Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Byers, Alexander McBurney

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 linkhttps://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.jaccaugu.pdf
record sourcehttps://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/august-jaccaci-papers-6877
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.
updated06/09/2023 15:39:50
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title19th and 20th century Philadelphia business records, 1810-1919. (SPC) MSS BH 177 COCH
repositoryTemple University
descriptionA collection of different examples of Philadelphia business records from the early 19th century to the early 20th century. There are ledgers, account books, indexes, receipt books, letter books, and press books. The professions, industries, companies, and persons represented vary widely including railroads, mining and logging companies, banking and real estate firms, import/export firms, fuel and manufacturing companies.

Firms,industries,and companies represented in the collection are, for example; Old Township Line Road Co., Chicago Land Title Abstracts, Hyde Post and Co., the A.M. Byers Company, the Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Co., Oil Lake Mining and Lumber Co., the Rockhill Iron and Coal Co., the Hazelton Railroad Co., Benedict Dorsey and Sons, Jenkins and Smith, John Lucas & Co., Inc., the RCA Manufacturing Co., Victor Div., Blu J. Tobacco, the Grand Opera House, and the Insurance Company of North America.

The individuals responsible for creating these documents include Henry Bager, Porter F. Cope, Theodore J. Donnelly, James S. Francis, Joseph Y. Jeans, Granville C. Keith, John Knider, John F. Lewis, Henry C. Potter, Sara B. Stubbs, Peter C. Van Bluck, and Wm. Wilson Jr.
formatsBusiness Papers Financial Records Correspondence Ephemera
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
record sourcehttp://library.temple.edu/collections/special_collections/index.jsp?bhcp=1
finding aidAccession list.
acquisition informationHausdorfer, Walter. Cochran History of Business Collection : manuscripts and documents. Temple University, Special Collections, Philadelphia, Pa.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:55
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titleByers Family Art Collection Inventories, 1900-1977 (bulk 1900-1935)
repositoryThe Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library
descriptionContains a handwritten volume, circa 1900, listing works in the A. M. Byers art collection, a 1935 typed inventory of the Byers family collection, and some loose documents.

"Summary of the Collection of Paintings & Miniatures of A. M. Byers Esq. Allegheny PA", the handwritten volume, contains entries for 84 paintings and seven miniatures.

Entries include the artist's name and biographical information, title and description of the work, and some provenance information. This volume contains no purchase information.

The volume lists works by Bonheur, Constable, Corot, Daubigny, Delacroix, Gainsborough, Guardi, Hals, Rubens, Raeburn, Rembrandt, Romney, Reynolds, Turner, and van Dyck, among others. Entries are grouped alphabetically by artist name.

The 1935 inventory includes the 84 paintings listed in the A. M. Byers inventory, as well as approximately 15 works purchased after Mr. Byers' death. Entries may include purchase information (from whom purchased, date, and price); up to eight appraisals by Knoedler, Lorenz, Harshe, Hyett, Henschel and Bernet dated from 1914 to 1935; narrative assessments made by Royal Cortissoz for the majority of the paintings in 1925, and five made by Knoedler in 1914; date of copyright; insurance cost; and sales results of other works by each artist, 1931-1935. Entries are grouped alphabetically by artist name.

Typed pages were removed from a small binder and rehoused in folders. A 1935 letter to Mrs. J. D. Lyons from Frank G. Love indicates the book was prepared to detail the division of the collection between Mrs. Lyons and Mr. Byers; works are coded with their initials. Loose documents, dated 1935-1977, also list works and their valuations.

Cite as
Byers Family Art Collection Inventories. The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives.

Call Number
MS.025
extent0.5 linear feet (1 box)
formatsInventories
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 sourcehttps://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991008102129707141
acquisition informationGift of Carol Prisant, 2010.
updated10/28/2024 10:34:47
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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 sourcehttps://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/19q6gmb/GETTY_ALMA21129976460001551
contact informationContact gallery's archivist
finding aidAt the Getty Research Institute and over their website.
acquisition informationAcquired in 2012.
updated07/28/2023 16:33:46
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