Search Results

Creator:

Meiss, Millard, 1904-1975  Search this

Names:

American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments  Search this

College Art Association (U.S.)  Search this

Committee to Rescue Italian Art  Search this

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Princeton University  Search this

Gombrich, E. H. (Ernst Hans), 1909-2001  Search this

Lavin, Irving, 1927-  Search this

Nordenfalk, Carl Adam Johan, 1907-  Search this

Panofsky, Dora Mosse  Search this

Panofsky, Erwin, 1892-1968  Search this

Extent:

11.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1918-circa 1977

bulk 1950-1975

Summary:

The papers of art historian, writer, and educator Millard Meiss measure 11.4 linear feet and date from circa 1918 to circa 1977, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 1975. The papers are comprised of biographical material, correspondence, writing projects and lectures, and professional files that document his post World War II work as chairman of the American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments, among other work.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of art historian, writer, and educator Millard Meiss measure 11.4 linear feet and date from circa 1918 to circa 1977, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 1975. The papers are comprised of biographical material, correspondence, writing projects and lectures, and professional files that document his post World War II work as chairman of the American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments, among other work.

Biographical material includes various awards and honorary degrees received; a bibliography of published and unpublished books, articles, essays, and editing projects by Meiss; memorial materials and obituaries for Meiss as well as for Dora and Erwin Panofsky (to whom he was close); and resumes and education materials among other files.

Correspondence is predominantly professional in nature and is with colleagues, peers, museums, and institutions. Some correspondents include Ernst Gombrich, Irving Lavin, Carl Nordenfalk, and Erwin Panofsky, among many others.

Writing project and lecture files document Meiss's work on numerous published and unpublished articles and book projects, and lectures. Books include The Boucicaut Hours, De Artibud Opscula XL: Essays on Erwin Panofsky, French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry, and Painting in Florence and Siena, among many other works. Files contain manuscripts, notes, book proposals, reviews, correspondence, and clippings.

Professional files document the many committees, institutions, and organizations in which Meiss was involved, including the American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments, Committee to Rescue Italian Art, and International Committee of the History of Art. Also included are general files on The Art Bulletin, College Art Association, Institute for Advanced Study, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Princeton University, among others.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged as 4 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1918-circa 1977 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1936-circa 1977 (4.3 linear feet; Boxes 1-5)

Series 3: Writings Projects and Lectures, circa 1934-circa 1975 (2.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-8)

Series 4: Professional Files, circa 1933-circa 1975 (4.4 linear feet; Boxes 8-12)

Biographical / Historical:

Millard Meiss (1904-1975) was an art historian and educator whose expertise was medieval and Renaissance art. He taught at Columbia University and Princeton, and was a curator at the Fogg Museum for four years. Following World War II, Meiss served as chairman of the American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments until 1951.

Millard Meiss received a B. A. from Princeton University in 1926, and a Ph. D. from New York University in 1933. He was a professor of fine arts and archaeology at Columbia University from 1934-1953. In 1954, Meiss accepted the position of professor of fine arts and curator of paintings at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University. In 1958, he returned to Princeton, New Jersey to become professor of art history at the Institute for Advanced Study, where he remained for the rest of his career.

While at Columbia University, Meiss acted as editor-in-chief of The Art Bulletin, and also stayed on the editorial board for the next thirty-three years until his death in 1975. Throughout his career, Meiss edited several leading art journals, and wrote numerous articles and books on medieval and Renaissance painting, including Painting in Florence and Siena after the Black Death (1951), and his multi-volume French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry (1967-1974), as well as many others.

In addition to serving as chairman of the American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments after World War II, Meiss organized the Committee to Rescue Italian Art in 1966 after the flood of the Arno River in Italy. He worked to help organize the first meeting in the United States of the International Congress of the History of Art and served as president and vice-president. He was actively involved in the College Art Association of America.

Meiss was a member of many arts and scholarly organizations in Europe and the United States including the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, Accademia Senese degli Intronati, Accademia Clementina, Accademia Toscana Colombaria, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, American Philosophical Society, British Academy, and the Société des Antiquaires de France. In addition, he was a Fellow of the Mediaeval Academy of America and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as an honorary trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Meiss was also the recipient of many awards, including the Wanamaker English Prize, 1925; Haskins Medal from the Mediaeval Academy of America, 1953; Lewis Prize from the American Philosophical Society, 1967; Morey Award from the College Art Association of America, 1969, and posthumously in 1976; and the Art Dealers Association of America Award, 1974.

Provenance:

The Millard Meiss papers were donated to the archives in 1976 and 1986 by Meiss's widow Margaret L. Meiss.

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.

Occupation:

Art historians -- New Jersey -- Princeton  Search this

Educators -- New Jersey  Search this

Authors -- New Jersey  Search this

Topic:

Painting -- Italy  Search this

Painting -- France  Search this

Citation:

Millard Meiss papers, circa 1918-circa 1977, bulk 1950-1975. 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.

Identifier:

AAA.meismill

See more items in:

Millard Meiss Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94ebe979a-1adb-4ef8-bb78-249b7b5f81e6

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-meismill

Provenance:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Creator:

Bonnefont Cloister  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

1 Slides (photographs) (col.)

Type:

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Place:

New York (State) -- New York City

United States of America -- New York -- New York

Date:

1940

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Spring  Search this

Wells  Search this

Herb gardens  Search this

Loggias  Search this

Courtyards  Search this

Herbs  Search this

Cloister gardens  Search this

Trees  Search this

Arches  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, Item NY419001

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / New York / NY419: New York -- Cloisters, The

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb651a568e4-9470-43f1-849d-65681ec3357d

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref28754

Manufacturer:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Extent:

1 Photograph (lantern slide, black-and-white, 3.25 x 4 in.)

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Lantern slides

Paintings

Date:

[between 1914 and 1949?]

General:

Historic plate number: "71260; 3."

Historic plate caption: "The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Lantern Slide."

Mount reads: "Made by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York."

Mount reads: "Made by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York."

Historic plate number: "71260; 3."

Historic plate caption: "The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Lantern Slide."

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Landscapes  Search this

Rivers  Search this

Bridges  Search this

Boats and boating  Search this

People  Search this

Trees  Search this

Genre/Form:

Lantern slides

Paintings -- Reproductions

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, Item GCA002026

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 2: International Garden Images / GCA002: Unidentified International Locales

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb684c7ee2a-d29d-4152-b157-19d897d2175a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref5171

Creator:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art  Search this

Subject:

East, Alfred, Sir  Search this

Church, Samuel Harden  Search this

Chase, William Merritt  Search this

Homer, Winslow  Search this

Hassam, Childe  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Homer  Search this

Thayer, Abbott Handerson  Search this

Beatty, John W. (John Wesley)  Search this

Alexander, John White  Search this

Beaux, Cecilia  Search this

Brush, George de Forest  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Gallery of William Macbeth  Search this

Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Buffalo Fine Arts Academy  Search this

Type:

Photographs

Letterpress books

Museum records

Place:

Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939

Citation:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records, 1883-1962, bulk 1885-1962. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Economic aspects  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Depressions -- 1929  Search this

Art, Modern -- Exhibitions  Search this

Fascism  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Museum directors  Search this

Theme:

Art organizations  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)7343

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209496

AAA_collcode_carninst

Theme:

Art organizations

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209496

Creator:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art  Search this

Names:

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Buffalo Fine Arts Academy  Search this

Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this

Gallery of William Macbeth  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Alexander, John White, 1856-1915  Search this

Beatty, John W. (John Wesley), 1851-1924  Search this

Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this

Brush, George de Forest, 1855-1941  Search this

Chase, William Merritt, 1849-1916  Search this

Church, Samuel Harden  Search this

East, Alfred, Sir, 1849-1913  Search this

Hassam, Childe, 1859-1935  Search this

Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910  Search this

Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880  Search this

Thayer, Abbott Handerson, 1849-1921  Search this

Extent:

265.8 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Letterpress books

Museum records

Place:

Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939

Date:

1883-1962

bulk 1885-1962

Summary:

The records of the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art measure 252.8 linear feet and date from 1883-1962, with the bulk of the material dating from 1885-1940. The collection includes extensive correspondence between the museum's founding director, John Beatty, and his successor, Homer Saint-Gaudens, with artists, dealers, galleries, collectors, museum directors, representatives abroad, shipping and insurance agents, and museum trustees. The collection also includes Department of Fine Arts interoffice memoranda and reports; loan exhibition files; Carnegie International planning, jury, shipping, and sale records; and Department of Fine Arts letterpress copy books.

Scope and Contents:

The records of the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art measure 252.8 linear feet and date from 1883-1962, with the bulk of the material dating from 1885-1940. The collection includes extensive correspondence between the museum's founding director, John Beatty, and his successor, Homer Saint-Gaudens, with artists, dealers, galleries, collectors, museum directors, representatives abroad, shipping and insurance agents, and museum trustees. The collection also includes Department of Fine Arts interoffice memoranda and reports; loan exhibition files; Carnegie International planning, jury, shipping, and sale records; and Department of Fine Arts letterpress copy books.

This collection is a complete record of the museum's work, starting with the planning of the first loan exhibition in 1885 and ending with the cancellation of the International at the start of World War II in 1940. The museum's day-to-day relationships with all aspects of the contemporary art world are documented within the historical context of artists' reactions to World War I; the economic repercussions of the Great Depression on art sales and museum budgets; the ramifications of fascism on German, Italian, and European art; the impact of civil war on Spanish art; and the tensions introduced by the rise of 'radical' modernist art in Europe.

Correspondence (Series 1) is the largest series in the collection (152.5 linear feet) and is comprised of extensive correspondence between the Museum of Art and over 8700 correspondents, with over 3600 correspondents specifically related to art and artists.

Correspondents related to the art world include museum staff, artists, collectors, museums, galleries, dealers, shippers, insurance agencies, art directors, associations, societies, clubs, critics, press, and governments. These exchanges include general requests for information; requests related to the museum's exhibitions, including the International; letters regarding the museum's involvement in the events of other art organizations; loan, sales, and provenance information for specific works of art; and information regarding the events of other art organizations.

The correspondence of the museum's staff provides the greatest insight into understanding the museum's evolution into an international cultural institution. Both directors' correspondence touch on their personal opinions on art, their rationale behind policy decisions, and their understanding of the extent to which the museum's work was dependent on the good relations they maintained in the art world. Additionally, the extensive, opinionated correspondence between Saint-Gaudens' European agents and museum staff during the 1920s and 1930s provide a unique perspective on emerging art trends and the skill, growth, and personalities of individual artists.

The most prolific of the museum staff correspondents include museum directors John Beatty and Homer Saint-Gaudens, Board of Trustees president Samuel Harden Church, assistant director Edward Balken, and European agents Guillaume Lerolle , Ilario Neri, Arnold Palmer, Margaret Palmer, and Charlotte Weidler. Additional prominent staff members include Helen Beatty, Robert Harshe, Caroline Lapsley, Henry Jack Nash, John O'Connor, Charles Ramsey, George Shaw, George Sheers, August Zeller, and Fine Arts Committee members John Caldwell, William Frew, William Hyett, and John Porter.

The most prolific artist correspondents include John White Alexander, George Grey Barnard, Cecilia Beaux, Frank Benson, George de Forest Brush, William Merritt Chase, William Coffin, Bruce Crane, Andre Dauchez, Charles H. Davis, Alfred East, Ben Foster, Daniel Garber, Charles P. Gruppe, John Johansen, Johanna Hailman, John McLure Hamilton, Birge Harrison, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Laura Knight, John la Farge, Gaston la Touche, John Lavery, Henri le Sidaner, Jonas Lie, Hermon A. MacNeil, Antonio Mancini, Gari Melchers, Emile Menard, Henry R. Poore, Edward Redfield, W. Elmer Schofield, Leopold Seyffert, Lucien Simon, Eugene Speicher, Abbott Handerson Thayer, Robert Vonnoh, J. Alden Weir, Irving R. Wiles, and Ignacio Zuloaga. Other artists of note include: Edwin Austen Abbey, George Bellows, Edwin Blashfield, Frank Brangwyn, Mary Cassatt, Kenyon Cox, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Thomas Eakins, William Glackens, Robert Henri, Eastman Johnson, Rockwell Kent, Paul Manship, Henry Ranger, John Singer Sargent, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Edmund Tarbell, James McNeil Whistler, N.C. Wyeth, and Charles Morris Young.

Frequent museum collaborators include the Art Institute of Chicago, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Brooklyn Museum, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Cleveland Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Detroit Institute of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Saint Louis Museum of Fine Arts, Toledo Museum of Art, and Worcester Art Museum.

Other prolific correspondents include collectors Chauncey Blair, Andrew Carnegie, Charles Lang Freer, George Hearn, Alexander Humphreys, Roy Hunt, Mrs. B.F. Jones, Burton Mansfield, Frank Nicola, Duncan Phillips, John Stevenson, and William Stimmel; dealers and galleries M. Knoedler, William Macbeth, Central Art Gallery, Charles A. Walker, C.W. Kraushaar Art Galleries, Downtown Gallery, Durand-Ruel and Sons, Ehrich Galleries, Ferargil Galleries, Frank Rehn, Frederick Keppel, Haseltine Art Gallery, R.C. Vose Galleries, and W. Scott Thurber Fine Arts; insurance agent Macomber Co.; and shippers Dicksee and Co., J.W. Hampton, P. Navel/R. Lerondelle, Stedman and Wilder, and W.S. Budworth and Son.

Correspondents not specifically related to the contemporary art world include businesses, educational institutions, libraries, and the general public. These exchanges detail the daily work of the museum, including the estimates and work orders of office suppliers, contractors, printers, and etc.; programming and research inquiries of k-12 and college/university institutions; acknowledgements of the receipt of Museum of Art publications; and general public inquiries regarding museum policies, exhibitions, and the permanent collection. Companies and institutions who worked particularly closely with the museum include Alden and Harlow (architects), Detroit Publishing Co., and Tiffany and Co.

Department of Fine Arts (Series 2) consists of art and artist lists, correspondence, memoranda, notes, and reports. These files were begun under John Beatty's tenure and streamlined under Homer Saint-Gaudens' directorship to track activities directly related to the museum's interoffice affairs. File headings continued under Saint-Gaudens focus on art considered and purchased for the permanent collection, employee records, exhibition proposals and loans, Fine Arts Committee minutes, museum programming, museum publications, press releases, requests for images, and requests for general information.

Under Saint-Gaudens, the Fine Arts Committee files contain voluminous impressions of contemporary European artists, which he composed during his annual studio tours of the continent in the early 1920s and late 1930s. These informal reports provide insight into the shaping of the International and include a running commentary on historical events of the time. The Fine Arts Committee files also document the artistic and budgetary compromises that were struck, particularly during the Great Depression and early run-up to World War II.

Exhibitions (Series 3) includes correspondence with collectors, museums, galleries, dealers, shippers, and many of the artists themselves. Additional documents include catalogs, lists, planning notes, and telegrams related to 185 traveling and loan exhibitions held at the Museum of Art from 1901 to 1940. Of these, over 100 are one-artist shows and 82 are group, survey, regional, or topical shows. The one-artist exhibitions tend to showcase contemporary artists of the time. Regional shows focused on American and European art, with two shows featuring the art of Canada and Mexico. Survey themes focused on animals, children, cities, gardens, landscapes, Old Masters, and portraitures. Many of the genre shows venture into art not typically collected by the Museum of Art, including architecture, crafts, engravings, figure studies, graphic arts, illustrations, miniatures, mural decorations, oriental rugs, prints, printed books, sculpture, small reliefs, stained glass, theater models, watercolors, and wood engravings.

The most important shows organized and curated by Museum of Art staff include the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915), American Sculpture Show (1915, 1920), Applied Arts Show (1917), Original Illustrations Show (1921), Mexican Art Show (1929), Garden Club Show (1922), Industrial Art Show (1924), Pittsburgh Artists Show (1935), French Survey Show (1936), English Painting Survey Show (1937), American Paintings, Royal Academy Show (1938), and Survey of American Painting Show (1940).

Important one-artist shows include Abbot Handerson Thayer (1919), George de Forest Brush (1922), Frank W. Benson (1923), Rockwell Kent (1923, 1939), Anders Zorn (1924), John Lavery (1925), Paul Manship (1925), Mary Cassatt (1925), Laura Knight (1925), Edouard Manet (1932), Edward Hopper (1936), Winslow Homer (1922, 1936), Paul Cezanne (1936), Charles Burchfield (1937), and William Glackens (1938).

International (Series 4) is comprised of catalogs, correspondence, art and artist lists, itineraries, jury selection ballots, minutes, notes, and reports related to the planning, logistics, and promotion of the International Exhibition from 1895 to 1940. These documents were originally grouped and filed separately under John Beatty and were more rigorously streamlined under Homer Saint-Gaudens. The folder headings continued under Saint-Gaudens focus on art purchases, artists' invitations, artists' request for information, general exhibition planning, Foreign Advisory Committees, foreign governments, jury reception planning, loan requests, and touring logistics.

Letterpress books (Series 5) consist of 75 volumes that chronologically collect all of the Museum of Art's outgoing correspondence from 1896 to 1917. Volumes 1-8 contain the only copy of outgoing correspondence from 1896 to 1900. Duplicate copies of all outgoing correspondence dating from 1901 to 1917 were filed in Correspondence (Series 1) by museum staff.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into five series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Correspondence, 1883-1962, (Boxes 1-153, OV 267; 152.5 linear feet)

Series 2: Department of Fine Arts, 1896-1940, (Boxes 153-184, OV 268; 31.6 linear feet)

Series 3: Exhibitions, 1901-1940, (Boxes 184-204; 20 linear feet)

Series 4: International, 1895-1940, (Boxes 204-234, 265-266; 30.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Letterpress Books, 1900-1917, (Boxes 235-251; 17 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

The Carnegie Institute Museum of Art was established in 1895 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. One of the first modern contemporary art museums in the United States, its flagship exhibition, the Carnegie International, is recognized as the longest running contemporary exhibition of international art in North America and is the second oldest in the world.

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was born in Dumfermline, Scotland and migrated to America with his family in 1848. Often regarded as the second-richest man in history behind John D. Rockerfeller, Carnegie built his industrialist fortunes in the steel industry and spent the remainder of his life in support of major philanthropic projects. By the age of 33, he had developed his personal philosophy of philanthropy, which saw it as the responsibility of the wealthy to foster educational opportunities and disseminate the ideals of high culture among all levels of society. In addition to establishing over 2500 free public libraries, in 1895, he provided the funds to build the Carnegie Institute, located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Carnegie Institute originally maintained three separate departments under the auspices of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the Carnegie Museum of Art.

The Carnegie Institute was administered by a Board of Trustees selected by Carnegie, all prominent professional men of Pittsburgh. Within this group, eight men were selected to serve on the Museum of Art's Fine Arts Committee, which was initially granted the final say on gallery affairs. The first Fine Arts Committee was composed of two artists, Alfred Bryan Wall and Joseph Ryan Woodwell, and six businessmen. Among the latter group, John Caldwell, Henry Clay Frick, William Nimick Frew, and David Thompson Watson were also knowledgeable art patrons and collectors. Over time, the Fine Arts Committee's sway over gallery affairs would be measured by the dedication of its various members and tempered by the vision and authority of the Museum's directors, John Beatty and Homer Saint-Gaudens, and the Carnegie Institute Board of Trustees president, Samuel Harden Church.

From 1896 to 1921, John Wesley Beatty (1851-1924) served as the first director of the Museum of Art. A native Pittsburgher and an accomplished silver engraver, illustrator, and painter, Beatty attended the Royal Bavarian Academy in Munich and upon his return to America, made a living as an artist. He also taught at the Pittsburgh School of Design for Women and co-founded a small school of art with fellow local artist George Hetzel. In 1890, while serving as the secretary of the Pittsburgh Art Society, he became the primary organizer of a loan exhibition to be displayed at the opening of the Carnegie Free Library in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. In 1895, when the Carnegie Institute trustees began discussing the possibility of a similar loan exhibition for the opening of their new institution, Beatty was contacted and eventually enlisted to take on the task. Upon the success of that exhibition, he was invited to direct the gallery's affairs and served as the Museum of Art's director until his retirement.

Beatty was an enthusiastic supporter of Impressionism, Realism, Tonalism, Symbolism, and the critically acclaimed contemporary art of the 1890s. He also shared Carnegie's vision for the Museum of Art and believed in the educational and uplifting role aesthetic beauty could provide to the general public. Pursuant to the stated goals of Andrew Carnegie, under Beatty's direction the museum began to purchase important contemporary works to add to its chronological collection of "Old Masters of tomorrow" and almost immediately began planning the first of its Internationals.

The Internationals were viewed as the primary means of showcasing the Museum of Art's selection of the best in contemporary American and European painting, thereby elevating its role as an influential cultural institution on a national and international level. Juried monetary prizes would be awarded to the two best works by American artists, additional awards would be offered to artists of all nationalities, and the Museum of Art's purchases for the year would be selected from the exhibition. Certain artists and collectors were tapped to serve as unofficial representatives of the Museum of Art at home and abroad, among them John White Alexander, William Coffin, I.M. Gaugengigl, Walter Shirlaw, and Edmund Tarbell. Many of the most prominent Pittsburgh art collectors were also asked to lend works to the exhibition. While details of the jury and artist selection process, number of representatives, exhibition show dates, and amount and total number of prizes would change over the years, the planning template was set and would remain the same for future Internationals.

Beatty continued to rely on a stable of close friends and confidantes to help smooth over relations with artists, dealers, shipping agents, and galleries alike, relying heavily on John White Alexander and W. Elmer Schofield, in addition to artists Thomas Shields Clarke, Walter Gay, Robert Henri, Frank D. Millet, and critic Charles M. Kurtz. Over time, many of the artists who served on International juries or Foreign Advisory Committees also became reliable friends and advocates of the International, including Edwin Austen Abbey, Edmond Aman-Jean, Edwin Howland Blashfield, William Merritt Chase, Charles Cottet, Kenyon Cox, Charles Harold Davis, Alfred East, Ben Foster, Charles Hopkinson, John la Farge, Gari Melchers, Leonard Ochtman, Irving R. Wiles, and Robert W. Vonnoh.

From 1896 to 1921, the Museum of Art held twenty-one Internationals, with the only exceptions coming in 1906 (construction of the Hall of Architecture, Hall of Sculpture, and Bruce Galleries), 1915 (deference to the San Francisco Panama-Pacific International), and 1916-1919 (World War I). During these years, the scope and administration of the International slowly expanded, though not without growing pains. At the turn of the century, new modernist styles of art that were appearing in galleries across Europe had not yet entered major American museums and the Carnegie Museum of Art maintained this trend. The museum's generally conservative selection policies, combined with criticism regarding the timing of the exhibition and the jury selection process, led to increasingly tense relations with artists, and were only partially resolved by changes made to the format of the International. In spite of these challenges, the Carnegie International retained its reputation as a preeminent venue for contemporary art and awarded top prizes to John White Alexander, Cecilia Beaux, George W. Bellows, Frank W. Benson, Andre Dauchez, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Thomas Eakins, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, John Lavery, Henri le Sidaner, Edward W. Redfield, W. Elmer Schofield, Edmund C. Tarbell, Abbot Handerson Thayer, Dwight W. Tryon, and J. Alden Weir.

In addition to the International, Carnegie's mission of bringing cultural and educational opportunities to Pittsburgh was a central priority of the museum's daily operations. Beatty cultivated relationships with fellow museum directors, which allowed for the easy co-ordination and planning of traveling exhibitions benefiting the city. The museum developed educational programs for children and adults, including lectures, gallery talks, Saturday morning classes, fine art extension classes, guided tours, and outreach to local schools. As popular Pittsburgh art societies and clubs formed, the museum also provided meeting and exhibition spaces for groups such as the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, the Art Society of Pittsburgh, the Art Students League, the Garden Club of Allegheny County, and the Junior League.

After more than 25 years of service, Beatty made the decision to retire and put out an informal call for candidates. Being the right man at the right time, in 1921, Homer Schiff Saint-Gaudens (1880-1958) became the Museum of Art's second director.

The only child of American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his wife and artist, Augusta Fisher Homer, Saint-Gaudens frequently traveled abroad and grew up in the company of his parents' wide circle of friends, many of them artists, poets, writers, and performers who frequented the Cornish Artists' Colony. More intimate friends of the family included former students, assistants, and colleagues, the architect Stanford White, and successful artist-couples who resided near the family's Cornish, New Hampshire home, among them Louise and Kenyon Cox, Maria and Thomas Dewing, Florence and Everett Shinn, and Emma and Abbott Thayer.

Homer Saint-Gaudens attended the preparatory school Lawrenceville, graduated from Harvard in 1903, married the artist and suffragist Carlota Dolley (1884-1927) in 1905, and remarried to Mary Louise McBride (n.d.-1974) in 1929. He began his professional career as a journalist and worked as assistant editor of The Critic (1903) and managing editor of Metropolitan Magazine (1905). During those years, he was introduced to a number of the Ash Can school artists, wrote articles on contemporary art, and honed his abilities as a writer. In 1907, Saint-Gaudens took a break from professional editing and began a second career as the stage manager for Maude Adams, the most highly paid and successful stage actress of her day, with a yearly income of over one million dollars at the peak of her popularity. Working in theater and as Adams' manager for over ten years, Saint-Gaudens learned the ins and outs of event promotion and logistics, media coverage, and maintaining diplomatic relations through compromise, ideal skills he would later use in organizing the Carnegie Internationals.

With the United States' entry into World War I, Saint-Gaudens served as the chief of the U.S. Army's first camouflage unit and was awarded the Bronze Star. After his discharge, he managed Adams' 1918 final season and simultaneously helped his mother organize a major retrospective of his father's sculptures. While organizing a section of his father's work for the 1921 International, he was invited to step into the position of assistant director of the Carnegie Museum of Art, and was promoted to the directorship upon John Beatty's retirement.

Throughout his tenure, Saint-Gaudens was able to call upon long-standing family friendships with artists and art patrons to the museum's benefit. His connections to the art world can clearly be seen in his first major stand-alone exhibition, the Garden Club Show (1922). In this, he enlisted the aid of Elizabeth Alexander, wife of John White Alexander, and Johanna Hailman, artist and wife of John Hailman, who reached out to their circle of artists and art collecting friends in search of works appropriate for the show. Their efforts, combined with the relationships Beatty had established with museum directors, galleries, and dealers, as well as Saint-Gaudens' own friendships with Kenyon Cox, Thomas Dewing, Barry Faulkner, and Gari Melchers, resulted in an assemblage of 150 paintings of note. Coming immediately upon the heels of the 1922 International, the show was a resounding success. The exhibition's opening attracted over 300 delegates of the Garden Club of America and the entirety of Pittsburgh high society, settling any concerns regarding his leadership abilities.

As director of the Museum of Art, Saint-Gaudens instituted measures intended to streamline the Internationals and improve diplomatic relations with artists. Though the basic format of the juried exhibition remained the same, his solutions to the complaints many artists raised with the artist invitation, art selection, and jury systems reformed the International's reputation at a critical time. Though he was naturally inclined to appreciate the art and artists he had grown up with, Saint-Gaudens understood the immediate necessity of introducing modernist contemporary art into the museum's exhibitions and galleries. He circumvented the conservative Fine Arts Committee's resistance to the accolades of European modernists by choosing the tamest of the new 'radical' works. Eventually, he balanced the Internationals with a mix of conservative, moderate, and advanced works that appealed to a large range of audiences and increased the status and diversity of the Internationals.

To aid in his reformation of the International, Saint-Gaudens formalized a team of European agents who worked year round to scout artists' studios, recommend suitable art and artists, navigate local politics, arrange local transportation and logistics, and maintain cordial relations with artists abroad. In the spring, Saint-Gaudens would travel to Europe to meet with his agents in person, tour the most promising studios, and meet with artists personally. His team was headed by Guillaume Lerolle, who shared Saint-Gaudens' distinction of being the son of a well regarded national artist, Henry Lerolle. Like Saint-Gaudens, Lerolle was able and willing to call upon longstanding family friendships and networks on behalf of the Museum of Art. The other core members of the team were Ilario Neri (Italy), Arnold Palmer (England), Margaret Palmer (Spain), and Charlotte Weidler (Germany).

From 1922 to 1940, the Museum of Art held seventeen Internationals, with the exceptions coming in 1932 (Great Depression) and 1940 (World War II). After a brief period of change, growth, and experimentation in the early 1920s, the museum eventually settled on a routine of planning the Internationals, arranging for traveling exhibitions, and expanding upon the most popular of their educational programs. In addition to those programs put into place under Beatty's tenure, Saint-Gaudens paved the way for a revamped lecture series featuring visiting critics and traveled as a visiting lecturer himself.

During the 1930s, financial difficulties and increasing political tensions in Europe presented ample challenges to the diplomatic skills of Saint-Gaudens and his agents, and they found themselves increasingly forced to navigate through political minefields presented by the fascist ideologies of Germany and Italy, the chaos of the Spanish civil war, and the eventual outbreak of World War II in Europe. In spite of these challenges, under Saint-Gaudens' direction, the museum remained true to Andrew Carnegie's vision. The International was expanded to accept on average over sixty additional works of art, and at its peak, included art from twenty-one countries. Beginning in 1927, top prizes and recognition were awarded to Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Andre Derain, Raoul Dufy, Karl Hofer, Rockwell Kent, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Edouard Vuillard.

Works by Arthur B. Davies, Charles Hawthorne, Edward Hopper, Augustus John, Oskar Kokoschka, Leon Kroll, Ernest Lawson, and William Orpen were added to the museum's permanent collection. And, as under Beatty's tenure, many of the artists selected to serve on the Jury of Award became advocates and friends of the museum, including Emil Carlsen, Anto Carte, Bruce Crane, Charles C. Curran, Daniel Garber, Charles Hopkinson, Laura Knight, Jonas Lie, Julius Olsson, Leopold Seyffert, Lucien Simon, Eugene Speicher, Maurice Sterne, Gardner Symons, Horatio Walker, and Charles H. Woodbury.

The monumental task of establishing the Carnegie Institute Museum of Art and the Carnegie International has left an archival record that is unique and unparalleled in documenting its relations with every aspect of the contemporary art world from the turn of the century through the first forty years of the twentieth century.

Provenance:

The Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records were loaned for microfilming in 1966 and later donated to the Archives of American Art in 1972. A small addition of corrrespondence was donated in 2017 by Elizabeth Tufts Brown.

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 -- Economic aspects  Search this

World War, 1914-1918  Search this

Depressions -- 1929  Search this

Art, Modern -- Exhibitions  Search this

Fascism  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Museum directors  Search this

Function:

Art museums -- Pennsylvania

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Letterpress books

Museum records

Citation:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records, 1883-1962, bulk 1885-1940. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Brown Foundation. Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.carninst

See more items in:

Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw941920dd5-82b0-485f-802d-62b012a74357

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-carninst

Creator:

Sims, Lowery Stokes  Search this

Names:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Studio Museum in Harlem  Search this

Catlett, Elizabeth, 1915-2012  Search this

Colescott, Robert, 1925-2009  Search this

Lam, Wifredo  Search this

Pousette-Dart, Richard, 1916-1992  Search this

Extent:

34 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Sound recordings

Interviews

Video recordings

Date:

1967-2019

Summary:

The papers of African American art historian, curator and arts administrator, Lowery Stokes Sims, measure 34.0 linear feet and date from 1967 to 2019. The collection documents Sims's career, and her work towards the inclusion of women artists and artists of color into the mainstream art world. The collection comprises biographical materials, datebooks, correspondence, writings, notebooks, exhibition files, professional files that include Sims's files from the Studio Museum in Harlem, Metropolitan Museum of Art records, research files, files on Robert Colescott, printed materials, photographic materials, and unidentified audiovisual and born-digital materials.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of African American art historian, curator and art administrator, Lowery Stokes Sims, measure 34.0 linear feet and date from 1967 to 2019. The collection documents Sims's career, and her work towards the inclusion of women artists and artists of color into the mainstream art world. The collection comprises biographical materials, datebooks, correspondence, writings, notebooks, exhibition files, professional files that include Sims's files from the Studio Museum in Harlem, Metropolitan Museum of Art records, research files, files on Robert Colescott, printed materials, photographic materials, and unidentified audiovisual and born-digital materials.

Biographical materials contain address books, awards, interviews with Sims, and resumes. Fifty datebooks highlight Sims's daily activities for over four decades. Personal and professional correspondence is with Audrey Flack, Za, Betye Saar, Hale Woodruff, Susan Schwalb, Margo Machida, William McKnight, and others.

Writings include drafts and typescripts on Alma Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Wifredo Lam, African American and women artists; a transcript of a conversation between Sims and Maren Hassinger; and born digital material of presentations. Also in the collection are 60 notebooks containing personal and professional notes and journal entries.

Exhibition files consist of correspondence, budget records, writings about the exhibition and for the catalog, clippings, exhibition announcements, loan forms, artist biographies, and artwork lists for Living Space: An Exhibition on Low Income Housing (1977), Art as a Verb (1988), Next Generation: Southern Black Aesthetic (1990), and Richard Pousette-Dart, 1916-1992 (1997).

Professional files document Sims's memberships, conferences, projects, and teaching activities, as well as her work at the Studio Museum of Harlem. The Metropolitan Museum of Art records consist of research on the museum's collection of works by African American artists, program and staff files, and snapshots of Sims with colleagues on a trip to Patagonia.

Research files contain printed materials, notes, 32 audiovisual recordings and nine born digital discs, and biographical material on artists Frederick Brown, Elizabeth Catlett, Stuart Davis, Maren Hassinger, Edgar Heap of Birds, Al Loving, Faith Ringgold, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Kara Walker, and others. The files on Robert Colescott include a book proposal, artwork lists, exhibition files, four sound recordings of an interview between Colescott and Sims, and research material on related topics.

Printed materials consist of clippings featuring Sims, posters, event programs, a few newsletters and magazines, exhibition catalogs that include essays written by Sims, and three documentary recordings. Photographic materials include prints, negatives, transparencies, photograph albums, and slides of Sims, colleagues and friends, exhibitions and professional events, Russ Thompson and Benny Andrews, Beverly Buchanan, Rick Powel, Vaclav Havel, Jeff Donaldson, Samella Lewis, and others.

The final series consists of nine sound recordings and one born digital disc (CD) that could not be placed into a series as the material is either unlabeled or the labels are illegible.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 13 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1980-circa 2005 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Datebooks, 1975-2017 (4.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-5)

Series 3: Correspondence, 1971-2018 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1970s-2018 (2.6 linear feet; Boxes 6-8, OV 33)

Series 5: Notebooks, 1975-2016 (2.6 linear feet; Boxes 39-42)

Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1967-2017 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 9-10, OV 36)

Series 7: Professional Files, 1969-2018 (6.3 linear feet; Boxes 10-16, OV 34)

Series 8: Metropolitan Museum of Art Records, 1972-2008 (6.0 linear feet; Boxes 16-22, OV 38)

Series 9: Research Files, circa 1970-2017 (6.0 linear feet; Boxes 22-28, OV 35)

Series 10: Files on Robert Colescott, 1971-2019 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 28-30)

Series 11: Printed Materials, 1970s-2017 (1.8 linear feet; Box 30, OV 37)

Series 12: Photographic Materials, 1970s-2018 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 31-32)

Series 13: Unidentified Audio and Born Digital Material, circa 1985-2009 (1 folder; Box 32)

Biographical / Historical:

Lowery Stokes Sims (1949-) is an African American art historian, curator, and arts administrator. Sims began her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1972 where she became the museum's first African American curator. She left the Met in 1999 for the Studio Museum in Harlem where she served as Executive Director, President, and then Adjunct Curator of the Permanent Collection from 2000 to 2007. From 2007 to 2015, she was curator for the Museum of Art and Design.

Sims was born in Washington D.C. but moved to New York when she was 2 years old. She graduated from Bishop Reilly High School in Queens, N.Y. in 1966. She went on to receive a bachelor of arts degree in art history from Queens College in 1970 and a master of arts degree in art history from Johns Hopkins University in 1972. In 1995, Sims completed her dissertation, published as Wifredo Lam and the International Avant-Garde, 1923-1982 in 2002, to receive her doctoral degree from The Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Sims is a member of the College Art Association, the International Committee of Art Critics, Art Matters Foundation, and has served on the boards of Just Above Midtown (JAM) Gallery, Caribbean Cultural Center, National State Council on the Arts, and the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, among others. She was awarded the Frank Jewett Mather Award for Distinction in Art Criticism in 1991, a Leadership by Example Award from the New York coalition of 100 Black women in 1997, and a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from the Queens Museum of Art in 1998. Sims has also lectured at Queens College, the Institute of Fine Art at New York University, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Rutgers University, and Bard College.

Related Materials:

Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview of Lowery Stokes Sims conducted on July 15 and 22, 2010 by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts project, at Sims' home, in New York, N.Y.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 2019 by Lowery Stokes Sims as part of the Archives' African American Collecting Initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Restrictions:

Notebooks in Series 5 are access restricted; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

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 historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

Topic:

African American artists  Search this

African American art  Search this

African American art museum curators  Search this

Women art historians  Search this

Women museum curators  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sound recordings

Interviews

Video recordings

Citation:

Lowery Stokes Sims papers, 1967-2019. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.simslowe

See more items in:

Lowery Stokes Sims papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a66e8319-d9c1-4f8d-b005-08f8bc7cf659

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-simslowe

Creator:

Fleischman, Lawrence A. (Lawrence Arthur), 1925-1997  Search this

Subject:

Sellers, Charles Coleman  Search this

Ryder, Albert Pinkham  Search this

Burchfield, Charles Ephraim  Search this

Rattner, Abraham  Search this

Richardson, Edgar Preston  Search this

Richardson, Constance  Search this

Pollack, Peter  Search this

Watkins, Franklin Chenault  Search this

Bailey, Grace  Search this

Arms, John Taylor  Search this

Allston, Washington  Search this

Evergood, Philip  Search this

Eakins, Thomas  Search this

Culver, Charles B. (Charles Beach)  Search this

Bohrod, Aaron  Search this

Bailey, Truman E.  Search this

Krentzin, Earl  Search this

Gentle, Esther  Search this

Fleischman, Barbara  Search this

Marin, John  Search this

University of Michigan. Museum of Art  Search this

United States Information Agency  Search this

Whitney Museum of American Art  Search this

Archives of American Art  Search this

Kraushaar Galleries  Search this

American Federation of Arts  Search this

National Gallery of Art (U.S.)  Search this

Detroit Institute of Arts  Search this

Corcoran Gallery of Art  Search this

M. Knoedler & Co.  Search this

Kennedy Galleries  Search this

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum  Search this

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts  Search this

Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this

Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Midtown Galleries (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Milwaukee Art Center  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Type:

Typescripts

Photographs

Citation:

Lawrence and Barbara Fleischman papers, 1837-1984, bulk 1935-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Painting, American  Search this

Art patrons Michigan Detroit  Search this

Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this

Philanthropists  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- United States  Search this

Theme:

Patronage  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)10245

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)213339

AAA_collcode_fleilawr

Theme:

Patronage

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_213339

Creator:

Bridaham, Lester Burbank, 1899-1992  Search this

Subject:

Albright, Ivan  Search this

Barton, Macena  Search this

Biesel, Charles  Search this

De Diego, Julio  Search this

Eboli, Jules  Search this

Florsheim, Richard A.  Search this

Krans, Olof  Search this

Lee, Gypsy Rose  Search this

Nicolaïdes, Kimon  Search this

Bishop, Isabel  Search this

Rickey, George  Search this

Schnakenberg, H. E. (Henry Ernest)  Search this

Spears, Ethel  Search this

Art Institute of Chicago  Search this

Colonial Craft Survey for Massachusetts  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Society for Contemporary American Art  Search this

Type:

Drawings

Scrapbooks

Sketchbooks

Citation:

Lester Burbank Bridaham papers, 1912-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art, Modern -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Theme:

Sketches & Sketchbooks  Search this

Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this

Research and writing about art  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6825

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)208952

AAA_collcode_bridlest

Theme:

Sketches & Sketchbooks

Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource

Research and writing about art

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_208952

Author:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Hale, Robert Beverly 1901-1985  Search this

Subject:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Physical description:

xxiii, 111 p plates (part color) 26 cm

Type:

Catalogs

Catalogues

Catalogues de collection

Collection catalogs

Place:

Förenta staterna

Date:

1950

1900-talet

Topic:

Painting, American  Search this

Peinture américaine  Search this

Amerikansk målarkonst--historia  Search this

Konstnärer  Search this

Call number:

ND212 .N39X

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_10254

Author:

Italy Soprintendenza alle gallerie per le province di Firenze, Arezzo e Pistoia  Search this

Arts Council of Great Britain  Search this

Hayward Gallery  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Rijksmuseum (Netherlands)  Search this

Physical description:

223 p illustrations (part color), map 24 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Ausstellungskatalog

Catalogues d'exposition

Exhibition catalogs

Place:

Italy

Florence

London

Date:

1969

03.04.1969-15.06.1969

Topic:

Mural painting and decoration, Italian  Search this

Mural painting and decoration  Search this

Hayward Gallery  Search this

Call number:

ND2757.F6 F88

ND2757.F5 F68X

ND2757.F6F88

ND2757.F5F68X

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_11006

Author:

Zeng, Youhe 1924-  Search this

Author:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this

William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts  Search this

Physical description:

1 volume (unpaged) illus 30 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Exhibition catalogues

Catalogues d'exposition

Exhibition catalogs

Date:

1971

Topic:

Calligraphy, Chinese  Search this

Calligraphie chinoise  Search this

Kalligrafie  Search this

Call number:

NK3634.A2 E19

NK3634.A2E19

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_11095

Author:

Thayer, Abbott Handerson 1849-1921  Search this

Printer:

Rogers, Bruce 1870-1957  Search this

Author:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Subject:

Thayer, Abbott Handerson 1849-1921  Search this

Physical description:

xx, 14, [95] pages of plates illustrations, portraits 25 cm

Type:

Books

Exhibitions

Exhibition catalogs

Date:

1922

Call number:

N40.1.T36 N5 1922

N40.1.T36 N5 1922

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_11187

Creator:

Falk, Johnny, 1906-1992  Search this

Falk, Pauline  Search this

Names:

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee  Search this

Asia House Gallery  Search this

Bennington College  Search this

Brooklyn Museum  Search this

Chinese Art Society of America  Search this

Columbia University. Teachers College. Lincoln School  Search this

Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York  Search this

Japan Society (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

National Refugee Service (U.S.)  Search this

Pan American World Airways, Inc.  Search this

Baerwald, Paul, 1871-1961  Search this

David, Percival, Sir, 1892-1964  Search this

Lawton, Thomas, 1931-  Search this

Pope, John Alexander, 1906-1982  Search this

Salmony, Alfred, 1890-1958  Search this

Sickman, L. C. S. (Laurence C. S.)  Search this

Stern, Harold P.  Search this

Wenley, A. G. (Archibald Gibson), 1898-1962  Search this

Extent:

25 Cubic feet

Culture:

Jewish American  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Photographs

Diaries

Maps

Place:

China -- Description and Travel

China

USA -- New York -- New York

Date:

1910-2002

bulk 1935-2000

Scope and Contents:

Papers of art collectors Pauline Baerwald Falk (1910-2000) and Myron Samuel (Johnny) Falk Jr. (1906-1992). This collection includes correspondence; art collection documentation; research materials; photographs (slides and prints) and audiovisual materials; financial information; biographical data; records of philanthropic and social activities; travel records; and appointment books.

Arrangement:

Organized into five series: • Series 1: Biographic Materials • Series 2: Travel • Series 3: Correspondence • Series 4: Collection Files • Series 5: Slides

Biographical / Historical:

Pauline Baerwald was born in New York City in 1910, living there until her death in 2000. In 1932 she graduated from Smith College and went on to the School of Social Work at Columbia University. Pauline's father, Paul Baerwald, was a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist, as well as an executive board member of the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), an agency chartered to provide refugee services for European Jews who were victims of persecution throughout Russia and Europe. Pauline was an active volunteer with the JDC throughout World War II. After the war she was one of the founders of the National Refuge Service (later the New York Association for New Americans) as well as the Jewish Social Service Association. She also served as president of the Jewish Family Services, a predecessor agency of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. In 1935 Pauline Baerwald married Myron "Johnny" S. Falk, Jr., and raised three children: Patricia, Michael and Nancy. Pauline, with support from Johnny, was a founder of the New Lincoln School in Manhattan, having attended the Lincoln School as a child. They maintained connection to charitable social work throughout their lives.

Myron "Johnny" S. Falk, Jr., son of Myron S. Falk, was born in New York City in 1906. In 1928 he earned a degree at Yale and a B.S. in Engineering from MIT in 1929. During World War II Johnny was a commissioned officer in the army, posted to the Pentagon ordinance section, applying his engineering and management skills to the task of munitions production. The family moved to Washington, D.C. during the war. In addition to his professional career as an investment banker with Ralph E. Samuels and Co., Johnny was a director of the New York Foundation and Hebrew Technical Institute. He was a board member of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and Bennington College.

Pauline and Johnny were both introduced to Chinese art early in life. Johnny's father collected Chinese porcelain to decorate his New York home. In keeping with the taste of the times, most of his pieces were Kangxi blue and white porcelains. On his sixtieth birthday he divided his porcelains among his three children. Several years later Johnny and his sister, Mildred, gave many of those Kangxi porcelains to the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., to be permanently installed, together with many other porcelains, to re-create the original appearance of the Whistler Peacock Room.

Pauline was introduced to Chinese art by her uncle, Emil Baerwald, who took her to the Metropolitan Museum to see the Bishop Collection and on visits to Yamanaka and Company on Fifth Avenue, where Mr. Shirai would take them into the private rooms to see the rarest pieces. Emil Baerwald lived in Europe, and, as an active collector of Chinese ceramics, he became acquainted with leading Chinese art collectors there, including George Eumorfopoulos and Sir Percival David. He provided introductions to collectors when Pauline and Johnny visited England in 1950.

In 1937 Pauline and Johnny made their first trip to China on Pan Am's Clipper, flying from San Francisco to Manila. It was during their first visit to China that Johnny and Pauline began buying early Chinese pottery and works of art. Pauline referred to this trip as the one trip that formed their collection. On this flight they met K.C. Chung, a consultant and friend for years to come. Pauline's uncle, Ernst Baerwald, lived in Tokyo and was well connected in the arts. Through his introductions they met significant art dealers, including Mathias Komor, who became an advisor to them.

Pauline and Johnny were contributors the founding of many Asian art organizations in America during the years following World War II and the Korean War. They participated in the establishment of the Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America in 1945, a scholarly journal which was renamed Archives of Asian Art in 1966 and continues publication today.

Pauline and Johnny were strong supporters of the Asia Society, where Johnny was a trustee. In 1971 they were among the first participants in the Japan Society and were founding members of the Friends of Japan House Gallery. Johnny was also a trustee of the Research Laboratory of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from 1966 until his death. In 1950 Pauline and Johnny attended a meeting of the Oriental Ceramic Society (OCS) of London, and a few years later Johnny became the OCS representative in North America, a post he held for more than thirty years.

Johnny Falk died in 1992 and Pauline Baerwald Falk passed away in 2000, the same year the collection of approximately 700 items was assigned to Christie's.

Provenance:

Gift of the Falk family.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

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

Occupation:

Philanthropists  Search this

Topic:

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Bronzes, Chinese  Search this

Ceramics -- China  Search this

Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence

Photographs

Diaries -- 20th century

Maps -- 20th century

Citation:

Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers, FSA.A2002.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the Falk family.

Sponsor:

Processed in 2022 with funding from the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative.

Identifier:

FSA.A2002.03

See more items in:

Pauline B. and Myron S. Falk, Jr. Papers

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc35440acda-af34-4172-9ab4-0a564fcfb41f

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a2002-03

Author:

Hoopes, Donelson F  Search this

Author:

Brooklyn Museum  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Physical description:

87 pages 32 color plates 29 cm

Type:

Books

Date:

1970

Topic:

Watercolor painting, American  Search this

Call number:

N40.1.S24 H7

N40.1.S24H7

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_9273

Author:

Gardner, Albert Ten Eyck  Search this

Author:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Physical description:

84 pages illustrations 32 cm

Type:

Books

History

Place:

America

United States

États-Unis

Date:

1968

19th century

19e siècle

Topic:

Sculptors  Search this

Sculpture, American  Search this

Sculpteurs  Search this

Sculpture américaine  Search this

Call number:

NB210 .G226 1968

NB210.G226 1968

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_9390

Author:

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Von Bothmer, Dietrich 1918-  Search this

Physical description:

85 pages 104 plates 18 x 24 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Expositions

Catalogues d'exposition

Exhibition catalogs

Place:

New York (State)

New York (État)

New York

Date:

1961

Topic:

Art, Ancient  Search this

Art, Ancient--Private collections  Search this

Art, Classical--Private collections  Search this

Art, Egyptian--Private collections  Search this

Art--Private collections  Search this

Decorative arts--Private collections  Search this

Art antique  Search this

Art antique--Collections privées  Search this

Art égyptien--Collections privées  Search this

Art--Collections privées  Search this

Arts décoratifs--Collections privées  Search this

Call number:

N5335.N5 N53

N5335.N5N53

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_9513

Creator:

Meiss, Millard, 1904-1975  Search this

Subject:

Nordenfalk, Carl Adam Johan  Search this

Gombrich, E. H. (Ernst Hans)  Search this

Lavin, Irving  Search this

Panofsky, Erwin  Search this

Panofsky, Dora Mosse  Search this

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Princeton University  Search this

American Committee for the Restoration of Italian Monuments  Search this

Committee to Rescue Italian Art  Search this

College Art Association (U.S.)  Search this

Citation:

Millard Meiss Papers, circa 1918-circa 1977, bulk 1950-1975. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Painting -- Italy  Search this

Painting -- France  Search this

Theme:

Research and writing about art  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)8178

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)210349

AAA_collcode_meismill

Theme:

Research and writing about art

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_210349

Creator:

Birnbaum, Martin, 1878-1970  Search this

Subject:

Sterner, Albert  Search this

Werntz, Carl N. (Carl Newland)  Search this

Sprinchorn, Carl  Search this

Sterne, Maurice  Search this

Winthrop, Grenville Lindall  Search this

Wilson, Stanley  Search this

Dillingham, Louise  Search this

Cœdès, George  Search this

Choate, Mabel  Search this

Clark, Stephen C. (Stephen Carlton)  Search this

Bufano, Beniamino  Search this

Chanler, Robert Winthrop  Search this

Beaux, Cecilia  Search this

Bruce, Edward  Search this

Beardsley, Aubrey  Search this

Stein, Leo  Search this

Sinclair, Upton  Search this

John, Augustus  Search this

Haseltine, Herbert  Search this

Jones, Lois Mailou  Search this

Nadelman, Elie  Search this

Dulac, Edmund  Search this

Kester, Lenard  Search this

Manship, Paul  Search this

Hoffman, Malvina  Search this

Rothenstein, William, Sir  Search this

Scott, Stevenson  Search this

Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta  Search this

McIlhenny, Henry P.  Search this

Parmelee, James  Search this

Melchers, Gari  Search this

Ricketts, Charles S.  Search this

Sargent, John Singer  Search this

Potterton, Alfred B.  Search this

Parrish, Maxfield  Search this

Jacobs, Leonebel  Search this

Douglas, Norman  Search this

Scudder, Janet  Search this

Fernández, Luis  Search this

Rock, Joseph Francis Charles  Search this

Hoowij, Jan  Search this

Davis, Reginald  Search this

Davis, Edmund  Search this

Despiau, Charles  Search this

Diederich, William Hunt  Search this

Fogg Art Museum  Search this

Scott & Fowles (Firm)  Search this

Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Type:

Sketches

Etchings

Photographs

Citation:

Martin Birnbaum papers, 1862-1967, bulk 1920-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Theme:

Art Market  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)8888

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211073

AAA_collcode_birnmart

Theme:

Art Market

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211073

Creator:

Redmond, Roland Livingston, 1892-1982  Search this

Subject:

Baziotes, William  Search this

Bourgeois, Louise  Search this

Brooks, James  Search this

Bultman, Fritz  Search this

De Kooning, Willem  Search this

Ernst, Jimmy  Search this

Ferber, Herbert  Search this

Gottlieb, Adolph  Search this

Grippe, Peter J.  Search this

Hare, David  Search this

Hofmann, Hans  Search this

Lassaw, Ibram  Search this

Lipton, Seymour  Search this

Motherwell, Robert Burns  Search this

Newman, Barnett  Search this

Pollock, Jackson  Search this

Pousette-Dart, Richard  Search this

Reinhardt, Adolph Friedrich  Search this

Roszak, Theodore  Search this

Rothko, Mark  Search this

Schnabel, Day N.  Search this

Stamos, Theodoros  Search this

Sterne, Hedda  Search this

Still, Clyfford  Search this

Tomlin, Bradley Walker  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Type:

Correspondence

Place:

New York, N.Y.

Date:

1950 May 20

Citation:

Open letter to Roland L. Redmond, President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1950 May 20. Hedda Sterne papers, 1939-1977. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Exhibitions  Search this

Protesting  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA)9959

See more items in:

Hedda Sterne papers, 1939-1977

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_item_9959

Creator:

Birnbaum, Martin, 1878-1970  Search this

Names:

Fogg Art Museum  Search this

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Philadelphia Museum of Art  Search this

Scott & Fowles (Firm)  Search this

Beardsley, Aubrey, 1872-1898  Search this

Beaux, Cecilia, 1855-1942  Search this

Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943  Search this

Bufano, Beniamino, 1898-1970  Search this

Chanler, Robert Winthrop, 1872-1930  Search this

Choate, Mabel, 1870-1958  Search this

Clark, Stephen C. (Stephen Carlton), b. 1882  Search this

Cœdès, George  Search this

Davis, Edmund  Search this

Davis, Reginald  Search this

Despiau, Charles, 1874-1946  Search this

Diederich, William Hunt, 1884-1953  Search this

Dillingham, Louise  Search this

Douglas, Norman, 1868-1952  Search this

Dulac, Edmund, 1882-1953  Search this

Fernández, Luis, 1900-1973  Search this

Haseltine, Herbert, 1877-1962  Search this

Hoffman, Malvina, 1887-1966  Search this

Hoowij, Jan, 1907-  Search this

Jacobs, Leonebel  Search this

John, Augustus, 1878-1961  Search this

Jones, Lois Mailou, 1905-1998  Search this

Kester, Lenard, 1917-  Search this

Manship, Paul, 1885-1966  Search this

McIlhenny, Henry P.  Search this

Melchers, Gari, 1860-1932  Search this

Nadelman, Elie, 1882-1946  Search this

Parmelee, James  Search this

Parrish, Maxfield, 1870-1966  Search this

Potterton, Alfred B.  Search this

Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta, 1882-1972  Search this

Ricketts, Charles S., 1866-1931  Search this

Rock, Joseph Francis Charles, 1884-1962  Search this

Rothenstein, William, Sir, 1872-1945  Search this

Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925  Search this

Scott, Stevenson  Search this

Scudder, Janet, b. 1873  Search this

Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968  Search this

Sprinchorn, Carl, 1887-1971  Search this

Stein, Leo, 1872-1947  Search this

Sterne, Maurice, 1878-1957  Search this

Sterner, Albert, 1863-1946  Search this

Werntz, Carl N. (Carl Newland), 1874-1944  Search this

Wilson, Stanley  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

Topic:

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

Genre/Form:

Sketches

Etchings

Photographs

Citation:

Martin Birnbaum papers, 1962-1967, bulk 1920-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art

Identifier:

AAA.birnmart

See more items in:

Martin Birnbaum papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ca6df438-53dd-472f-9ab1-0be16d9545eb

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-birnmart