Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Hill, James Jerome, 1838-1916

titleAugust Jaccaci papers, 1889-1935 (bulk 1904-1914).
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionLetters, mostly concerning Jaccaci's joint editorship with John La Farge of the book, Noteworthy Paintings in American Collections; typescript pages of research material relating to the book and photographs (unmicrofilmed) of works of art. The papers cover the one published volume as well as the unrealized volumes. Also included are photographs of early American wall stencils.

The collection documents Jaccaci's work as an art historian, writer, and editor, primarily during the period he researched, compiled, and published his book, "Noteworthy Paintings in Private American Collections." More than one-half of the collection consists of extensive correspondence to and from many notable artists, collectors, and art historians, including John La Farge, Kenyon Cox, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and Bernard Sickert concerning the research and publication of the book. The papers also house legal files, writings and notes, art collection research files, and photographs of artwork.

Correspondents include art historians, critic, artists, and art collectors, as well as publishers, photographers, printers, and agents. These letters discuss the research of famous American art collections, writing of essays for the book, and the book production and publication. There is extensive correspondence with his co-editor John La Farge, and with his employee Carl Snyder who was working in Europe. Other correspondence is with magazines, art associations, academic institutions, and French service organizations. Also included is a small amount of personal correspondence with friends and colleagues.

Correspondents, many of whom were contributors, include Samuel H. Adams, American Academy in Rome, R. B. Angus, Sir Walter Armstrong, John W. Beatty, Cecilia Beaux, Bernard Berenson, Ernest L. Blumenschein, Wilhelm Bode, Louis De Monvel Boutet, James Britton, George De Forest Brush, Bryson Burroughs, Charles H. Caffin, Alexis Carrel, Mary Cassatt, Willa Cather, John Jay Chapman, Sir Martin Conway, Kenyon Cox, Eyre Crowe, Elsie De Wolfe, William H. Downes, Charles L. Freer, Daniel C. French, Max Friedlander, Roger Fry, Isabella Gardner, Jules Guiffrey, Jay Hambidge, Charles Henry Hart, James J. Hill, Lewis C. Hind, Sir Charles J. Holmes, Elbert Hubbard, James Huneker, Samuel Isham, Thayer Jaccaci, Bettina E. Johnson, John La Farge, Oliver La Farge, Ernest Lawson, Will H. Low, Frank J. Mather, Henry McCarter, Samuel McClure, Francis D. Millet, Paul E. More, George F. Of, Ivan Olinsky, Walter Pach, Ernest Peixotto, Elizabeth Pennell, Michael I. Pupin, Jean F. Raffaelli, Salomon Reinach, Henry Reuterdahl, Corrado Ricci, Jean P. Richter, Gisela M. Richter, Frederic Sherman, Bernhard Sickert, Osvald Siren, Joseph L. Steffens, Ida Tarbell, Anne Taylor, Carl Taylor, Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, Wilhelm Valentiner, John C. Van Dyke, Adolfo Venturi, J. Alden Weir, John F. Weir, William A. White, Helen H. Whitney, and Rufus Zogbaum.

Research material includes information on the following collections: R. B. Angus, George Baker, Charles T. Barney, August Belmont, Chauney J. Blair, Cleveland Burke, A. M. Byers, Thomas M. Davis, G. A. Drummond, William L. Elkins, James W. Ellsworth, Henry Clay Frick, Isabella S. Gardner, J. W. Gates, George Jay Gould, L. C. Hanna, Henry O.Havemeyer, John Hay, James J. Hill, Charles L Hutchinson, Hyers, John J. Johnson, Mr. Lodge, Frank G. Logan, Cyrus Hall and R. Hall McCormick, James H. McFadden, Emerson McMillan, Samuel Mather, Frank G. Morgan, Horace Morison, Ada Brooks Pope, James Ross, Martin A. Ryerson, Albert A. Sprague, Charles W. Taft, Herbert L. Terrell, Edward R. Thomas, William H. Vanderbilt, William Van Horne, J. H. Wade, Harris Whittemore and P. A. B. Widener. Also included (reel D126) are photographs of early American wall stencils. Forty-eight unmicrofilmed photographs of works of art are from the Henry C. Frick, William Van Horne, and P. A. B. Widener files.

Legal files include contracts and legal agreements for the August F. Jaccaci Company, as well as legal agreements with John La Farge concerning the research and publication of their joint book. Writings and notes include Jaccaci's lists and notes pertaining to the Noteworthy Paintings project, as well as other miscellaneous notes. Also found are writings by John La Farge that include drafts of a book, lectures, and notes about his artwork. Writings by others in this series also include draft essays by many art historians for Jaccaci's book. For the Noteworthy Paintings project, Jaccaci created numerous research files for American art collections and collectors that would be included. These research files include lists of works of art, essays and other notes about the collection written by prominent art historians. Photographs are of works of art supporting the research files. Also found in this collection are photographs of and notes about New England stencil designs. It is unclear what the connection is between Jaccaci and the stencil designs.

Author(s):
Jaccaci, Augusto Floriano, 1857-1930.
Beaux, Cecilia,; 1855-1942.
Berenson, Bernard,; 1865-1959.
Blumenschein, Ernest Leonard,; 1874-1960.
Bode, Wilhelm von,; 1845-1929.
Boutet de Monvel, Louis-Maurice,; 1851-1913.
Britton, James,; 1878-1936.
Brush, George de Forest,; 1855-1941.
Burroughs, Bryson,; 1869-1934.
Caffin, Charles Henry,; 1854-1918.
Carrel, Alexis,; 1873-1944.
Cassatt, Mary,; 1844-1926.
Cather, Willa,; 1873-1947.
Chapman, John Jay,; 1862-1933.
Conway, William Martin,; Sir,; 1856-1937.
Cox, Kenyon,; 1856-1919.
Crowe, Eyre,; Sir,; 1864-1925.
De Wolfe, Elsie,; 1865-1950.
Downes, William Howe,; 1854-1941.
Freer, Charles Lang,; 1856-1919.
French, Daniel Chester,; 1850-1931.
Friedländer, Max J.,; 1867-1958.
Fry, Roger Eliot,; 1866-1934.
Gardner, Isabella Stewart,; 1840-1924.
Guiffrey, Jules,; 1840-1918.
Hambidge, Jay,; 1867-1924.
Hart, Charles Henry,; 1847-1918.
Hill, James Jerome,; 1838-1916.
Hind, C. Lewis; 1862-1927. ; (Charles Lewis),
Holmes, C. J.; 1868-1936. ; (Charles John),
Hubbard, Elbert,; 1856-1915.
Huneker, James,; 1857-1921.
Isham, Samuel,; 1855-1914.
Jaccaci, Thayer.
Johnson, Bettina Eastman.
La Farge, John,; 1835-1910.
La Farge, Oliver,; 1901-1963.
Lawson, Ernest,; 1873-1939.
Low, Will Hicok,; 1853-1932.
Mather, Frank Jewett,; 1868-1953.
McCarter, Henry,; 1866-1942.
McClure, S. S.; 1857-1949. ; (Samuel Sidney),
Millet, Francis Davis,; 1846-1912.
More, Paul Elmer,; 1864-1937.
Of, George F.; b. 1876. ; (George Ferdinand),
Olinsky, Ivan G.; 1878-1962. ; (Ivan Gregorewitch),
Pach, Walter,; 1883-1958.
Peixotto, Ernest,; b. 1869.
Pennell, Elizabeth Robins,; 1855-1936.
Pupin, Michael Idvorsky,; 1858-1935.
Raffaëlli, Jean François,; 1850-1924.
Reinach, Salomon,; 1858-1932.
Reuterdahl, Henry,; 1871-1925.
Ricci, Corrado,; 1858-1934.
Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta,; 1882-1972.
Richter, Jean Paul,; 1847-1937.
Sherman, Frederic Fairchild,; 1874-1940.
Sickert, Bernard,; 1862-1932.
Sirén, Osvald,; 1879-
Steffens, Lincoln,; 1866-1936.
Tarbell, Ida M.; 1857-1944. ; (Ida Minerva),
Taylor, Anne.
Taylor, Carl.
Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander,; 1865-1921.
Valentiner, Wilhelm Reinhold,; 1880-1958.
Van Dyke, John Charles,; 1856-1932.
Venturi, Adolfo,; 1856-1941.
Weir, Julian Alden,; 1852-1919.
Weir, John F.; b. 1841. ; (John Ferguson),
White, William Allen,; 1868-1944.
Whitney, Helen Hay,; 1875-1944.
Zogbaum, Rufus F.,; 1849-1925.
Adams, Samuel Hopkins,; 1871-1958.
Angus, R. B.
Armstrong, Walter,; Sir,; 1850-1918.
Beatty, John W.; 1851-1924. ; (John Wesley)

Bio / His Notes:
Jaccaci, a mural painter and writer, was born in France and came to the United States in the 1880s. He and painter John La Farge were editors for what they hoped would be a multi-volume series to be called Noteworthy Paintings in Private Collections. The first volume was published in 1907, but with the untimely death of La Farge, Jaccaci abandoned the project.
extent7.2 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 9 reels)
formatsCorrespondence Photographs Research Files Notes Legal Files
accessPatrons must use microfilm copy. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment.
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
finding aidFinding Aid Online
acquisition informationPapers were purchased from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which had acquired them for director Francis Henry Taylor's research for Taste of Angels.
updated03/16/2023 10:29:55
....................................................................


titleJames J. Hill letterpress books, 1866-1916 [microform].
repositoryMinnesota Historical society
descriptionCopies of outgoing letters, telegrams, financial records, legal documents, and memoranda reflecting Hill’s business and personal activities and his relationships with prominent financiers, politicians, and other individuals.

The letterpress books contain information on a wide variety of subjects, including transportation, economic development, colonization and settlement, immigration, the use of natural resources, agronomy, politics, art, Indian-white relations, and finance. They document his ownership of or other involvement with the St. Paul and Pacific, St. Paul Minneapolis & Manitoba, Canadian Pacific, and Great Northern railroads; his fuel and warehousing concerns in the 1860s and 1870s; administration of several of his experimental farms; and his other non-railroading enterprises, such as The Red River Roller Mills and the Mille Lacs Lumber Company. Included are outgoing letters of railroad officials Jesse P. Farley, Henry D. Minot, Richard B. Angus, and Allen Manvel.

Personal and private, 1874, 1877-1916 (Series P) (reel 1-17A)
Pre-railroad business, 1866-1878 (Series B) (reel 18-21C)
Railroads, 1877-1890, 1895-1898 (Series R) (reel 22-48B)
Farms, 1884-1889, 1911 (Series F) (reel 49-51)
Private secretary's correspondence, 1886-1916 (Series S) (reel 52-152)
Correspondence from other companies and individuals, 1882-1885, 1894, 1897-1915 (Series O) (reel 153-166).
extent172 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.
formatsCorrespondence Financial Records Legal Papers Ephemera
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://mnhs.mnpals.net
finding aidAn inventory and roll list that provide additional information about these materials are available in the repository; filed as M458.
acquisition informationOriginals are located at the James Jerome Hill Reference Library, Saint Paul, MN. Other copies are located at the Library of Congress, Stanford University Libraries, the University of Manitoba, and Baker & Taylor Inc. Tech Serv & Prod Dev
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleJames Jerome Hill and family papers, 1858-1960 (bulk 1858-1923).
repositoryMinnesota Historical society
descriptionDiaries, letters, photographs, memorial books, scrapboooks, and other materials of St. Paul railroad magnate James J. Hill and his wife, Mary T. Hill, focusing largely on family life and to a lesser extent on Hill's business activities. There are also letters written home by the Hills' young son Walter while he was away at boarding school, and a group of papers of Eduard Boeckmann, a Norwegian-born St. Paul physician who was the father of Rachel Hill's husband, Egil Boeckmann.

Biographical Note
James Jerome Hill was born near Guelph, Ontario on September 16, 1838. He came to St. Paul in 1856, where he first worked as a shipping clerk for J. W. Bass and Company. Between 1856 and 1859 he prospered in a series of wood and coal merchandising partnerships. He was general manager (1879-1882) and president (1883-1890) of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company. In 1890 the railroad became the Great Northern Railway Company, with Hill as president (1890-1907) and later chairman of the board (1907-1912). Hill died in St. Paul on May 29, 1916.

Mary Theresa Mehegan was born in New York City on July 1, 1846. In 1850 she came with her family to St. Paul. She attended finishing school at St. Mary's Institute (Milwaukee, Wis., 1864-1867) and married James J. Hill on August 19, 1867. Mary Hill was long active in St. Paul's Catholic community. She died on November 22, 1921.

The Hills' children included: Mary Francis, known as "Mamie" (Mrs. Samuel Hill, 1868-); James Norman Hill (1870-1932); Louis Warren Hill (1872-1948); Clara Anne, or Anna (Mrs. Erasmus C. Lindley, 1873-1947); Charlotte (Mrs. George T. Slade, [ca.1876]-1923); Ruth (Mrs. Anson Beard, 1879-); Rachel (Mrs. Egil Boeckmann, [ca.1882]-1967); Gertrude (Mrs. Michael Gavin, [ca.1884]-1961); and Walter J. Hill (1885-1944). A daughter, Katie, died in infancy (1876).



Associated Material
The main body of James Jerome Hill’s personal and business papers are in The James Jerome Hill Reference Library, St. Paul, Minn. A microfilm copy of the letterpress books are in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collection.
extent4.1 cu. ft. (7 boxes, including 32 v., and 1 oversize folder, unboxed).
formatsDiaries Journals Photographs Subject Files Scrapbooks
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record linkhttp://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00698.xml#a8
record sourcehttp://www.mnhs.org
finding aidInventory in repository and available electronically.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleAddresses, 1902-1916.
repositoryWashington State University Libraries
descriptionAddresses delivered to various groups on transportation, commercial affairs, and education.

Bio/History:
Railroad financier
extent.5 ft.
formatsWritings
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleJohn Foster Carr papers, 1801-1940, bulk (1909-1940). (MssCol 477)
repositoryNew York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division
descriptionCollection contains correspondence, materials relating to "Books for Everybody" campaign, writings by Carr and his family, photographs, and printed matter. Correspondence, 1909-1940, concerns his activities as director of the Immigrant Publication Society, his series of guides for immigrants, speaking engagements, and personal and family matters. "Books for Everybody" materials include legal and financial records, notes, memoranda, and scrapbook of clippings. Writings by Carr consist of manuscripts and typescripts of his speeches on immigrants and Americanization, drafts of articles and projected biographies; galleys and printed copy of book by his wife Emma Lilian Dana; and manuscripts of sermons, 1801-1830, by his great grandfather, Rev. John Clarke. Also, cardfiles, notes, photographs of immigrants and art work of Sarah J. Eddy, and printed materials.

Bio/History:
John Foster Carr (1869-1939), lecturer and author, promoted the education and Americanization of immigrants, particularly Italian immigrants. He was founder and director of the Immigrant Publication Society; was active in the American Library Association (ALA), promoting the "Books for Everybody" campaign in New York City; and helped with the ALA's book drive for U.S. armed forces, ca. 1918-1920. He wrote a series of guides to the U.S. for Italian, Jewish and Polish immigrants; and wrote or edited other books and articles on immigration, libraries, Thomas Jefferson, and the Declaration of Independence.
extent9.75 linear feet (19 boxes)
formatsCorrespondence Photographs Writings Ephemera Financial Records
accessApply in Special Collections Office for admission to the Manuscripts and Archives Division. Condition Carr's copies of his outgoing letters are crumbling. Clippings are also in very bad shape.
record linkhttp://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/carrj.pdf
record sourcehttp://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12330928~S98
finding aidCollection guide available in repository and on internet: http://catnyp.nypl.org/search?/.b3813227/.b3813227/1,1,1,B/l856~b3813227&FF=&1,0,,1,0
acquisition informationSeptember, 1940, received from the Estate of John Foster Carr.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:56
....................................................................


titleJAMES J. HILL SCRAPBOOK, 1916 (#334)
repositoryNational Museum of American History
descriptionThe 151 scrapbook pages (13" x 15") contain newspaper clippings of the news stories and obituaries of the death of James Jerome Hill on May 29, 1916 at age 78.

The clippings dated May 29 and 30, 1916 are from throughout the United States and Canada and report on the life and death of the man known as "Railroad Builder" and "Empire Builder".

Biography
James J. Hill was born near Guelph, Ontario on September 16, 1838 of parents of Scottish and Northern Ireland background. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota when he was 18 and began his career in railroad building.

His major accomplishment was to discover the "bread-basket of the world" in the Northwest United States and led in the development of its 6 states from wilderness. Along the 6,000 miles of track he created wealth of $5 billion in land values, having provided for 400,000 farms on 65 million acres. This was done between 1880-1893 with no Federal or State money. He introduced livestock to these farms and imported blood stock. He had men show the farmers how to raise more wheat, and established cheap rates for rail and steamship for the transport of the grain. Hill organized a fleet of steamships for the commercial invasion of Japan and China and made possible trade between Buffalo, NY to the Far East.

Hill was known to believe in low grades, heavy power, large capacity cars and big trainloads. Besides being president of the Great Northern Railway form 1889-1912, he controlled the First National Bank and the Northwestern Trust Company. He also helped to get Armour and Company to locate in south St. Paul. He arranged for Wall Street to purchase $500,000,000 of foreign bonds to help the allies in 1915. He also personally gave money to King Albert of Belgium to help the country after the Germans invaded it.

Hill was worth an estimated $200 to $250 million when he died.

extent0.66 cubic feet
formatsScrapbooks Clippings
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d8334.htm
acquisition informationThis scrapbook, presumably part of the Warshaw Collection, was found in the vault, Spring, 1989.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:10
....................................................................


titleM. Knoedler & Co. records, approximately 1848-1971
repositoryThe Getty Research Institute
descriptionThe records of M. Knoedler & Co. document the business of the prominent American art dealer from the mid-19th century to 1971, when the Knoedler Gallery was acquired by Armand Hammer. The archive traces the development of the once provincial American art market into one of the world's leading art centers and the formation of the private art collections that would ultimately establish many of the nation's leading art museums, such as the Frick Collection and the National Gallery of Art.

It brings to the foreground the business side of dealing as artworks shuttled back and forth among Knoedler, fellow dealers, and collectors, documenting developments in art connoisseurship, shifting tastes, the changing role of art in American society, and the essential role of private collectors in the formation of public American art collections.

The records provide insight into broader economic, social and cultural histories and the nation's evolving sense of place in the world. The Knoedler Gallery became one of the main suppliers of old master and post-Impressionist paintings in the United States. Financial records of the firm provide crucial provenance information on the large number of artworks in American museums that were sold by the gallery. The archive includes stock books, sales books and commission books; correspondence with collectors, artists, art dealers and other associates; photographs of the artworks sold by the gallery; records from the firm's offices in London, Paris and other cities; exhibition files; framing and restoration records, and records of the firm's Print Department.

Selected portions of the archive have been digitized and made available online. Connect to selected digitized portions of the archive.

Arranged in 14 series:
Series I. Stock books;
Series II. Sales books;
Series III. Commission books;
Series IV. Inventory cards;
Series V. Receiving and shipping records;
Series VI. Correspondence;
Series VII. Photographs;
Series VIII. Exhibition files;
Series IX. American Department records;
Series X. Framing and restoration records;
Series XI. Print Department records;
Series XII. Other financial records;
Series XIII. Library cards, scrapbooks, and research materials;
Series XIV. Knoedler family papers


Biographical/Historical Note:
M. Knoedler & Co. was a successor to the New York branch of Goupil & Co., an extremely dynamic print-publishing house founded in Paris in 1827. Goupil's branches in London, Berlin, Brussels, and The Hague, as well as New York, expanded the firm's market in the sale of reproductive prints.

The firm's office in New York was established in 1848. In 1857, Michael Knoedler, an employee of Goupil and a manager for the firm, bought out the interests in the firm's New York branch, conducted the business under his own name, and diversified its activities to include the sale of paintings. Roland Knoedler, Michael's son, took over the firm in 1878 and with Charles Carstairs opened galleries in Paris and London.

In 1928, the management of the firm passed to Roland's nephew Charles Henschel, Carman Messmore, Charles Carstairs and Carstairs' son Carroll. In 1956 Henschel died, and E. Coe Kerr and Roland Balaÿ, Michael Knoedler's grandson, took over. In 1971 the firm was sold to businessman and collector Armand Hammer. The gallery closed in November 2011.

extent3042.6 linear feet (5550 boxes, 17 flat file folders).
formatsAuction Catalogs Business Records Correspondence Financial Records Ephemera
accessOpen for use by qualified researchers, with the following exceptions. Boxes 77, 262-264, 1308-1512, 1969-1974, 3592-3723 are restricted due to fragility. Box 4468 is restricted until 2075.
record linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2012m54
record sourcehttp://primo.getty.edu/GRI:GETTY_ALMA21129976460001551
contact informationContact gallery's archivist
finding aidAt the Getty Research Institute and over their website.
acquisition informationAcquired in 2012.
updated05/29/2018 14:44:15
....................................................................


titleElmer E. Adams and family papers, 1861-1979
repositoryMinnesota Historical society
descriptionCorrespondence, diaries, scrapbooks, financial records, campaign literature, clippings, and printed material documenting the career of Adams, a political and business leader of Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Adams’ correspondence (1880s-1940s) with Republican political figures documents Minnesota and presidential election campaigns; the work of the state legislature; local party organization and political patronage; Republican opposition to the National Nonpartisan League (1917-1923) and the Farmer-Labor Party (1930s); women’s political organizations and participation in state politics; activities of Prohibition and women’s suffrage organizations (early 1900s); Adams’ support of legislator Hannah J. Kempfer (1923-1941); and tax laws and other public issues.

Banking practices, regulation, consolidations, and failures (especially 1930s) and the activities of the First Bank Stock Corp.(1930s) are heavily documented. There is considerable information on the University of Minnesota’s administration, finances, faculty, staff, and agricultural experiment stations; affairs of James J. Hill and the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways;

the history and development of Fergus Falls and Otter Tail County; Fergus Falls business, civil, and political affairs; Adams’ real estate holdings; his work as census supervisor (1900); World War I civilian relief organizations; the work of the Reconstruction Finance Corp. (1932-1935); and the activities of Adams’ children, Samuel P., Dorothy, and Marjorie.

Also included are letters, diaries, notebooks, and memorabilia of Adams’ brother-in-law Reginald Reynolds, the first physician in Fergus Falls (1860-1898).

Biog / Hist Note
Adams was president of the First National Bank of Fergus Falls (1912-1950); associated with numerous other regional banks and banking organizations; editor (1885-1912) of the Fergus Falls Journal;

Minnesota state representative (1905-1909, 1915, 1919) and senator (1931-1933, 1939-1941); and a regent of the University of Minnesota (1897-1905). He owned or was associated with a number of regional milling, land and timber, development, and other businesses.

Location:
Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscript Collection Microfilm Call #: M541

extent84 microfilm reels.
formatsMicrofilm Correspondence Diaries Financial Records Scrapbooks
accessAvailable for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.
record sourcehttp://mnhs.mnpals.net
finding aidAn inventory that provides additional information about this collection is available in the repository; filed as M541.
acquisition informationFollowing microfilming filmed newspaper clippings and clipping scrapbooks and unfilmed printed materials unrelated to Adams and Minnesota (0.5 cu. ft.) were returned to the donor; unfilmed duplicates (0.5 cu. ft.) were disposed of.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:13
....................................................................


titleM. Knoedler & Co. records, approximately 1848-1971
repositoryThe Getty Research Institute
descriptionThe records of M. Knoedler & Co. document the business of the prominent American art dealer from the mid-19th century to 1971, when the Knoedler Gallery was acquired by Armand Hammer. The archive traces the development of the once provincial American art market into one of the world's leading art centers and the formation of the private art collections that would ultimately establish many of the nation's leading art museums, such as the Frick Collection and the National Gallery of Art.

It brings to the foreground the business side of dealing as artworks shuttled back and forth among Knoedler, fellow dealers, and collectors, documenting developments in art connoisseurship, shifting tastes, the changing role of art in American society, and the essential role of private collectors in the formation of public American art collections.

The records provide insight into broader economic, social and cultural histories and the nation's evolving sense of place in the world. The Knoedler Gallery became one of the main suppliers of old master and post-Impressionist paintings in the United States. Financial records of the firm provide crucial provenance information on the large number of artworks in American museums that were sold by the gallery. The archive includes stock books, sales books and commission books; correspondence with collectors, artists, art dealers and other associates; photographs of the artworks sold by the gallery; records from the firm's offices in London, Paris and other cities; exhibition files; framing and restoration records, and records of the firm's Print Department.

Selected portions of the archive have been digitized and made available online. Connect to selected digitized portions of the archive.

Arranged in 14 series:
Series I. Stock books;
Series II. Sales books;
Series III. Commission books;
Series IV. Inventory cards;
Series V. Receiving and shipping records;
Series VI. Correspondence;
Series VII. Photographs;
Series VIII. Exhibition files;
Series IX. American Department records;
Series X. Framing and restoration records;
Series XI. Print Department records;
Series XII. Other financial records;
Series XIII. Library cards, scrapbooks, and research materials;
Series XIV. Knoedler family papers


Biographical/Historical Note:
M. Knoedler & Co. was a successor to the New York branch of Goupil & Co., an extremely dynamic print-publishing house founded in Paris in 1827. Goupil's branches in London, Berlin, Brussels, and The Hague, as well as New York, expanded the firm's market in the sale of reproductive prints.

The firm's office in New York was established in 1848. In 1857, Michael Knoedler, an employee of Goupil and a manager for the firm, bought out the interests in the firm's New York branch, conducted the business under his own name, and diversified its activities to include the sale of paintings. Roland Knoedler, Michael's son, took over the firm in 1878 and with Charles Carstairs opened galleries in Paris and London.

In 1928, the management of the firm passed to Roland's nephew Charles Henschel, Carman Messmore, Charles Carstairs and Carstairs' son Carroll. In 1956 Henschel died, and E. Coe Kerr and Roland Balaÿ, Michael Knoedler's grandson, took over. In 1971 the firm was sold to businessman and collector Armand Hammer. The gallery closed in November 2011.

extent3042.6 linear feet (5550 boxes, 17 flat file folders).
formatsAuction Catalogs Business Records Correspondence Financial Records Ephemera
accessOpen for use by qualified researchers, with the following exceptions. Boxes 77, 262-264, 1308-1512, 1969-1974, 3592-3723 are restricted due to fragility. Box 4468 is restricted until 2075.
record linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2012m54
record sourcehttp://primo.getty.edu/GRI:GETTY_ALMA21129976460001551
contact informationContact gallery's archivist
finding aidAt the Getty Research Institute and over their website.
acquisition informationAcquired in 2012.
updated05/29/2018 14:44:15
....................................................................