Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Forbes, Edward Waldo, 1873-1969
| title | Papers of Edward Waldo Forbes, 1856-1971 (inclusive). | repository | Harvard University Archives |
| description | These papers document the personal and professional life of Edward Waldo Forbes (EWF) and the lives of members of the Forbes family. They include EWF’s personal and professional correspondence and papers, diaries and calendars, writings, acccount books, school papers, lecture notes, and memorabilia. Of note are the manuscript of EWF’s history of the Fogg Art Museum, papers relating to Gerry’s Landing (a riverfront site in Cambridge), papers relating to Harvard Riverside Associates, and papers relating to EWF’s World War I Red Cross service. Included are diaries belonging to Margaret Laighton Forbes and Sarah Forbes. History notes : Edward Waldo Forbes (1873-1969) was director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, an accomplished artist, and a world traveler. He was born into a prominent family (his parents being William Hathaway Forbes and Edith Emerson Forbes, his maternal grandfather being Ralph Waldo Emerson) in 1873 on the family-owned Naushon Island in Massachusetts. In 1907, Forbes married Margaret Laighton, a notable watercolorist and gardener; they had five children. Forbes relationship with Harvard and the arts began when he earned his Harvard A.B. 1895. He continued his studies at Oxford University, and returned to Massachusetts to form the Charles River Association, an organization dedicated to preserving Harvard’s landscape. He became a trustee of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1903 and served in that capacity for 63 years. He acquired art, particularly Italian paintings; his gifts and loans to the Fogg Art Museum contributed significantly to the museum’s eventual rise to worldwide prominence. In 1909, Forbes became Director of the Fogg Art Museum. During his 35 years there, he and his assistant director, Paul Sachs, oversaw the impressive growth of the Museum’s collections, staff, property, and reputation. Forbes also served as a lecturer in Fine Arts at Harvard from 1909 to 1935. He was named the Martin A. Ryerson Lecturer in Fine Arts. From 1945 to 1957, Forbes was a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers. Notes : Collection re-organized and re-numbered in 1998; it contains material formerly numbered HUG 4401.xx and HUH 403. Cite as : Edward Waldo Forbes Papers, Harvard University Archives. Notes : In the Harvard University Archives: Records of Harvard Riverside Associates (HUD 3748), Records of the Fogg Art Museum (HUF 401.xxx), and historical records relating to Harvard’s curriculum (HUC 8xxx). Location : Harvard Archives Harvard Depository HUGBF 656.x Location : Harvard Archives Harvard Depository HUGFP 139.xx |
| extent | 38 cubic feet in 111 containers. |
| formats | Personal Papers Business Papers Correspondence Diaries Financial Records |
| access | Access may be restricted. Consult reference staff in the Harvard University Archives for details. |
| record source | http://hollis.harvard.edu/ |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:29:59 |
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| title | Edward Waldo Forbes Papers, 1867-2005. | repository | Harvard Art Museum Archives |
| description | These papers of Fogg Art Museum Director Edward Waldo Forbes document his administration of the museum and a wide range of personal and professional activities and interests. The bulk of the collection dates from 1909 to 1944. The papers consist primarily of correspondence, including a series of correspondence with art dealers, and also include photographs, reports, expedition field notes and journals, printed material, newspaper clippings, blueprints, meeting minutes, letters of recommendation, insurance records, invoices, page proofs, telegrams, rubbings, sketches, visiting cards, shipping documents and press releases. History notes : Edward Waldo Forbes was born July 16, 1873 on Naushon Island, southwest of Cape Cod. He was the son of William Hathaway Forbes, founder and first president of the American Bell Telephone Company, and Edith Emerson Forbes, daughter of poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. Forbes studied at Milton Academy before entering Harvard University, where he received an A.B. in 1895. During his studies at Harvard, Forbes’ interest in the fine arts was encouraged by professor Charles Eliot Norton. He traveled in Europe in the years following his graduation, studying English literature at Oxford University from 1900 to 1902. Forbes continued to cultivate his interest art, and he became a trustee of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1903 and of the Fogg Museum in 1904. In 1907, he married Margaret Laighton, an accomplished gardener and watercolorist. They were married until her death in 1966 and raised five children at Gerry’s Landing, the Forbes’ Cambridge home. In 1907, Forbes taught his first course, on Florentine painting, at Harvard. He became lecturer in Fine Arts in 1909, the year he became Director of the Fogg Museum. Forbes continued to teach throughout his years as Director and was named Martin A. Ryerson Lecturer in Fine Arts in 1935. He retired from the museum in 1944. The technical study of works of art was one of Forbes’ most passionate interests. He founded the Center for Conservation and Technical Studies (now named the Straus Center for Conservation) in 1928; it was the first fine arts conservation treatment, research and training facility in the United States. Forbes received many awards and distinctions throughout his career, and he was named the first honorary fellow of the Institute of Conservation in 1958. Edward Forbes died in Belmont, Massachusetts on March 11, 1969. Location : Harvard Art Museum Archives HC 2 HOLLIS Number : 011763828 |
| extent | 119 boxes + oversize materials |
| formats | Administrative Records Correspondence Photographs Clippings Notes |
| access | Unrestricted. |
| record source | http://hollis.harvard.edu/ |
| finding aid | Electronic finding aid available http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUAM:art00005 |
| acquisition information | The papers were left at the Fogg Art Museum by former director Edward Waldo Forbes. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:06 |
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| title | Elsa Schmid papers, 1910-1967. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Personal and professional correspondence, including letters fom Henry Varnum Poor, Max Weber, Boris Anrep, Helen Chase, Edward Waldo Forbes, Warren Wheelock, Abraham Walkowitz, Alfred H. Barr, Georgia O'Keeffe, Barbara Morgan and Josef Albers; a photograph file of her mosaics; clippings; catalogs and drawings relating to the mosaics or their subject matter; files on Van Wyck Brooks, Father Martin D'Arcy, John Dewey, and Dikran Kelekian; notes and lecture material; magazine articles; catalogs; and other miscellaneous printed material. Some of the letters are to J. B. Neumann. Bio/History: Mosaicist, painter, sculptor; Rye, N.Y. |
| extent | 1.0 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 1 reel) |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence Photographs Ephemera Catalogs |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record source | http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/collection/schmelsa.htm |
| acquisition information | The donor, Peter Neumann, is Schmid's son. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:07 |
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