Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Wagstaff, Samuel J.
| title | Samuel Wagstaff papers, 1962-1984. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Includes correspondence, writings, miscellaneous records, printed material, and photographs documenting Wagstaff's professional and personal relationships with artists and photographers, his career as an art curator, and his position as an important collector of paintings and photographs. Correspondence with artists and others such as curators, arts organizations, galleries, and museums reflects the diversity of contemporary American art and includes individuals associated with the abstract expressionist, Fluxus, pop, earth, conceptual, and minimalist art movements. Wagstaff's importance as a collector and curator and his generosity to and interest in artists is evident from the large number of invitations to view and critique work, requests for fellowship and grant recommendations, and thank you notes from artists to whom he extended financial or moral support. Writings by Wagstaff consist of "Looking at Modern Art" prepared for the Trinity College Reading Program, and an untitled, undated piece about multiplicity in art. Among the writings by other authors are Bruce Bennard's "The Photographer Rediscovered," "Pop Art" by Henry Geldzahler, and "Collecting Photographs" by Bonnie Barrett Stretch. Miscellaneous records are drawings by Bruce Kleinsmith, a print by Harold Paris and artists' resumes. Also included is a costume consisting of a stuffed devil's tail and two red silk caps connected by a long sash, all in a matching red silk bag. Among the printed material are books, exhibition catalogs and prospectuses, periodicals, press releases, reproductions, and a variety of other printed items relating to photography and art. Photographs consist largely of copy prints and a small number of original prints. Also included are a few images of exhibition installations and other miscellaneous subjects. There are no portraits of Samuel J. Wagstaff among the photographs of people. Identified individuals include: Bella Abzug, Peter Allen, Michael Collins, Angela Davis, Candy Darling, Wendell Ford, Joseph Hirshhorn, W. A. Huffman, David Love, Marc Miller, Bettie Ringma, and Andy Warhol. |
| extent | 6.2 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 4 reels) reels 4794-4797 |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence |
| access | Microfilmed portion (correspondence) must be consulted on microfilm. CLOSED TO RESEARCHERS. Collection is being digitized; access is to microfilmed portion only. |
| record link | http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/findingaids/wagssamu.htm |
| record source | www.aaa.si.edu |
| finding aid | Online and in repository |
| acquisition information | Donated 1975-1986 by Samuel Wagstaff. Collection processed and correspondence microfilmed 1993 with funds provided by the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:29:56 |
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| title | Samuel Wagstaff papers, 1796-1987 (bulk 1952-1986) | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | The papers document Sam Wagstaff’s activities as curator and collector, with a focus on his collections and collecting processes. The papers are rich in correspondence, original photographs and non-photographic original artworks, as well as slides, negatives, postcards, film reels, prints and drawings. Original photographs in the archive include a range of 19th- and 20th-century photographic processes. Among many snapshots by Wagstaff in Series I are portraits of his long-term partner, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Patti Smith, among others. In Series II, the development of Wagstaff’s collections is traced through receipts and other documentation, including letters from cultural institutions, photographers and artists such as Agnes Martin, H.C. Westermann, Michael Heizer and Tony Smith. This series also includes original artworks by Dan Basen, Robert Morris and Gordon Newton. The personal papers in Series III range from family photographs to financial documents. Series IV contains the correspondence that Wagstaff did not file in other series, dating primarily to the 1970s and 1980s. In Series V are photographs and other documents relating to specific exhibitions, publications and research by Wagstaff. Series VI contains posters, exhibition announcements and other ephemera, as well as clippings of articles profiling Wagstaff and his collections. Among the 12 film reels in Series VII are seven unidentified and four undeveloped reels, and one labeled "Potatoes on a Studio Floor." Biographical or Historical Notes: American curator and collector Samuel Wagstaff Jr. was born 1921, in New York City. Following a career as a curator of contemporary art at the Wadsworth Atheneum and Detroit Institute of Arts, Wagstaff returned to New York City and concentrated on collecting. The focus of Wagstaff’s photography collection was originally nineteenth- and early twentieth-century French, British and American photography, and later shifted toward more daring and contemporary work. Wagstaff also collected postcards, prints, cat images, and 19th-century American silver. Location: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Call Number: 2005.M.46 |
| extent | 96.0 linear feet (126 boxes, 5 rolls, 19 flatfiles) |
| formats | Business Papers Personal Papers Correspondence Photographs Artwork |
| access | Open for use by qualified researchers with the following exceptions. Film reels are unavailable until reformatting is complete. Box 83, containing documents pertaining to the J. Paul Getty Museum’s acquisition of the Wagstaff photography collection, is sealed until 2019. |
| record link | http://archives2.getty.edu:8082/xtf/view?docId=ead/2005.M.46/2005.M.46.xml;query=;brand=default |
| record source | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat659783 |
| finding aid | Available in the repository and the Web site. |
| acquisition information | Gift of The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:54 |
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| title | Sam Wagstaff postcard collection, ca. 1880-1980. | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | Categories include: portraits, sentimental subjects, erotica, greeting cards, novelty postcards (embellished with glitter, embossing, hair, ribbons, etc.), art and architecture (from ancient to modern), exhibition announcements, and travel. The largest category is travel, divided by: world sites (other than Europe and the U.S.) sorted by country, European sites sorted by country, and U.S. sites sorted by state. |
| extent | ca. 10,000 items. |
| formats | Postcards |
| access | Unprocessed; contact repository for information regarding access. |
| record link | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat359566 |
| record source | http://library.getty.edu/vwebv/searchBasic |
| finding aid | Preliminary inventory available in the repository; box level control. |
| acquisition information | Gift of The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:54 |
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| title | Artist file: Wagstaff, Samuel J.; miscellaneous uncataloged material. | repository | The Museum of Modern Art |
| description | The folder may include announcements, clippings, press releases, brochures, reviews, invitations, small exhibition catalogs, and other ephemeral material. Location MoMA Queens Artist Files Call Number Wagstaff, Samuel J. |
| extent | 1 file |
| formats | Ephemera |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record source | https://library.nyarc.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/ai54l4/alma991011900889707141 |
| updated | 11/29/2022 15:49:50 |
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