time. The Fine Arts Committee files also document the artistic and budgetary compromises that were struck, particularly during the Great Depression and early run-up to World War II.

Exhibitions (Series 3) includes correspondence with collectors, museums, galleries, dealers, shippers, and many of the artists themselves. Additional documents include catalogs, lists, planning notes, and telegrams related to 185 traveling and loan exhibitions held at the Museum of Art from 1901 to 1940. Of these, over 100 are one-artist shows and 82 are group, survey, regional, or topical shows. The one-artist exhibitions tend to showcase contemporary artists of the time. Regional shows focused on American and European art, with two shows featuring the art of Canada and Mexico. Survey themes focused on animals, children, cities, gardens, landscapes, Old Masters, and portraitures. Many of the genre shows venture into art not typically collected by the Museum of Art, including architecture, crafts, engravings, figure studies, graphic arts, illustrations, miniatures, mural decorations, oriental rugs, prints, printed books, sculpture, small reliefs, stained glass, theater models, watercolors, and wood engravings.

The most important shows organized and curated by Museum of Art staff include the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915), American Sculpture Show (1915, 1920), Applied Arts Show (1917), Original Illustrations Show (1921), Mexican Art Show (1929), Garden Club Show (1922), Industrial Art Show (1924), Pittsburgh Artists Show (1935), French Survey Show (1936), English Painting Survey Show (1937), American Paintings, Royal Academy Show (1938), and Survey of American Painting Show (1940).

Important one-artist shows include Abbot Handerson Thayer (1919), George de Forest Brush (1922), Frank W. Benson (1923), Rockwell Kent (1923, 1939), Anders Zorn (1924), John Lavery (1925), Paul Manship (1925), Mary Cassatt (1925), Laura Knight (1925), Edouard Manet (1932), Edward Hopper (1936), Winslow Homer (1922, 1936), Paul Cezanne (1936), Charles Burchfield (1937), and William Glackens (1938).

International (Series 4) is comprised of catalogs, correspondence, art and artist lists, itineraries, jury selection ballots, minutes, notes, and reports related to the planning, logistics, and promotion of the International Exhibition from 1895 to 1940. These documents were originally grouped and filed separately under John Beatty and were more rigorously streamlined under Homer Saint-Gaudens. The folder headings continued under Saint-Gaudens focus on art purchases, artists' invitations, artists' request for information, general exhibition planning, Foreign Advisory Committees, foreign governments, jury reception planning, loan requests, and touring logistics.

Letterpress books (Series 5) consist of 75 volumes that chronologically collect all of the Museum of Art's outgoing correspondence from 1896 to 1917. Volumes 1-8 contain the only copy of outgoing correspondence from 1896 to 1900. Duplicate copies of all outgoing correspondence dating from 1901 to 1917 were filed in Correspondence (Series 1) by museum staff.

Card catalogs (Series 6) also include three sets of catalogs created by the Museum of Art to track the outgoing and incoming correspondence contained in this collection. Set 1 (1895-1906) consists of the original cards. Set 2 (1907-1917) and Set 3 (1918-1940) consists of photocopies of the original cards that were merged together into one contiguous set.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into six series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1883-1962, (Boxes 1-153, OV 267; 152.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Department of Fine Arts, 1896-1940, (Boxes 153-184, OV 268; 31.6 linear feet)

Series 3: Exhibitions, 1901-1940, (Boxes 184-204; 20 linear feet)

Series 4: International, 1895-1940, (Boxes 204-234, 265-266; 30.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Letterpress Books, 1900-1917, (Boxes 235-251; 17 linear feet)

Series 6: Card Catalogs, 1895-1940, (Box 252-264; 11 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

The Carnegie Institute Museum of Art was established in 1895 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. One of the first modern contemporary art museums in the United States, its flagship exhibition, the Carnegie International, is recognized as the longest running contemporary exhibition of international art in North America and is the second oldest in the world.

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was born in Dumfermline, Scotland and migrated to America with his family in 1848. Often regarded as the second-richest man in history behind John D. Rockerfeller, Carnegie built his industrialist fortunes in the steel industry and spent the remainder of his life in support of major philanthropic projects. By the age of 33, he had developed his personal philosophy of philanthropy, which saw it as the responsibility of the wealthy to foster educational opportunities and disseminate the ideals of high culture among all levels of society. In addition to establishing over 2500 free public libraries, in 1895, he provided the funds to build the Carnegie Institute, located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Carnegie Institute originally maintained three separate departments under the auspices of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the Carnegie Museum of Art.

The Carnegie Institute was administered by a Board of Trustees selected by Carnegie, all prominent professional men of Pittsburgh. Within this group, eight men were selected to serve on the Museum of Art's Fine Arts Committee, which was initially granted the final say on gallery affairs. The first Fine Arts Committee was composed of two artists, Alfred Bryan Wall and Joseph Ryan Woodwell, and six businessmen. Among the latter group, John Caldwell, Henry Clay Frick, William Nimick Frew, and David Thompson Watson were also knowledgeable art patrons and collectors. Over time, the Fine Arts Committee's sway over gallery affairs would be measured by the dedication of its various members and tempered by the vision and authority of the Museum's directors, John Beatty and Homer Saint-Gaudens, and the Carnegie Institute Board of Trustees president, Samuel Harden Church.

From 1896 to 1921, John Wesley Beatty (1851-1924) served as the first director of the Museum of Art. A native Pittsburgher and an accomplished silver engraver, illustrator, and painter, Beatty attended the Royal Bavarian Academy in Munich and upon his return to America, made a living as an artist. He also taught at the Pittsburgh School of Design for Women and co-founded a small school of art with fellow local artist George Hetzel. In 1890, while serving as the secretary of the Pittsburgh Art Society, he became the primary organizer of a loan exhibition to be displayed at the opening of the Carnegie Free Library in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. In 1895, when the Carnegie Institute trustees began discussing the possibility of a similar loan exhibition for the opening of their new institution, Beatty was contacted and eventually enlisted to take on the task. Upon the success of that exhibition, he was invited to direct the gallery's affairs and served as the Museum of Art's director until his retirement.

Beatty was an enthusiastic supporter of Impressionism, Realism, Tonalism, Symbolism, and the critically acclaimed contemporary art of the 1890s. He also shared Carnegie's vision for the Museum of Art and believed in the educational and uplifting role aesthetic beauty could provide to the general public. Pursuant to the stated goals of Andrew Carnegie, under Beatty's direction the museum began to purchase important contemporary works to add to its chronological collection of "Old Masters of tomorrow" and almost immediately began planning the first of its Internationals.

The Internationals were viewed as the primary means of showcasing the Museum of Art's selection of the best in contemporary American and European painting, thereby elevating its role as an influential cultural institution on a national and international level. Juried monetary prizes would be awarded to the two best works by American artists, additional awards would be offered to artists of all nationalities, and the Museum of Art's purchases for the year would be selected from the exhibition. Certain artists and collectors were tapped to serve as unofficial representatives of the Museum of Art at home and abroad, among them John White Alexander, William Coffin, I.M. Gaugengigl, Walter Shirlaw, and Edmund Tarbell. Many of the most prominent Pittsburgh art collectors were also asked to lend works to the exhibition. While details of the jury and artist selection process, number of representatives, exhibition show dates, and amount and total number of prizes would change over the years, the planning template was set and would remain the same for future Internationals.

Beatty continued to rely on a stable of close friends and confidantes to help smooth over relations with artists, dealers, shipping agents, and galleries alike, relying heavily on John White Alexander and W. Elmer Schofield, in addition to artists Thomas Shields Clarke, Walter Gay, Robert Henri, Frank D. Millet, and critic Charles M. Kurtz. Over time, many of the artists who served on International juries or Foreign Advisory Committees also became reliable friends and advocates of the International, including Edwin Austen Abbey, Edmond Aman-Jean, Edwin Howland Blashfield, William Merritt Chase, Charles Cottet, Kenyon Cox, Charles Harold Davis, Alfred East, Ben Foster, Charles Hopkinson, John la Farge, Gari Melchers, Leonard Ochtman, Irving R. Wiles, and Robert W. Vonnoh.

From 1896 to 1921, the Museum of Art held twenty-one Internationals, with the only exceptions coming in 1906 (construction of the Hall of Architecture, Hall of Sculpture, and Bruce Galleries), 1915 (deference to the San Francisco Panama-Pacific International), and 1916-1919 (World War I). During these years, the scope and administration of the International slowly expanded, though not without growing pains. At the turn of the century, new modernist styles of art that were appearing in galleries across Europe had not yet entered major American museums and the Carnegie Museum of Art maintained this trend. The museum's generally conservative selection policies, combined with criticism regarding the timing of the exhibition and the jury selection process, led to increasingly tense relations with artists, and were only partially resolved by changes made to the format of the International. In spite of these challenges, the Carnegie International retained its reputation as a preeminent venue for contemporary art and awarded top prizes to John White Alexander, Cecilia Beaux, George W. Bellows, Frank W. Benson, Andre Dauchez, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, John Lavery, Henri le Sidaner, Edward W. Redfield, W. Elmer Schofield, Edmund C. Tarbell, Abbot Handerson Thayer, Dwight W. Tryon, and J. Alden Weir.

In addition to the International, Carnegie's mission of bringing cultural and educational opportunities to Pittsburgh was a central priority of the museum's daily operations. Beatty cultivated relationships with fellow museum directors, which allowed for the easy co-ordination and planning of traveling exhibitions benefiting the city. The museum developed educational programs for children and adults, including lectures, gallery talks, Saturday morning classes, fine art extension classes, guided tours, and outreach to local schools. As popular Pittsburgh art societies and clubs formed, the museum also provided meeting and exhibition spaces for groups such as the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, the Art Society of Pittsburgh, the Art Students League, the Garden Club of Allegheny County, and the Junior League.

After more than 25 years of service, Beatty made the decision to retire and put out an informal call for candidates. Being the right man at the right time, in 1921, Homer Schiff Saint-Gaudens (1880-1958) became the Museum of Art's second director.

The only child of American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his wife and artist, Augusta Fisher Homer, Saint-Gaudens frequently traveled abroad and grew up in the company of his parents' wide circle of friends, many of them artists, poets, writers, and performers who frequented the Cornish Artists' Colony. More intimate friends of the family included former students, assistants, and colleagues, the architect Stanford White, and successful artist-couples who resided near the family's Cornish, New Hampshire home, among them Louise and Kenyon Cox, Maria and Thomas Dewing, Florence and Everett Shinn, and Emma and Abbott Thayer.

Homer Saint-Gaudens attended the preparatory school Lawrenceville, graduated from Harvard in 1903, married the artist and suffragist Carlota Dolley (1884-1927) in 1905, and remarried to Mary Louise McBride (n.d.-1974) in 1929. He began his professional career as a journalist and worked as assistant editor of The Critic (1903) and managing editor of Metropolitan Magazine (1905). During those years, he was introduced to a number of the Ash Can school artists, wrote articles on contemporary art, and honed his abilities as a writer. In 1907, Saint-Gaudens took a break from professional editing and began a second career as the stage manager for Maude Adams, the most highly paid and successful stage actress of her day, with a yearly income of over one million dollars at the peak of her popularity. Working in theater and as Adams' manager for over ten years, Saint-Gaudens learned the ins and outs of event promotion and logistics, media coverage, and maintaining diplomatic relations through compromise, ideal skills he would later use in organizing the Carnegie Internationals.

With the United States' entry into World War I, Saint-Gaudens served as the chief of the U.S. Army's first camouflage unit and was awarded the Bronze Star. After his discharge, he managed Adams' 1918 final season and simultaneously helped his mother organize a major retrospective of his father's sculptures. While organizing a section of his father's work for the 1921 International, he was invited to step into the position of assistant director of the Carnegie Museum of Art, and was promoted to the directorship upon John Beatty's retirement.

Throughout his tenure, Saint-Gaudens was able to call upon long-standing family friendships with artists and art patrons to the museum's benefit. His connections to the art world can clearly be seen in his first major stand-alone exhibition, the Garden Club Show (1922). In this, he enlisted the aid of Elizabeth Alexander, wife of John White Alexander, and Johanna Hailman, artist and wife of John Hailman, who reached out to their circle of artists and art collecting friends in search of works appropriate for the show. Their efforts, combined with the relationships Beatty had established with museum directors, galleries, and dealers, as well as Saint-Gaudens' own friendships with Kenyon Cox, Thomas Dewing, Barry Faulkner, and Gari Melchers, resulted in an assemblage of 150 paintings of note. Coming immediately upon the heels of the 1922 International, the show was a resounding success. The exhibition's opening attracted over 300 delegates of the Garden Club of America and the entirety of Pittsburgh high society, settling any concerns regarding his leadership abilities.

As director of the Museum of Art, Saint-Gaudens instituted measures intended to streamline the Internationals and improve diplomatic relations with artists. Though the basic format of the juried exhibition remained the same, his solutions to the complaints many artists raised with the artist invitation, art selection, and jury systems reformed the International's reputation at a critical time. Though he was naturally inclined to appreciate the art and artists he had grown up with, Saint-Gaudens understood the immediate necessity of introducing modernist contemporary art into the museum's exhibitions and galleries. He circumvented the conservative Fine Arts Committee's resistance to the accolades of European modernists by choosing the tamest of the new 'radical' works. Eventually, he balanced the Internationals with a mix of conservative, moderate, and advanced works that appealed to a large range of audiences and increased the status and diversity of the Internationals.

To aid in his reformation of the International, Saint-Gaudens formalized a team of European agents who worked year round to scout artists' studios, recommend suitable art and artists, navigate local politics, arrange local transportation and logistics, and maintain cordial relations with artists abroad. In the spring, Saint-Gaudens would travel to Europe to meet with his agents in person, tour the most promising studios, and meet with artists personally. His team was headed by Guillaume Lerolle, who shared Saint-Gaudens' distinction of being the son of a well regarded national artist, Henry Lerolle. Like Saint-Gaudens, Lerolle was able and willing to call upon longstanding family friendships and networks on behalf of the Museum of Art. The other core members of the team were Ilario Neri (Italy), Arnold Palmer (England), Margaret Palmer (Spain), and Charlotte Weidler (Germany).

From 1922 to 1940, the Museum of Art held seventeen Internationals, with the exceptions coming in 1932 (Great Depression) and 1940 (World War II). After a brief period of change, growth, and experimentation in the early 1920s, the museum eventually settled on a routine of planning the Internationals, arranging for traveling exhibitions, and expanding upon the most popular of their educational programs. In addition to those programs put into place under Beatty's tenure, Saint-Gaudens paved the way for a revamped lecture series featuring visiting critics and traveled as a visiting lecturer himself.

During the 1930s, financial difficulties and increasing political tensions in Europe presented ample challenges to the diplomatic skills of Saint-Gaudens and his agents, and they found themselves increasingly forced to navigate through political minefields presented by the fascist ideologies of Germany and Italy, the chaos of the Spanish civil war, and the eventual outbreak of World War II in Europe. In spite of these challenges, under Saint-Gaudens' direction, the museum remained true to Andrew Carnegie's vision. The International was expanded to accept on average over sixty additional works of art, and at its peak, included art from twenty-one countries. Beginning in 1927, top prizes and recognition were awarded to Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Andre Derain, Raoul Dufy, Karl Hofer, Rockwell Kent, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Edouard Vuillard.

Works by Arthur B. Davies, Charles Hawthorne, Edward Hopper, Augustus John, Oskar Kokoschka, Leon Kroll, Ernest Lawson, and William Orpen were added to the museum's permanent collection. And, as under Beatty's tenure, many of the artists selected to serve on the Jury of Award became advocates and friends of the museum, including Emil Carlsen, Anto Carte, Bruce Crane, Charles C. Curran, Daniel Garber, Charles Hopkinson, Laura Knight, Jonas Lie, Julius Olsson, Leopold Seyffert, Lucien Simon, Eugene Speicher, Maurice Sterne, Gardner Symons, Horatio Walker, and Charles H. Woodbury.

The monumental task of establishing the Carnegie Institute Museum of Art and the Carnegie International has left an archival record that is unique and unparalleled in documenting its relations with every aspect of the contemporary art world from the turn of the century through the first forty years of the twentieth century.

Provenance:

The Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records were loaned for microfilming in 1966 and later donated to the Archives of American Art in 1972. A small addition of corrrespondence was donated in 2017 by Elizabeth Tufts Brown.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Carnegie Institute Museum of Art records 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.

Topic:

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Art museums -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh  Search this

Depressions -- 1929  Search this

Art, Modern -- Exhibitions  Search this

Fascism  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Museum directors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Letterpress books

Museum records

Citation:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records, 1883-1962, bulk 1885-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Brown Foundation. Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.carninst

See more items in:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-carninst

Creator:

Duveen, Albert  Search this

Names:

Centurion (Firm)  Search this

Holland House Corporation of the Netherlands  Search this

Alexander, Francis, 1800-1880  Search this

Allston, Washington, 1779-1843  Search this

Bartlett, W. H. (William Henry), 1809-1854  Search this

Ben-Zion  Search this

Birch, Thomas, 1779-1851  Search this

Blackburn, Joseph, fl. 1753-1763  Search this

Blakelock, Ralph Albert, 1847-1919  Search this

Blauvelt, Charles F., 1824-1900  Search this

Blume, Peter, 1906-1992  Search this

Branchard, Emile Pierre, 1881-1938  Search this

Browere, A. D. O. (Alburtis Dell Orient), 1814-1887  Search this

Brown, John George, 1831-1913  Search this

Buddington, Jonathan  Search this

Buttersworth, James Edward, 1817-1894  Search this

Carter, Dennis Malone, 1827-1881  Search this

Cassatt, Mary, 1844-1926  Search this

Catlin, George, 1796-1872  Search this

Chabor, Moura  Search this

Chagall, Marc, 1887-1985  Search this

Chambers, Thomas, b. 1807 or 8  Search this

Charlot, Jean, 1898-1979  Search this

Cole, Thomas, 1801-1848  Search this

Constable, John, 1776-1837  Search this

Cope, George, 1855-1929  Search this

Copley, John Singleton, 1738-1815  Search this

Crawford, Ralston, 1906-1978  Search this

Cropsey, Jasper Francis, 1823-1900  Search this

Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this

Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928  Search this

Despiau, Charles, 1874-1946  Search this

Detre, Roland, 1903-  Search this

Dibble, Thomas R. (Thomas Reilly), 1898-  Search this

Donati, Enrico, 1909-2008  Search this

Doriani, William, 1891-  Search this

Doughty, Thomas, 1793-1856  Search this

Drew-Bear, Jessie, 1877?-1962  Search this

Duncanson, Robert S., 1821-1872  Search this

Durand, Asher Brown, 1796-1886  Search this

Durrie, George Henry, 1820-1863  Search this

Duveneck, Frank, 1848-1919  Search this

Duyckinck, Evert A. (Evert Augustus), 1816-1878  Search this

Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916  Search this

Eichholtz, Jacob, 1776-1842  Search this

Eilshemius, Louis M. (Louis Michel), 1864-1941  Search this

Elliott, Charles Loring, 1812-1868  Search this

Field, Robert, 1769?-1819  Search this

Ganso, Emil, 1895-1941  Search this

Gargallo, Pablo, 1881-1934  Search this

Gelb, Jan, 1906-1978  Search this

Gillman, Paul  Search this

Gullager, Christian  Search this

Hall, George Henry, 1825-1913  Search this

Harding, Chester, 1792-1866  Search this

Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892  Search this

Harvey, George W., 1855-  Search this

Hays, William Jacob, 1830-1875  Search this

Healy, G. P. A. (George Peter Alexander), 1813-1894  Search this

Henry, Edward Lamson, 1841-1919  Search this

Hesselius, John, 1728-1778  Search this

Hicks, Edward, 1780-1849  Search this

Hicks, Thomas, 1823-1890  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Hudson, Samuel Adams, 1813-1894  Search this

Huntington, Daniel, 1816-1906  Search this

Inman, Henry, 1801-1846  Search this

Inness, George, 1825-1894  Search this

Jarvis, John Wesley, 1780-1840  Search this

Johnson, Eastman, 1824-1906  Search this

Johnston, Henrietta  Search this

Johnston, John Bernard, 1847-1886  Search this

Kayn, Hilde B., 1903-1950  Search this

Kelekian, Dikran, 1868-1951  Search this

Lane, Fitz Hugh, 1804-1865  Search this

Lawson, Ernest, 1873-1939  Search this

Lefferts, M. F.  Search this

Leigh, William Robinson, 1866-1955  Search this

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865  Search this

Luks, George Benjamin, 1867-1933  Search this

Malbone, Edward Greene, 1777-1807  Search this

Maurer, Alfred Henry, 1868-1932  Search this

Maurer, Louis, 1832-1932  Search this

Miller, Alfred Jacob, 1810-1874  Search this

Moeller, Louis, 1855-1930  Search this

Morse, Samuel Finley Breese, 1791-1872  Search this

Neagle, John, 1796-1865  Search this

Organ, Donald  Search this

Otis, Bass, 1784-1861  Search this

Pach, Walter, 1883-1958  Search this

Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827  Search this

Peale, James, 1749-1831  Search this

Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860  Search this

Penn, William, 1644-1718  Search this

Perry, E. W. (Enoch Wood), 1831-1915  Search this

Philippoteaux, Fʹelix Emmanuel Henri, 1815-1884  Search this

Polk, Charles Peale, 1767-1822  Search this

Pope, T. B. (Thomas Benjamin), d. 1891  Search this

Porter, Rufus, 1792-1884  Search this

Prior, William Matthew, 1806-1873  Search this

Quirt, Walter, 1902-  Search this

Ranney, William Tylee, 1813-1857  Search this

Remington, Frederic, 1861-1909  Search this

Robins, Louisa Winslow, 1898-1962  Search this

Roesen, Severin, ca. 1815-ca. 1872  Search this

Rosenthal, Albert, 1863-1939  Search this

Rossiter, Thomas Prichard, 1818-1871  Search this

Rothermel, Peter Frederick, 1812-1895  Search this

Russell, Charles M. (Charles Marion), 1864-1926  Search this

Saint-Mémin, Charles Balthazar Julien Fevret de, 1770-1852  Search this

Savage, Edward, 1761-1817  Search this

Sawitzky, William, 1880-1947  Search this

Schattenstein, Nikol, 1877-1954  Search this

Schussele, Christian, 1826?-1879  Search this

Serres, D.  Search this

Sharples, James, ca. 1751-1811  Search this

Shulman, Morris  Search this

Smibert, John, 1688-1751  Search this

Soudeikine, Serge  Search this

Soutine, Chaim, 1893-1943  Search this

Spencer, Frederick R., 1806-1875  Search this

Stewart, Albert T., 1900-1965  Search this

Street, Robert, 1796-1865  Search this

Strong, William J.  Search this

Stuart, Gilbert, 1755-1828  Search this

Sullivan, Charles, 1794-1867  Search this

Sully, Thomas, 1783-1872  Search this

Tait, Arthur Fitzwilliam, 1819-1905  Search this

Tirrell, G.  Search this

Trumbull, John, 1756-1843  Search this

Vanderlyn, John, 1775-1852  Search this

Vanderlyn, Pieter, ca. 1687-1778  Search this

Von Schlegell, William, 1877-1950  Search this

Waldo, Samuel, 1783-1861  Search this

Walkowitz, Abraham, 1880-1965  Search this

Washington, George, 1732-1799  Search this

Weinberg, Elbert, 1928-  Search this

Weir, Julian Alden, 1852-1919  Search this

Welch, Thomas B., 1814-1874  Search this

Wertmüller, Adolph Ulric, 1751-1811  Search this

West, Benjamin, 1738-1820  Search this

Whitney, Anne, 1821-1915  Search this

Wiltz, Arnold, 1889-1937  Search this

Winner, W. E. (William E), -1883  Search this

Wood, S.  Search this

Wood, Thomas Waterman, 1823-1903  Search this

Extent:

5 Microfilm reels

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Microfilm reels

Date:

[ca. 1831-1950]

Scope and Contents:

Files on ca. 150 American artists and art subjects, selected from Duveen's art reference files. Included are photographs of paintings in other collections, auction and exhibition catalogs, miscellaneous publications.

Files include: Francis Alexander, Washington Allston, William H. Bartlett, Ben-Zion, Thomas Birch, Joseph Blackburn, Ralph A. Blakelock, Charles F. Blauvelt, Peter Blume, Emile Branchard, Albertis D. O. Browere, John G. Brown, Jonathan Buddington, James E. Buttersworth, Carra, Dennis M. Carter, Mary Cassatt, George Catlin, Centurion, Paul Cezanne, Moura Chabor, Marc Chagall, T. Chambers, Jean Charlot, Thomas Cole, John Constable, George Cope, John S. Copley, Ralston Crawford, Jasper F. Cropsey, Arthur B. Davies, Charles Despiau, Roland Detre, Thomas R. Dibble, Enrico Donati, William Doriani, Thomas Doughty, Jessie Drew-Bear, Robert S. Duncanson, Dunlap, Asher B. Durand, George H. Durrie, Frank Duveneck, Evert Duyckinck, Thomas Eakins, Jacob Eichholtz, Louis M. Eilshemius, Charles L. Elliott, Robert Field, Emil Ganso, Pablo Gargallo, Jan Gelb, Paul Gillman, Christian Gullager, George H. Hall, Chester Harding, William M. Harnett, George Harvey, William J. Hays, George P. A. Healy, Edward L. Henry, John Hesselius, Edward Hicks, Thomas Hicks, Holland House, Charles Fevret de Saint-Memin, Winslow Homer, S. A. Hudson, Daniel Huntington, Henry Inman, George Inness, John W, Jarvis, Eastman Johnson, Henrietta Johnston, John Johnston, Hilde B. Kayn, Dikran K. Kelekian, Fitz Hugh Lane, Ernest Lawson, M. F. Lefferts, William R. Leigh, Abraham Lincoln, George B. Luks, Edward G. Malbone, Alfred H. Maurer, Louis Maurer, McKay, Alfred J. Miller, Louis C. Moeller, Samuel F. B. Morse, John Neagle, Donald Organ, Bass Otis, Walter Pach, Charles W. Peale, James Peale, Rembrandt Peale, William Penn, Enoch W. Perry, F. E. H. Philippoteaux, Charles P. Polk, T. B. Pope, Rufus Porter, William M. Prior, Walter Quirt, William T. Ranney, Reinhardt, Frederic Remington, Louisa Robins, Severin Roesen, Thomas P. Rossiter, Peter F. Rothermel, Charles M. Russell, Edward Savage, William Sawitzky, Nikol Schattenstein, Christian Schussele, D. Serres, James Sharples, Morris Shulman, John Smibert, Sergei Soudeikin, Haim Soutine, Frederick R. Spencer, Albert Stewart, Robert Street, William J. Strong, Gilbert Stuart, C. (Charles ?) Sullivan, Thomas Sully, Arthur F. Tait, G. Tirrell, John Trumbull, John Vanderlyn, Pieter Vanderlyn, William Von Schlegell, Samuel L. Waldo, Abraham Walkowitz, George Washington, Elbert Weinberg, Julian A. Weir, Thomas B. Welch, Adolph U. Wertmuller, Benjamin West, Anne Whitney, Arnold Wiltz, William E. Winner, S. Wood, and Thomas W. Wood.

The Saint-Memin, Stuart, B. West and Wertmuller files contain material from Albert Rosenthal relating to the above artists.

Arrangement:

Files are arranged alphabetically by artist and subject, rolls NDU1-NDU3; publications and other miscellany were filmed on rolls NDU4-NDU5.

Biographical / Historical:

Albert Duveen was an art dealer and collector with offices in New York, N.Y., specializing in early American art. He was a cousin to Joseph Duveen (1869-1939), 1st Baron Duveen, president of Duveen Brothers art dealers.

Provenance:

Lent for microfilming 1958 by Duveen.

Restrictions:

The Archives does not own the original papers. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm.

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.duvealbe2

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-duvealbe2

Creator:

Kelly, James Edward, 1855-1933  Search this

Names:

Harper's Magazine  Search this

National Academy of Design (U.S.)  Search this

Scribner's magazine  Search this

Dreiser, Theodore, 1871-1945  Search this

Edison, Thomas A. (Thomas Alva), 1847-1931  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865  Search this

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849  Search this

Ryder, Albert Pinkham, 1847-1917  Search this

Ryder, George Hope  Search this

Sarony, Napoleon, 1821-1896  Search this

Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900  Search this

Worden, John Lorimer, 1818-1897  Search this

Extent:

1.4 Linear feet ((on 2 microfilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Place:

New York (N.Y.) -- Pictorial works

Date:

1880-1957

Scope and Contents:

Business correspondence; correspondence between Robert Bruce and George Hope Ryder (Kelly's patron) concerning Ryder's collection of sculpture by Kelly; a bound typescript of Kelly's memoirs with descriptions of New York City from the Civil War period to the 1930s and impressions of HARPER'S and SCRIBNER'S magazines, the National Academy of Design, Theodore Dreiser, Thomas A. Edison, Winslow Homer. Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allen Poe, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Napoleon Sarony, Oscar Wilde, Admiral John L. Worden and others; and photos and reproductions of works of art. Also found are an inventory of George H. Ryder's art and furniture collection; and lists of pictures and bronzes of Ryder.

Biographical / Historical:

Sculptor, illustrator and painter; New York City. Kelly's primary work were Civil War monuments.

Provenance:

The donor, Mary C. Liberatore, is the niece of Leonard Clayton, who established a gallery in New York City in the 1920s. This collection was possibly organized by George Hope Ryder, Kelly's patron, acquired by the Gallery and then donated to the Archives.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Engravers  Search this

Illustrators  Search this

Painters  Search this

Sculptors  Search this

Topic:

Sculpture, American  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.kelljame

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-kelljame

Creator:

Chase, J. Eastman  Search this

Names:

Burgess, Gelett, 1866-1951  Search this

Clements, George H., 1854-1935  Search this

Cranch, Christopher Pearse, 1813-1892  Search this

Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909  Search this

Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

James, William, 1842-1910  Search this

Johnston, John Bernard, 1847-1886  Search this

La Farge, John, 1835-1910  Search this

Millet, Francis Davis, 1846-1912  Search this

Norton, Charles Eliot, 1827-1908  Search this

Extent:

51 Items ((on partial microfilm reel))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Date:

1877-1917

Scope and Contents:

Papers of Boston art dealer of the late 19th and early 20th century, J. Eastman Chase, consisting of letters, and a manuscript fragment and a scrapbook.

49 letters, primarily from artists handled by Chase, often dealing with business affairs, but also anectdotal accounts. Included are seven letters from Winslow Homer, 1881-1882 and 1888, four from John La Farge, 1885 and 1888, and eight illustrated letters from painter George H. Clements, 1887. Among the other correspondents are F. D. Millet, Edward Everett Hale, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Gelett Burgess, William James, John B. Johnston, C. P. Cranch and C. E. Norton. Also 17 pages of a projected autobiography, recounting Chase's Maine boyhood in the 1850's, and a portion of a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings on cultural events in Boston in the 1870's.

Biographical / Historical:

Art dealer; Boston, Mass. Among the artists Chase handled were Winslow Homer, John La Farge, Christopher Cranch, and Francis D. Millet. Active as a dealer ca. 1870's-1920's.

Provenance:

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Robbins, innkeepers, own the house once occupied by J. Eastman Chase, and found the collection in the attic. The Archives of American Art acquired the collection in June of 1975.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Painters  Search this

Art dealers -- Massachusetts  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- 19th century  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scrapbooks

Identifier:

AAA.chasj

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-chasj

Creator:

Schnakenberg, H. E. (Henry Ernest), 1892-1970  Search this

Names:

American Academy of Arts and Letters  Search this

Artists Equity Association  Search this

Angel, John, 1881-1960  Search this

Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this

Barye, Antoine-Louis, 1796-1875  Search this

Beal, Gifford, 1879-1956  Search this

Bierstadt, Albert, 1830-1902  Search this

Billings, Henry, 1901-  Search this

Bishop, Isabel, 1902-1988  Search this

Blume, Peter, 1906-1992  Search this

Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this

Brooks, Van Wyck, 1886-1963  Search this

Buller, Audrey, 1902-  Search this

Cadmus, Paul, 1904-1999  Search this

Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this

Catherwood, Frederick, 1799-1854  Search this

Congdon, William, 1912-  Search this

Day, Horace Talmage, 1909-1984  Search this

Dows, Olin, 1904-1981  Search this

Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968  Search this

Etting, Emlen, 1905-1993  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Faulkner, Barry, 1881-1966  Search this

Fiene, Ernest, 1894-  Search this

Goff, Lloyd Lozés, 1919-  Search this

Guys, Constantin, 1805-1892  Search this

Hardy, Thomas, 1921-  Search this

Harnett, William Michael, 1848-1892  Search this

Hartl, Léon, 1889-  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Hoyt, Whitney Ford, 1910-1980  Search this

Inness, George, 1825-1894  Search this

Ivins, William Mills, 1881-1961  Search this

Johnson, Eastman, 1824-1906  Search this

Kirstein, Lincoln, 1907-  Search this

Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this

Laning, Edward, 1906-1981  Search this

Lasker, Joe  Search this

Leighton, Clare, 1899-  Search this

Locke, Charles, 1899-  Search this

Low, Sanford B. D. (Sanford Ballard Dole), 1905-1964  Search this

Lucioni, Luigi, 1900-1988  Search this

Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this

Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this

Parsons, Betty  Search this

Robus, Hugo, 1885-1964  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880  Search this

Savery, Rockland  Search this

Schmidt, Katherine, 1898-1978  Search this

Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this

Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this

Speicher, Eugene Edward, 1883-1962  Search this

Stamos, Theodoros, 1922-1997  Search this

Tait, Arthur Fitzwilliam, 1819-1905  Search this

Watkins, Franklin Chenault, 1894-1972  Search this

Watson, Forbes, 1880-1960  Search this

Watson, Nan, 1876-1966  Search this

Weisgard, Leonard, 1916-  Search this

Extent:

5.1 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 6 reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1905-1969

Scope and Contents:

Photographs, correspondence, appointment books, etchings, a scrapbook, printed materials, writings, and posters.

REEL D113: Primarily letters received from artists, 1940s-50s; background material for Ft.Lee and Amsterdam (N.Y.) murals; and miscellaneous printed material and photographs.

Correspondents include John Angel, Artists Equity, Peggy Bacon, Gifford Beal, Henry Billings, Isabel Bishop, Peter Blume, Louis Bouche, Van Wyck Brooks, Audrey Buller, Paul Cadmus, Alexander Calder, William Congdon, Horace T. Day, Olin Dows, Marcel Duchamp, Emlen P. Etting, Philip Evergood, Barry Faulkner, Ernest Fiene, Leon Hartl, Whitney F. Hoyt, William M. Ivins, Jr., Lincoln E. Kirstein, Leon Kroll, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Edward Laning, Joseph L. Lasker, Clare Leighton, Charles W. Locke, Sanford B.D. Low, Luigi Lucioni, Reginald Marsh, Kenneth H. Miller, Nat'l Institute of Arts and Letters, Betty Parsons, Hugo Robus, Homer Saint-Gaudens, Katherine Schmidt, Ben Shahn, Charles Sheeler, Eugene Speicher, Theodoros Stamos, Franklin C. Watkins, Forbes and Nan Watson, and Leonard Weisgard.

REEL 847: Photographs, including 67 of Schnakenberg and friends, 1 of a portrait of him by Lloyd Goff, 95 of his oil paintings, 33 of his watercolors, 25 of his works in unidentified media, 29 of works by other artists, and 46 of pre-Columbian art from Central and South America. Among artists whose works are included are Antoine Louis Barye, Albert Bierstadt, Frederick Catherwood, Constantin Guys, Thomas Hardy, William Harnett, Winslow Homer, George Inness, Eastman Johnson, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Reginald Marsh, Rockland Savery, Theodoros Stamos, and Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait.

REELS 850-853: Biographical information; personal and business correspondence; 17 diaries, mainly about Schnakenberg's travels, 1905-1960; appointment calendars, 1963-1969; 70 etchings by Schnakenberg; a scrapbook containing clippings, catalogs, and other printed material; a book published by G. Alan Chidsey on Schnakenberg; clippings, catalogs, and announcements; papers relating to gifts and acquisitions of works of art; receipts for Schnakenberg paintings from C.W. Kraushaar Galleries; a 650-page typescript for a book "The Background of Painting" by Schnakenberg; and drafts of speeches.

UNMICROFILMED: Six World War I posters designed by Schnakenberg; Christmas cards from artists and other friends; printed material; and a photograph of Lloyd Goff, inscribed to Schnakenberg, in front of one of his paintings, 1939.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, etcher; Newton, Conn.

Provenance:

Material donated 1963-1971 by Schnakenberg and, after his death, by his estate.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Etchers -- Connecticut -- Newton  Search this

Painters -- Connecticut -- Newton  Search this

Topic:

Art, Prehistoric  Search this

Painting, Modern -- 20th century  Search this

Etching  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.schnh

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-schnh

Collector:

Roberts, Charles J.  Search this

Names:

Allston, Washington, 1779-1843  Search this

Bierstadt, Albert, 1830-1902  Search this

Cole, Thomas, 1801-1848  Search this

Disney, Walt, 1901-1966  Search this

Durand, Asher Brown, 1796-1886  Search this

Gay, Edward, 1837-1928  Search this

Greenough, Horatio, 1805-1852  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Hurd, Peter, 1904-1984  Search this

Inman, Henry, 1801-1846  Search this

Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827  Search this

Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860  Search this

Sully, Thomas, 1783-1872  Search this

Trumbull, John, 1756-1843  Search this

West, Benjamin, 1738-1820  Search this

Extent:

1 Microfilm reel

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Microfilm reels

Date:

1773-1938

Scope and Contents:

Letters of American artists, including Washington Allston, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, Walt Disney, Asher Durand, Horatio Greenough, Winslow Homer, Peter Hurd, Henry Inman, Thomas Sully, John Trumbull, Benjamin West and many others, with an illustrated letter from Edward Gay and correspondence of the Peale family; a handwritten manuscript by Rembrandt Peale, "Washington and His Portraits"; clippings, announcements, an auction catalog of the John Trumbull collection, and other printed material.

Provenance:

Lent for microfilming, 1955, by Haverford College Library.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Topic:

Art, American -- United States  Search this

Artists -- United States -- Autographs  Search this

Autographs -- Collections  Search this

Autographs -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.robechar

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-robechar

Creator:

Evans, William T., 1843-1918  Search this

Names:

American Watercolor Society  Search this

Salmagundi Club  Search this

Bierstadt, Albert, 1830-1902  Search this

Brown, John George, 1831-1913  Search this

Church, Frederic Edwin, 1826-1900  Search this

Coffin, William A. (William Anderson), 1855-1925  Search this

Dewing, Thomas Wilmer, 1851-1938  Search this

Hassam, Childe, 1859-1935  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Inness, George, 1825-1894  Search this

Johnson, Eastman, 1824-1906  Search this

Nichols, Hobart, 1869-1962  Search this

Peale, Rembrandt, 1778-1860  Search this

Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926  Search this

Ryder, Albert Pinkham, 1847-1917  Search this

Whittredge, Worthington, 1820-1910  Search this

Extent:

0.01 Linear feet (ca. 900 items (on 3 micofilm reels))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1842-1969

Scope and Contents:

Printed material and letters to Evans from collectors, dealers, and artists. Letters discuss business matters including the Munich International Art Exposition 1883, the American Watercolor Society, the Salmagundi Club, the Lotos Club, and Evans loaning work from his private collection for exhibitions, requests from artists wanting Evans to comment on and handle their work, thank you notes and invitations to openings and dinners. Significant correspondents include George Inness, Childe Hassam, Thomas W. Dewing, Worthington Whittredge, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Frederic Edwin Church, Joseph Pennell, Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer, Rembrandt Peale, Hobart Nichols, John George Brown, William A. Coffin and Eastman Johnson.

Biographical / Historical:

Art patron and collector. Born in Ireland, he came to the United States as a child. He gave collections of paintings to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. and the Montclair Museum.

Provenance:

Letters on reels 4054-4055 were lent to the Assistant Curator of Painting and Sculpture, National Collection of Fine Arts in 1970 by Robert Price who acquired them along with paintings from Evans' estate and elsewhere. They were photocopied and the copies were given to the NCFA-PG Librarian, who transferred them to the Archives of American Art in 1979. In 1988 the copies were microfilmed by the Archives and discarded. The original letter on reel 2804 was transfered from NMAA, 1981.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Occupation:

Art patrons  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.evanwill

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-evanwill

Creator:

Anthony, Alfred Williams, 1860-1939  Search this

Names:

National Arts Club (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Abbey, Edwin Austin, 1852-1911  Search this

Beard, Daniel Carter, 1850-1941  Search this

Benjamin, S. G. W. (Samuel Greene Wheeler), 1837-1914  Search this

Bierstadt, Albert, 1830-1902  Search this

Blashfield, Edwin Howland, 1848-1936  Search this

Brenner, Victor David, 1871-1924  Search this

Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this

Church, Frederic Edwin, 1826-1900  Search this

Coffin, William A. (William Anderson), 1855-1925  Search this

Cole, Thomas, 1801-1848  Search this

Cole, Timothy, 1852-1931  Search this

Cortissoz, Royal, 1869-1948  Search this

Cranch, Christopher Pearse, 1813-1892  Search this

Darley, Felix Octavius Carr, 1822-1888  Search this

Dielman, Frederick, 1847-1935  Search this

Downing, A. J. (Andrew Jackson), 1815-1852  Search this

Eastlake, Charles Lock, Sir, 1793-1865  Search this

French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931  Search this

Gifford, Sanford Robinson, 1823-1880  Search this

Herbert, Henry William, 1807-1858  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Huntington, Daniel, 1816-1906  Search this

Isham, Norman Morrison, 1864-1943  Search this

La Farge, John, 1835-1910  Search this

Leavitt, Edward C., d. 1904  Search this

Linton, W. J. (William James), 1812-1897  Search this

Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891  Search this

Low, Will Hicok, 1853-1932  Search this

McEntee, Jervis, 1828-1891  Search this

Mills, John Harrison, 1842-1916  Search this

Morse, Samuel Finley Breese, 1791-1872  Search this

Nast, Thomas, 1840-1902  Search this

Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937  Search this

Palmer, Erastus Dow, 1817-1904  Search this

Powers, Hiram, 1805-1873  Search this

Pyle, Howard, 1853-1911  Search this

Read, Thomas Buchanan, 1822-1872  Search this

Rosenthal, Albert, 1863-1939  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907  Search this

Sartain, John, 1808-1897  Search this

Smillie, George Frederick Cumming, 1854-1924  Search this

Smith, Francis Hopkinson, 1838-1915  Search this

Taylor, Bayard, 1825-1878  Search this

Trumbull, John, 1756-1843  Search this

Tuckerman, Henry T. (Henry Theodore), 1813-1871  Search this

Volk, Douglas , 1856-1935  Search this

Ward, John Quincy Adams, 1830-1910  Search this

Waters, Clara Erskine Clement, 1834-1916  Search this

Weir, Robert Walter, 1803-1889  Search this

Extent:

2 Items (partial microfilm reels)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

[ca. 1880-1930]

Scope and Contents:

Letters, autographs, biographical data, and miscellany collected by Anthony about 19th century artists.

Artists include: Edwin A. Abbey, Ernest Albert, Elizabeth A. Allen, Daniel C. Beard, Frank Beard, Samuel G. W. Benjamin, Albert Bierstadt, Nathaniel Blaisdell, Edwin H. Blashfield, Evangeline Blashfield, Charles W. Bolton, Victor D. Brenner, Sydney & Mrs. Burleigh, William M. Chase, Frederic E. Church, Harry Cochrane, William A. Coffin, Timothy Cole, Thomas Cole, Royal Cortissoz, Palmer Cox, Christopher Cranch, Felix O. C. Darley, Frederick Dellenbaugh, Frederick Dielman, Andrew J. Downing, Charles L. Eastlake, George W. Edwards, Daniel C. French, Edmund H. Garrett, Sanford R. Gifford, V. Gribayedoff, Henry W. Herbert, Elbert Hubbard, Daniel Huntington, Laurence Hutton, Ernest L. Ipshen, Norman W. Isham, F. Lynn Jenkins, John La Farge, Edward C. Leavitt, William J. Linton, Benson J. Lossing, Will H. Low, Jervis McEntee, George Merrill, John H. Mills, Thomas Moran, Samuel F.B. Morse,

A. R. Mullen, Thomas Nast, National Arts Club, Wilbur F. Noyes,Frederick B. Opper, Mrs. Archie M. Palmer, Erastus D. Palmer, William F. Paris, Carl R. Parker, Hiram Powers, Howard Pyle, Thomas B. Read, Albert Rosenthal, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Sartain, Walter Smedley, George F. C. Smillie, Francis H. Smith, Bayard Taylor, Col. Henry S. Taylor, John Trumbull, Henry T. Tuckerman, Union League Club, N.Y., D. B. Updike, Vasili Vereschagen, Charles Vezin, Douglas Volk, D. Everett Waid, John Q. A. Ward, Clara E. Waters, Robert W. Weir, J. Thomson Willing, Ellsworth Woodward, Mabel Woodward, William Woodward, and F. Hammond Wright.

Biographical / Historical:

Clergyman, educator; Lewiston, Maine.

Provenance:

Microfilmed 1956 by the Archives of American Art with other art-related papers in the Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library. Included in the microfilming project were selected papers of the Art Division and the Prints Division.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Occupation:

Artists -- United States  Search this

Clergy -- Maine -- Lewiston  Search this

Educators -- Maine -- Lewiston  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.anthalfr

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-anthalfr

Creator:

Macbeth Gallery  Search this

Names:

Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Macbeth, Robert W. (Robert Walker), 1884-1940  Search this

Macbeth, William, 1851-1917  Search this

McIntyre, Robert G. (Robert George), b. 1885  Search this

Stuart, Gilbert, 1755-1828  Search this

Weir, Robert Walter, 1803-1889  Search this

Extent:

131.6 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Daguerreotypes

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Date:

1947-1948

1838-1968

bulk 1892-1953

Summary:

The Macbeth Gallery records provide almost complete coverage of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1892 to its closing in 1953. Through extensive correspondence files, financial and inventory records, printed material, scrapbooks, reference and research material, and photographs of artists and works of art, the records document all aspects of the gallery's activities, charting William Macbeth's initial intention to lease his store "for the permanent exhibition and sale of American pictures" through over sixty years of success as a major New York firm devoted to American art. The collection measures 131.6 linear feet and dates from 1838 to 1968 with the bulk of the material dating from 1892 to 1953.

Scope and Content Note:

The Macbeth Gallery records provide almost complete coverage of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1892 to its closing in 1953. The records document all aspects of the gallery's activities, charting William Macbeth's initial intention to lease his store "for the permanent exhibition and sale of American pictures" through over sixty years of success as a major New York firm devoted to American art. The collection measures 131.6 linear feet and dates from 1838 to 1968 with the bulk of the material dating from 1892 to 1953.

The gallery's correspondence files form the core of the collection and illuminate most aspects of American art history: the creation and sale of works of art, the development of reputations, the rise of museums and art societies, change and resistance to change in the art market, and the evolution of taste. Ninety-five feet of correspondence house substantial and informative letters from dozens of important American painters and sculptors, including older artists and younger contemporaries of the gallery in its later years. There are also letters from collectors, curators, other galleries, and critics.

The financial files found in the collection offer insight into the changing economic climate in which the gallery operated. They include information ranging from the details of individual sales and the market for individual artists, to consignment activities and artist commissions, to overviews of annual sales. This information is augmented by the firm's inventory records and the photographs of artwork with their accompanying records of paintings sold. The inventory records provide details of all works of art handled by the gallery, both sold and unsold, and the buyers who purchased them; the photographs of artwork include images of artwork sold with accompanying sales information.

The highlight of the gallery's printed material is the publication Art Notes. Although published only until 1930, Art Notes provides an excellent and detailed view of the gallery's exhibition schedule and the relationship of the gallery owners with many of the artists whose work they handled. It was a house organ that also provided a running commentary on events in the art world. The gallery's 19 fragile scrapbooks, maintained throughout the firm's history, provide further coverage of activities through exhibition catalogs and related news clippings. Printed material from other sources provides a frame of reference for activities in the art world from the mid-19th to the mid-20th-centuries and includes an almost complete run of the rare and important pre-Civil War art publication The Crayon.

Reference files record the interest which the gallery owners took in the work of early portrait painters and in later artists such as George Inness and Winslow Homer. Together with the immense volume of correspondence with buyers and sellers of paintings by the great portraitists and the Hudson River School found in the gallery's correspondence files, these records are still useful sources of information today and underscore the deep interest that the Macbeths and Robert McIntyre took in 18th and 19th-century American art.

The photographs of artists found here are a treasure trove of images of some of the major figures of the 19th and 20th-centuries. There are photographs of artists such as Chester Beach, Emil Carlsen, Charles Melville Dewey, Frederick Carl Frieseke, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, George Inness, Maurice Prendergast, and Julian Alden Weir, many of them original prints and the majority of them autographed.

With the exception of the "The Eight" and a few of their contemporaries, an important aspect of art history, the modernist movement, is generally represented in the Macbeth Gallery records only in a negative form as the three successive proprietors of the gallery showed very little interest in this area. Nevertheless, the collection is a highly significant source of information on many of the major and minor figures in American art in the period after 1890.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into eight series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1838-1968 (Box 1-95, 163-164, OV 165; 96.2 linear feet)

Series 2: Financial and Shipping Records, 1892-1956 (Box 96-110; 11.8 linear feet)

Series 3: Inventory Records, 1892-circa 1957 (Box 111-113; 3.0 linear feet)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1838-1963 (Box 114-119, 162; 5.0 linear feet)

Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1892-1952 (Box 120-130; 3.3 linear feet)

Series 6: Reference Files, 1839-1959 (Box 131-132; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 7: Miscellaneous Files, 1912-1956 (Box 133-134; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1880-circa 1968 (Box 135-161; 12.1 linear feet)

Historical Note:

The Macbeth Gallery was established in 1892 by William Macbeth, a Scotch-Irish immigrant who had spent ten years with the print dealer Frederick Keppel before he opened his doors to the art-buying public at 237 Fifth Avenue in New York. Despite the prevailing interest in foreign art at that time, particularly in that of the Barbizon and Dutch schools, Macbeth was determined to dedicate his gallery to "the permanent exhibition and sale of American pictures, both in oil and water colors."

Although some of the gallery's earliest exhibitions were of work by European artists, the business soon became the only gallery in continuous operation to keep American art permanently on display. In the January 1917 issue of Art Notes, Macbeth recounts those early days remembering that "The opening of my gallery......was a rash venture under the existing conditions, and disaster was freely predicted." Nevertheless, he struggled through the financial crisis of 1893 and persisted with his devotion to American art; slowly the market for his pictures grew more amenable.

Macbeth moved to more spacious quarters at 450 Fifth Avenue in 1906 and two years later undertook what was to become the major event in the gallery's early history: the 1908 exhibition of "The Eight," featuring work by Arthur B. Davies, Willam J. Glackens, Robert Henri, Ernest Lawson, George Luks, Maurice Prendergast, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan. "The Eight" were an unlikely combination of social realists, visionaries and impressionists eager to challenge the dominating influence of the National Academy. The exhibition received an immense amount of publicity and instantly entered into art history as a successful assault on tradition.

Despite the splash that the exhibition made and its implications for the future of American art, nothing that the gallery did subsequently indicated that Macbeth intended to capitalize on its significance. It is true that Macbeth supported many artists later considered leaders in American art when the public would pay no attention to them because of their modernist tendencies; Arthur B. Davies, Paul Dougherty, Maurice Prendergast, Theodore Robinson, and F. Ballard Williams all held their first exhibitions at his gallery. Nevertheless, neither Macbeth nor the gallery's two successive proprietors, Robert G. McIntyre (William's nephew) and Robert Macbeth (William's son), who joined the gallery in 1903 and 1906 respectively, ever developed a true interest in modern art. The November 1930 issue of Art Notes summarizes their collective disdain for modernism, stating: "We believe that, by and large, modern art is amusing. We are heretical enough to believe that much of it was started for the amusement of its creators and that no one was more surprised than they when it was taken seriously by a certain audience to whom the bizarre and the unintelligible always makes an appeal." So while the Macbeths and McIntyre cetainly championed American artists and insisted they deserved as much recognition as the Europeans, their deepest and most abiding interest was undoubtedly the established artists of the 18th and 19th-centuries and those of the early 20th-century who continued in a more conservative style. Artists such as Emil Carlsen, Charles Harold Davis, Frederick C. Frieseke, Robert Henri, Winslow Homer, Chauncey F. Ryder, Abbot Handerson Thayer, J. Francis Murphy, A. H. Wyant were the gallery's bread and butter.

When William Macbeth died in 1917 Robert Macbeth took up the reins with the assistance of Robert G. McIntyre . Although they incorporated the business as William Macbeth, Inc., in 1918 the gallery continued to be known, as it always would be, simply as Macbeth Gallery. Macbeth and McIntyre continued to show work in the same vein as the elder Macbeth. They concentrated primarily on oil paintings at this time, having found by the 1920s that "oils are all that our gallery owners will buy," though they also exhibited an occasional group of watercolors and pastels in addition to bronzes and other sculpture by contemporary American artists such as Chester Beach and Janet Scudder.

Of the early American painters the Macbeths and McIntyre were particularly interested in colonial portraits and miniatures, especially those painted by prominent artists in the latter part of the eighteenth century such as John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully and John Trumbull. In its early years the gallery also handled the work of a few prominent American etchers including Frank W. Benson, Emil Fuchs, Daniel Garber, Childe Hassam and Chauncey F. Ryder. The print department was generally discontinued, however, in the late 1930s although the gallery continued to show prints by contemporaries such as Stow Wengenroth.

In 1924 relative prosperity allowed the gallery to move uptown to 15 East Fifty-seventh Street. When the 1930s brought new financial hardship for the gallery Macbeth and McIntyre took a variety of approaches to boosting sales. In 1930 they decided to hold only group exhibitions throughout the season to the exclusion of one-man shows, and also held some special exhibitions of paintings priced at a hundred dollars each in the hope that they could tempt those "willing to take advantage of a rare chance to secure representative examples of good art at a most attractive price." A move to smaller quarters at 15 East Fifty-seventh Street in 1935 was made with the intention of concentrating their efforts on the work of fewer contemporary artists, while continuing to handle the work of the older Americans they had long supported.

When Macbeth died suddenly and unexpectedly in August 1940 following an operation for appendicitis, McIntyre continued to run the gallery with the assistance of Hazel Lewis. During the 1940s McIntyre and Lewis showed primarily contemporary art in a wide range of media including oil, watercolor, pastel, drawing and sculpture, while continuing, as always, to show the occasional group of 19th-century Americans. The great success of the gallery's later years was undeniably Andrew Wyeth whose first exhibition, held at Macbeth Gallery in 1937, resulted in the sale of all twenty-two paintings cataloged.

Although subsequent Wyeth exhibitions were also successful, McIntyre struggled financially throughout the 1940s and periodically considered liquidating the company. Although "vitally interested" in contemporary art by people such as Robert Brackman, Jay Connaway, Carl Gaertner, James Lechay, Herbert Meyer and Ogden M. Pleissner he found that, for the most part, it did not pay. McIntyre continued operations until 1953 when he decided that doing so for profit was not only a financial burden but also ran contrary to his desire to spend more time devoted to his first love, early American art. When the lease expired on 11 East Fifty-seventh Street in April 1953 McIntyre did not renew it. After closing the gallery's doors he sold art from his New York apartment and from his home in Dorset, Vermont. He officially dissolved William Macbeth, Inc., in 1957.

The history of the Macbeth Gallery is a long and distinguished one with each successive proprietor making a significant contribution to art in America. William Macbeth helped establish an audience and a market for American art when few were willing to give it serious consideration. Robert Macbeth continued to cement the gallery's reputation as one of the leading firms in New York and was instrumental in organizing the American Art Dealers Association. Robert G. McIntyre claimed in a letter to Lloyd Goodrich, dated 22 June 1945, that the thing of which he was most proud was "the share I have had in the formation of the collection of the Addison Gallery of American Art, at Andover, Massacusetts." McIntyre was widely respected in the art community as a dealer, as an adviser to curators, and as a scholar whose research and book on Martin Johnson Heade helped "rediscover" an important American artist. One of his most significant and lasting contributions to the history of art in America, however, was undoubtedly his gift of the gallery's historical records to the Archives of American Art.

Related Material:

Among the holdings of the Archives of American are a small collection of scattered Robert McIntyre's papers and 9 items of William Macbeth's papers. Macbeth Gallery exhibition catalogs are also available in the American Art Exhibition Catalog collection and the Brooklyn Museum Records, both loaned and microfilmed collections.

An extensive collection of Macbeth Gallery exhibition catalogs are also held by the Frick Art Reference Library and the Watson Library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Provenance:

The bulk of the Macbeth Gallery records were donated and microfilmed in several installments between 1955 and 1966 by Robert G. McIntyre and Estate. Additional Macbeth Gallery printed material was donated by Phoebe C. and William Macbeth II, grandchildren of William Macbeth, in 1974.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Fragile original scrapbooks are closed to researchers.

Rights:

The Macbeth Gallery records 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.

Topic:

Curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Eight (Group of American artists)  Search this

Art directors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Artists -- United States  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art, American  Search this

Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Daguerreotypes

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Macbeth Gallery records, 1838-1968, bulk 1892 to 1953. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Grant Program. Digitization of the scrapbooks was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee. Correspondence, financial and shipping records, inventory records, and printed material were digitized with funding provided by the Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.

Identifier:

AAA.macbgall

See more items in:

Macbeth Gallery records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-macbgall

Interviewee:

Vose, S. Morton (Seth Morton), 1909-2007  Search this

Interviewer:

Brown, Robert F.  Search this

Names:

Vose Galleries of Boston  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Hunt, William Morris, 1824-1879  Search this

Karolik, Maxim  Search this

Murphy, Hermann Dudley, 1867-1945  Search this

Paxton, Elizabeth Okie  Search this

Richardson, Edgar Preston, 1902-1985  Search this

Robinson, Thomas V., 1938-  Search this

Sample, Paul, 1896-1974  Search this

Seyffert, Leopold  Search this

Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold, 1880-1958  Search this

Whorf, John, 1903-1959  Search this

Extent:

87 Pages (Transcript)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Pages

Sound recordings

Interviews

Date:

1986 July 24-1987 April 28

Scope and Contents:

An interview of S. Morton Vose conducted 1986 July 24-1987 April 28, by Robert F. Brown, for the Archives of American Art.

Vose speaks of the pervasive effect of his family's art gallery upon his life; studying languages at Harvard College; his affiliation with the gallery from 1927 on; the increasing emphasis on American painting during his career at the Vose Gallery, and the gradual de-emphasis on European work. He reminisces about some Vose Gallery clients, especially Maxim Karolik, and some art dealers; he discusses a traveling exhibition he was involved in; he speaks of the gallery's relations with prominent museum personnel, such as William Reinhold Valentiner and E.P. Richardson. Vose also discusses the pitfalls of appraising art collections, his father's last years, and the firm's move, and his recent work on a dictionary of American painters. He recalls William Morris Hunt, Thomas Robinson, Leopold Seyffert, Catherine Morris Wright, Maxim Karolik, Elizabeth Paxton, Paul Sample, John Whorf, Hermann Dudley Murphy, Winslow Homer, James Fitzgerald, Arthur Healey, and many others.

Biographical / Historical:

Seth Morton Vose (1909-2007) was an art dealer and art historian from Brookline, Massachusetts.

General:

Originally recorded on 4 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 8 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 25 min.

Provenance:

These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Restrictions:

Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's website.

Occupation:

Art dealers -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this

Art historians -- Massachusetts -- Interviews  Search this

Function:

Art galleries, Commercial -- Massachusetts -- Boston

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Sponsor:

Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.

Identifier:

AAA.voses86

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-voses86

Creator:

Goodrich, Lloyd, 1897-1987  Search this

Names:

American Art Research Council  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

Artist Tenants Association (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Artists Equity Association  Search this

Association of Art Museum Directors  Search this

National Council on the Arts and Government  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Dows, Olin, 1904-1981  Search this

Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916  Search this

Evergood, Philip, 1901-1973  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this

Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this

Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952  Search this

Newman, Elias, 1903-  Search this

Rich, Daniel Catton, 1904-1976  Search this

Ryder, Albert Pinkham, 1847-1917  Search this

Soyer, Raphael, 1899-1987  Search this

Extent:

35.7 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Transcripts

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Date:

1884-1987

bulk 1927-1987

Summary:

The papers of art historian, writer, and museum administrator Lloyd Goodrich measure 35.7 linear feet and date from 1884 to 1987 with the bulk of the material dating from 1927 to 1987. Materials include biographical material, extensive correspondence, writings and research files, organization and committee files, exhibition files, printed material, a scrapbook, and photographic material. The collection is particularly rich in research files on Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Albert Pinkham Ryder, and Reginald Marsh, as well as correspondence with additional notable artists and art figures.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of art historian, writer, and museum administrator Lloyd Goodrich measure 35.7 linear feet and date from 1884 to 1987 with the bulk of the material dating from 1927 to 1987. Materials include biographical material, extensive correspondence, writings and research files, organization and committee files, exhibition files, printed material, a scrapbook, and photographic material. The collection is particularly rich in research files on Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Albert Pinkham Ryder, and Reginald Marsh, as well as correspondence with additional notable artists and art figures.

Scattered biographical materials include biographical sketches, an interview transcript, personal business records, documents relating to Goodrich's service on art juries, and awards and honors.

Correspondence is with friends, family, artists, museums, collectors, galleries, and arts organizations. Correspondents include The Arts Magazine, Whitney Museum of Art, Olin Dows, Philip Evergood, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Reginald Marsh, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Elias Newman, Daniel Catton Rich, and Raphael Soyer among many others. Research related correspondence arranged here concerns work on a catalogue raisonné of Winslow Homer. This material was originally arranged in the correspondence files by Goodrich prior to the later donation that included additional research files on Homer found in Series 3. There are also condolence letters from notable figures in American art.

Writings and research files include major writings, such as books and articles, and book reviews, essays, exhibition text, catalog entries, and lectures. In addition to the writings, Goodrich's research files for the writings are arranged here and include research, notes, correspondence, photographs, illustrations, printed materials, and bibliographies. There are also book agreements. There are extensive files for Goodrich's books on Winslow Homer (see also correspondence in Series 2) and Reginald Marsh; articles, catalog entries, and other writings on Winslow Homer, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Kuniyoshi, Reginald Marsh, and American art in general; lectures and talks; research files on other artists, and notes and notebooks.

Organization and committee files document Goodrich's service on boards, commissions, committees, organizations, and associations, such as the American Federation of Arts, the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Carnegie Study in American Art, the National Council on the Arts and Government, American Art Research Council, Artists Equity Association, Artist Tenants Association, the selection committee of the American National Exhibition (1959), and others are found within organization and committee files. Agendas, correspondence, meeting minutes, and printed material are found within the files.

Exhibition files are found only for several Winslow Homer shows. Printed materials include clippings, publicity materials, and printed copies of his writings. Photographic material includes scattered photographs of Goodrich and others, and extensive negatives of works of art, likely by Homer. Also found are x-rays of paintings by Ralph Blakelock.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1946-1984 (Boxes 1; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1920-1987 (Boxes 1-3; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings and Research Files, 1884-1987 (Boxes 3-17, 38; 14.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Organization and Committee files, 1933-1982 (Boxes 17-31, 37; 14.5 linear feet)

Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1944-1986 (Boxes 31-32; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Material, circa 1920s-1979 (Boxes 32-33; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 7: Scrapbook, 1952-1959 (Box 33; 2 folders)

Series 8: Photographic Materials, circa 1910-1987 (Boxes 33-37; 3.1 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

Lloyd Goodrich (1897-1987) was a prominent and influential art historian, writer, and director of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City, New York, from 1958-1968.

Lloyd Goodrich was born in Nutley, New Jersey in 1897. He studied under Kenneth Hayes Miller at the Art Students League from 1913-1915 and also took courses at the National Academy of Design. Rather than pursue a career as an artist, however, he decided that his real talent was writing about art. He began his long and prolific writing career in 1923-24 and married Edith Havens in 1924. Inspired by the work and writings of European art scholars and a desire to address the need for a body of scholarship on American Art, Goodrich began to research and write about American artists Kenneth Hayes Miller, Winslow Homer, and Thomas Eakins.

Goodrich's first article on Winslow Homer was published in 1924 by The Arts, a magazine financed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and edited by Forbes Watson, who soon hired Goodrich as associate editor. By 1929, Goodrich was also working as assistant art critic for the New York Times while continuing work at The Arts as contributing editor. One year later, The Arts commissioned Goodrich to write a book on Kenneth Hayes Miller. And, around the same time Goodrich became interested in Thomas Eakins, and with the encouragement and financial support from his boyhood friend, artist Reginald Marsh, he began work on a monograph about Eakins.

In 1930, Goodrich joined the staff of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's new American art museum in New York City, the Whitney Museum of American Art. The museum provided him with the funds he needed to research and complete his book on Thomas Eakins, which he achieved in 1933. In 1935, he became curator of the museum, and associate director in 1948. He served as director from 1958-1968. The bequest of the Edward Hopper collection to the Whitney was the result of Goodrich's reputation as a scholar of Edward Hopper. After retiring, Goodrich continued his association with the Whitney as advisory director and director emeritus.

Goodrich was instrumental in starting the American Art Research Council in 1942, a group of museums devoted to collecting scholarly records about American art. He sat on the advisory panels for the New York State Council on the Arts and the Fine Arts Advisory Committee to the White House. In 1933, he was in charge of the New York regional office of the Public Works of Art Project. He also served as chairman of the National Council on the Arts and Government from 1948 to 1954 and was a major force in the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities. He was a member of the Artists Equity Association, Artist Tenants Association, and numerous other arts organizations and a strong advocate for the promotion and support of American art and artists.

Throughout his long and distinguished career as a writer and museum administrator, Lloyd Goodrich worked to build a body of scholarship related to the history of American art and artists. He published several important monographs, including works on Thomas Eakins, Edward Hopper, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Winslow Homer, and Reginald Marsh, and organized major exhibitions about these and many other artists during his 57-year association with the Whitney Museum of American Art. At the time of his death, Goodrich was considered a preeminent figure in the American art world, and one of the foremost authorities on Eakins, Ryder, and Homer, artists on which he kept extensive research files throughout his life.

Lloyd Goodrich died March 27, 1987.

Related Materials:

Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Lloyd Goodrich, 1962-1963 by Harlan Phillips for the Archives of American Art.

Additional Lloyd Goodrich papers are located at the Whitney Museum of American Art Archives, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives.

Separated Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel 4468) including a photocopy of the manuscript "Albert Pinkham Ryder: The Man and His Art," Goodrich's contribution to the book "Albert Pinkham Ryder: Painter of Dreams" co-authored with William I. Homer. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Provenance:

The Lloyd Goodrich papers were given to the Archives of American Art in several different acquisitions. Lloyd Goodrich first donated material in 1983. David Goodrich, Lloyd Goodrich's son, gave more material between 1988 and 2007 while additional papers were lent for microfilming by William I. Homer in 1990. Finally, the Whitney Museum of American Art donated papers in 1996, and Polly Thistlethwaite gave further material in 2015.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Lloyd Goodrich 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.

Occupation:

Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Museum administrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Authors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art museums -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art, American  Search this

Museum directors -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Transcripts

Interviews

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Lloyd Goodrich papers, 1884-1987, bulk 1927-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund

Identifier:

AAA.goodlloy

See more items in:

Lloyd Goodrich papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-goodlloy

Creator:

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Subject:

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Topic:

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)15805

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)289262

AAA_collcode_mknoeco

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_289262

Creator:

Doll & Richards (Gallery)  Search this

Names:

Azeez Khayat Gallery  Search this

Kleemann Galleries  Search this

Macbeth Gallery  Search this

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  Search this

Chetcuti, John  Search this

Freiman, Robert  Search this

Goodrich, Lloyd, 1897-1987  Search this

Haseltine, William Stanley, 1835-1900  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Lindenmuth, Tod  Search this

Meyerowitz, William, 1887-1981  Search this

Shepler, Dwight, 1905-  Search this

Verner, Elizabeth O'Neill, 1883-1979  Search this

Woodward, Stanley Wingate, 1890-1970  Search this

Wyeth, Andrew, 1917-2009  Search this

Zoehler, Wendell H., 1907-1989  Search this

Extent:

87.5 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Financial records

Date:

1863-1978

bulk 1902-1969

Summary:

The records of the Doll & Richards gallery of Boston measure 87.5 linear feet and date from 1863 to 1978, with the bulk of the material dating from 1902-1960s. Extensive financial and sales records, inventory records, and correspondence and letter books provide a detailed account of the business operations and sales of the gallery. Also found are notes and research files on artists and paintings, business and legal records, exhibition catalogs, six exhibition scrapbooks, printed materials, and photographs. Significant correspondents include John Chetcuti, Robert Freiman, Lloyd Goodrich, Tod Lindenmuth, Macbeth Galleries, William Meyerowitz, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Stanley Woodward, and Andrew Wyeth, among many others.

Scope and Content Note:

The records of the Doll & Richards gallery of Boston measure 87.5 linear feet and date from 1863 to 1978, with the bulk of the material dating from 1902-1960s. Extensive financial and sales records, inventory records, and correspondence and letter books provide a detailed account of the business operations and sales of the gallery. Also found are notes and research files on artists and paintings, business and legal records, exhibition catalogs, six exhibition scrapbooks, printed materials, and photographs. The bulk of the collection dates from 1902 when the gallery was incorporated and new books were begun. According to gallery employee Wendell Zoehler, many records from the 19th century were discarded and periodically, especially when the gallery moved, other records were discarded.

Incoming and outgoing correspondence documents sales, consignments, appraisals, exhibitions, and inquiries by artists and others to Doll & Richards for over a century. Significant correspondents include artists John Chetcuti, Robert Freiman, Tod Lindenmuth, William Meyerowitz, Dwight Shepler, Elizabeth O'Neill Verner, Stanley Woodward, Andrew Wyeth, and others. Additional correspondents include Lloyd Goodrich from Whitney Museum of American Art, Azeez Khayat Gallery, Macbeth Galleries, Kleemann Galleries, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There is one letter from George Inness (1866). Outgoing correspondence is limited to 46 volumes of letterpress copybooks dating from 1930-1967.

Notes and research files primarily consist of compiled information about artists in which Doll & Richards dealt. These include card files related to the provenance of paintings by Winslow Homer and William Stanley Haseltine, and a book about Winslow Homer with notations by Zoehler about the sale of paintings .

Administrative and business records of general daily operations include an address book, meeting minutes, miscellaneous lists and notes, and a large card file of contacts with clients, consignors, artists, and businesses. A detailed description of the gallery's operations by Zoehler is also found here. Legal records include contracts, agreements, certificates of stock, certificates of copyrights, and photocopies of founding documents.

Although there are limited records prior to 1902, the financial records provide comprehensive detail of the gallery's financial transactions from the turn of the century through the early 1970s. Volumes of financial ledgers provide details of artwork bought, sold, and consigned; order forms for sales, framing, restoration, and shipping; gallery expenditures and salaries; records of client purchases; and other affairs. Many of the financial records are indexed and cross-referenced, offering researchers complex but rich documentation. The financial records should be consulted with the numerous inventory records that provide detailed information about the stock of art work held at the gallery. Inventory records also include documentation about the frames held by the gallery from the mid-1880s-1950. The gallery used sometimes complex codes to index and cross reference sales and stock. When known, these codes have been outlined in the more detailed series desciptions below, or filed within the appropriate boxes.

The history of Doll & Richards' exhibitions from the 1880s-1968 are documented in six disassembled bound volumes that contained exhibition catalogs and announcements. There are also additional loose catalogs and announcements. Additional printed materials include newspaper clippings related to exhibitions and the gallery and seven scrapbooks related to Doll & Richards' exhibitions from 1909-1943.

The bulk of the black and white photographs in the collection are of works of art by artists that Doll & Richards exhibited. There are only a handful of photographs of other subject matter, but include images of the gallery spaces at 2 Park Street, 71 Newbury, and 138 Newberry; and of artists.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as nine series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1863-1972, bulk 1930s-1972 (Boxes 1-14; 14 linear feet)

Series 2: Notes and Research Files, 1880s-1978, bulk 1930s-1960s (Boxes 15-16, 78; 1.2 linear feet)

Series 3: Business Records, circa 1866-1978, bulk 1910s-1960s (Boxes 16-18; 1.9 linear feet)

Series 4: Legal Records, 1863-1906, 1941-1962 (Boxes 18, 78; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 5: Financial Records, 1871-1973, bulk 1902-1969 (Boxes 18-69, 79, BV81-112; 55 linear feet)

Series 6: Inventory Records, 1881-1969, bulk 1900s-1940s (Boxes 69-70, BV113-128; 2.3 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Materials, circa 1880s-1968, bulk 1890s-1960s (Boxes 70-75; 4.9 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, circa 1880s-1960s (Boxes 75-78; 2 linear feet)

Series 9: Scrapbooks, 1908-1968, bulk 1908-1943 (Boxes 77, 80; 1.1 linear feet)

The records have been arranged according to the original order maintained by the gallery. Bound volumes containing exhibition catalogs glued to the internal spines have been disbound for preservation and proper housing.

Historical Note:

The Doll & Richards gallery originated in Boston in 1866 as an art gallery and framing shop owned by Charles E. Hendrickson, E. Adam Doll, and Joseph Dudley Richards. The gallery was a well-known Boston establishment for over 100 years that represented William Stanley Haseltine, Winslow Homer, William Morris Hunt, and Andrew Wyeth, among many other notable American painters, sculptors, and printmakers.

In 1870 Hendrickson retired and the gallery became Doll & Richards. After the untimely death of Doll in 1880, Richards purchased Doll's interest in the firm, retaining the gallery's well-known name. Under Richards' direction, the gallery prospered. Richards promoted the works of painter Winslow Homer, developing a market for his watercolors in Boston. He incorporated the gallery in 1902 and served as the treasurer and financier until his death in 1922 at 80 years old. The gallery then reorganized; Arthur McKean, who joined in 1911, became manager, and J.L. (Joe) Richards became treasurer. Fergus Turner, who joined the firm as a salesman in 1885 and became president in 1902, retained his role as president until 1938.

Over the century the gallery showcased contempory American artists, including William Morris Hunt, Dodge McKnight, William Stanley Haseltine, Laura Coombs Hills, Eliot O'Hara, Joseph Lindon Smith, Stanley Woodward, and Andrew Wyeth. The gallery also consigned paintings, prints, and objects from other major art galleries including Azeez Khayat Gallery, Kennedy Galleries, M. Knoedler and Co., Macbeth Gallery, Victor D. Spark, and Victor Waddington Galleries (Dublin, Ireland). According to long-time employee Wendell Zoehler (employed from 1929-1966), Doll & Richards' primary clientele came from the Social Register. In the summer months when wealthy Bostonians typically vacationed outside of the city, Doll & Richards remained open for tourists, many of whom became regular seasonal customers of the gallery.

The gallery experienced financial difficulties in the 1930s, leading to bankruptcy. Doll & Richards was purchased by McKean and incorporated in Maine in 1941. McKean sold Doll & Richards in 1962 to Maurice Goldberg; at this time none of the remaining family or staff were connected with the gallery. In 1973, the gallery was sold to Jeanne and Paul Sylva and closed.

Although the gallery always remained in the vicinity of Boston Common, it relocated numerous times over the years. In 1871 the gallery moved from 28 Summer Street to 145 Tremont Street. In 1878, the gallery remodeled and occupied the entire two-story building at 2 Park Street, renting out the second floor, known as the Hawthorne Room, for lectures. After thirty years on Park Street, Doll & Richards relocated to Newbury Street in 1908, beginning a succession of moves down Newbury Street approximately every twenty years, finally to 172 Newbury Street in 1962.

Related Material:

Among the other resources relating to the Doll & Richards gallery in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Wendell Zoehler conducted by Robert Brown on April 14 and April 27, 1978.

Separated Material:

A daguerroteype of Gaetano Cardinal Bedini received with the records was transferred to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery on May 24, 2004.

Provenance:

The Doll & Richards records were donated to the Archives of American Art in numerous accessions between 1973 and 1979 by Jeanne and Paul Sylva, who purchased the gallery in 1973, and by former employee Wendell Zoehler.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Doll & Richards gallery records 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.

Occupation:

Art dealers -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

Art galleries, Commercial -- Massachusetts -- Boston  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Financial records

Citation:

Doll & Richards gallery, 1863-1978, bulk 1902-1960s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care Fund

Identifier:

AAA.dollrich

See more items in:

Doll & Richards gallery records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-dollrich

Creator:

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Names:

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Extent:

0.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1900-1904

Summary:

This small collection of twenty-two letters written by painter and illustrator Winslow Homer to his art dealer, M. Knoedler and Company, date from 1900 to 1904. These letters to the New York gallerist concern the logistics of selling his paintings and also reference agents, collectors, and art institutions where his work was being exhibited.

Scope and Contents:

This small collection of twenty-two letters written by painter and illustrator Winslow Homer to his art dealer, M. Knoedler and Company, date from 1900 to 1904. These letters to the New York gallerist concern the logistics of selling his paintings and also reference agents, collectors, and art institutions where his work was being exhibited.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 1 series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1900-1904 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Biographical / Historical:

Winslow Homer was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1836. He was raised in Cambridge, where he developed a love of art and the outdoors. At the age of 19 he began his career as an illustrator, apprenticing at the J.H. Bufford lithographic firm in Boston. He then decided to become a freelance illustrator. In 1859 Homer moved to New York to work for Harper's Weekly, serving as artist-correspondent for the magazine during the Civil War. After taking some art classes at the National Academy of Design, he decided to focus on oil painting. He quickly gained international recognition as a painter, and in 1866 made his first trip to Europe. In 1873 he decided to work in watercolor and found great success in his experimentation with light and color in this medium. In the mid-1880s Homer moved permanently to Prout's Neck, Maine, an isolated area where he built a studio and focused his paintings on man's struggle with nature. Also during the 1880s he worked on a series of etchings based on his paintings. Homer continued to paint for the next twenty years, vacationing summers in places such as the Adirondacks and the Bahamas to capture varied landscapes, until his death in 1910.

M. Knoedler and Co. was a New York art dealership and gallery that managed the sales and logistics involved in shipping or lending artworks to various collectors, museums, organizations, and institutions.

Related Materials:

The Archives of American Art also holds the Winslow Homer collection; a microfilm copy on reels 2932-2933 of the Winslow Homer and Homer family papers from the Bowdain College; and a video recording, Winslow Homer in Maine.

Provenance:

The Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler and Company were purchased at auction and donated by Martha J. Fleischman in memory of her father, Lawrence A. Fleischman, in 2010.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler and Company 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.

Occupation:

Art dealers -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this

Illustrators -- Maine  Search this

Painters -- Maine -- Prout's Neck  Search this

Topic:

Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

Citation:

Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler and Company, 1900-1904. 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.

Identifier:

AAA.mknoeco

See more items in:

Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler and Company

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-mknoeco

Creator:

Navas, Elizabeth S., 1885-1979  Search this

Names:

Wichita Art Museum  Search this

Bacon, Peggy, 1895-1987  Search this

Bouché, Louis, 1896-1969  Search this

Brice, William, 1921-2008  Search this

Burchfield, Charles Ephraim, 1893-1967  Search this

Burlin, Paul, 1886-1969  Search this

Callahan, Kenneth, 1905-1986  Search this

Copley, John Singleton, 1738-1815  Search this

Cowles, Russell, 1887-1979  Search this

Curry, John Steuart, 1897-1946  Search this

Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this

De Creeft, José, 1884-1982  Search this

Dehn, Adolf, 1895-1968  Search this

Dehner, Walt, 1898-  Search this

Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935  Search this

Dove, Arthur Garfield, 1880-1946  Search this

Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916  Search this

Glackens, William J., 1870-1938  Search this

Gleitsmann, Raphael, 1910-  Search this

Grosz, George, 1893-1959  Search this

Heliker, John, 1909-2000  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967  Search this

James, Alexander, 1890-1946  Search this

Kinigstein, Jonah, 1923-  Search this

Kirsch, Frederick D. (Frederick Dwight), b. 1899  Search this

Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949  Search this

Kuniyoshi, Yasuo, 1889-1953  Search this

Lachaise, Gaston, 1882-1935  Search this

Lechay, James  Search this

Marin, John, 1870-1953  Search this

Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954  Search this

Mattson, Henry E. (Henry Elis), 1887-1971  Search this

Morris, Carl, 1911-1993  Search this

Morris, George L. K., 1905-1975  Search this

Moyer, Roy, 1921-2007  Search this

Murdock, Louise Caldwell, 1858-1915  Search this

Murdock, Roland P. -- Art collections  Search this

Oscar, Charles, 1923-  Search this

Penney, James, 1910-1982  Search this

Poor, Anne, 1918-  Search this

Poor, Henry Varnum, 1887-1970  Search this

Pène Du Bois, Guy , 1884-1958  Search this

Ryder, Albert Pinkham, 1847-1917  Search this

Schnakenberg, H. E. (Henry Ernest), 1892-1970  Search this

Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969  Search this

Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this

Sloan, John, 1871-1951  Search this

Smith, Houghton Cranford, 1887-1983  Search this

Sparhawk-Jones, Elizabeth, 1885-1968  Search this

Watkins, Franklin Chenault, 1894-1972  Search this

Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this

Williamson, Clara McDonald, 1875-1976  Search this

Zerbe, Karl, 1903-1972  Search this

Zorach, William, 1887-1966  Search this

Extent:

0.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1939-1963

Scope and Contents:

Correspondence, photographs, clippings, magazines and statements by 20th century artists on their works bought for the Roland P. Murdock Collection of the Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas, by Navas.

Artists represented include: Peggy Bacon, Louis Bouche, William Brice, Charles E. Burchfield, Paul Burlin, Kenneth Callahan, John S. Copley, Russell Cowles, John S. Curry, Stuart Davis, Jose de Creeft, Adolf Dehn, Walt Dehner, Charles Demuth, Arthur Dove, Guy Pène du Bois, Thomas Eakins, William Glackens, Raphael Gleitsmann, George Grosz, John E. Heliker, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Alexander R. James, Jonah Kinigstein, Frederick D. Kirsch, Walt Kuhn, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Gaston Lachaise, James Lechay, John Marin, Reginald Marsh, Henry E. Mattson, Carl Morris, George L. K. Morris, Roy Moyer, Charles Oscar, James Penney, Anne Poor, Henry V. Poor, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Henry E. Schnakenberg, Ben Shahn, Charles Sheeler, John Sloan, Houghton C. Smith, Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, Franklin C. Watkins, Max Weber, Clara M. Williamson, Karl Zerbe, and William Zorach.

Biographical / Historical:

Elizabeth S. Navas (1885-1979) was an art collector and patron in New York City. Navas was designated to assemble the Roland P. Murdock Collection of the Wichita Art Museum under the terms of the will of her friend, Louise Caldwell Murdock (1858-1915), widow of Roland P. Murdock.

Provenance:

Donated 1963 by Elizabeth S. Navas.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.

Occupation:

Artists -- United States  Search this

Art patrons  Search this

Painters  Search this

Topic:

Art, American -- Kansas -- Witchita  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.navaeliz

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-navaeliz

Creator:

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Subject:

Clarke, Thomas B. (Thomas Benedict)  Search this

Salinger, Emil  Search this

Prang, Louis  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Painting, American  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6714

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208839

AAA_collcode_homewinl

Theme:

Art Movements and Schools

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208839

Creator:

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Subject:

Clarke, Thomas B. (Thomas Benedict)  Search this

Homer, Arthur Benson  Search this

Homer, Charles S.  Search this

Palmer, Potter  Search this

Beatty, John W. (John Wesley)  Search this

Topic:

Painting, American  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6715

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208840

AAA_collcode_homewins

Theme:

Art Movements and Schools

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208840

Creator:

WCBB (Television station : Lewiston, Me.)  Search this

Names:

WCBB (Television station : Lewiston, Me.)  Search this

Beam, Philip C.  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Skinner, Odell  Search this

Extent:

1 Videocassettes (U-matic) ((28 min), sd., col., 3/4 in.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videocassettes (u-matic)

Date:

1984

Scope and Contents:

Describe's Homer's early career and his life at Prout's Neck, Maine. Shows photographs, diaries, sketchbooks, and letters from the Homer Collection at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, as well as Homer's work.

Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):

Lewiston, Me. : WBCC-TV, 1984.

General:

Based on the book Winslow Homer at Prout's Neck by Philip C. Beam.

Provenance:

Donated by WCBB-TV via Odell Skinner, 1984.

Rights:

Authorization to reproduce, quote, or publicly broadcast must obtain written permission from: WCBB-TV, 1450 Lisbon St., Lewiston, ME 04240.

Occupation:

Painters -- Maine -- Prout's Neck  Search this

Topic:

Painting, American -- Maine -- Prout's Neck  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.wcbbtele

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-wcbbtele

Creator:

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Names:

Beatty, John W. (John Wesley), 1851-1924  Search this

Clarke, Thomas B. (Thomas Benedict), 1848-1931  Search this

Homer, Arthur Benson, b. 1841  Search this

Homer, Charles S., b. 1809  Search this

Homer, Charles S., b. 1834  Search this

Palmer, Potter, 1826-1902  Search this

Extent:

2 Microfilm reels

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Microfilm reels

Date:

1846-1954

Scope and Contents:

Biographical documents; correspondence; notebooks; artworks; scrapbooks; printed material; and photographs; ca. 600 items, total.

Awards and certificates; an address book kept by Homer's brother, Arthur; a biographical sketch of Homer by his nephew; correspondence, including letters, some illustrated, from Homer to his family and others, describing daily activities, his health, and his work; letters from Potter Palmer, Thomas B. Clarke, and John Beatty, and family correspondence which mentions Homer; 2 notebooks, containing notes and sketches; sketches and cartoons; 18 watercolors of plants, birds, and insects by Homer's mother; scrapbooks, containing photos of Homer, his studio, reproductions, clippings, a script and related material comparing Whistler and Homer for a radio program; catalogs; an album containing 60 annotated reproductions of artwork; printed material; Homer's Civil War pass; a contract between C. Klackner and Homer regarding the sale of etchings; receipts for sales; an inventory of the collection of Mrs. Charles S. Homer, Jr.; photos of Homer family members, Homer, his friends, and their surroundings in Prout's Neck, Me.; and miscellany.

Biographical / Historical:

Painter, illustrator; New York, N.Y. and Prouts Neck, Me. Illustrator for Harper's Weekly; artist-correspondent during Civil War; moved to Prouts Neck, Me., 1884.

Provenance:

Lent for microfilming 1983 by Bowdoin College Museum of Art. The Museum received the material from Homer's descendants in 1964.

Restrictions:

The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

Rights:

Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from Director, Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

Occupation:

Painters -- Maine -- Prout's Neck  Search this

Topic:

Painting, American  Search this

Identifier:

AAA.homewins

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-homewins

Creator:

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Names:

Clarke, Thomas B. (Thomas Benedict), 1848-1931  Search this

Prang, Louis, 1824-1909  Search this

Salinger, Emil  Search this

Extent:

0.2 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1863, 1877-1945

Summary:

The Winslow Homer collection measures 0.2 linear feet with material from 1863 and 1877 to 1945. The collection documents Homer's career as a painter and lithographer through letters, printed material, family records, and photographs.

Scope and Content Note:

The Winslow Homer collection measures 0.2 linear feet with material that dates from 1863 and 1877 to 1945. The collection documents Homer's career as a painter and lithographer through letters, printed material, family records, and photographs.

Letters in the collection primarily document Homer's later career between 1890 and 1909. Included are an illustrated letter to the art collector George G. Briggs concerning frames, and twenty-six letters to art collector and friend, Thomas B. Clarke, discussing Homer's artwork, exhibitions, sale of his work, and his family. Many of the Clarke letters are transcribed. Also found are twelve letters to Louis Prang, a friend and successful chromolithographer, concerning Homer's drawing techniques and making drawings for Prang's use. Miscellaneous letters include a letter to cellist Emil Salinger, art editor Florence Fuller, and others, discussing his artwork. Marie "Midie" W. Blanchard was Homer's cousin and the folder of her letters includes a letter from Homer to her, and two letters from her to others about Homer.

This collection also contains photograph copies of four pages from the "Family Record" in the Homer family Bible, which records births, deaths, marriages, and locations of family members. The "Century Loan Exhibition" catalog is annotated throughout with notes regarding the exhibition and contains an introduction by Booth Tarkington. Also found is a newspaper clipping about Homer's artwork. Photographs include twenty albumen and cyanotype photographs, on two pages from a photo album, of Winslow Homer and family in various activities.

Arrangement:

Due to the small size of this collection, items are categorized into one series consisting of twelve folders. Items are arranged chronologically within each folder.

Biographical Note:

Winslow Homer was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1836. He was raised in Cambridge, where he developed a love of art and the outdoors. At the age of 19 he began his career as an illustrator, apprenticing at the J.H. Bufford lithographic firm in Boston. He then decided to become a freelance illustrator. In 1859 Homer moved to New York to work for Harper's Weekly, serving as artist-correspondent for the magazine during the Civil War. After taking some art classes at the National Academy of Design, he decided to focus on oil painting. He quickly gained international recognition as a painter, and in 1866 made his first trip to Europe. In 1873 he decided to work in watercolor and found great success in his experimentation with light and color in this medium. In the mid-1880s Homer moved permanently to Prout's Neck, Maine, an isolated area where he built a studio and focused his paintings on man's struggle with nature. Also during the 1880s he worked on a series of etchings based on his paintings. Homer continued to paint for the next twenty years, vacationing summers in places such as the Adirondacks and the Bahamas to capture varied landscapes, until his death in 1910.

Related Material:

Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler & Company, 1900-1904.

Provenance:

Items in this collection are gifts of various donors. The exhibition catalog was donated by Lawrence Fleischman in 1954, the photographs donated by Dorothy Adlow in 1961, and the Marie Blanchard letters and news clipping donated by Carlotta Claflin in 1976. Other letters were donated by Charles Feinberg in 1959, Joyce Tyler in 1979, Lawrence Fleischman in 1959, Jean Meissner and William T. Campbell in 1966, Katherine H. Coudon in 1989, and Edgar Salinger in 1961. The bible pages were a 1977 anonymous donation. Items were microfilmed shortly after receipt.

Restrictions:

The collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.

Rights:

The Winslow Homer collection is 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.

Occupation:

Painters -- Maine  Search this

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Painting, American  Search this

Citation:

Winslow Homer collection, 1863, 1877-1945. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the re-processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.homewinl

See more items in:

Winslow Homer collection

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-homewinl