Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Ivins, William Mills, 1881-1961 print view role Collector Scholar/Critic/Expert dates 1881-1961 city New York City state NY other cities Munich, Germany; sex M historical notes William Mills Ivins, Jr. (1881-1961), a lawyer, first became interested in collecting prints and illustrated books while an undergraduate at Harvard. He studied the history of printmaking through self-directed reading, by looking at prints in the major European libraries and museums, and tried his hand at many of the printmaking processes. While practicing law, he wrote articles and organized some small exhibitions of prints as early as 1908. In 1916, the Metropolitan Museum of Art appointed its first Curator of Prints to organized a Department of Prints and Drawings and to develop its small existing collection. Upon the recommendation of Paul J. Sachs who was unable to accept the position, Ivins was selected. He held the post until his retirement some thirty years later. Ivins' private collection of prints and illustrated books, which he had continue to amass through the 1930's, was partially dispersed during his lifetime through gifts to the Metropolitan Museum and to a number of university and special libraries. The portion remaining in his estate was sold at auction by Parke Bernet between 1962 and 1964. Florence Wyman Ivins, William's wife, died in 1948. decades of activity 1900-1910 1910-1920 1920-1930 1930-1940 updated 10/31/2024 13:33:18 bibliographic search Search Frick Art Reference Library Catalog Search Photoarchive Search Worldcat Search Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) Search Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) Search Wikidata Entry Archives/Repository Collection Title Collection Details Archives of American Art Victor Building, Suite 2200 William Mills Ivins papers, 1878-1964. see details... New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Rm 328 Ivins family papers, 1885-1961, bulk (1900-1946) (MssCol 1535) see details... Yale University Library Manuscripts and Archives William Mills Ivins letters to Theodore Sizer, 1926-1960. see details... University of Pennsylvania Rare Book & Manuscript Library Collections Correspondence with Edward Larocque Tinker, 1926. see details... University of Pennsylvania Rare Book & Manuscript Library Collections Correspondence to Van Wyck Brooks, 1951-1961. see details... University of Pennsylvania Rare Book & Manuscript Library Collections Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1913-1946. see details... University of Pennsylvania Rare Book & Manuscript Library Collections Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1921-1961,n.d. see details... «  back