Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Healy, A. Augustus (Aaron Augustus), 1850-1921
| title | Goodyear Archival Collection Series 3: Department of Fine Arts 1895-1922, n.d. |
| repository | The Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives |
| description | This series consists of institutional correspondence written during Goodyear's term as curator of fine arts at the Brooklyn Museum and contains information relating to his role at the Museum. It provides details on objects offered to the Brooklyn Museum, Goodyear's administrative responsibilities, and the working relationship between the Brooklyn Institute of Arts & Sciences and the Museum. Divided into two groups of records, the first is a chronological set of letters written by and to Goodyear regarding his curatorial work and the development of the department, galleries, and collections. The second group comprises correspondence and other writings related to the art collector Samuel Putnam Avery, focusing largely on his donation of Chinese cloisonné enamels and the publication of the Avery Collection catalog. Many of the letters in subseries 3.1 are written to or from the Director of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Franklin W. Hooper; Curators-in-Chief Alfred G. Mayer (1904), Frederic A. Lucas (1904-1910); and Edward L. Morris (1911-1912); and Museum trustee A. Augustus Healy, among others. These letters reveal information on Goodyear's responsibilities in various aspects of Museum business. Included are topics such as the maintenance of collections, varnishing and hanging of paintings, ordering cases for objects, upkeep of the galleries, staff issues, developments in the department, and potential gifts, loans, and purchases of works of art. Art acquisitions of particular note are the collection of china donated by Alfred Duane Pell and works of art given by A. Augustus Healy. Some correspondence in this subseries overlaps with letters in series 1.1 and 3.2: letters regarding the Avery Collection catalog and a few letters from Goodyear addressed to fellow architects and scholars regarding his architectural refinement publications, photography exhibitions, lectures, and survey work. This subseries also contains two letterpress books of chronologically-sorted outgoing letters from Goodyear to various art collectors, Museum personnel, architects, and scholars. Samuel Putnam Avery (1847-1920) was a prominent art dealer who supported various cultural institutions and served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. He donated many objects to the Brooklyn Museum, including enamels, textiles, and medals. In the year of his death a newspaper article noted that his "collection of Chinese Cloisonné and B.C. Chinese bronzes at the Brooklyn Institute Museum is the largest joint collection in this country." Subseries 3.2 contains correspondence and object documentation, including drafts of the Avery Collection catalog. The letters trace the acquisition and installation of Avery's gift of cloisonné, pekin, and champleve enamels, bronzes and gold bronzes, wall vases, and his gifts of medals and textiles. The correspondence also touches upon Goodyear's architectural research. Biographical/historical note William Henry Goodyear (1846-1923) was an art and architectural historian and the Brooklyn Museum of Art's first Curator of Fine Arts from 1899-1923, an appointment he accepted soon after serving as curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1881-1888). In addition to his responsibilities of developing and maintaining the fine arts collection at the Brooklyn Museum, Goodyear published extensively on art history and pursued research in architectural history. He developed a theory, based on direct observations, that medieval churches, cathedrals, and mosques displayed curved lines, concave walls, widening naves and other asymmetries that were not accidentally created by settling stone or poor construction, but were the original architects' deliberate inventions. Goodyear called these irregularities, 'architectural refinements' and spent many years traveling abroad meticulously noting measurements and taking numerous photographs of these details. He published his findings in periodicals and exhibited enlargements of his photographs here and abroad. Cite as Brooklyn Museum of Art Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection. Location Brooklyn Archives Call Number S03 3 |
| extent | 1.3 l.f. |
| formats | Administrative Records Correspondence Ephemera |
| access | Permission of Librarian/Archivist. |
| record link | http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/research/digital-collections/finding-aids/goodyear.php |
| record source | https://library.nyarc.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/ai54l4/alma991013187149707141 |
| finding aid | Online finding aid: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/research/digital-collections/finding-aids/goodyear.php |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:33 |
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| title | William Henry Fox records, 1913-33 (bulk), 1908-35 (inclusive). |
| repository | The Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives |
| description | The records of William Henry Fox's administration document all activities of the Museum and include correspondence with artists, donors, lenders, and vendors; Board of Trustees and Governing Committee members; New York City agencies, particularly the Parks Department; Museum staff; and staff of other museums and cultural institutions. The activities of the curatorial departments can be tracked through files on the individual curators and departments. These files often contain letters reporting on collecting expeditions, information that may not be available elsewhere. In addition, the files document everyday activities, from routine memos to requisitions for works of art. Among the most important curatorial correspondents are Stewart Culin and Herbert Spinden (Ethnology); William Henry Goodyear, Herbert Tschudy, and Andre Rueff (Fine Arts, Paintings); George P. Engelhardt and Robert C. Murphy (Natural History); Elizabeth Haynes (Decorative Arts); Susan Hutchinson (Library ? and Tassilo Adam (Oriental Art). Donor correspondence documents the offer and acquisition (or rejection) of objects as diverse as a small curiosity or a major art collection. Bequest files also contain valuable acquisitions information. The provenance of objects in the collection can often be traced through these files. Among the donors and artists found in the files are Edwin H. Blashfield, Charles Caryl Coleman, M.D.C. Crawford, Frank Crowninshield, Katherine and Dorothea Dreier, Michael Friedsam, Emil Fuchs, Albert E. Gallatin, Samuel E. Haslett, A. Augustus Healy, Paul Helleu, William H. Herriman, Alfred W. Jenkins, Joseph Pennell, Dick S. Ramsay, Augusta Saint-Gaudens, Louis Sparre, Joseph Stella, Theodora Wilbour, and Claggett Wilson. Correspondence with Trustees also provides valuable insights into administrative matters, collecting policy, and Museum activities. Several Trustees, including Frank L. Babbott, Edward C. Blum, A. Augustus Healy, Adolph Lewisohn, Luke V. Lockwood, John Hill Morgan, and Caroline A. L. Pratt took a very active interest in the day-to-day activities of the Museum and generated a significant amount of correspondence. During Fox's administration, a number of exhibition series were established, among them the biennials "Water Color Paintings by American Artists," beginning in 1921, and "Paintings, Sculpture & Drawings by American & Foreign Artists," beginning in 1928. The Museum also hosted the annual exhibitions of the Brooklyn Society of Etchers from 1915, The Brooklyn Society of Miniature Painters from 1916, and the Brooklyn Society of Artists from 1922. The Director's files provide important adjunct material to the primary exhibition documentation, which appears in curatorial files. Of particular significance are exhibition files that document Fox's organization of circulating loan shows of contemporary art and decorative arts. Fox acted as curator for many shows, often assisted by art critic Christian Brinton. The files include correspondence and lists compiled during trips to Europe to visit museums and artists, select works, and arrange loans; efforts to arrange venues; administration; and critical reaction. In addition, several important exhibitions organized by outside groups were held at the Museum. Among these, the Société Anonyme's "International Exhibition of Modern Art" (1925-27), the "International Exhibition Organized by the Carnegie Institute" (1928), and the American Union of Decorative Artists and Craftsmen (AUDAC) exhibition (1931), are of particular significance. Circulating exhibitions from the American Federation of Arts also appeared at the Museum. While the depth of information seen above does not exist in these files, they do provide critical material not found elsewhere. Bio/History: The son of Daniel M. Fox, lawyer and mayor of Philadelphia, William Henry Fox received academic (1881) and law (1883) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He also studied studio art and drew and painted as an amateur. In 1904, Fox served as Secretary of the Fine Arts Department of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, and the following year became the first Director of the John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis. In 1910, he served as Secretary General of the American Section of the International Exposition of Art and History in Rome. Location: Brooklyn Archives Call Number: DIR: WHF |
| extent | 15.25 linear ft. plus. 1.25 linear ft. oversize materials plus. .5 linear ft photographs. |
| formats | Administrative Records Correspondence Exhibition Files Notes Ephemera |
| access | Some folders may be restricted. Consult archivist for details. |
| record source | https://library.nyarc.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/ai54l4/alma991004036929707141 |
| finding aid | Unpublished finding aid available in repository. Folder-level descriptions available on-line in repository. Contemporaneous card index available in repository. |
| acquisition information | These files were held by the Registrar's Office until accessioned by the Archives. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:33 |
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| title | M. Knoedler & Co. records, approximately 1848-1971 |
| repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | The 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. |
| extent | 3042.6 linear feet (5550 boxes, 17 flat file folders). |
| formats | Auction Catalogs Business Records Correspondence Financial Records Ephemera |
| access | Open 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 link | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2012m54 |
| record source | https://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/19q6gmb/GETTY_ALMA21129976460001551 |
| contact information | Contact gallery's archivist |
| finding aid | At the Getty Research Institute and over their website. |
| acquisition information | Acquired in 2012. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:44 |
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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 | 02/14/2025 10:07:52 |
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