Murphy, John Francis, 1853-1921 -- Catalogues raisonnés Search this
Extent:
16.7 Linear feet ((on 21 microfilm reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Place:
Arkville (N.Y.) -- Pictorial works
Date:
1761-1973
Scope and Contents:
Biography and catalogue raisonné of J. Francis Murphy by Emerson Crosby Kelly, M.D., and correspondence relating to Dr. Kelly's interest in Murphy. Personal papers of J. Francis Murphy and Adah Clifford Smith Murphy include diaries and notebooks, correspondence, Smith and Murphy family documents, financial records, printed matter, artifacts, photographs, and works of art.
Research notes, drafts, and manuscript of an unpublished biography, "J. Francis Murphy, N.A., (1853-1921): Tints of a Vanished Past," and illustrated catalogue raisonne of the works of J. Francis Murphy by Emerson Crosby Kelly (1953). Kelly corresponded with friends and relatives of the Murphys, with owners of Murphy paintings, publishers, printers, and possible financial backers for his book. Also documented is Dr. and Mrs. Kelly's involvement in the sale of "Weedwild," the Murphy's Arkville, N.Y. home, to the Pestalozzi Foundation of America.
Diaries of J. Francis Murphy (25 vols.) contain very brief entries that faithfully record weather conditions, garden progress, and other nature notes, with occasional mention of social engagements or service on art juries; entries recorded during trips to Europe mainly list places visited with little elaboration. Notebooks (16 vols.) include painting registers, daily listings of mail sent and received, address books, and jottings relating to Indian relics, his farmland, and paintings sent to dealers. Mrs. Murphy's diaries (46 vols.) also contain very brief entries mentioning friends, social engagements, travels, and an "Account of the pictures I painted and gave away. Portraits of them. + landscapes + old houses." Her notebooks (4 vols.) contain "Notes for a book. J.F.'s".
Correspondence concerns family matters, exhibitions, sales, professional memberships, involvement with the Salmagundi Club and National Academy of Design, and the couple's finances. Whenever separated, the Murphys exchanged lengthy letters with one another; the majority of these are from husband to wife.
Receipts and invoices are mainly for art supplies, framing, and shipping costs; expense records for personal purchases and farm upkeep and improvements; taxes; and legal papers concerning a property boundary dispute and lawsuit against the Murphys.
Photographs are of Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, their families and ancestors, friends, studios, "Weedwild" (country home) and surrounding Arkville, N.Y. area, landscape subjects, works of art by the Murphys, medals and certificates of award. Six tintypes are included. Photographers include: Hollinger, Moffett, Napoleon Sarony, and C. Vandyk. Commercially produced stereographs mainly depict U.S. scenes.
Art works consist of sketchbooks, oil sketches, and works of art on paper by both Murphys, Emil Carlsen, and other artists (ca. 500 items).
Other materials include exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, scrapbooks (probably compiled by Mrs. Murphy ca. 1885), medals awarded to J. Francis Murphy, copper plate etched by Adah C. Murphy, and artifacts.
Arrangement:
I. Writings and Research Notes. II. Kelly Correspondence and Miscellaneous Files. III. J. Francis and Adah Clifford Smith Murphy Papers.
Biographical / Historical:
Emerson Crosby Kelly, M.D., art collector, surgeon, and medical bibliographer; d. 1977. J. Francis Murphy, landscape painter and one of the leading tonalists of the American Barbizon school, lived and worked in New York City and Arkville, N.Y. Studied very briefly at the Chicago Academy of Design, 1875. Member of the National Academy of Design and active in the Salmagundi Club. His wife, Adah Clifford Smith Murphy, a painter and illustrator, studied at the Female Art School of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Provenance:
The donor, Sydney Kelly, is the widow of Dr. Emerson Crosby Kelly. Dr. Kelly acquired the Murphy papers in 1949 from Hulda Gregerson, Mrs. Murphy's long-time companion, for the purpose of writing a biography and catalogue raisonne of J. Francis Murphy.
En plein air : the art colonies at East Hampton and Old Lyme, 1880-1930 : [exhibition] Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 10 June-30 July 1989 [and] Guild Hall Museum, East Hampton, New York, 18 June-30 July 1989
Twentieth century Long Island landscape painting : checklist for the exhibition : June 17-November 25, 1990, the Art Museum, the Museums at Stony Brook
Diaries, a sketchbook, photographs and biographical documents.
Reel 1365: One sketchbook, Oddie family biographical documents, and photographs of Oddie, his paintings, and family members.
Reel 4307: Diaries (1828-1829) discuss Oddie's family, health and financial difficulties as well as his responses to art works by others, books he had read, and world affairs.
Biographical / Historical:
Landscape painter and teacher; New York City.
Provenance:
The materials on Reel 1365 were lent by Allen L. Oddie. The diaries on Reel 4307 were microfilmed by the owner, the Winterthur Museum, which donated a copy to the Archives of American Art. The diaries were previously owned by Henry Meigs, Oddie's father-in-law.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Landscape painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Topic:
Landscape painting, American -- New York (State) Search this
Correspondence, printed material, and photographs documenting Chase's career and the art market of the 1920's. Letters to Chase primarily concern exhibitions, commissions, and advertisements (including a letter from Reginald Poland, Director of the Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego, analyzing the work of Woodstock artists), with some letters from family and friends. Printed material includes reviews, exhibition announcements, gallery plans with notes on exhibit design, and color reproductions of Chase's work. Photographs depict Chase, his work, and his exhibitions. Biographical material consists of his passport and the official documents of his service in France and Germany for the Y.M.C.A in 1918-1919.
Biographical / Historical:
Landscape painter. Chase lived and worked in Woodstock, New York and Nantucket, Massachusetts, teaching and exhibiting frequently in these areas. He also exhibited at The Art Institute of Chicago, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, and The Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego. Chase was best known in the 1920's for his paintings of woodlands.
Provenance:
Donated 1987 by the Vose Galleries of Boston.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Long Island landscape, 1865-1914 : the halcyon years : [exhibition] the Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, New York, July 26-September 20, 1981 / Ronald G. Pisano
Natural truth : the landscape paintings of the Parton brothers of Hudson, New York : an exhibition at the Columbia County Historical Society, Kinderhook, New York, July 3 through October 31, 1998 / Maureen Johnson Hickey, guest curator
