The Ferargil Galleries records date from circa 1900-1963 and document the activities of this New York gallery that dealt primarily in American contemporary art from shortly after its 1915 founding by Frederic Newlin Price (1884-1963) to it's closure in 1955. 18.7 linear feet of records include incoming and outgoing correspondence with artists, dealers, schools and colleges, and museums and other art institutions; artist files; estate and legal records including papers relating to the Arthur B. Davies estate; gallery business and financial records; printed material; scrapbooks; scattered personal papers of Price; artwork; and photographs of artists, exhibitions and artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The Ferargil Galleries records date from circa 1900-1963 and document the activities of this New York gallery that dealt primarily in American contemporary art from shortly after its 1915 founding by Frederic Newlin Price (1884-1963) to it's closure in 1955. 18.7 linear feet of records include incoming and outgoing correspondence with artists, dealers, schools and colleges, and museums and other art institutions; artist files; estate and legal records including papers relating to the Arthur B. Davies estate; gallery business and financial records; printed material; scrapbooks; scattered personal papers of Price; artwork; and photographs of artists, exhibitions and artwork.
Correspondence is both incoming and outgoing and documents the day-to-day activities of the galleries, primarily from the 1920s to the 1950s. Significant correspondence with, or relating to, many of the artists represented by Ferargil Galleries can be found here including correspondence with Bartlett Arkell, Thomas Hart Benton, Randall Davey, Hunt Diedrich, Ernest Lawson, Agnes Potter Lowrie, Luigi Lucioni, Barse Miller, Maxfield Parrish, John Pike, Paul Sample, Wells M. Sawyer, Theodore van Soelen and many others.
Artist files consist primarily of material compiled about artists represented by Ferargil Galleries, including biographical information, press releases for exhibitions, and scattered price lists and information about individual works of art.
Estate and legal records include estate inventories for the estates of Lizzie P. Bliss, Arthur B. Davies, and Dan Fellows Platt, and document several legal actions involving Ferargil Galleries. Of particular significance are the records documenting Price's involvement with the estate of Arthur B. Davies, including correspondence with Davies's wife, Virginia, and sales and inventory records for Davies's artwork at Ferargil Galleries and elsewhere.
Business and financial records date primarily from the 1920s and document inventories, sales, insurance, shipping, and taxes for the bulk of the gallery's operating years.
Printed material contains Ferargail Galleries exhibition catalogs and announcements from 1918 to the 1950s in addition to scattered printed material from other galleries and one folder relating to Arthur B. Davies.
Scrapbooks provide a more comprehensive and detailed history of the gallery's exhibitions, through multiple news clippings of press coverage, in addition to catalogs, announcements, and photographs. Of particular note is a circa 1908 photograph of Arthur B. Davies taken by Gertrude Kasëbier.
Scattered personal records of Frederic Newlin Price document Price's work with the Benjamin West Society at Swarthmore College and further reveal Price's interests through an inventory of his art collection and drafts and copies of his writings on artists such as Arthur B. Davies, and on changing trends and tastes in the art world.
A small series of artwork includes 6 pencil sketches, a print, 3 plans, and an Arthur B. Davies exhibition catalog mock-up with pencil sketches, all by unidentified artists.
Gallery photograph files include some photos of artists such as Emil Carlsen, Leon Dabo, Lloyd Parsons, Natalie Van Vleck and Lois Williams, in addition to 13 folders of photos relating to collections and exhibitions, and photographs of artwork.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, 1920s-1963 (Boxes 1-15; 6.0 linear ft.)
Series 2: Artist Files, circa 1920s-1950s (Boxes 16-17; 0.7 linear ft.)
Series 3: Estate and Legal Records, circa 1925-circa 1939 (Boxes 17-18; 0.3 linear ft.)
Series 4: Business and Financial Records, 1919-1956 (Boxes 18-21; 1.2 linear ft.)
Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1900-1956 (Boxes 21-22; 0.7 linear ft.)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, circa 1920s-1950s (Boxes 23-34, 40, OV 41; 5.4 linear ft.)
Series 8: Artwork, circa 1920s-circa 1950s (Box 34, OV 41; 2 folders)
Series 9: Photographs, circa 1920-1950s (Boxes 35-39, OV 40; 4.4. linear ft.)
Historical Note:
Frederic Newlin Price (1884-1963) opened Ferargil Galleries in 1915 at 24 East 49th Street and 607 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Art critic W. Frank Purdy (1865-1943)was the President of the Art Alliance of America in 1918 and director of the School of American Sculpture worked at the galleries as director of sculpture.
Named from a combination of "fer" (ferrous-iron) and "argil" (clay), Ferargil Galleries dealt in wrought iron, sculpture, paintings and prints, and focused on exhibitions of work by American artists such as George Bellows, Thomas Hart Benton, Emil Carlsen, John Steuart Curry, Arthur B. Davies, W. Hunt Diederich, Thomas Eakins, Edward Hicks, Ernest Lawson, Albert P. Ryder and Grant Wood. Ferargil was also known for its representation of a group of contemporary watercolorists including Charles Dickinson, Phil Dike, Hardie Gramatky, Barse Miller, and Paul Sample.
In 1927 the business moved to 37 East 57th Street (later 63 East 57th Street) and housed a print room, a sculpture gallery with a fountain, and the main painting galleries.
In 1931 Price became the Director of the newly-formed Benjamin West Society at his alma mater, Swarthmore College. There, he promoted the arts at Swarthmore through annual lectures and exhibitions by contemporary artists and also acquired artwork for the college, primarily by Benjamin West. Price served as President of the American Art Dealers Association in the early 1930s and published a number of books and articles on artists including Arthur B. Davies, Walter Griffin, Eric Hudson, Ernest Lawson, Arthur P. Ryder and Horatio Walker.
Price closed Ferargil Galleries in 1955.
Separated Material:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels D321-D322, and N68-14-N68-15) including personal and business correspondence with artists and other records. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
In 1958, Frederic Newlin Price donated circa 70 letters to the Archives of American Art and loaned material for microfilming on reels D321-D322. The remaining records were donated anonymously in 1968.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
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:
Art, American -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Winthrop, Grenville Lindall, 1864-1943 Search this
Extent:
3.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketches
Etchings
Photographs
Date:
1862-1967
bulk 1920-1967
Summary:
The papers of New York art dealer, critic, and author Martin Birnbaum measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1862-1967, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920-1967. The papers document Birnbaum's association with the firm of Scott & Fowles, the lives and activities of his friends and colleagues, and his literary work, through biographical material, correspondence, writings and notes, business records, printed material, a scrapbook, scattered artwork, and photographs of Birnbaum, friends and colleagues, and artwork.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York art dealer, critic, and author Martin Birnbaum measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1862-1967, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920-1967. The papers document Birnbaum's association with the firm of Scott & Fowles, the lives and activities of his friends and colleagues, and his literary work, through biographical material, correspondence, writings and notes, business records, printed material, a scrapbook, scattered artwork, and photographs of Birnbaum, friends and colleagues, and artwork.
Correspondence, primarily letters received by Birnbaum in New York, and throughout Europe from 1917-1960s, reflects Birnbaum's association with Scott & Fowles, particularly Stevenson Scott, and includes many details about the lives and activities of his correspondents, among them: artists Edward Bruce, Cecilia Beaux, Beniamino Bufano, Stephen C. Clark, Louise Dillingham, William Hunt Diedrich, Luis Fernandez, Herbert Haseltine, Jan Hoowij, Malvina Hoffman, Leonebel Jacobs, Lenard Kester, Lois Mailou Jones, Paul Manship, Gari Melchers, Maxfield Parrish, Charles S. Ricketts, William Rothenstein, John Singer Sargent, Janet Scudder, Carl Sprinchorn, Maurice Sterne, Albert Sterner, Carl N. Wertz, and Stanley Wilson. Also found is correspondence with art collectors and patrons including Mabel Choate, Edmund Davis, Reginald Davis, Henry P. McIlhenny, James Parmalee, Edith Wetmore, and Grenville Windall Linthrop, and museums including the Fogg Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then curator Gisela Marie Augusta Richter, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Correspondence with scholars, writers, and publishers including George Coedes, Edmund Dulac, Joseph Francis Charles Rock, Upton Sinclair and others, documents aspects of Birnbaum's literary and scholarly work.
Writings include drafts of The Last Romantic, including Upton Sinclair's revision, and some of Birnbaum's early published and unpublished writings, as well as notes on Aubrey Beardsley.
Business records include financial records such as bills, receipts, canceled checks and statements for sales of artwork, and scattered legal records.
A small amount of printed material primarily consists of programs for musical events which evidence Birnbaum's early success as a violinist, as well as scattered news clippings, 2 exhibition catalogs, and announcements for the publications of Angkor and the Mandarin Road and The Last Romantic. Additional printed material about Birnbaum can be found in the dismantled scrapbook, 1960-1961.
Artwork includes 2 etchings and a sketch by Birnbaum, bookplates by various artists, circa 10 sketches by other and unidentified artists, and 3 cards with original artwork.
Photographs include snapshots and portraits of Birnbaum and artists and friends, among them: Robert Chanler, Charles Despiau, Norman Douglas, Luis Fernandez, Herbert Haseltine, Augustus John, Paul Manship, Gari Melchers, Elie Nadelman, Albert Sterner, Stevenson Scott, and Grenville Lindall Winthrop. Also found is a photo of Birnbaum with Edward Bruce, Alfred Potterton, Leon Stein, and Maurice Sterne, circa 1915-1916, and photographs proposed for use in The Last Romantic, travel snapshots, and photos of artwork.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged as 8 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1890-1950s (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, OVs 4-5)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1862-1967 (1.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1890-circa 1960 (0.45 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 4: Business Records, 1918-1967 (0.15 linear feet; Box 2)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1895-circa 1960 (0.15 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 6: Scrapbook, 1960-1961 (1 folder; Box 3)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1890-circa 1960 (0.15 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 8: Photographs, circa 1900-circa 1960s (0.3 linear feet; Box 3)
Biographical / Historical:
New York art dealer, critic, and author Martin Birmbaum (1878-1970) was the manager of the American branch of the Berlin Photographic Company in New York City from 1910–1916, and a longtime partner in the art firm Scott & Fowles. He spent the later part of his career building the Grenville Lindall Winthrop Collection, now at the Fogg Museum.
Birnbaum immigrated to the United States from Hungary as a child. He was an accomplished violinist who studied at City College of New York, and graduated with a law degree from Columbia University in 1901, but developed a life-long interest in art during visits to Europe. As manager of the Berlin Photographic Company he had great success in staging art exhibitions at the company's New York galleries, which led him to a junior partnership in the Fifth Avenue firm of art dealers, Scott & Fowles. Birnbaum traveled widely and built relationships with many of the prominent artists and art collectors of his day and, in addition to the Grenville Lindall Winthrop collection, was influential in developing other important art collections including those of Edward Davis, Reginald Davis, and Henry P. McIlhenny.
Birnbaum wrote widely about his experiences and encounters in the world of wealthy socialites, literary salons, artists, art patrons, and collectors in publications such as Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (Berlin Photographic Co., 1911), Oscar Wilde: Fragments and Memories (J.F. Drake, Incorporated, 1914) , Vanishing Eden:Wanderings in the Tropics (New York: William E. Rudge's Sons, 1942), Angkor and the Mandarin Road (Vantage Press, 1952), and The Last Romantic (Twayne Publishers, 1961). He died in 1970 at the age of 92.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels N698, N698A-N698B) including correspondence, bookplates, sketches, newspaper clippings, and a list of books containing ornamental drawings and illustrations. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Material on reels N698, N698A-N698B were lent for microfilming by Martin Birnbaum in 1967. The rest of the collection was donated in an anonymous gift in 1970 and by Martin Birnbaum's great-nephew, Jerome Ziegler, in 1975.
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.
Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
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.
Occupation:
Art critics -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art dealers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Authors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Maxfield Parrish and Frank Spinney. Interview with Maxfield Parrish by Frank Spinney, circa 1960. Interviews of Frances Grimes and Maxfield Parrish, [ca. 1960]. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Maxfield Parrish and James Farley. Interview of Maxfield Parrish by James Farley, circa 1960. Interviews of Frances Grimes and Maxfield Parrish, [ca. 1960]. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of muralist, painter, and teacher Barry Faulkner measure 2.82 linear feet and date from circa 1858-1973. Faulkner's career; his relationships with family, friends, and fellow-artists; and his thoughts on art and artists are documented in biographical materials, correspondence, writings, sketchbooks, five diaries, two photograph albums and photographs, and one scrapbook. Correspondents include family members, Witter Bynner, Ann and Eric Gugler, Leon Kroll, Isabel Manship, James Johnson Sweeney, Maxfield Parrish and others. An unprocessed addition to the collection dating 1942 includes a one page letter mounted on board from Maxfield Parrish to Barry Faulkner.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of muralist, painter, and teacher Barry Faulkner measure 2.82 linear feet and date from circa 1858-1973. Faulkner's career; his relationships with family, friends, and fellow-artists; and his thoughts on art and artists are documented in biographical materials, correspondence, writings, sketchbooks, five diaries, photograph albums and photographs, and one scrapbook. An unprocessed addition to the collection dating 1942 includes a one page letter mounted on board from Maxfield Parrish to Barry Faulkner.
Biographical materials include biographical sketches, awards, and records documenting Faulkner's military service. Also found are a list of medications, a list of Faulkner's writings, party guest lists, an address book, a calendar, and materials related to the posthumous publication of Sketches From an Artist's Life. Of special interest are oversized architectural drawings by Eric Gugler for Faulkner's Keene, New Hampshire house.
Correspondence includes letters from Faulkner's friends, family, fellow artists, and art organizations and institutions. Faulkner's correspondence with his parents document his 1900-1901 trip to Italy with the Thayer family. Of special interest is his correspondence with writer Witter Bynner about Faulkner's daily life in New Hampshire, his travels through Europe, his artistic practice and career, Bynner's writings, his opinions on artistic and literary works, and his service in World War One. Many of the letters to Bynner include sketches by Faulkner of Abbott Handerson Thayer, Rockwell Kent, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Homer Saint-Gaudens, George de Forest Brush, Kahlil Gibran, and Mark Twain. Additional correspondents include sculptor Frances Grimes, architect Eric Gugler, painter Leon Kroll, and museum director James Johnson Sweeney.
Faulkner's writings are about art, artists, and the New Hampshire art community. Found are essays on Gifford Beal, George de Forest Brush, James Earle Fraser, Harriet Hosmer, Paul Manship, Charles Adams Platt, Hiram Powers, Edward Willis Redfield, Joseph Lindon Smith, Mary Lawrence Tonetti, Mark Twain, Lawrence Grant White, and Mahonri Young. Other writings discuss Faulkner's mural commissions, various aspects of New Hampshire history, and the history of the Dublin and Cornish art colonies whose inhabitants included George de Forest Brush, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Abbott Handerson Thayer. Of special interest is a manuscript for Faulkner's posthumously published memoir Sketches From an Artist's Life, and an unpublished manuscript titled A Neighborhood of Artists about the history and culture of the Connecticut River Valley.
Four sketchbooks by Faulkner contain drawings of landscapes, city scenes, architecture, people, nature, and studies of artwork by others. Also found are two loose sketches.
Five diaries document Faulkner's 1922-1924 trip through Europe, Africa, and Asia including stops in France, Italy, Egypt, and Turkey. Diaries record Faulkner's thoughts on architecture, tourist sites, and travel amenities. Found is one diary from 1956 that discusses social events, the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, the MacDowell Colony of artists, and various artists including Gifford Beal, Maxfield Parrish, Paul Manship, and Eric Gugler.
The bulk of printed material consists of clippings which document published writings by Faulkner, obituaries and published rememberances of Faulkner, local events in Keene, New Hampshire, and reproductions of Faulkner's artwork. Also found are exhibition catalogs of other artists, an announcement of Faulklner's death from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a publication illustrated with reproductions of Faulkner's murals for the National Archives.
Photographs include formal and informal images of Faulkner throughout his life, and photographs of his family and friends, his studio, and reproductions of his artwork. Also included are two photograph albums, one of which contains photographs of Faulkner during his youth and one that contains photographs primarily from the 1930s of Faulkner's Keene, New Hampshire house, himself, and his friends and family.
The collection also includes a scrapbook prepared for Faulkner's seventieth birthday containing photographs, cards, telegrams, and placecards with hand drawn illustrations which show the "taste and characteristics" of Faulkner.
Series 2: Correspondence, 1900-1973 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1912-1966 (Boxes 1-2; 1.0 linear foot)
Series 4: Sketchbooks and Sketches, circa 1910s-1930s (Boxes 2-3; 8 folders)
Series 5: Diaries, 1922-1956 (Box 2; 6 folders)
Series 6: Printed Materials, circa 1858-1966 (Boxes 2-3; 8 folders)
Series 7: Photographs, 1892-1960s (Boxes 2-3; 15 folders)
Series 8: Scrapbook, 1951 (Box 3; 2 folders)
Biographical Note:
Francis Barrett Faulkner was born on July 12, 1881 in Keene, New Hampshire. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and went on to study at Harvard College. Around this same time, Faulkner began an apprenticeship with his cousin and painter Abbott Handerson Thayer and painter George de Forest Brush. He also met sculptors James Earle Fraser and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, both of whom became Faulkner's lifelong friends.
In 1901, Faulkner traveled to Italy for the first time with Thayer and his family. He returned to New York in 1902 and studied at the Art Students League and Chase School. He also completed illustration work for Century magazine.
In 1907, Faulkner won the Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome. shortly thereafter, he left to study in Italy for three years, studying with George de Forest Brush and befriending sculptor Paul Manship. Upon his return in 1910, he started working on his first mural, commissioned by the wife of railroad executive E.H. Harriman. Having found his niche, Faulkner continued taking mural commissions until his career was interrupted by World War I and his service in the camouflage section of the army. Shortly after the war, he completed a mural for the marine headquarters in Quantico, Virginia.
Between 1923-1924, Faulkner worked in collaboration with Eric Gugler and Paul Manship to create the American Academy in Rome war memorial. Also following the war, Faulkner completed murals for the Eastman School of Music in 1922, the Rockefeller Center in 1932, and the National Archives in 1936. That same year, Faulkner bought and refurbished a house named "The Bounty" in Keene, New Hampshire, and built a studio nearby. In 1930, he was elected as a trustee of the American Academy in Rome.
During the 1940s, Faulkner created murals for numerous public buildings and sites around New Hampshire including the Senate Chambers in Concord, the Elliot Community Hospital, Keene National Bank, and the Cheshire County Savings Bank in Keene. During his final decades, Faulkner wrote an unpublished manuscript on the history of art in the Connecticut River Valley entitled A Neighborhood of Artists, and his posthumously published memoirs, Sketches of an Artist's Life. Faulkner died in 1966, in Keene, New Hampshire.
Related Material:
Found in the Nancy Douglas Bowditch papers at the Archives of American Art is correspondence, photographs, and printed materials related to Barry Faulkner. The Library of Congress, Manuscript Division also holds a small collection of Barry Faulkner's papers. Additional correspondence from Faulkner is found in the papers of Witter Bynner at the University of New Mexico and at Harvard University.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Francis Faulkner, Barry Faulkner's nephew, in 1974. An addition to the collection was donated by Jocelyn Faulkner Bolle in 2014.
Restrictions:
The bulk of this collection has been digitized and is available online via AAA's website.
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.
Reel D9: Three letters to Alexander Wilson Drake, 1906-1909; 33 to Francis Welch Crowninshield, 1910-1913, mostly regarding business affairs pertaining to his illustrations; and to E.P. Dutton Company. Also one letter from the Century Company to Parrish, January 27, 1913; clippings, and reproductions.
Reel 4391: Four letters from Parrish to Mr. Coates discuss Parrish's work and Mr. Coates' purchase of CIRCE and his desire for a companion piece (1909-1912).
Reel 3483: A letter to Lanier from Maxfield Parrish, regretting he will be unable to make a sketch for the "Juvenile Catalogue" since "your house is rushing me without mercy on the magazine 'Prospectus' and this and other work will keep me very busy..."
Not microfilmed: An undated scrapbook containing reproductions of Parrish's works of art, printed material, and a poster.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and illustrator; Cornish, New Hampshire. The son of painter Stephen Parrish, Maxfield attended Haverford College (1888-1891) and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1892-1894). He also studied under Howard Pyle at Drexel Institute. Parrish had a studio in Philadelphia until 1898, when he moved to "The Oaks" in Cornish, New Hampshire, where he produced illustrations for magazines and books and later worked on landscape murals.
Provenance:
Letters on reel D9 donated by Charles Feinberg, 1955-1962. Letter on reel 3483 donated by Mrs. Thomas Coates, 1977. Letters on reel 4391 donated 1975 by Mrs. George Feeney. The donor of the scrapbook is unknown.
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.
Occupation:
Illustrators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia 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.
1 Item (Color-dye gelatin on film, 2-1/4" x 2-1/4")
Container:
Box 169, Sheet 49
Type:
Archival materials
Portraits
Photographs
Color slides
Chromogenic processes
Date:
[ca. 1953-1964.]
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site. Unprotected photographs must be handled with white cotton gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Three untranscribed interviews: one of Frances Grimes conducted by James Farley and Frank Spinney on 5 tapes. Grimes speaks of Augustus Saint Gaudens and other residents of the Cornish, New Hampshire art colony; two interviews of Maxfield Parrish, one conducted by James Farley on 3 tapes, and one conducted by Spinney on 2 tapes (one tape contains portions of both interview). In both interviews Parrish speaks of painting and residents of the Cornish, New Hampshire art colony.
Biographical / Historical:
Spinney was Curator of the Saint-Gaudens Museum, Cornish, New Hampshire. Grimes was a sculptor. Parrish was an illustrator and painter.
General:
Cassettes in this collection were created from original recordings on sound tape reels, which are not with the collection. Portions of the Farley interview appear to be missing. Sound quality is poor.
Provenance:
Donated 1981 by Joan Platt.
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.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- New Hampshire -- Cornish Search this
A list and photographs of 30 paintings by the artist Maxfield Parrish collected by Purves, created by the trustees of the Betsy Purves (Mrs. Austin Purves) estate.
Biographical / Historical:
Art collector; Philadelphia, Pa. Purves collected paintings by Maxfield Parrish during 1908-1914. The paintings were executed between 1906-1913. Parrish and Purves were close friends.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1964 by the Vose Galleries who most likely acquired this collection through an estate sale. The original collection was forty items which was reduced when the heirs of Besty Purves auctioned off some of the paintings.
An interview of Frank Schoonover conducted 1966 April 6, by Richard Doud, for the Archives of American Art. Schoonover speaks of his first meeting with Howard Pyle; studying under Pyle at Drexel Institute and at Pyle's own school; Pyle's work for "Harper's"; working for "Harper's" himself as an illustrator; Pyle's contribution to illustration; and meeting Maxfield Parrish.
Biographical / Historical:
Frank Earle Schoonover (1877-1972) was an illustrator, from Wilmington, Delaware.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 34 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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.
Wyeth, N. C. (Newell Convers), 1882-1945 Search this
Extent:
20.5 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
1896-2006
bulk 1970-2006
Summary:
The Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States measures 20.5 linear feet and dates from 1896 to 2006 with the bulk of the material dating from 1970 to 2006. The collection is comprised of Murray's extensive research files, scattered writings, and photographic materials for his life-long research on mural painting in the United States.
Scope and Contents:
The Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States measures 20.5 linear feet and dates from 1896 to 2006 with the bulk of the material dating from 1970 to 2006. The collection is comprised of Murray's extensive research files, scattered writings, and photographic materials documenting his life-long research on mural painting in the United States.
Mural research files are organized by city, state, artist, and general mural research. The files contain photocopies of printed material, notes, photographs, and correspondence. Artists with extensive documentation include John White Alexander, Edwin Blashfield, Kenyon Cox, John LaFarge, Will H. Low, H. Siddons Mowbray, John Warner Norton, Violet Oakley, Maxfield Parrish, John Singer Sargent, Eduard Steichen, and N.C. Wyeth. Other files consist of bibliographies, a mural catalog and index, hand-drawn statistical graphs, and files on murals in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Writings include drafts of articles "Painted Words: Murals in the Library of Congress" and "Progressive Era Murals in Chicago's Public Schools." There are also writings by others. Subject files consist of compiled notes, photographs, printed materials, and photocopies on general art related topics such as European art history and theory, art criticism, the life of an artist, the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, immigration, and decorative arts.
Photographic materials include photographs and negatives of the American Academy in Rome, the Hotel de Ville, and public and private murals throughout various cities. The series also includes two microfilm reels of the Kenyon Cox papers with an index, and a small amount of Murray's personal photographs.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 4 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Mural Research Files, 1896-2006 (15.2 linear feet; Boxes 1-16, OV 22)
Series 2: Writings, circa 1990s-2006 (0.4 linear feet; Box 16)
Series 3: Subject Files, 1967-2000 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 16-17)
Series 4: Photographic Materials, 1916-2006 (3.9 linear feet; Boxes 17-21)
Biographical / Historical:
Richard Murray (1942-2006) was a curator, educator, and museum administrator in Washington, D.C.
Murray received a bachelor of arts from California State University in San Jose in 1968 and a M.A. in art history and theory from the University of Chicago in 1970. As a research fellow at the National Collection of Fine Arts (NCFA), now the Smithsonian American Art Museum, he began his dissertation research on mural paintings in the United States. Murray's research on American mural painting continued for decades. Although never officially published, the research project was titled "Hope and Memory: Mural Painting in the United States, 1876-1920." He authored numerous articles about mural painters and painting. Murray also conducted extensive research and organized exhibitions on painters Abbott Handerson Thayer and Elihu Vedder at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
In the 1970s, Murray worked as an assistant to the NCFA director and assisted in the preparation of the seminal bicentennial exhibition entitled America as Art. From 1979 to 1983, Murray was director of the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama. In 1983, he returned to Washington, D.C. and served as director of the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art until 1987, when he accepted the position of chief curator and assistant director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He remained in this position until his death in 2006.
Related Materials:
Also available at the Archives of American Art is Richard Murray research material regarding Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1948-2004, bulk 1994-2001.
Separated Materials:
Research files on Abbott Handerson Thayer found within this collection were separated and filed with the AAA collection, Richard Murray research materials on Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1948-2004, bulk 1994-2001.
Provenance:
The bulk of the Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States was donated in 2006 by Murray's wife Marciela Murray. Additional files were transferred from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2009 and 2014 via Rachel Kase in the curatorial office.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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.
Mural painting and decoration, American Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Richard Murray research material regarding mural painting in the United States, 1896-2006, bulk 1970-2006. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care and Preservation Fund
Letters, mostly from distinguished club members in behalf of candidates for membership, and some membership forms.
Correspondents are: James C. Beckwith, Norman Bel Geddes, Karl Bitter, Robert Blum, Gutzon Borglum, Arnold W. Brunner, Clarence C. Buel, Gelett Burgess, Charles C. Coleman, Royal Cortissoz, Lawrence Hutton, Richard Mansfield, Thomas Nast, Maxfield Parrish, Howard Pyle, F. Hopkinson, J. Alden Weir, and Stanford White.
Biographical / Historical:
New York City. Founded by Edwin Booth in 1888, the club had among its members many prominent actors, artists and writers.
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.
Papers relating to Gallatin's art collection, the Museum of Living Art, and other museums and activities.
REELS 507-508: Mainly correspondence. Letters pertain to the Museum of Living Art at New York University; Gallatin's work on the New York Mayor's Committee on National Defense, including many letters from artists regarding war work, 1918-1919; research for bibliographies; family matters; and business affairs. Correspondents include: Oscar Bluemner, Alexander Calder, Warrington Dawson, Robert Delaunay, Charles Demuth, Charles Freer, Walter Gay, William Glackens, Julio Gonzalez, Childe Hassam, Henry McBride, C. R. W. Nevinson, Ben Nicholson, Maxfield Parrish, Joseph & Elizabeth Pennell, Leonce Rosenberg, William Rothenstein, Allan Wade and Elizabeth Wharton.
The Bluemner material includes four letters, a sketch, and a note from Oscar Bluemner to Gallatin. Bluemner writes about the 1932 Whitney Museum show, French and American painters, architecture, and painting.
REEL 1293: 3 scrapbooks which include official press releases and clippings of artists about the opening of the Gallery of Living Art at NYU, and its subsequent acquisitions, exhibitions, change of name to Museum of Living Art, and discontinuance of the Museum and transfer to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Also included are reproductions of some of the works found in the collection, reproductions of photos taken by Gallatin of artists whose works are in this collection, a 1935 Gallery of Living Art Bulletin, and clippings and a portion of the Catalog of the Gallery of Living Art.
Biographical / Historical:
Art collector; New York, N.Y. Gallatin formed one of America's earliest modern art collections, and displayed it as Gallery of Living Art (later Museum of Living Art) at NYU from 1907-1943, when he moved it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Gallatin was also a painter.
Provenance:
Material on reels 507-508 lent for microfilming in 1973; reel 1293 lent by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
5 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 3 reels))
0.4 Linear feet (Addition)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1815-1980
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence; scrapbooks and diaries; writings; photographs; medals; passport; engagement calendars; and printed material.
REEL 1344: Letters, 1931-1977, from John Taylor Arms, George Biddle, Mario Bacchelli, Ralston Crawford, Joseph Hirsch, Norman Kent, Leon Kroll, Ezra Pound, Maxfield Parrish, Emilio Sanchez, Barbara and Katherine Ivins, and others. Also included is a photograph of a 1961 poster exhibition, a lecture announcement and Mayor's lecture schedule, writings, and miscellany.
REEL 2322: Ten volumes, 1917-1927, composed while traveling and studying, mostly in Europe. Six volumes contain postcards of architecture and art, a few photos, and typescripts and transcripts of letters to Mayor's grandmother "Minn" [Andella Hyatt], and to "Aunt Anna" [Anna Hyatt Huntington]. He writes about his studies, daily activities, friends, and others, including Bernhard Berenson at i Tatti. Three volumes are diaries written while in Florence, Italy, 1924-1925, Europe, 1925, and Egypt, 1927; and one volume contains reminiscenses of Leon Kroll and Maurice Sachs.
REEL 2336: 20 letters from Mayor to his wife from Spain, 1959, and Europe, 1966; an annotated, 99-page manuscript by Mayor, "The Mutations of Greece"; a travel diary, 1927; and a copy of MAGAZINE OF ART, 1952, with an article by Mayor, "Writing and Painting in China."
UNMICROFILMED: Papers, 1815-1980, including: a passport, 1949-1953; engagement calendars, 1966-1979; personal and business correspondence, 1911-1979; letters to Eliza Cadwell Blackwell (Mayor) from Francis Blackwell, 1815-1819; photographs of Mayor, his family and others, and negatives; published and unpublished writings by Mayor including handwritten notes, typescripts of lectures, galley proofs and newsletters containing articles by Mayor; 3 medals awarded to Francis Blackwell Mayor, 1852-1855; A. Hyatt Mayor's degree from Princeton, 1922, and a citation from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1971; printed material concerning Mayor's aunt, Anna Hyatt Huntington, catalogs, clippings; and miscellany.
Among the photos are: 4 cased daguerreotypes, 1 cased ambrotype, and 11 tintypes, including one taken by Moffett & Sheldon, Newark, N.J., 2 possibly of Alfred G. Mayor, ca. 1868, 1 of Alfred G. Mayor, ca. 1880, and 2 of Joseph Henry Mayor, ca. May 26, 1880.
ADDITION: Manuscripts and writings.
Biographical / Historical:
A. Hyatt Mayor (1901-1980) was a museum curator, art historian, and writer, from New York, N.Y. Former curator of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Related Materials:
A. Hyatt Mayor Papers, 1904-1946, are located at Syracuse University Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
Provenance:
Material on reel 1344 was lent for microfilming 1977-1978 by A. Hyatt Mayor; a portion was subsequently donated 1980-1981 by Virginia Mayor, his widow, along with additional (unmicrofilmed) material. Material on reels 2322 & 2336 lent for microfilming 1981 by Martha Smith, Mayor's daughter. An additional group of manuscripts and writings was received in 1985 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which had borrowed the material from Mrs. Mayor and returned it to AAA at her request.
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 museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Correspondence; caricatures by Parrish; notebooks from Parrish's academic career at Haverford College, some illustrated; drawings; biographical information; magazine clippings of Parrish's drawings and other printed materials; exhibition catalogs; Christmas cards; and a photograph of Haverford's cricket team.
Biographical / Historical:
Illustrator; Philadelphia, Pa. and Windsor, Vt. Attended Haverford College.
Provenance:
Microfilmed in 1987 as part of AAA's Philadelphia Arts Documentation Project. The Maxfield Parrish collection in Haverford College Library's Quaker Collection was not filmed in its entirety. The collection was assembled through various donors.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Letters, 1950-1952, to Maxfield Parrish, mostly from his wife, and letters, 1935-1953, to Parrish's sons Maxfield Jr. and Dillwyn from Maxfield and Mrs. Parrish, regarding family matters, with some references to Parrish's work and his surroundings, including the Santa Fe art colony. Also included are an account book of Stephen Parrish, 1880-1889, containing lists of titles and art works; and other financial records.
Biographical / Historical:
Artists; Philadelphia, Pa. and Windsor, Vt. Maxfield was an illustrator and painter; his father Stephen was a painter and etcher.
Provenance:
Microfilmed in 1990 as part of AAA's Philadelphia Arts Documentation Project.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
