Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Ficke, Arthur Davison, 1883-1945

titleArthur Davison Ficke Papers
repositoryYale University Library
descriptionThe Arthur Davison Ficke Papers document the personal lives and literary interests of Arthur Davison and Gladys Brown Ficke. Major correspondents include Witter Bynner, Floyd Dell, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edgar Lee Masters, and John Cowper Powys. In addition to manuscripts of Ficke's own works, the papers contain manuscripts of poems by Witter Bynner, Edgar Lee Masters, and others.

Location: BEINECKE (Non-Circulating)
Call Number: YCAL MSS 50
extent36.50 linear feet (72 boxes)
formatsPersonal Papers Correspondence Manuscript
accessThis collection is open for research. Restricted in boxes 67-69 is restricted until 2023 Dec 31. For further information, consult the appropriate curator. Restricted Fragile in box 70 and in cold storage may only be consulted with permission of the appropriate curator. Preservation photocopies or photographic prints for reference use have been substituted in the main files.
record linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.ficke
record sourcehttp://search.library.yale.edu/catalog/3458938
finding aidOnline and in repository
acquisition informationThe papers came to The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in 1950 as the gift of Gladys Brown Ficke. Additional material was donated in subsequent years by Mr. and Mrs. Stanhope Blunt Ficke, Alyse Gregory, Belinda Jeliffe, Mary Alice Metzgar, and John Van E. Kohn. One item was purchased in 1965 from Seven Gables Bookshop.
updated03/16/2023 10:29:55
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titleBror Julius Olsson (B.J.O.) Nordfeldt papers, 1909-1989.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionBiographical material, correspondence, business records, writings and notes, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs document Nordfeldt's career as a painter and instructor, and his widow's involvement after his death in exhibitions, biographies, and sales of his work.

REELS D166-D167: Biographical material includes a biographical sketch by Stanton L. Catlin, several letters from Nordfeldt's first wife Margaret to his second wife, Emily, and his nephew, Leonard Olson, in response to requests for biographical information, and biographical documents; correspondence of Emily and B.J.O., 1909-1959, with museum directors, gallery owners, patrons, artists, friends, universities, and others, mainly regarding the sale and exhibitions of his paintings and his teaching positions; artists' statements; exhibition catalogs; photographs of Nordfeldt; an excerpt from The Man on the Hilltop, by Arthur Davison Ficke; 5 sketchbooks; 3 scrapbooks; and an extensive catalog of Nordfeldt's paintings compiled by Emily, containing photographs and descriptive information.

UNMICROFILMED: Resumes; correspondence, undated, 1923-1979, includes excerpts of letters from Nordfeldt to Constance Forsyth, 1942-1943 and Emily Abbott Nordfeldt, 1944; Emily Abbott Nordfeldt's correspondence with art collectors, art dealers, galleries and museums regarding exhibitions, gifts and sales of Nordfeldt's work; with Nordfeldt's biographers F. Van Deren Coke and J. Douglas Hale; and with the University of Minnesota, University Gallery, 1970-1972 regarding a Nordfeldt exhibition and the Nordfeldt Fund established by Emily; receipts and other business records; 1944-1979; writings and notes by Emily, ca.1930-1950, and others including the preface by Sheldon Cheney for Nordfeldt, the Painter by Coke, 1972;

a transcript of an interview with Raymond Jonson by Coke; printed material, including clippings, 1912-1984, exhibition catalogs, posters and announcements, undated, 1915-1991, notably a catalog of Nordfeldt's etchings shown at the Arthur H. Hahlo & Co. with an introduction by Robert W. Bruere, 1915; reproductions of graphic work for The Outlook and Harper's Monthly Magazine, 1910; miscellaneous printed material; a scrapbook of clippings and printed material, 1971-1980; photographs of Nordfeldt, undated 1910-1955, of the Santa Fe Players' production of "Grumpy," 1921; 3 photo albums of works of art, ca. 1930-1940; 10 seconds of motion picture film; and 2 sketches by Nordfeldt.

Bio/History:
Painter, etcher, block printer, engraver, lithographer, watercolorist, teacher; Santa Fe, N.M. and Lambertville, N.J.

Co-Creator:
Ficke, Arthur Davison, 1883-1945
Forsyth, Constance, 1903-
Hale, John Douglass
Hanley, Harriet
Jonson, Raymond, 1891-
Lester, William, 1910-1991
Mayor, A. Hyatt (Alpheus Hyatt), 1901-
Nordfeldt, Emily Abbott, 1900-
Passedoit, Georgette
Saint-Gaudens, Homer, b. 1880
Walker, Hudson D. (Hudson Dean), 1907-
Albinson, Dewey, 1898-1971
Bidwell, Watson, 1904-
Knee, Gina, 1898-1982
Candell, Victor, 1903-1977
Catlin, Stanton L. (Stanton Loomis)
Cheney, Sheldon, 1886-
Coke, Van Deren, 1921-
Cook, Howard Norton, 1901-1980
Davison, Edward L.
Devree, Howard, 1891-1966
Dickerson, William Judson, 1904-
Arthur H. Hahlo (Firm)
Harriet Hanley Gallery (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Passedoit Gallery (New York, N.Y.)
extent3.5 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 2 reels) reel D166-D167
formatsCorrespondence Sketchbooks Photographs
accessMicrofilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility.
record linkn/a
record sourcehttps://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/bror-julius-olsson-bjo-nordfeldt-papers-9089
acquisition informationMaterial on reels D166-D167 lent for microfilming 1963 by Emily Abbott Nordfeldt, Bror's widow. In 1991 her estate donated additional material as well as portions of the previously microfilmed material. Material previously lent but NOT subsequently donated includes portions of the biographical material; several letters; artists' statements; a few personal photographs; the 5 sketchbooks; items from the scrapbooks; and the catalog of paintings. (The collection file contains a list of specific reel and frame numbers.) Reels D166-D167: sketchbooks, catalog, and other items not donated: Location of originals unknown.
updated06/20/2023 15:47:32
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titleDorothy Dudley Papers, 1912-1946.
repositoryThe Getty Research Institute
descriptionThe collection includes five letters of B.W. Huebsch, 1912-1913, relating to the publication of Dudley’s translation of Auguste Rodin’s essay on the Venus de Milo; an undated note from Marcel Duchamp, accompanying Dudley’s manuscript for a review of his "La Mariee mise a nu par ces celibataires, meme," published in 1934; plus six letters of the sculptor Ossip Zadkine, 1932-1935, with some commentary on his latest works and personal philosophy.

Also included are letters of Jacques Delamain, Bernard Fay, Arthur Davison Ficke, Frank Irving Fletcher, Merlin N. Hanson, John T. McCutcheon, Thomas O’Connor, A. Plotkin, Sidney Solomon and Oliver Willett, mostly relating to Dudley’s 1932 biography of Theodore Dreiser, "Forgotten frontiers," with an undated typewritten manuscript children’s story by Eliza Orne White entitled, "Dorothy Dudley’s birthday."

Bio/History:
American author and translator.
extentca. 27 items.
formatsCorrespondence Manuscript
accessOpen for use by qualified researchers.
record linkn/a
record sourcehttps://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/19q6gmb/GETTY_ALMA21126878370001551
updated07/28/2023 16:33:44
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titleArthur Davison Ficke Letters, 1913-1932 (inclusive).
repositoryNorthwestern University Archives
descriptionALS, 1913 April 3, Davenport, Iowa, to [Frederick W.] Gookin; ALS, 1932 May 7, Hillsdale, New York, to Mary [Aldis] Hardhack.

Notes:
Poet.

Manuscript cardfile in Special Collections Department.

Cite as: Arthur Davison Ficke Letters, Northwestern University Library Special Collections Department.

Subjects:
Ficke, Arthur Davison, 1883-1945.
Gookin, Frederick William, 1853-
Hardhack, Mary Aldis
extent2 items (3 p.).
formatsCorrespondence
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/
updated11/12/2014 11:30:04
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titleAmerican Art Association records, 1877-1924 (bulk 1910-1924)
repositoryThe Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library
descriptionThe American Art Association records document a selection of auction sales run by the gallery, as well as Thomas Kirby’s relationship with those who sold their works through the AAA. Records date from 1877-1924, with the bulk dating from 1910-1924. The collection includes correspondence, approximately 1,000 photographs, handwritten and typed notes, fragments of a typescript on the American Art Association, pages from auction sales catalogues, newspaper and periodical clippings, and several sales catalogues.

The records are organized in three series:
I. Auction Sales, 1910-1923
II. Correspondence and Notes, 1877-1924, and
III. Clippings, 1881-1924.

The bulk of the collection concerns specific auction sales conducted by the American Art Association. Files contain inventories of the works, often with prices and names of buyers; black & white photos of the works and several of the exhibition installations; correspondence; sections of a typescript on AAA; handwritten notes regarding the sales; pages from sales catalogues; and clippings. Documentation of 70 sales ranges from a single typescript sentence to multiple folders of correspondence, inventories and hundreds of photographs of the items for sale. An additional 150 auction sales are represented in the files only by cursory handwritten notes. Some of the most heavily documented sales include "57 Paintings Belonging to Ichabod T. Williams" of February 3-4, 1915, "Charles of London, Italian, French & English Furniture, Tapestries, Rugs, Paintings, Porcelains, etc." of November 15-20, 1920 and "Palatial Mansion & Contents Collected by William J. Saloman" April 4-7, 1923.

Also of note in the records is correspondence between Kirby and Arthur B. Emmons regarding several auctions in which works he owned were sold, 16 letters to Charles De Kay from correspondents other than Thomas Kirby, handwritten notes on George Inness, biographical comments on Thomas Kirby, and several letters concerning the controversy over the authenticity of the painting "Blue Boy" at the William H. Fuller Sale of February 25, 1898, including a letter from Francis Davis Millet. A few clippings and letters document Kirby's career prior to his affiliation with the American Art Association.

Historical Note:
Thomas E. Kirby (1846-1924), with his partners James F. Sutton and R. Austin Robertson, founded the American Art Association (AAA) in 1883, one of the premier art auction houses of its time. Known for his “million dollar voice,” Kirby conducted the sales himself, and is credited with creating the style of modern art auctions, instituting an atmosphere of elegance and style, and enforcing standards in order to counteract the negative reputation held by auctioneers of the day. Kirby’s son Gustavus joined the firm in 1912 and became half owner in 1915, upon the death of James Sutton. The galleries, located on East 23rd Street on Madison Square South, moved to 30 East 57th Street in 1922. In 1923, Kirby sold AAA to Cortlandt Field Bishop, who contracted Hiram Parke and Otto Bernet to run the auction house. In 1929 it merged with the Anderson Auction Company.

Location
The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives.

Call Number
MS.015
extent3.75 linear feet
formatsPhotographs Financial Records Correspondence Clippings Notes
accessThese records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org
record linkhttp://www.frick.org/archives/FindingAids/AmericanArtAssociation.html
record sourcehttps://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991007470759707141
finding aidFinding aid available in the repository.
acquisition informationThe records were a gift of Mrs. Thomas W. Waller (Wilhelmina), granddaughter of Thomas Kirby, in 1956. These records are just a portion of those donated; an additional 12 linear feet of scrapbooks containing auction sales newspaper clippings have not yet been processed. Mrs. Waller also donated books and sales catalogues, which have been integrated into the Library’s collection. The bulk of the American Art Association's records (an additional 50 linear feet) are located in the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
updated10/28/2024 11:06:24
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