Search Results

Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Extent:

131 Linear feet (29 architectural drawings)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Financial records

Correspondence

Photographs

Place:

China

Syria

Egypt

India

London (England)

Japan

Boston (Mass.)

Detroit (Mich.)

Washington (D.C.)

Kandy (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka

Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)

Date:

1876-1931

Summary:

The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, and photographs.

Scope Content:

The personal papers of Charles Lang Freer, the industrialist and art collector who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. The papers include correspondence, diaries, art inventories, scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeil Whistler and other press clippings, financial material, architectural drawings, and photographs.

Correspondence, circa 1860-1921, includes Freer's correspondence, 1876-1920, with artists, dealers, collectors, museums, and public figures; letterpress books contain copies of Freer's outgoing letters, 1892-1910; correspondence collected by Freer of James McNeill Whistler, and his wife Beatrix, 186?-1909, with Lady Colin Campbell, Thomas R. Way, Alexander Reid, Whistler's mother, Mrs. George W. Whistler, and others; correspondence of Whistler collector Richard A. Canfield, 1904-1913, regarding works in Canfield's collection; and correspondence of Freer's assistant, Katharine Nash Rhoades, 1920-1921, soliciting Freer's letters from his associates, and regarding the settlement of his estate.

Also included are twenty-nine pocket diaries, 1889-1890, 1892-1898, 1900-1919, recording daily activities, people and places visited, observations, and comments; a diary kept by Freer's caretaker, Joseph Stephens Warring, recording daily activities at Freer's Detroit home, 1907-1910. Inventories, n.d. and 1901-1921, of American, European, and Asian art in Freer's collection, often including provenance information; vouchers, 1884-1919, documenting his purchases; five volumes of scrapbooks of clippings on James McNeill Whistler, 1888-1931, labeled "Various," "Peacock Room," "Death, etc.," "Paris, etc.," and "Boston...London" ; three volumes of newsclippings, 1900-1930, concerning Freer and the opening of the Freer Gallery of Art.

Correspondence regarding Freer's gift and bequest to the Smithsonian Institution, 1902-1916; and photographs, ca. 1880-1930, of Freer, including portraits by Alvin Langdon Coburn and Edward Steichen, Freer with others, Freer in Cairo, China and Japan, Freer's death mask, and his memorial service, Kyoto, 1930; photographs of artists and others, including Thomas Dewing, Ernest Fenollosa, Katharine Rhoades taken by Alfred Stieglitz, Rosalind B. Philip, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Abbott H. Thayer, Dwight Tryon, and Whistler; and photographs relating to Whistler, including art works depicting him, grave and memorial monuments, works of art, the Peacock Room, and Whistler's memorial exhibition at the Copley Society.

Organization of the Papers:

This collection is organized into twelve series.

Series 1: Genealogical and Biographical Data

Series 2: Correspondence

Series 3: Diaries

Series 4: Freer Colleague Materials

Series 5: Art Inventories

Series 6: Financial Materials

Series 7: Exhibition Loan Files

Series 8: Biblical Manuscripts and Gold Treasure Files

Series 9: American School of Archaeology in China

Series 10: Printed Material

Series 11: Outsize Material

Series 12: Photographs

Biographical Note:

1854 February 25 -- Born in Kingston, New York

1873 -- Appointed accountant and paymaster of New York, Kingston and Syracuse Railroad by Frank J. Hecker (1846-1927)

1876 -- Moves to Indiana to work, with Hecker, for the Detroit and Eel River and Illinois Railroad

1880 -- Moves to Detroit, participates in organization of the Peninsular Car Works with Hecker

1883 -- Becomes vice president and secretary of Peninsular Car Company when it succeeds Peninsular Car Works

1883 -- Begins collecting European prints

1884 -- Peninsular Car Company constructs plant on Ferry Avenue

1887 -- Meets Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)

1887 -- Acquires proofs of 26 etchings, Venice, Second Series(1886), by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

1887 -- Purchases a small Japanese fan attributed to Ogata Korin(1658-1715)

1887 -- Buys land on Ferry Avenue

1889 -- Meets Frederick Stuart Church (1826-1900) and Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925) in New York

1890 -- Commissions Wilson Eyre (1858-1944) to design house on Ferry Avenue, Detroit, Michigan

1890 -- On first trip to London, meets James McNeill Whistler(1834-1903)

1892 -- Moves to Ferry Avenue house

1892 -- Tryon and Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) undertake decoration of reception rooms

1893 -- Lends American paintings to World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

1893 -- Purchases first piece of Chinese art, a small painting of white herons by an anonymous Ming dynasty (1368-1644) artist

1894 -- Begins yearlong trip around the world, which includes visit to the Whistlers in Paris and first trip to Asia, stopping in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, China, and Japan

1896 -- Meets Matsuki Bunkyo (1867-1940) in Boston

1899 -- Takes part in consolidation of railroad-car building companies then retires from active business

1900 -- Attends Exposition International Universelle in Paris

1900 -- Buys villa in Capri with Thomas S. Jerome

1901 -- Meets Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) in Paris and Ernest Fenollosa(1853-1908), who visits Freer in Detroit

1902 -- Meets Dikran Kelekian (1868-1951)

1902 -- Spends summer in Britain building Whistler collection

1902 -- Views Whistler's, Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room

1904 -- Purchases Whistler's Peacock Room

1904 -- Offers his art collections and funds to build a museum in which to house them to the Smithsonian Institution

1905 -- Smithsonian committee visits Freer in Detroit

1906 -- United States government formally accepts Freer's gift on January 24

1906 -- Freer signs Deed of Gift to Smithsonian Institution on May 5

1907 -- On second tour of Asia, meets Hara Tomitaro 1868-1939) in Yokohama, Japan

1908 -- Takes third trip to Asia, specifically to West Asia to study Rakka ware

1909 -- Tours Europe to study art museums

1909 -- On fourth trip to Asia, attends memorial ceremony for Fenollosa (d.1908 September) at Miidera, Japan, and meets Duanfang (1861-1911) in China

1910 -- On last trip to Asia, visits Longmen Buddhist caves in China

1911 -- Suffers stroke

1912 -- Lends selection of objects for exhibition at Smithsonian Institution

1913 -- Meets Eugene (1875-1957) and Agnes E. (1887-1970) Meyer

1913 -- Commissions Charles Adams Platt (1861-1933) to design museum building in Washington

1914 -- Meets Katharine Nash Rhoades (1885-1965) in Detroit

1915 -- Settles in New York City

1915 -- Site of future Freer Gallery of Art is determined

1916 -- Platt's plans for Freer Gallery are approved by Smithsonian Regents and Commission of Fine Arts and ground is broken in September

1918 -- After falling ill in Detroit, Freer travels to New York for treatment

1918 -- Work on the museum building is delayed by the war

1919 -- Freer appends codicil to will permitting acquisitions of Asian, Egyptian, and Near Eastern (West Asian) art

1919 -- Dies in New York City on 25 September and is buried in Kingston, New York

1919 -- Construction of Freer Gallery completed

1920 -- John Ellerton Lodge (1876-1942) is appointed director of the Freer Gallery

1923 -- Freer Gallery opens to the public on May 9

1930 -- Memorial ceremony for Freer is held at Koetsuji, Kyoto

Charles Lang Freer was an American industrialist who founded the Freer Gallery of Art. He was a well-known collector of Asian art, and strongly supported the synthesis of Eastern art and Western art. One of his most famous acquisitions was James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room.

Index:

Index to cross-referenced correspondents in the series Charles Lang Freer correspondence

Beal, Junius E. -- See: -- Warring, Joseph Stephens

Black, George M. -- See: -- Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Board of Education (Kingston, New York) See: Michael, M. J.

Bonner, Campbell See: University of Michigan

Boughton, George H. See: Yardley, F. C.

British Museum See: Binyon, Laurence; Hobson, R. L.

Brown, Harold H. See: Art Association of Indianapolis

Buchner, Evelyn B. See: Knoedler, M., and Company

Buckholder, C. H. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Butler, S. B. See: Unidentified correspondents

Carnegie Institute See: Balken, Edward Duff; Harshe, Robert B.

Carpenter, Newton H. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Caulkins, Horace James See: Pewabic Pottery

Chao, Shih-chin See: Gunn, Chu Su

Chicago & North Western Railway Co. See: Hughett, Marvin

Clark, Charles Upson See: Clark, Arthur B.

Cleveland Museum of Art See: Whiting, Frederic Allen

Columbia University See: Braun, W. A.; Gottheil, Richard; Hirth, Friederich

Commission of Fine Arts See: Moore, Charles

Corcoran Gallery of Art See: Minnigerode, C. Powell

Crocker, Anna B. See: Portland Art Association

Dannenberg, D. E. See: Karlbeck, Orvar

De Menoncal, Beatrice See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection

De Ricci, Seymour See: Ricci, Seymour de

Defnet, William A., Mrs., See: Franke, Ida M.

DeMotte See: Vigouroux, J.

Detroit Institute of Arts See: Detroit Museum of Art

Detroit Publishing Company See: Livingstone, W. A.

Detroit School of Design See: George Hamilton; Stevens, Henry

DeVinne Press See: Peters, Samuel T.; Witherspoon, A. S.

Dyrenforth, P. C. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Eddy, Arthur J. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Eggers, George Williams See: Art Institute of Chicago

Farr, Daniel H. See: Robinson and Farr

Farrand School (Detroit) See: Yendall, Edith

Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) See: Laufer, Berthold

Flagg, Frederick J. See: Allen, Horace N.

Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University See: Forbes, Edward; Pope, Arthur Upham; Sachs, Paul J.

French, M. R. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Fu, Lan-ya See: Pang, Lai-ch'en

Fujii, Yoshio See: Yoshio, Fujii

Gerrity, Thomas See: Knoedler, M., and Company

Goupil Gallery See: Marchant, William

Gray, William J. See: Barr, Eva

Great Lakes Engineering Works See: Hoyt, H. W.

Grolier Club See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Heinemann, W. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Holden, Edward S. See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy

Hudson, J. L. See: Weber, William C.

Hutchins, Harry B. See: University of Michigan

Hutchins, Charles L. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Kelekian, H. G. See: Kelekian, Dikran G.

Kent, H. W. See: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lee, Kee Son See: Li, Chi-ch'un

Levy, John See: Schneider, A. K.

Library of Congress See: Rice, Richard A.; Wright, Helen

Louvre (Paris, France) See: Midgeon, Gaston

Matsuki, Z. See: Matsuki, Kihachiro

McKim, Mead and White See: White, Stanford

Mills, A. L., Colonel See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Miner, Luella See: Lien, Hui Ch'ing Collection

Minneapolis Institute of Arts See: Breck, Joseph; Van Derlip, John R.

Monif, R. Khan See: Rathbun, Richard

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston See: Lodge, John Ellerton

Naser, Katen & Nahass See: Katen, K.

Nordlinger, Marie, Miss See: Meyer-Riefstahl, Marie

Panama Pacific International Exposition See: Moore, Charles C.; Trask, John E. D.

Peabody Museum See: Morse, Edward Sylvester

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Trask, John E. D.

Perry, Mary Chase, Miss., See: Pewabic Pottery

Philip, Ronald M. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Pope, G. D. See: Barr, Eva

Reinhart, A. G. See: Gottschalk, E.

Reitz, Sigisbert Chrétien Bosch See: Bosch-Reitz, Sigisbert Chrétien

Rutgers College See: Van Dyke, John C.

Saint-Gaudens, Augusta H. See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Saint-Gaudens, Homer See: Saint-Gaudens, Augustus

Samurai Shokai See: Nomura, Yozo

San Francisco Art Association See: Laurvik, J. Nilsen

Scribner's, Charles, Sons See: Van Dyke, John C.

Shaw, Wilfred B. See: University of Michigan

Shirae, S. Z. See: Yamanaka and Company

Smith College See: Clark, Arthur B.

Smithsonian Institution See: Holmes, William Henry; Rathbun, Richard; Ravenel, Walcott, Charles D.

Society of Arts and Crafts (Detroit) See: Plumb, Helen

Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Stevens, George W. See: Toledo Museum of Art

Stratton, Mary Chase Perry See: Pewabic Pottery

Tanaka, Kichijiro See: Yamanaka and Company

Tuttle, William F. See: Art Institute of Chicago

Union Trust Company (Detroit) See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

United States Military Academy See: West Point, U. S. Military Academy

University of Chicago See: Zug, George Breed

University of Pennsylvania, Univ. Mus. See: Gordon, George Bryon

Ushikubo, D. J. R. See: Yamanaka and Company

Wallis & Son See: Barr, Eva; Thompson, C. Croal Ward, Clarence See: Oberlin College

Warren, Edward K. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Warring, Stephen See: Warring, Joseph Stephens

Watkin, Williams R. T. See: Philip, Rosalind Birnie

Watson, Margaret, Miss See: Parker, Margaret Watson

Whistler, Anna See: Stanton, Anna Whistler

Whiting, Almon C. See: Toledo Museum of Art

Williams College See: Rice, Richard A

Wright, F. G. See: Orbach and Company

Yatsuhashi, H. See: Yamanaka and Company

Index to cross-referenced correspondence in the series Whistler correspondence

Bell, William See: Unidentified correspondents

Brown, Ernest See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee

Cowen, John T. See subseries: Charles Lang Freer Correspondence

Ford, Sheridan See: Reid, Alexander

Haden, Francis Seymour See: Painter Etchers' Society, Committee

Haden, Francis Seymour, Lady See: Haden, Deborah Whistler

Leighton, Frederick, Baron See: Campbell, Lady Colin

Moore, Albert See: Reid, Alexander

Morley, Charles See: Pall Mall Gazette

Morris, Harrison S. See: Reid, Alexander

Pennell, Joseph See: Miscellaneous typescripts

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Prange, F. G. See: Reid, Alexander

Societe des Beaux-Arts See: Reid, Alexander

Society of Portrait Painters See: Reid, Alexander

Stevens Fine Art See: Reid, Alexander

Studd, Arthur See: Miscellaneous typescripts

[Vanderbilt?], George, Mrs. See: George, Mrs.

Whistler, William McNeill, Mrs. See: Whistler, Nellie

Whistler Memorial Committee See: Miscellaneous typescripts

Related Material:

The Archives of American Art microfilmed portions of the Freer papers in 1992. The microfilm is available at the Archives of American Art's Washington D.C. office, the Freer Gallery of Art Library, and through interlibrary loan.

Provenance:

Gift of the Estate of Charles Lang Freer.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Topic:

Art, American -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Architecture -- Asia  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Financial records

Correspondence

Photographs

Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

Identifier:

FSA.A.01

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3f1a0e3e0-630c-48d4-ba28-485946b1d615

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a-01

Creator:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2010-08-13T14:10:27.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, Asian  Search this

See more by:

FSArchives

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

YouTube Channel:

FSArchives

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_KqnsEz6OgRM

Creator:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2010-08-06T20:53:34.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, Asian  Search this

See more by:

FSArchives

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

YouTube Channel:

FSArchives

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_tW6hlNGIGf0

Collection Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Container:

Box 272a

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Collection Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 12: Photographs / 12.2: Whistler / 12.2.5: Reproductions of Works by Whistler

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc37d6632e0-75dc-41f9-bfed-bf51653cf4a6

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref2539

Collection Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Container:

Box 272b

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Collection Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 12: Photographs / 12.2: Whistler / 12.2.5: Reproductions of Works by Whistler

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc31bc4b782-2881-4f43-ae0f-3ab3841c4882

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref2540

Collection Creator:

Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this

Container:

Box 263

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1904

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Collection Citation:

Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.

See more items in:

Charles Lang Freer Papers

Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 12: Photographs / 12.2: Whistler / 12.2.3: Copley Exhibition

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3f3ac97ef-cc02-4204-bebb-8c0841f24684

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref2319

Collector:

Spinks, Charles Nelson, 1906-1980  Search this

Extent:

1 Volume (105 leaves, 28 cm.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Volumes

Photograph albums

Date:

[ca. 1956-1977?]

Scope and Contents:

Photographic prints, 132 images, assembled by Charles Nelson Spinks to document Thai ceramic wares and their production. Mounted with captions, these may have been compiled in preparation for one or more publications. Illustrations represent wares in public and private collections and workers and potters at kiln sites such as the Thai Celadon Company in Chiang Mai and the Ratchaburi kilns near Bangkok.

Biographical / Historical:

Charles Nelson Spinks (1906-1980) was an author, art historian, and foreign service officer.

Local Numbers:

FSA A1994.01

Provenance:

Patricia M. Young donated the Illustrations for Thai Cover Bowls of the 14th and 15th Centuries to the Archives in 1994.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Topic:

Pottery, Thai -- Illustrations -- Thailand -- Sukhothai  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photograph albums

Citation:

Illustrations for Thai Cover Bowls of the 14th and 15th Centuries, FSA.A1994.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Patricia M. Young, 1994.

Identifier:

FSA.A1994.01

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc310f60278-4898-4fb6-873d-25bad4b7df4a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a1994-01

Creator:

Fugh Lee, Dora, Ms.  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (bronze bust)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sculpture

Date:

1972

Scope and Contents:

One bust of Thomas Lawton.

Biographical / Historical:

Dr. Thomas Lawton was the fifth director (1977-1987) of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Sculpted by Dora Fugh Lee (1929-). Lee studied painting with Yan Shaoxiang in her early years in Beijing. Later she was sole student ("Ke-tou" student) of Pu Ru with whom she had daily lessons when he lived in Tokyo in 1955/56. She also studied sculpture with Pietro Lazzari in the 1970s. She exhibited for many years at Franz Bader Gallery, Washington, DC.

Related Materials:

Additional materials related to Dora Fugh Lee can be found in the Franz Bader Gallery records, 1925-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Genre/Form:

sculpture

Citation:

Bust of Thomas Lawton. FSA.A2014.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Identifier:

FSA.A2014.03

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc35bb77bd5-d552-4ac9-aad8-dffa91e4c08f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a2014-03

Creator:

Miura, Eisuke  Search this

Miura, Hisajiro  Search this

Extent:

.34 Cubic feet

Container:

Box 1

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1916-1917

Scope and Contents:

An accordion-style album compiled by the Miura brothers, Hisajiro and Eisuke, documenting their travels in Canada and the United States and work with Charles Lang Freer. Includes photographs (including images of the interior of the mounting studio created at the Freer House), postcards, maps, pages from tourist guides, and a letter of thanks from Freer to the brothers' father. In addition materials related to their time in Detroit, the album includes ephemera from Washington, D.C., New York City, Seattle, Boston, Salt Lake City, Ann Arbor, and Japan; the ships S.S. Hawaii Maru/Manila Maru and S.S. Empress of Japan; and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul (Milwaukee Road) Railroad, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Line) Railroad, and Grand Trunk Railway.

Biographical / Historical:

Hisajiro (born 1888 or 1889, died 1930 April 20) and Eisuke Miura (b. circa 1890, d. unknown) were Japanese brothers and painting mounters hired by Charles Lang Freer to remount his collection of East Asian paintings in preparation for their donation to the Smithsonian Institution. The brothers traveled to Detroit and worked out of Freer's home in a remounting studio established in the gallery space of the Freer House in 1916-1917. They also traveled to New York City while in Freer's employ.

The Miura family, including Hisajiro, Eisuke and their eldest brother Shinzo (b. 1883 or 1884, d. 1922), operated a mounting studio in Kyoto and were members of the Kyoto Mounters Association, and may have expanded to include a second branch in Osaka. In 1914, Shinzo was paralyzed and adopted Eisuke as his successor. However, in 1921, Eisuke left the family and firm, his activities thereafter unknown. Upon Shinzo's death, Hisajiro took over the business until his own passing.

Provenance:

Gift of Isako Miura.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Citation:

Miura Family Album, FSA.2019.12. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Isako Miura.

Identifier:

FSA.A2019.12

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3b0fdc07d-6101-4f9a-8306-75bd769906d3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a2019-12

Collector:

Vogt-O'Connor, Diane  Search this

Donor:

Vogt-O'Connor, Diane  Search this

Creator:

Stillfried, Raimund, Baron von, 1839-1911  Search this

Kusakabe, Kimbei, 1841-1934  Search this

Extent:

3 Albumen prints (color, 8.5 x 10.5 in.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Albumen prints

Place:

Japan -- Description and Travel

USA -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Date:

circa 1878-1879

Scope and Contents:

Three handcolored albumen prints, one of Kamata Yashiki Garden in Tokyo; and two depicting Japanese women: one attributed to Baron Raimond Von Stillfired of Austria (1839-1911), circa 1879, depicting Japanese women in an architectural setting, and the other attributed to Kusakabe Kimbei (active 1880's), circa 1878, showing two seated Japanese women playing go in an architectural interior.

蒲田梅屋敷

Arrangement:

1.5 linear feet

Biographical / Historical:

Diane Vogt O'Conner is an established archivist who has worked at a number of places, including the Smithsonian Institution Archives, the Society of American Archivists, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the National Park Service. She works as an archival consultant for both private and public institutions throughout the world. Conner has published a number of books and guides relating to specific collections, museology, and the archival field.

Local Numbers:

FSA A1991.03

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Genre/Form:

Albumen prints

Citation:

Diane Vogt O'Connor Photograph Collection. FSA.A1991.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.

Identifier:

FSA.A1991.03

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3d34b005e-bcca-4cdd-8112-1b3b3f5ee53a

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a1991-03

Creator:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2010-11-09T18:23:34.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, Asian  Search this

See more by:

FSArchives

Data Source:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

YouTube Channel:

FSArchives

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_8rHa2ZuhnRM

Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Extent:

10.7 Cubic feet (consisting of 18 boxes and 9 oversized flat file folders.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Maps

Photographs

Notes

Place:

Detroit (Mich.)

Turkey

Istanbul (Turkey)

Berlin (Germany)

Michigan

Date:

1877-1947

bulk circa 1945

Summary:

The Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers include writings and notes, photographs, and maps related to Dr. Aga-Oglu's work Corpus of Islamic Metalwork, which was never published due to Dr. Aga-Oglu's death in 1949.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Mehmet Aga-Oglu largely relate to Aga-Oglu's research and writings for his unpublished work Corpus of Islamic Metalwork. The papers include manuscript drafts, research files, printed material, maps, and photographs.

The manuscript drafts include handwritten drafts, citations attached or written onto drafts, and revision notes for his unpublished manuscript. Content includes material related to metalliferous mines, precious and base metals, and traffic of metals in Islamic and non-Islamic countries, as well as unlabeled writings related to astrolabes and synthetic protective coatings for metals.

Research material represents a majority of the records, and consists of accumulated research notes, citation lists, and object sketches. Subjects of the research material are related to metallurgy, iconography, metals commonly used in metalwork, geology and mining, and histories of metalwork in ranging locations or eras.

Printed material contains published articles from periodicals, a bulletin from the Detroit Institute of Arts, catalogues of scholarly publications available for purchase, and reviews of Aga-Oglu's published works.

Graphic materials present in the collection include maps depicting areas such as the Middle East, the northern Arabian Peninsula, and Northern India during different eras, and hand traced maps with marked metalliferous mine locations; and a substantial number of photographs of objects and artworks.

Arrangement:

The Mehmet Aga-Oglu papers are arranged in five series.

Series 1: Manuscript Drafts

Series 2: Research Files

Series 3: Printed Material

Series 4: Maps

Series 5: Photographs

Biographical Note:

Dr. Mehmet Aga-Oglu was an Islamic art historian and professor born on August 4, 1896 at Erivan in Russia Caucasia.

In 1916, Aga-Oglu was awarded a Doctor of Letters in the history, philosophy, and languages of Islamic countries from the University of Moscow. Following his graduation, Aga-Oglu traveled through Turkistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Asia Minor studying Islamic art. Aga-Oglu returned to academia in 1921 at the University of Istanbul where he studied the history of Islam and the Ottoman Empire.

During his time as a student at the University of Istanbul, he traveled extensively to European universities as a part of his program of study. This included studying Near Eastern art and architecture under Dr. Ernst Herzfeld in Berlin; classical and early Christian archaeology and Western art at the University of Jena; and completing his art history studies in Vienna. Aga-Oglu was awarded a Ph.D in philosophy in 1926.

Aga-Oglu was appointed curator by the Department of the National Museum in Istanbul in 1927. In 1929, the city of Detroit recruited Aga-Oglu to build the Department of Near Eastern Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1933, he was appointed as Chair of the History of Islamic Art at the University of Michigan. He joined the university first as a Freer Fellow and Lecturer and then later became a professor.

Aga-Oglu's accomplishments during his tenure included representing the University of Michigan and the Detroit Institute of Arts at the Millennium Celebration of Firdausi and the Congress of Orientalists in Tehran in 1934; organizing an exhibition of Islamic art at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco in 1937; founding and serving as editor of the periodical Ars Islamica; and serving as a Visiting Professor at the Summer Seminar of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Princeton University in 1935 and 1938.

Following his departure from the University of Michigan in 1938, Aga-Oglu primarily focused on research and writing. His publications include Persian Bookbindings of the Fifteenth Century, History of Islamic Art, and Safawid Rugs and Textiles. From 1948 to 1949, Aga-Oglu consulted for the Textile Museum in Washington D.C.

Beginning in 1940, Aga-Oglu planned, researched, and wrote drafts of his unpublished work Corpus of Islamic Metalwork. His project was intended to be a multi-volume work, but was not completed. Aga-Oglu died on July 4, 1949.

Related Materials:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet. Mehmet Aga-Oglu collection. The Arthur D. Jenkins Library at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, Washington, DC.

Provenance:

Donated by Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu in 1959.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Topic:

Art, Islamic  Search this

Art metal-work, Islamic  Search this

Genre/Form:

Maps

Photographs

Notes

Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

Identifier:

FSA.A.10

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3ff787517-13d1-43f7-a21f-1b37c856ca4e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a-10

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 2, Folder 4

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

1935-1944

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc33d87c27d-b169-4487-8244-3d377d378b08

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref100

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 2, Folder 5-6

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

circa 1944-1945

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files / Manuscript Topics

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3a646f29c-32f5-4995-87b4-23a7489d1b10

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref101

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 1

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

circa 1945-1949

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files / Manuscript Topics

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc324c771a5-5245-4c87-8d41-714f3da91dfc

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref102

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 2

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

circa 1945

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files / Manuscript Topics

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3c7f8125e-55d0-4d49-9f27-c54806f1cd07

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref103

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 3

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

circa 1945

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files / Manuscript Topics

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3e2bf18f5-4c8b-4858-9671-2fc9849b638b

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref104

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 4

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

circa 1945

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files / Manuscript Topics

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc33dd3b5ee-8410-4e0a-8f51-5caf18388663

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref105

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 5

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

circa 1945

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files / Manuscript Topics

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc38984b401-38a9-42b0-b9b3-d10adcdbc9c7

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref106

Collection Creator:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 6

Type:

Archival materials

Text

Date:

circa 1945

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce and publish an item from the Archives is coordinated through the National Museum of Asian Art's Rights and Reproductions department. Please contact the Archives in order to initiate this process.

Collection Citation:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers. FSA.A.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Dr. Kamer Aga-Oglu, 1959.

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

See more items in:

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers

Mehmet Aga-Oglu Papers / Series 2: Research Files / Manuscript Topics

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc326f763de-69d0-49f8-a0b7-b0a362bb70de

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-fsa-a-10-ref107