Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Straus, Percy Selden, 1876-1944
| title | The Fototeca Berenson (Villa I Tatti Photo Archives) | repository | Biblioteca Berenson, Villa I Tatti |
| description | The collection contains about 300,000 photographs, many of them collected by Berenson himself from the 1880s until the time of his death in 1959. Many have notes on the back in his handwriting. Many show works of art before restoration, and others show images since destroyed. An important section, "Homeless paintings", contains photographs of works whose current location is unknown. The photographs are almost exclusively black and white in a variety of photographic media, such as albumen, gelatine, or carbon. About 3000 large-format photographs are stored separately. In addition, there is a considerable amount of documentary material in the form of clippings, notes and printed reproductions. The photographs are arranged according to Berenson's original scheme, by school: Florence, Siena, Central Italy, Northern Italy, Lombardy, Venice, Southern Italy. Within each school they are arranged by artist, then by topography, followed by homeless. Paintings and drawings are arranged separately. The main focus of the collection is on Italian painting and drawing from the mid-thirteenth to the mid-sixteenth centuries. This part of the collection continues to be developed through the acquisition of new materials and through photographic campaigns. Later periods are also represented but in smaller scale, without systematic updating. There is also material on medieval painting, arranged topographically; manuscript illumination, arranged according to present location; archeology; Byzantine art and architecture, arranged both by artist and by location; and non-Italian art, arranged by country. Finally a section of 8000 photographs is devoted to the art of the Far East, India and Islam. In addition to the original Berenson nucleus, collections of prints, glass plates, negatives and transparencies have entered the Fototeca. These include the collections of Emilio Marcucci (nineteenth-century projects for the completion of various Florentine monuments), George Kaftal (representations of saints in Italian painting of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries), Henry Clifford (painting thirtheenth to seventeenth centuries), Giorgio Castelfranco (Italian art thirteenth to twentieth centuries), Giannino Marchig (restoration), Frederick Hartt (Michelangelo, Giulio Romano), Giuseppe Marchini (Italian art and stained glass), and Craig H. Smyth (Renaissance painting and drawing). There is a small collection of micropublications and microfiche (162,386 frames): L=index photographique de l'art en France (95,648); Sotheby's Pictorial Archive - Old Master Paintings (45,472); Christie's Pictorial Archive Italian School (9,898); Christie's Pictorial Archive - New York 1977-95 Old Master Paintings & Drawings (11,368). The microfilm of the Bartsch Corpus comprises about 42,000 frames. Notes Most photographers not identified. |
| extent | 300,000 + photographs |
| formats | Photographs Reproductions Microfilm Artist Files |
| access | Contact Ilaria Della Monica the archivist at the Berenson Library for restrictions and appointments. |
| record link | http://via.lib.harvard.edu/via/deliver/advancedsearch?_collection=via |
| record source | http://itatti.harvard.edu/ |
| finding aid | Currently, there is no catalog of the photographs at Villa I Tatti. In some cases, Artist Files, can be found school (i.e. Venetian, Lombard, Northern Italy, Central Italy, etc. . .) and some are cataloged in Harvard's online catalog, HOLLIS. |
| acquisition information | Originally formed by Bernard Berenson the Library continues to add to the file. |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:29:59 |
| .................................................................... | |
| title | Edith A. and Percy S. Straus collection: papers, 1917-1958. | repository | Museum of Fine Arts, Houston |
| description | The papers consist of correspondence conducted by Edith A. and Percy S. Straus with art dealers, art historians, critics, and collectors who assisted them with the selection and acquisition of works for their collection. Dating from 1917 to 1958, the papers illustrate the development of a significant private collection and document the various relationships the Strauses maintained with the connoisseurs who guided their collecting. The papers include invoices which carry statements of value, provenance, and attribution; letters from art historians (among them, Max J. Friedlander, Adolfo Venturi, Richard Offner, Bernard Berenson, Roberto Longhi, Erwin Panofsky, F. Mason Perkins, R. Langton Douglas, and Leo Planiscig) who gave opinions on the attribution, condition, and quality of works considered for acquisition by Mr. and Mrs. Straus; receipts and consular invoices; and photographs. Many of the photographs are annotated on the reverse with handwritten statements of attribution by the authorities consulted in the purchase. On December 11, 1944 the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston received the bequest of paintings and sculptures known as the Edith A. and Percy S. Straus Collection. Comprised of over eighty works of art, the collection is dominated by European paintings dating from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries and includes significant examples of Flemish, Sienese, Florentine, Ferrarese, Venetian, German, and English origin. Though the Strauses were permanent residents of New York, they chose to place their collection in Houston in the conviction that it was time for a body of early and important paintings to be made available to the public in the southwestern United States. The Strauses acquired most of their pieces in Europe and retained them for private display in their New York City home until the collection was transferred, intact, to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, after the death of Mr. Straus. Percy S. Straus was lifetime Chairman of the Board of R. H. Macy and Company, New York, and a well-known philanthropist and collector. He died on April 6, 1944. Notes: Mainly in English with some letters in German, Italian, and French. Two boxes of correspondence related to the Edith A. and Percy S. Straus Collection were transferred to the Archives from the Registrar’s Office in December 1986. The papers were accompanied by two bound volumes which served the Strauses as catalogues to their collection. Both the papers and the catalogues were acquired by the MFA,H as part of the Straus bequest in December 1944. Additional materials (oversize photographs and negatives) were transferred to the Archives by the Registrar’s Office in December 1990. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Catalogue of the Edith A. and Percy S. Straus Collection (Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1945). All oversize photographs, negatives, and published materials which form part of this collection are located in Archives Oversize Storage. Related materials occur in the following Record Groups: Legal Documents (RG 6) and Records of the Office of Public Relations (RG 8), Series 1: Newsclippings. Additional articles are kept in the Archives Clippings File and in Oversize Storage. Location: Archives Call Number: MS 15 |
| extent | 1 linear foot and two bound volumes |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Photographs Catalogs |
| access | Restricted to the use of qualified researchers. Consult the Archives for particulars. |
| record link | https://hirsch.mfah.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=38596 |
| record source | http://www.hirsch.mfah.org/ |
| finding aid | The following unpublished finding aids are available in the repository: a list of all cross-references in the papers to objects in the Edith A. and Percy S. Straus Collection, and an index of art historians and critics represented in the papers. |
| updated | 08/25/2017 16:09:17 |
| .................................................................... | |
| title | Paul J. Sachs Papers, 1903-2005. | repository | Harvard Art Museum Archives |
| description | These papers of Fogg Art Museum associate director Paul J. Sachs document his administration of the museum, his teaching career at Harvard, and related professional activities. The papers consist primarily of correspondence and also include photographs, printed material, clippings, architectural drawings, reports, financial records, letters of introduction, insurance records, maps, funding appeals, minutes, memoranda, exhibition brochures, page proofs and press releases. |
| extent | 99 files boxes + oversize materials |
| formats | Correspondence Photographs Printed Materials Drawings Ephemera |
| access | Unrestricted. |
| record link | http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUAM:art00010 |
| record source | http://discovery.lib.harvard.edu//?itemid=%7clibrary%2fm%2faleph%7c011763842 |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:14 |
| .................................................................... | |
| title | James H. Chillman, Jr. correspondence and miscellaneous subjects, 1924-1970. | repository | Museum of Fine Arts, Houston |
| description | The bulk of the correspondence is from Chillman's Interim Directorship of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from 1959 to 1961. Individual correspondents include benefactors, fellow staff, and colleagues such as Miss Ima Hogg; Miss Stella Shurtleff; Ruth Pershing Uhler; architect William Ward Watkin; Ward Lockwood; Edsel Ford; Burke Baker; John Palmer Leeper; and James Johnson Sweeney. Correspondence subjects include exhibitions, Museum activities, and events; donations and loans; appraisals; possible acquisitions; restoration of works in the collection; and Chillman's travel arrangements. Much of the correspondence relates to local and national art-related radio broadcasts, such as the series "Art in America" (1932 to 1940) jointly sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art and the American Federation of Arts. Chillman actively promoted these programs with local broadcasters. He also organized speakers for local radio programs aired weekly by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and composed copy for public service radio spot announcements regarding Museum events. These activities are reflected in his correspondence. The papers include press releases and printed ephemera related to the "Art in America" broadcasts. From 1946 to 1949 Chillman corresponded with conservators Elisabeth C. G. Packard and David Rosen of the Walters Art Gallery. The letters concern the condition, assessment, and provenance of a Renaissance panel painting (Accession #44.574) sent by the MFA,H to Baltimore for conservation. The work entered the MFA,H permanent collection as part of the Edith A. and Percy S. Straus Bequest in 1944. Letters from February 1960 document the formation by the Museum's Board of Trustees of a special Bayou Bend Committee whose purpose was to make recommendations on all matters affecting Bayou Bend and providing for the appointment of a Curator responsible for the house and its collections. Inaugural members of the Committee included Miss Ima Hogg, Mrs. James H. Chillman, Jr., and Mrs. John F. Staub. Miscellaneous Subjects files include Chillman's handwritten and typed drafts of lectures and speeches including "Comments on Beauty to the Houston Art League" (c. 1924); "Comments on Art Patronage" (c. 1924); "The Art Museum as a Civic Institution" (c. 1934); "Art and Art Needs in Houston" (c. 1940); "Reflections on Art Juries" (1943); and "Art in Houston" (1949). Also included are papers (1941-1966) concerning the Museum property at South Main and Bissonnet, specifically, plot plans; surveys; contracts; and correspondence with planning engineers of the City of Houston in regard to traffic flow and issues of right-of-way. The Miscellaneous Subjects files also contain Chillman's personal mementos such as a presentation copy of a Resolution honoring the Director and passed by the Board of Trustees of the Museum on March 18, 1953; three pen and pencil sketches of Chillman by Lowell Collins, Belle Heaps, and Richard Stout; and a text of Chillman's "Reminiscences" (c. 1970). Bio/History: James H. Chillman, Jr., first Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, was born in Philadelphia on December 24, 1891. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, with concentrations in architecture and drawing. In 1916 he joined the Faculty of Rice University in Houston and was later appointed a Fellow in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome (1919-1922). He served as Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from 1924 to 1953 and as Interim Director from 1959 to 1960. Chillman placed emphasis on the role of the art museum as a civic institution and was dedicated to the widespread integration of art into public life. He died on May 13, 1972. Preferred citation: Records of the Office of the Director (RG 2), Subgroup 1 Series 2: James H. Chillman, Jr. Correspondence and Miscellaneous Subjects, 1924-1970. Archives, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Notes: All newsclippings were removed and placed in the Archives Clippings File. Related records such as the Director’s Report (1925) can be found in Record Group 19: Records of the Houston Art League, Series 5: Miscellaneous Subjects. Refer also to Records of the Office of Public Relations (RG 8), Series 1: Newsclippings. One folder of letters (1946-1949) concerning the conservation of paintings from the MFA,H collection was given to the Museum by the Walters Art Gallery in December 1987. Location: Archives Call Number: RG 2 : 1 : 2 |
| extent | 1 linear ft. |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence |
| access | Restrictions vary according to nature of materials. Consult the Archives for particulars. |
| record link | https://hirsch.mfah.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=112616 |
| record source | http://www.hirsch.mfah.org |
| finding aid | Unpublished finding aid available in repository |
| updated | 08/25/2017 16:09:36 |
| .................................................................... | |
| title | Committee of Fourteen records, 1905-1932. | repository | The New York Public Library |
| description | General correspondence, 1905-1932, contains primarily incoming and outgoing letters of the Committee's secretaries. Protest List correspondence, 1905-1922, includes letters regarding establishments which were placed on the Committee's "protest list" for disorderly conditions or violations of the liquor tax and licensing laws. Tenement House correspondence, 1905, 1911-1932, relates to actions taken against infringements of the law against solicitation or prostitution. Military Training Camps correspondence, 1917-1919, consists of letters and reports of investigations of liquor sales and prostitution in the vicinity of military training camps. Investigators' reports, 1905-1932, contain information collected by the Committee's undercover investigators. Collection includes Executive/General Secretary's topical files and drafts of minutes and annual reports, 1912-1932; Committee's official minutes and reports, 1905-1932; bulletin books, 1912-1932; Treasurer's correspondence, 1908-1932; and financial records, 1919-1929. Description: Also, copies of pertinent legislation; legal decisions; minutes of court cases; reports on the criminal justice system; correspondence with officers of the court; files of cases, 1914-1932, brought before the Women's Court; printed matter, ca. 1910-1929; and scrapbooks and loose clippings, 1905-1932, on vice and its reform in New York City. Biography: The Committee of Fourteen was founded in 1905 as a citizens' association dedicated to the abolition of saloons that provided rooms for prostitution (called "Raines Law hotels".) By 1911 most of the saloons had closed up and the Committee's focus turned to the suppression of commercialized vice in New York City with an emphasis on prostitution. By the time the Committee was dissolved in 1932, the focus included crime prevention as well |
| extent | 70 linear feet (96 boxes) |
| formats | Correspondence Subject Files Legal Papers |
| access | Restricted access; Manuscripts and Archives Division; Permit must be requested at the division indicated. Microfilm must be used in lieu of originals when available. Investigators' reports, 1927-1932, are restricted. |
| record link | http://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/commfour.pdf |
| record source | http://catalog.nypl.org/record=b11652264~S1 |
| finding aid | Finding aid available in repository and on internet |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:14 |
| .................................................................... | |