Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Midtown Galleries (New York, N.Y.)
| title | Midtown Galleries records, 1904-1997. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Records of Midtown Galleries consist of administrative correspondence, exhibition files, inventories and sales records, financial records, miscellaneous items, photographs, printed matter, personal papers of Alan D. and Mary J. Gruskin, and papers of Francis C. Healey. Administrative correspondence, 1927-1989, is arranged alphabetically in separate sub-series: General Correspondence, Artists Correspondence, and Artists Applications. General correspondence concerns routine business matters, and is with clients, collectors, museums and galleries, arts organizations, collections and universities, and businesses providing services to the Galleries. Artists Correspondence includes both personal and business letters with artists represented by Midtown Galleries. Among the many artists found are Edward Betts, Julien Binford, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Charles T. Cointer, Gladys Rockmore David, Stephen Etnier, Emlen Etting, Ernest Fiene, Maurice Freedman, Philip Guston, Nathan Cabot Hale, Dong Kingman, Henry Koerner, Renee Lahm, Ethel Magafan, Oronzio Maldarelli, Peppino Mangravite, Fletcher Martin, Richard Mayhew, Fred Meyer, Hans Moller, Edith Nagler, Fred Nagler, William C. Palmer, Betty Parsons, Waldo Peirce, Anatol Shulkin, Simka Simkhovitch, Robert Sivard, Miron Sokole, Isaac Soyer, Frederic Taubes, William Thon, Margit Varga, Robert Vickrey, and Arline Wingate. Exhibitions, 1932-1982, includes exhibition schedules, correspondence about cooperative exhibitions and traveling shows, and exhibition files, arranged alphabetically by title. Inventories and sales records, 1946-1980, consists of inventories arranged by artist as well as by warehouse location; lists of paintings on consignment and paintings returned to artists; loan/shipping log, and "traffic cards." Sales records include "group totals," artists account ledger, and sales slips, arranged alphabetically by artist. Financial records, 1933-1957, consist of bills paid, banking records, accounting records, and tax returns with related documentation. Photographs, ca. 1925-1980, are arranged into subseries: People, arranged alphabetically, and including the Gruskins, Francis C. Healey, and artists (both Midtown and others); Works of Art, arranged alphabetically by artist; Exhibitions, arranged alphabetically by title or location, including Midtown Galleries exhibitions as wells as shows elsewhere featuring Midtown artists; photographs of illustrations used in Alan Gruskin's book Painting in the U.S.A.; photographs of the work of Waldo Peirce, ca. 1925-1930, (2 v.), possibly compiled by Peirce; and miscellaneous photographs, including Gruskin's Dept. Store (Pa.); models used by artists Julien Binford, Henry Koerner, Doris Rosenthal, properties owned by Binford and Hans Moller; Anatol Shulkins's travel photographs of the Soviet Union; window displays featuring Midtown artists; and fashion models at Midtown Galleries. Printed matter, 1932-1990, includes exhibition catalogs, news releases, Midtown News; as well as files of printed material on artists and on exhibitions, containing newspaper clippings. The series Personal Papers of Alan D. and Mary J. Gruskin, 1931-1990, consists of biographical information, correspondence, financial records, calendars, writings, address books business cards and miscellany. The Papers of Francis C. Healey, 1932-1935, contains personal and gallery correspondence, scripts and drafts for radio broadcasts, printed material, and miscellany. Miscellaneous items include mss. of Isabel Bishop Catalogue Raisonne and Biography by Karl Lunde, and The Art of Philip Guston by Lester D. Longman; legal documents, such as Act of Incorporation, partnership agreement, leases, guest registers (32 v.), 1924-1985, and 15 samples of artist-designed fabrics produced by Onandoga Silk Co., 1946-47. ADDITION (Reels 5436-5438): Scattered records found after the gallery closed in 1995, and not incorporated into the main records as microfilming had already begun, including: Administrative records, 1934-1995, including general correspondence, correspondence with clients, correspondence regarding sales, gifts, and purchases, Gruskin and Payson inventories; documents relating to the sale of Midtown Galleries to John Payson; and a gallery history; photographs, including those of the Gruskins, their friends, and country house; of Midtown exhibitions, artists, and openings; and of works of art; artists greeting and holiday cards, with original art work; artists files, containing mostly printed matter; files on exhibitions, 1958-1996, some dated after Payson's purchase of Midtown Galleries, including announcements, news releases, catalogs, and a guest book; and videotapes, 1977-1988, of William Palmer, Isabel Bishop, and Robert Vickery. |
| extent | 86.8 linear ft. (on 117 microfilm reels) reels 5322-5438 and 5475 |
| formats | Correspondence Inventories Photographs Financial Records Clippings |
| access | Microfilmed portions must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed material requires an appointment. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.midtgall.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/midtown-galleries-records-7098 |
| finding aid | Finding aid prepared by Catherine Gaines available at AAA offices and online at http://aaa.si.edu/findaids/midtgall/midtgall.htm |
| acquisition information | Donated by Mary J. Gruskin, Alan Gruskin's widow, 1972-1997. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:18 |
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| title | Oral history interview with William Thon, 1992 Dec. 15 - 1992 Dec. 16. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | An interview of William Thon conducted at the artist's home at Port Clyde, Me., 1992 Dec. 15 - 1992 Dec. 16, by Robert Brown for the Archives of American Art. Thon discusses his childhood and education; early exhibitions; service in the Navy during World War II; being represented by Midtown Galleries from 1943 on; his dealers Alan and Mary Gruskin; moving to Maine; the importance to his art of Europe and his time spent at the American Academy in Rome; his painting technique; and his watercolors. Bio / His Notes: Painter; New York, N.Y. and Port Clyde, Maine. Thon died December 6, 2000, at age 92. Studied at the Art Students League. Served as a trustee and artist in residence at the American Academy in Rome. |
| extent | Sound recording: 2 sound cassettes (3 hrs.) : analog. Transcript: 52 p. |
| formats | Sound Recording Typescript Online Transcript |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | https://www.aaa.si.edu/download_pdf_transcript/ajax?record_id=edanmdm-AAADCD_oh_215160 |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-william-thon-12542 |
| acquisition information | This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for this interview provided by John W. Payson. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:21 |
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