Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Milch Galleries
| title | Milch Gallery records, 1911-1995 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The records of Milch Gallery document the business transactions of the corporation and the professional and personal relationships of the Milch brothers with the artists they represented, as well as with the larger community of artists and art dealers between 1911 and 1995. Unfortunately, early correspondence is sparse. In a letter responding to a 1951 request for historical information, Milch replied: "Several years ago [1947] we had to give up our gallery at 108 West 57th Street, and move to smaller quarters here. Since we had no room for old records, we had to destroy most of them." Alphabetical files are comprised mainly of incoming correspondence from 1911 to 1962. Correspondence concerns arrangements for exhibitions, sales and consignments, advice to collectors and executors of estates, and routine business matters. A number of the artists represented in these files were friends of the Milch brothers and some of their letters mention their personal lives as well as their formal business with the Gallery. Collectors who routinely dealt with Milch Galleries included John Gellatly, Mary Blair, Hersey Egginton, Carlton Palmer, and Edward Coykendell; a three volume manuscript catalogue of Coykendell's collection is included. Among the estates handled by Milch were Willard Metcalf, John Twachtman, Abbott H. Thayer, Maurice Fromkes, and Thomas Moran. Also found are sales records and other financial records such as general ledgers, sales and purchase records, and tax information. Printed matter consists of gallery exhibition catalogs, checklists, invitations, announcements, publications, and scrapbooks. Many catalogs and checklists are annotated with prices and other information. A complete run of Milch Galleries Art Notes, issued intermittently from 1918-1928/29 is preserved with the gallery records. as is a scrapbook relating to early exhibitions held at the Edward Milch Galleries and E. & A. Milch, Inc., and artists represented by them. Photographs included with the records are less voluminous than might be expected, and pictures of works of art predominate. There are also a very small number of exterior and interior photographs of Milch Gallery, photographs of people including artists, Edward and Albert Milch, and photographs of groups such as Ten American Artists and the Associated Dealers in American Paintings. The 1995 and 2014 additions measure 3 linear feet and date from 1922-1995. Milch Gallery activities are documented through correspondence; artists' files; financial, sales, and stock records; printed material; and photographs. Biographical/Historical Note: Milch Gallery is an art gallery in New York, N.Y. Founded in 1912 by Edward Milch (1865-1954), who established a partnership with his brother Albert (1881-1951) in 1916, incorporating as E. & A. Milch but soon after becoming Milch Galleries. In the early years, a large part of the business consisted of framing, cleaning and restoration services, and the sale of prints; by the 1920s the focus had shifted to American paintings, although fine framing remained a side line. Name changed to Milch Gallery in 1967, and the business dissolved upon the death of Albert's son Harold C. Milch (1904-1981). Milch Gallery gave the Archives of American Art a small selection of correspondence, photographs, and printed matter, and loaned a few other items in 1966-1967; these records were microfilmed on reels D285, N730, and NM1-NM2. Records of the Milch Gallery were purchased from the estate of Harold C. Milch by Elliott Galleries of New York City, and subsequently acquired by Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, which donated them to the Archives in 1986. With the exception of the scrapbook about Thomas Moran (reel N730; present location of the original is unknown), prior loans and gifts from Milch Gallery were incorporated and refilmed with the 1986 gift. Additional material donated 1995 and 2014 by Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc. |
| extent | 42.2 linear feet |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Photographs Inventories Scrapbooks |
| access | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.milcgall.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/milch-gallery-records-8207 |
| finding aid | Electronic finding aid available at http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/findingaids/milcgall.htm |
| acquisition information | Donated 1986 by the Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, who acquired them from Elliott Galleries of New York City. Elliott Galleries purchased the records from the estate of Harold Milch. With the exception of the scrapbook on Thomas Moran (reel N730), the small amount of material which had previously been lent for microfilming by the Milch Galleries (reels D285 and NM1-2), was incorporated and remicrofilmed with the records in 1991 (reels 4410-4465). In 1995, an additional 0.6 ft. of records were donated via Hirschl & Adler Galleries. |
| updated | 06/09/2023 15:39:52 |
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| title | Edward Bruce papers, 1902-1960 (bulk 1932-1942). | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The Edward Bruce papers measure 8.5 linear feet and date from 1902 to 1960, with the bulk of the material dating from 1932 to 1942. The collection documents Bruce's work as an artist and art administrator, primarily during the period of his tenure as director of the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. The collection includes extensive correspondence to and from many notable artists and government officials, as well as biographical material, writings, financial material, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs. Biographical material includes birth records and many awards and certificates. Correspondence contains hundreds of letters to and from family and friends, including art critic Leo Stein and artist Maurice Sterne, in addition to correspondence with art organizations, museums, galleries and artists such as George Biddle, Adrian Dornbush and Olin Dows. Bruce's career as director of the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts is documented in business correspondence that records his relationships with colleagues at the Section and other government officials, and his role on various committees, including the Commission of Fine Arts. Extensive correspondence with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt concerning public art projects can also be found here. Writings include diaries and notebooks containing notes, addresses, lists for Section of Fine Arts projects, and dated entries on Bruce's government and political work. Also found are numerous written speeches that Bruce gave at public events on the importance of art, public art projects, and political issues. Financial material consists of a small number of personal financial records. Printed material documents Edward Bruce's career as an artist through news clippings, magazine articles, and exhibition catalogs. Brochures, bulletins from the Section of Fine Arts, published speeches and various miscellaneous publications provide additional documentation of other art and government affairs. Scrapbooks in this collection include significant news clippings, letters, photographs, and other printed material, which highlight Bruce's career. Photographs include both personal photographs and photographs of Bruce's artwork. Personal photographs include portraits of Bruce, and are also of friends of the Bruces and many special events, including an NBC radio broadcast and an exhibition attended by Eleanor Roosevelt. Other items include photographs taken by Bruce during his travels, and while living in Anticoli Carrado, Italy. Biographical and Historical Notes: Painter, businessman, and art director; Washington, D.C. Bruce directed the Public Works of Art Project, Dec. 1933 - June 1934. Chief of the Section of Painting and Sculpture (later the Section of Fine Arts), a program in the Treasury Department and later reorganized under the Public Buildings Administration of the Federal Works Agency, established to administer the decoration of public buildings. |
| extent | 8.5 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 12 reels) reels D82-D92 and 1817 |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence Financial Records Photographs Writings |
| access | Use requires an appointment. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.brucedwa.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/edward-bruce-papers-7264 |
| finding aid | Microfilm inventory available at AAA offices. |
| acquisition information | Papers on reels D82-D92 and 1817 donted by Mrs. Edward Bruce in 1962. Unmicrofilmed materials donated 1979 by Maria Ealand, the Bruce's niece. The photograph on reel 1817 was received with the papers but microfilmed in 1980 as part of AAA's Photographs of Artists-Collection II. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:13 |
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| title | Diederich, William Hunt, 1884-1953. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence, writings, sketches, photographs and printed materials. REEL 3590: Naturalization records; French visa; business card; an award from the Architectural League of New York, 1927; unpublished writings; correspondence with the Ferargil Galleries, Milch Gallery, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and other galleries, 1930-1954; 2 photographs of Hunt Diederich and his work; and clippings from American, French and German newspapers and magazines, concerning Hunt Diederich's family, work, and his expulsion from the National Institute of Arts and Letters for distributing anti-Semitic propaganda. REEL 3339: ca. 150 photographs, ca. 1905-1952, of Hunt Diederich, his family, his studio in Paris, and his sculpture and iron work; "Catalogue of the First American Exhibition of Sculpture by Hunt Diederich, with Introduction by Christian Brinton, Held at the Kingore Galleries, ... New York,... 1920"; and other printed material. REELS 3464-3465: ca. 850 undated pencil, ink and charcoal sketches and studies for wrought iron gates, sign posts, chandeliers, weather vanes, stair rails, lamps, and fire screens. Biographical and Historical Notes: Sculptor. Grandson of William Morris Hunt and grandnephew of Richard Morris Hunt. Most productive in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to bronzes, he designed decorative wrought iron works. |
| extent | 1260 items (on 4 microfilm reels) reels 3339, 3464-3465, and 3590 |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence Sketches Photographs Printed Materials |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | Material on reel 3590 donated 1984 by Diana Diederich Blake, Hunt Diederich's daughter from his second marriage. She lent material on reels 3339 and 3364-65 in 1985. The 1920 Kingore exhibition catalog on reel 3339 was subsequently donated by William H. Diederich, Hunt Diederich's son, in 1985. Location of Original: Reels 3339 (except 1920 exh.cat) and 3464-3465: Originals returned to the lender after microfilming. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:59 |
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| title | Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection, 1813-1953, bulk 1915-1925 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | "The E. & A. Milch Gallery Opening Exhibition," 1916, 18 works exhibited by 8 artists; "American Sculpture for the Town and Country House The Garden and the Grounds," ca. 1921, 56 works exhibited by 35 artists; "Second Annual Exhibition by the Painter-Gravers of America," 1917, 94 works exhibited by 20 artists; "Annual Holiday Exhibition of Selected Paintings of limited size by American Artists," 1918-1919, 76 works exhibited by 45 artists; and catalogs for one person exhibitions of Jerome Myers, Abbott H. Thayer, Ossip L. Linde, William Meyerowitz, Henry C. White, William Ritschel, Arthur C. Goodwin, Robert Henri, Leon Gaspard, Lillian Genth, Theresa F. Bernstein, and Mary Prindeville. Biographical and Historical Notes: Art gallery at 108 W. 57th St., New York, N.Y. |
| extent | 37.75 linear ft. (on 57 microfilm reels) Addition: 0.6 linear ft. reels N730 and 4410-4465 |
| formats | Exhibition Catalogs |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.archamea.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/miscellaneous-art-exhibition-catalog-collection-9520 |
| acquisition information | The bulk of the collection was donated 1979 by the American Antiquarian Society, who presumably assembled them from various sources. Others were received individually, while many are annotated in the hand of Walt Kuhn and are presumed to have originally been part of his papers in the Archives. In 2005, additional catalogs were integrated, some of which are presumed to have been removed from various collections over the years. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:18 |
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| title | Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection, 1813-1953, bulk 1915-1925 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The collection comprises circa 770 items, dating from 1813-1953, the bulk of which are exhibition catalogs from New York City art galleries for the first two decades of the twentieth century, representing exhibitions of mainly modernist art. Catalogs for exhibitions held in Boston (mainly pre-1900) and a few other cities are also present. Included are several rare catalogs, notably one for the "Eight" held at Macbeth Gallery in 1908. Besides catalogs, the collection also contains exhibition announcements, gallery publications, and other printed material. The collection is especially relevant for the study of early American modernism, and is useful in understanding the role of art galleries, exhibitions, the art market, and the exhibition catalog itself, in American art. Historical Note: In 1979, the American Antiquarian Society donated approximately 1,500 exhibition catalogs and art-related printed material to the Archives of American Art (AAA). The Society had received most of them over a long period of time, many of them addressed to the director, Charles Brigham. For several years subsequent to the donation, AAA sporadically added exhibition catalogs to the collection from various sources. Some of these additions are annotated in the hand of Walt Kuhn and are presumed to have been part of his papers in the Archives. |
| extent | 4.4 linear feet |
| formats | Exhibition Catalogs |
| access | Use of original papers requires an appointment. |
| record link | https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAA.archamea.pdf |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/miscellaneous-art-exhibition-catalog-collection-9520 |
| acquisition information | The bulk of the collection was donated 1979 by the American Antiquarian Society, who presumably assembled them from various sources. Others were received individually, while many are annotated in the hand of Walt Kuhn and are presumed to have originally been part of his papers in the Archives. In 2005, additional catalogs were integrated, some of which are presumed to have been removed from various collections over the years. |
| updated | 06/08/2023 16:42:18 |
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| title | Addresses of Abbott Thayer picture owners [before 1922] | repository | The Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library |
| description | Call Number MS.050.050 |
| extent | 1 leaf |
| record source | https://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991007247439707141 |
| finding aid | Not available. |
| updated | 10/28/2024 10:34:54 |
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