The Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Inc., (AAPS) measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1899 to circa 2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1912-1916. Elmer Livingston MacRae served as Treasurer of the AAPS when the association organized the International Exhibition of Modern Art, also known as the Armory Show of 1913. The bulk of this collection concerns MacRae's involvement with the AAPS and the Armory Show and includes administrative files, correspondence, exhibition files, financial records, printed materials, and artifacts.
Scope and Contents:
The Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Inc., (AAPS) measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1899 to circa 2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1912-1916. Elmer Livingston MacRae served as Treasurer of the AAPS when the association organized the International Exhibition of Modern Art, also known as the Armory Show of 1913. The bulk of this collection concerns MacRae's involvement with the AAPS and the Armory Show and includes administrative files, correspondence, exhibition files, financial records, printed materials, and artifacts.
Biographical material includes an old collection inventory from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, two annotated appointment books, and a small handbook with notes.
Correspondence consists of letters addressed to Elmer MacRae from AAPS members such as Arthur B. Davies, Walt Kuhn, and Walter Pach, as well as other various artists, dealers, lenders, and buyers. Most letters concern AAPS business and organizing the Armory Show.
AAPS administration records include the organization's constitution, letterhead, meeting minutes, a report, and a membership list.
The Armory Show exhibition tour files consist of materials related to openings in Chicago and Boston. Materials include lists that track sales of tickets and pamphlets, insurance lists, a contract, an art inventory, and other items.
Financial records consist of AAPS and exhibition expenses in the form of sales lists of artwork, payroll information, shipping and transportation invoices, bills, rescinded dues, cashiers' journals, ledgers, a receipt book, and a checkbook.
Printed material includes copies of Armory Show exhibition catalogs, AAPS pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, clippings, postcards, and a poster.
Artifacts consist of AAPS memorabilia from the exhibition. There are button pins, calling cards, event invitations, mailing cards, signs, tickets, and other miscellany.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1899-1913, circa 1988 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1911-1915, 1958 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Administration Records, circa 1911-circa 1916 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 4: Armory Show Tour Files, 1913 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 5: Financial Records, 1912-1916 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1911-1959 (0.6 linear feet; Box 2, OV 4-5)
Series 7: Artifacts, 1913, circa 2013 (0.2 linear feet; Box 3)
Biographical / Historical:
Elmer MacRae (1875-1953) was a New York and Connecticut-based painter and served as treasurer of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors when the association organized the 1913 Armory Show.
Elmer Livingston MacRae was born in New York City in 1875. In the late 1890s, MacRae summered in an artist's community in Cos Cob, Connecticut, where he met his wife Emma Constant Holley. He moved full time to Cos Cob in 1899. MacRae became active in the Pastellists group. He was affiliated with the Macbeth and Madison Galleries in New York, where he was on friendly terms with fellow painters Jerome Myers and Walt Kuhn. In 1911, MacRae became a member of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS), Inc. From 1912 to 1916, MacRae served as Treasurer of the AAPS, the organization which organized the seminal 1913 Armory Show exhibition of modern American and European art. Formally titled the International Exhibition of Modern Art, the exhibition introduced many Americans to modern art for the first time. The Armory Show began at New York City's 69th Street Armory, then continued on to the Art Institute of Chicago, and Boston's Copley Society of Art. The latter venue did not include the American art due to space constraints.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Walt Kuhn, Walt Kuhn family papers and Armory Show records as well as the Joseph Hirshhorn papers regarding the Elmer MacRae papers.
Provenance:
The Elmer Livingston MacRae papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2016 by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
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.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Exhibitions Search this
Function:
Arts organizations
Citation:
Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the American Association of Painters and Sculptors, 1899-circa 2013, bulk 1912-1916. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by The Walton Family Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, 1899-circa 2013, bulk 1912-1916. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Exhibitions Search this
The Joseph Hirshhorn papers regarding the Elmer MacRae papers measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1959 to 2012, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 1975. The papers relate to Joseph Hirshhorn's acquisition of the Elmer MacRae papers, as well as their subsequent use in the 50th anniversary exhibition of the Armory Show and for Milton Brown's book, The Story of the Armory Show. The collection includes correspondence, exhibition files, loan forms, rights and reproductions forms, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
The Joseph Hirshhorn papers regarding the Elmer MacRae papers measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1959 to 2012, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960 to 1975. The papers relate to Joseph Hirshhorn's acquisition of the Elmer MacRae papers, as well as their subsequent use in 50th anniversary exhibitions of the Armory Show and for Milton Brown's book, The Story of the Armory Show. The collection includes correspondence, exhibition files, loan forms, rights and reproductions forms, and photographs.
The first series relates to documentation of the acquisition of the Elmer MacRae papers from the Historical Society in Greenwich, Connecticut, multiple copies of an item level inventory of the collection, and correspondence with researchers.
The Armory Show retrospective exhibitions and publications files consist of correspondence, photograph reproductions requests, and photographs. As the title suggests, the material in this series relates to later exhibitions on the Armory Show such as the 50th Anniversary celebration in New York, as well as Milton Brown's book The Story of the Armory Show. There are also loan requests for artifacts from the Armory Show for display in other exhibitions.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 2 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Acquisition of Elmer MacRae papers, 1959-2000 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Armory Show Retrospective Exhibitions and Publications, 1962-2012 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Biographical / Historical:
Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981) was an art collector and founding donor of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Elmer Livingston MacRae was a painter and member of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS) who served as treasurer of the International Exhibition of Modern Art, also known as the 1913 Armory Show, which introduced modern European painting and sculpture to the American public. Hirshhorn acquired the Elmer MacRae papers from the Historical Society of the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1961 because the collection contained documentation of the 1913 Armory Show.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Walt Kuhn, Walt Kuhn family papers and Armory Show records as well as Elmer Livingston MacRae papers on the Association of American Painters and Sculptors.
Provenance:
The Joseph H. Hirshhorn papers regarding the Elmer MacRae papers were gifted to the Archives of American Art in 2016 from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Topic:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
The Robert Henri papers date from 1880 to 1954. included are 26 diaries, dating from 1880 to 1928. The collection also includes writings, scrapbooks, printed material, and miscellany.
Reels 885-887: 25 diaries kept by Robert Henri, August 15, 1881 to October 20, 1928 (some entries with illustrations). Henri writes about his studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and in Paris; his instructors Thomas Anshutz, Thomas Hovenden, and Adolphe Bouguereau, and fellow students Alexander Stirling Calder, Edward Redfield, Charles Grafly, and others; his opposition to the National Academy of Design and academic painting between 1902 and 1912; the exhibition of The Eight in 1908; the 1910 Exhibition of Independent Artists; the MacDowell Club; the founding of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors; and other topics. Also included are typescripts of 4 plays; scrapbooks of clippings, 1888-1954 and loose clippings; 82 photographs of Henri, including a group photo of Henri, Elmer MacRae, Maxfield Parrish, and four unidentified women, classes, and models; a letter and receipt from John Sloan; clippings regarding The Eight; and a copy of Memoirs of My Dead Life, by George Moore, annotated by Henri.
Reel 1654: Robert Henri diary, May to November 1880. Henri writes about his daily activities as a 15-year-old boy growing up on the Platte River, including entries on family events, playing with his brothers and friends, fishing, celebrating July 4th, bailing hay for his father, a dance and fair, and houses in Cozad, Nebraska (122 pages).
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Henri (1865-1929) was a painter and instructor in New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
Material on reels 885-887 was lent by Mrs. Janet LeClair, the widow of John LeClair, nephew of Henri's sister-in-law, Violet Organ. Organ inherited these papers and planned on using them in a biography of Henri which was never written. The papers passed to John LeClair upon Organ's death in 1959 and subsequently donated to Yale University. Organ donated other Henri papers, including correspondence, notes, notebooks, photographs and other manuscript material to Yale University's Beinecke Library in the 1960s. The diary on reel 1654 was lent by Dr. Robert Gatewood, a cousin of Robert Henri, who reported that he had at one time possessed several of Henri's illustrated boyhood stories and other diaries which were all destroyed in a fire.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
