The collection is arranged as 8 series. Series 1: Correspondence and Subject Files, 1912-1942, 1953 (11.5 linear feet; Boxes 1-12, 46) Series 2: Auction Records, circa 1930s-1949 (1.75 linear feet; Boxes 12-13) Series 3: Loan Records, 1919-1948 (3.0 linear feet; Boxes 14-16, 46) Series 4: Estate Records, 1929-1951 (0.75 linear feet; Box 17, 45) Series 5: Inventory, 1928-1949 (26.0 linear feet; Boxes 17-43) Series 6: Printed Materials, 1867, 1926-1949 (1.0 linear foot; Boxes 43-44, 46) Series 7: Writings, 1930s (0.3 linear feet; Box 44) Series 8: Photographic Materials, 1930s-1940s (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 44-45, 47)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Summary:
The papers of art collector Francis Patrick Garvan measure 44.9 linear feet and date from 1912 to 1953, with one document from 1867. The papers provide extensive documentation on the Garvan collection which included rare books, ceramics, glass, paintings, prints, and furniture. The majority of the collection consists of inventory records that give descriptive information regarding each piece in the collection; in many cases the files also include a photograph of the object. Also found are correspondence and subject files; auction records for sales at the American Art Association, Parke-Bernet Galleries, and Plaza Art Galleries; loan records; estate records; and a small amount of printed material, writings, and photographs. Approximately half of the Garvan papers were created posthumously by Mabel Brady Garvan and the managers of Garvan's estate.
Citation:
Francis Patrick Garvan papers, 1912-1953. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use Note:
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.
Biography Note:
Francis Patrick Garvan (1875-1937) and his wife Mabel Brady Garvan were art collectors in the 1920s and 1930s, specializing in decorative arts and furniture. Professionally, Garvan was a lawyer who spent the majority of his career serving as President of the Chemical Foundation, to which he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson. He maintained relationships with many prominent museums and galleries including the American Art Association, the Anderson Galleries, the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Over the course of his life, Garvan had amassed a collection of thousands of decorative and fine art objects. During his final years, Garvan arranged for the majority of his art collection to be donated to Yale University, his alma mater.
Language Note:
The collection is in English.
Provenance:
Donated 1981 by Anthony N. B. Garvan and Phil Hoyt for the estate of Mabel Brady Garvan.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
