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Archives related to: Ames, Frederick L. (Frederick Lothrop), 1835-1893

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.
updated03/16/2023 10:29:55
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titleMassachusetts Horticultural Society, 1816-1928
repositoryMassachusetts Horticultural Society
descriptionhis collection consists primarily of correspondence between members, international corresponding members, and society officers.

There are also bills, invoices, a drawing, a poster, nursery catalogs, and publications from the various committees of the MHA.

Bio/History: Massachusetts Horticultural Society was founded in 1829 and is the oldest, formally organized horticultural institution in the United States. MHS has successfully championed many important issues throughout its history, such as the introduction of the food plants (Concord Grape, 1853), the garden cemetery movement (Mount Auburn Cemetery, 1831), the school garden movement (1880's) and many more.

Organization:
Arranged into three series: I. Correspondence, 1816-1839; II. Correspondence, 1840-1928; III. Subject files; and IV. Oversized materials.

extent2 linear ft. (4 boxes)
accessContact repository directly for further details.
record sourcehttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122931493
finding aidavailable in repository
updated03/06/2015 15:57:39
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titleAmes family biographical materials, 1890.
repositoryUniversity of California, Berkeley
descriptionMembers of the family included Oakes (1804-1873), his brother Oliver (1807-1877), Oliver's son, Frederick Lathrop (1835-1893), and Oliver (1831-1895), the son of Oakes.

Dictations by Frederick Lathrop Ames, W.L. Chaffin, and G.H. Campbell; letters by George H. Morrison, W.L. Chaffin, and Samuel J. Menard; and drafts of the biography, which deal especially with the Congressional career of Oakes, his part in the construction of the Union Pacific, and his involvement in the Credit Mobilier scandal; the connection of the elder Oliver with the Union Pacific and other railroads; the banking and railroad interests of Frederick Lathrop; and the railroad interests and political career of the younger Oliver, who was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1882 and governor in 1886.

Note:
Forms part of the Hubert Howe Bancroft Collection.

extent16 items.
accessContact repository directly for further details.
record sourcehttp://oskicat.berkeley.edu/record=b11237761~S1
updated03/06/2015 15:57:28
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title[Photographs from the studio of H.H. Richardson and Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge]
repositoryBoston Athenaeum
descriptionA collection of architectural photographs from the office of H.H. Richardson and his successor firm, Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge. Eight-one of the photographs document the work of the two studios; sixteen of the photographs are of European buildings and architectural details that were used for study or inspirational purposes. The portfolio includes two group portraits of Richardson's assistants in his studio.

The collection includes photographs by Frank I. Cooper, A.H. Folsom, Séraphin Médéric Mieusement, Paul Robert, G.B. Squire, J.W. Taylor, Doubleday & Knight, Moulton-Erickson Photograph Co., and Rombach & Greene.

Bio/History:
Collection compiled by Frank Irving Cooper who began his architectural career in H.H. Richardson's firm and worked for Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge before establishing his own firm, Frank Irving Cooper Corporation.

extent1 portfolio (97 photographic prints) ; 46 x 56 cm
accessMaterial must be viewed under curatorial supervision.
record sourcehttp://www.worldcat.org/oclc/316065102
finding aidFinding aid available in the Prints & Photographs Department.
updated03/06/2015 15:54:33
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