Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Closson's
| title | Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art records, 1883-1962, bulk 1885-1962 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The records of the Carnegie Institute, Museum of Art are 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. Extensive correspondents related to the art world include artists, dealers, galleries, collectors, museum directors, shipping and insurance agents, and museum trustees museum staff, 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. 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) Series 6: Card Catalogs, 1895-1940, (Box 252-264; 11 linear feet) The Exhibitions and International Series (Series 3 and 4) and the correspondence of directors John W. Beatty and Homer Saint-Gaudens were digitized in 2011 and are available via the Archives of American Art's website. Blank pages, blank versos of photographs, photographs of artwork, and duplicates have not been scanned. In most cases, only the cover, title page, and individual relevant pages have been scanned from published materials. |
| extent | 264 Boxes, 264.3 Linear Feet |
| formats | Electronic Resource Correspondence Administrative Records Exhibition Files Catalogs |
| access | Use of original papers requires an appointment. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.carninst.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/carnegie-institute-museum-art-records-7343 |
| finding aid | Available online: http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/carnegie-institute-museum-art-records-7343/more |
| acquisition information | 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. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:11 |
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| title | Macbeth Gallery records, 1838-1968 (bulk 1892-1953). | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The records provide almost complete coverage of the gallery's operations from its inception in 1892 to its closing in 1953. Through extensive correspondence files, financial and inventory records, printed material, scrapbooks, reference and research material, and photographs of artists and works of art, the records document all aspects of the gallery's activities, charting William Macbeth's initial intention to lease his store "for the permanent exhibition and sale of American pictures" through over sixty years of success as a major New York firm devoted to American art. The collection measures 132.2 linear feet and dates from 1838 to 1968 with the bulk of the material dating from 1892 to 1953. Correspondence files form the bulk of the collection and records the day-to-day transactions of the gallery with artists, dealers, curators, and collectors. The correspondence found here documents all aspects of the gallery's activities including relationships with artists, arrangements for loans, consignments, and sales; the development of public and private collections; and the involvement of the gallery owners in the art community. In addition to general correspondence there is a group of correspondence that pertains directly to requests for gallery publications and a series of letterpress books containing five years of copies of the gallery's outgoing letters. The financial and shipping records provide a detailed record of the gallery's financial transactions through a variety of ledgers and account books. These records provide insight into art buying and collecting tendencies throughout the first half of the twentieth century. They also record the effect of fluctuations in the economy including the Depression of the 1930s. Records in this series can be used more effectively in conjunction with the card files in Series 3: Inventory Records. The information found here supports that found in Series 2: Financial and Shipping Records and consists of card files recording stock disposition and a series of stock books. The card files are an invaluable tool for tracking the artwork that passed through Macbeth's hands. Includes printed material published by Macbeth Gallery in addition to exhibition catalogs from other galleries and organizations, art publications, and loose magazine articles and news clippings. Publications represented are the Macbeth Gallery publications Art Notes and Biographical Notes in addition to a set of bound volumes, comprising an almost complete run of the pre-Civil War American art journal The Crayon. The scrapbooks are the collection's main source of Macbeth Gallery exhibition catalogs and related news clippings. They provide comprehensive coverage of the gallery's history and include material on day-to-day events at the gallery as well as important occasions such as the 1908 exhibition of "The Eight" and the gallery's fortieth, fiftieth and sixtieth anniversaries, news of the art world in general and some photographs. Due to their fragile nature, scrapbooks can be consulted only on microfilm. The reference files consist of reference and research files relating to American artists and containing material gathered over time by the Macbeths and Robert G. McIntyre. Several references are made in the gallery's outgoing correspondence to the fact that the gallery was compiling a summmary of ownership of paintings by the best known American artists. Documentation related to this endeavor can be found here in a folder of collection lists of artwork in private and public collections. Named artist files contain important information regarding the provenance of paintings, including some by Gilbert Stuart and Winslow Homer. Other material found here includes photographs of artwork, biographical information on the artists listed, scattered correspondence, clippings, notes, and copies of reference material from printed sources. Miscellaneous material contains transcripts of several lectures and essays written by Robert Macbeth, and an essay on Winslow Homer which he wrote for Living American Art. Also found here is a folder containing notes for a lecture on Israeli art by Robert G. McIntyre; an original drawing and a print by Robert W. Weir; and a transcript allegedly of excerpts from the journal of Marsden Hartley apparently transcribed by an unknown member of the Macbeth Gallery staff. The remaining materials found here are miscellaneous business records of Robert G. McIntyre. The photographs include a rich collection of images of many of the artists whose work was handled by the Macbeth Gallery, as well as photos of the gallery and the artwork. A substantial number of the photographs are original silver gelatin and platinum prints; there are also several daguerrotypes and an original photo postcard. Many of the photographs are autographed and some are addressed to the gallery. The artist most heavily represented in the photograph files is Winslow Homer. The photographs of artists have been digitally scanned and may be viewed on the AAA Digital Collections Database. I. Correspondence, 1838-1968. II. Financial and Shipping Records, 1892-1956. III. Inventory Records, 1892-ca. 1957. IV. Printed Material, 1838-1963. V. Scrapbooks, 1892-1952. VI. Reference Files, 1839-1959. VII. Miscellaneous Files, 1912-1956. VIII. Photographs, ca. 1880-1968. |
| extent | Total: 132.2 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 194 reels) reels NMc1-NMc81, 439-441, 2820-2823 & 3091-3092 reels 2564-2667 & 3094 |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Inventories Scrapbooks Clippings |
| access | Use requires an appointment. Scrapbooks: Fragile; 14 of the 20 originals closed; researchers must use microfilm reels NMc1 - NMc4 for access. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.macbgall.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/macbeth-gallery-records-9703 |
| finding aid | Reels NMc 1-NMc 81, 2564-2667, 2820-2823, & 3094: Finding Aid available at AAA offices. Electronic finding aid available at http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/findingaids/macbgal.htm |
| acquisition information | Material on reels NMc 1-NMc 81, 2564-2667, 2820-2823, 3094 & unmicrofilmed portions donated in several installments, 1955-1966, by Robert G. McIntyre and estate. McIntyre was the last owner of the Macbeth Gallery and nephew of William Macbeth. Material on reels 3091-3092 donated 1974 by Phoebe C. and William Macbeth II, grandchildren of William Macbeth. All former accessions were merged and reprocessed in 2004; the arrangement of the collection does not match the microfilmed materials. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:16 |
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| title | Frank K.M. Rehn Galleries records, 1858-1969, bulk 1919-1968 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries records measure 21.8 linear feet and are dated 1858-1969 (bulk 1919-1968). The records consist mainly of business correspondence with collectors, artists, museums and arts organizations, colleagues, and others. A small amount of Frank K. M. Rehn's personal correspondence and a few stray personal papers of individual artists are interfiled. Also included are financial records, scrapbooks, printed matter, miscellaneous records, and photographs documenting most of the history of a highly regarded New York art gallery devoted to American painting. Series 1: Correspondence contains correspondence with artists, museums and arts organizations, collectors, colleagues, and others documents the workings of Rehn Galleries from its earliest days through 1968. A small amount of Frank K. M. Rehn's personal correspondence and a few scattered personal papers of individual artists are interfiled with the business correspondence. Series 2: Financial Records includes banking, insurance, and investment records, tax returns and related documentation, miscellaneous financial records and paid bills. Among the insurance records are detailed monthly schedules listing paintings with titles, artists, and insurance values. Miscellaneous financial records include inventories of gallery stock, notes regarding business expenses and income, and receipt books recording incoming paintings. Also included are a small number of items concerning the personal business of Frank Rehn and John Clancy. Five volumes of Scrapbooks (Series 3) contain clippings and a small number of exhibition catalogs documenting the activities of Rehn Galleries and many of its associated artists. Additional Printed Matter in Series 4 includes material relating to Rehn Galleries and its artists, as well as publications produced by Rehn Galleries. General, art-related printed matter consists of articles, auction catalogs, advertisements, and publications of various museums, arts organizations, and schools. There is also material about artists not affiliated with Rehn Galleries. Additional printed items concern miscellaneous subjects that are not art-related. Series 5: Miscellaneous Records, includes artwork, lists and notes, and writings. Photographs in Series 6 are of people including artists represented by Rehn as well as several not affiliated with the gallery. Noticeably absent are likenesses of Frank Rehn and John Clancy. Photographs of works of art are by Rehn Galleries' artists and others. Reginald Marsh's photographs consist of family and personal photographs that were either given to Rehn Galleries or perhaps loaned for research use, and include views of Marsh from early childhood through later life, photographs of family and friends, and a small family album. Also included are photographs are of Marsh's childhood drawings. Bio / His Notes: Frank K. M. Rehn (1886-1956), son of the marine painter Frank Knox Morton Rehn, after several years' experience as an employee of the Milch Galleries and as exhibition manager for the Salmagundi Club, opened his own art gallery in 1918. In its earliest years, the gallery operated as the Galleries of Frank K. M. Rehn. From the mid 1920s through the mid 1940s, the name used was Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries. As early as 1946, the gallery was referred to simply as Rehn Galleries. The gallery closed in 1981. Throughout its existence, Rehn Galleries specialized in representing American painters. During the first five years Rehn's operation was a private gallery at 6 West 50th Street, New York City. Among the artists he first represented were older, established men such as J. Alden Weir, George Inness, Alexander Wyant, Theodore Robinson, Thomas Dewing, and John H. Twachtman. Occasionally, Rehn handled works by such luminaries of the period as Robert Henri, George Luks, and John Singer Sargent. Among the living artists affiliated with the gallery in its first years were Daniel Garber, Walter Griffin, Dodge MacKnight, and Robert Spencer. Rehn's most popular artist during this time was Childe Hassam, who sued for recovery of a painting that, although acquired by Rehn through a reputable dealer, had been stolen from Hassam's studio many years earlier. Despite the newspaper publicity surrounding Hassam's lawsuit, the business was a successful venture almost immediately. Very early, a number of important collectors including Duncan Phillips, John Gellatly, John T. Spaulding, Albert McVitty, E. W. Root, and C. Vanderbilt Barton displayed confidence in Rehn's judgment and integrity, which enhanced his gallery's reputation and stature among both collectors and artists. In 1923, the gallery moved to 693 Fifth Avenue and began operating as Rehn Galleries, a commercial gallery in the same building that housed in a building that housed Kennedy and Company and the Bourgeois Galleries. At this time, Rehn hired an assistant, John C. Clancy (1897-1981), who had formerly been with Henry Reinhardt and Son and M. Knoedler. The Rehn Galleries soon enjoyed a regular following among museum curators and collectors visiting from out of town. The gallery's roster of artists grew along with its reputation. Rehn focused almost exclusively on American painters, occasionally showing drawings and prints by artists who were primarily painters; notable exceptions were sculptor Mahonri Young and Henry Varnum Poor who, in addition to being a painter, was known for his work in ceramics. Among the painters eventually represented were: Peggy Bacon, George Bellows, Alexander Brook, Charles Burchfield, John F. Carlson, John Carroll, Howard Cook, Jon Corbino, Virginia Cuthbert, Andrew Dasberg, Sidney Gross, Edward Hopper, Alexander James, Irving Kaufmann, Yeffe Kimball, Leon Kroll, Peppino Mangravite, Reginald and Felicia Meyer Marsh, Henry Mattson, Henry Lee McFee, Kenneth Hayes Miller, Charles Rosen, Robert Riggs, Alexander Russo, Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones, Eugene Speicher, Henry Strater, Richard Derby Tucker, Franklin C. Watkins, and Denny Winters. In 1930, Rehn Galleries moved one block south to the Air France Building at 683 Fifth Avenue, remaining there for thirty years. John C. Clancy, Rehn's long-time assistant, became Gallery Director in 1953 after a stroke prevented Rehn from continuing to run his business in an active capacity. Eventually, Rehn's widow sold Clancy the gallery, which he continued to operate under varying names, including Rehn Gallery, Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries, Frank Rehn Gallery, and Rehn Galleries. From 1960 until 1966, The Rehn Galleries were at 36 East 61st Street from 1960 until 1966, when the gallery moved to a space formerly occupied by Kootz Gallery at 855 Madison Avenue, where it remained in business for another fifteen years. Additional forms: 35mm microfilm reels 5849-5872 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Loc. of Assoc. Material: Additional Rehn Gallery records also located at: Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, N.Y. Co-Creator: Bartlett, Frederic Clay, 1873-1953 Bellows, George, 1882-1925 Brook, Alexander, 1898-1980 Burchfield, Charles Ephraim, 1893-1967 Chappell, Warren, 1904- Clancy, John, d. 1981 Coleman, Glenn O., 1887-1932 Cook, Howard Norton, 1901-1980 Cuthbert, Virginia, 1908-2001 Dasburg, Andrew, 1887- Gellatly, John, 1853-1931 Hawthorne, Charles Webster, 1872-1930 Henri, Robert, 1865-1929 Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967 Hopper, Jo N. (Josephine Nivison), ca. 1883-1968 James, Alexander, 1890-1946 Kroll, Leon, 1884-1974 Luks, George Benjamin, 1867-1933 Mangravite, Peppino, 1896- Marsh, Felicia Meyer, 1912 or 3-1978 Marsh, Reginald, 1898-1954 McFee, Henry Lee, 1886-1953 Melchers, Gari, 1860-1932 Orton, J. Robert Pepper, Charles Hovey, 1864-1950 Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966 Poor, Henry Varnum, 1887-1970 Russo, Alexander Spalding, John T. Sparhawk-Jones, Elizabeth, 1885-1968 Speicher, Eugene E. (Eugene Edward), 1883-1962 Spruance, Benton, 1904-1967 Strater, Henry, 1896- Tucker, Allen, 1866-1939 Tucker, Richard Derby, 1903- Winters, Denny, 1907-1985 Young, Mahonri Mackintosh, 1877-1957 |
| extent | 21.8 linear ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Photographs Scrapbooks Works of Art |
| access | The papers have been scanned in their entirety and are available online via AAA's website. Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.franrehg.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/frank-k-m-rehn-galleries-records-9193 |
| finding aid | Available on the repository's, Archives of American Art's, web site. |
| acquisition information | The Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries records were loaned by John Clancy for microfilming in 1959; in 1966, this same material was donated to the Archives. Mr. Clancy made subsequent gifts of additional gallery records in 1978 and 1981. In 1985, the Whitney Museum of American Art donated to the Archives correspondence with Edward Hopper that John Clancy had loaned the museum many years earlier. A death mask of George Luks received with the collection is on extended loan to the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Separated and Related Materials John Clancy interview by Paul Cummings, July 10, 1970. Oral History Program, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Samuel Adler Papers, 1902-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Contains a recording (1 cassette; untranscribed) of Beverly Chesler interviewing John Clancy about the history of Rehn Galleries, 1973; Samuel Adler is present and participates briefly in the interview. In addition, the Archives of American Art has among its collections personal papers and oral history interviews of artists and collectors associated with the Rehn Galleries. Researchers are advised to conduct a name search in the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS). |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:14 |
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| title | Rockwell Kent papers, [circa 1840]-1993, bulk 1935-1961 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence, manuscripts, printed matter, art work, and photographs that provide comprehensive coverage of Kent's career as a painter, illustrator, designer, writer, lecturer, traveler, political activist, and dairy farmer. Voluminous personal and professional correspondence with his three wives, five children, and other relatives, as well as with literally hundreds of friends--both lifelong and of brief duration--illuminates Kent's private life and contributes to understanding of his complex character. Among the many correspondents of note are: his wives Kathleen Whiting Kent, Frances Lee Kent, and Shirley (Sally) Johnstone Kent Gorton; his art teachers William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, and Kenneth Hayes Miller; fellow artists Elmer Adler, Tom Cleland, Arthur B. Davies, Hugo Gellert, Harry Gottleib, Marsden Hartley, Charles Keller, and Ruth Reeves; collectors Duncan Phillips and Dan Burne Jones; critics J. E. Chamberlain and Walter Pach; and dealers Charles Daniel, Felix Wildenstein, and Macbeth Galleries. Kent corresponded with such diverse people as Arctic explorers Peter Freuchen, Knud Rasmussen, and Vilhjalmar Steffanson; composer Carl Ruggles and songwriters Lee Hays and Pete Seeger; civil rights pioneers Paul Robeson and Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois; writers Bayard Boyesen, Scott and Helen Nearing, and Louis Untermeyer; and art historian and print curator Carl Zigrosser. Kent's interest and involvement in the labor movement are reflected in correspondence with officials and members of a wide variety and large number of unions and related organizations, among them: the Farmers' Educational and Cooperative Union of America, Farmers' Union of the New York Milk Shed, International Workers Order, National Maritime Union, and United Office and Professional Workers of America. Of special interest is his participation, often in leadership roles, in various attempts to organize artists. Files on the American Artists' Congress, Artists League of America, The Artists Union, United American Artists, and United Scenic Artists contain particularly valuable material on the movement. A supporter of New Deal efforts to aid artists, Kent was actively interested in the various programs and often was critical of their limitations; he advocated continuing federal aid to artists after the Depression abated. Iincluded within the collection is correspondence with the Federal Arts Project, Federal Fine Arts Project, Federal Writers' Project, and the War Department, as well as correspondence with the Citizens' Committee for Government Art Projects and President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the subject. Manuscripts include "Rockwellkentiana," "Greenland Journal," "To Thee!," "Of Men and Mountains," "A Voyager's Log, Part II," and final chapters of his autobiography, "Its Me O Lord," covering the period after publication in 1955 until just before his death in 1971. Also included are various articles, speeches, radio addresses, book and exhibition reviews, catalog essays, and poems by Kent. Printed matter including publications and exhibition posters; news clippings about Kent, and articles written and or illustrated by Kent; also, clipping files on subjects of interest to him. Art work consists of drawings, prints, and sketches including work done in Greenland, and set designs for the Benjamin Britten opera "Peter Grimes." Also included are drawings by children. Photographs are of works of art by Kent, places visited by Kent, Kent and family (including portraits by Arnold Genthe, ca. 1920, and Carl Van Vechten, ca. 1930), and miscellaneous subjects including: "Direction" and other boats, home and Asgaard farm, Eskimo artifacts, and whales. See also unmicrofilmed addition. Also included is a reel of 35mm motion picture film, 3 min., no sound, b&w (transferred to video) of Kent in Greenland?, showing dog sled, Kent and family?, and village scenes. Bio / His Notes: Painter, printmaker, illustrator, designer, and commercial artist. Kent also pursued careers as as a writer, professional lecturer, and dairy farmer. He travelled extensively, and was a political activist who supported the causes of organized labor, civil liberties, civil rights, anti-Fascism, and peace and friendship with the Soviet Union. General Note: Papers suffered significant water damage after being rescued from the fire that destroyed the Kent home in 1969. A small percentage could not be salvaged, and a few items (particularly letters written in fountain pen) are faded or smeared to the point of illegibility. |
| extent | 88 linear ft. (on 106 microfilm reels) Addition: 1.7 linear ft. reels 5153-5256 |
| formats | Correspondence Manuscript Printed Materials Works of Art Photographs |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. Permission to quote, reproduce or publish may be needed from Plattsburgh State University of New York art museum. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.kentrock.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/rockwell-kent-papers-9557 |
| finding aid | Both on site at the repository, Archives of American Art, and on its web site. |
| acquisition information | Donated 1969 and 1971 by Mr. and Mrs. Rockwell Kent, and in 1996 by Shirley (Sally) Kent Gorton. Funding for the processing, microfilming, and publication of the finding aid was provided by The Henry Luce Foundation. Additional photos, art works and writings were donated 2001 by the Shirley Gorton Johnstone estate. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:22 |
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