Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Thomas Agnew & Sons
| title | Records of Thos. Agnew and Sons Ltd., 1852-1938 [microform]. | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | Records comprise stock books for paintings and drawings, sale books, and books that record property received. Picture stock books exist in two versions, indexed by artist name (1853-1919), and listed by inventory number (1853-1939). Drawing stock books are arranged by inventory number. Entries in the sale books are listed by date. Property received books include indices by owners, with entries by date. Organized in 4 series: Picture stock books, 1853-1919; Drawing stock books, 1852-1938; On sale books, 1872-1938; Property received books, 1897-1938. |
| extent | ca. 20 lin. ft. 283 fiche : positive Use copy 283 fiche : negative Master copy |
| formats | Microfilm Inventories |
| access | Open for use by qualified researchers, contact the reference desk for further details. |
| record link | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat611486 |
| record source | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat611486 |
| acquisition information | Originals/Duplicate Location: Original records remain with the Thos. Agnew firm. |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:29:44 |
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| title | Thos. Agnew & Sons Ltd Archive, 1840s–2013 | repository | The National Gallery of AR |
| description | The Archive consists of stockbooks, daybooks, diaries, accounts ledgers, minutes, valuation books, cuttings, microfilm, photographic negatives and correspondence. The Archive records many famous paintings that have passed through the hands of Agnew's (e.g. Velazquez The Rokeby Venus, Bellini Feast of the Gods or Van Eyck Three Maries) and contains information on major collectors, including George Salting, J.P. Morgan and Lord Rothschild. The Archive does not cover the very earliest years of the firm but, from the 1850s onwards, it offers a notably full and detailed record of all the firm's activities and trade. This catalogue was produced with support from the National Cataloguing Grants Programme for Archives. Administrative history The firm of Agnew's dates back to 1817 when Thomas Agnew (1794-1871) entered into partnership with Vittore Zanetti, an Italian printseller and instrument, picture framemaker and gilder. The company was originally based in Manchester and Agnew became its sole proprietor in 1835 when the partnership was dissolved. Under his stewardship, the business expanded and became one of the country's leading printsellers and publishers while it also offered ancillary services (such as framing) and began to deal in pictures. Thomas' two sons, William (1825-1910) and Thomas (1827-1883), became partners in the business in 1851 when the firm became Thos. Agnew & Sons. The company flourished; a London branch in Waterloo Place opening in 1860 and they moved to a purpose-built Old Bond Street Gallery in 1877. By the end of the 19th century Agnew's had expanded from dealing in contemporary art to Old Master paintings and drawings, and became one of the major dealers in the international art market with offices around the world: Liverpool (1859-1909), Paris (1907-1914, 1919-[1926]), Berlin (1908-1913), New York (1925-1931). Following the market crash in 1932, Thos. Agnew & Sons became a limited company, closed the branch in Manchester and consolidated its activities in London. The company was able to survive the difficult years of the depression and the Second World War, and the business was supported by the W&T Agnew Syndicate which managed the expenditure on and rental from property (3-4 Albemarle Street and 42-43 Old Bond Street) with members of the Agnew family as shareholders. The company's fortunes picked up following the Second World War, and .... but move to contemporary art and began to struggle ... In 2008 Agnew's historic gallery in Old Bond Street was sold, and the company moved to a smaller gallery space in 35 Albemarle Street. In 2014 the firm passed to new owners, led by Cliff Schorer and Anthony Crichton-Stuart, who purchased the holding company of Thos. Agnew & Sons Ltd. from members of the Agnew family. The following addresses were rented and/or owned by the firm from the early 1800s: Liverpool, 2 Duke Street; Liverpool, Exchange Art Gallery, on the corner of Castle Street and Dale Street; London, 3-4 Albemarle Street; London, 5 Waterloo Place, Pall Mall; London, 42-43 (previously 39) Old Bond Street; Manchester, 14 Exchange Street; Manchester, 94 Market Street, Manchester; New York, 33 East 67th Street. The stock books will be digitized and made available over the National Gallery's website. |
| extent | TBD |
| formats | Business Papers |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/research/research-centre/agnews-stock-books |
| record source | http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/archive/record/NGA27 |
| acquisition information | The archive was retained by the firm until its sale to the National Gallery in 2013. It has been assigned the manuscript reference NGA27. |
| updated | 07/24/2017 16:14:51 |
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| title | Joseph Gillott papers, ca. 1843-1890. | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | The collection represents the surviving body of Gillott’s papers relating to art. Included are correspondence relating to Gillott’s collection and to his role in the art market; letterbooks devoted to correspondence with artists on the loan of pictures for exhibitions; ledgers of picture transactions, business, and personal accounts; and sales & auction catalogues and descriptive pamphlets relating to Gillott’s collection. Series I. Correspondence, ca. 1837-1871, ca. 2500 items. The bulk of the correspondence refers to Gillott’s collecting, collection, exhibitions, loans, estimates, picture sales, and transactions with dealers. Notable are the extensive groups of letters from Ernst Gambart (1860-1868), William Etty and the Etty estate (1844-1850), the dealer William Cox (1854-1867), the estate and associates of J. M. W. Turner, and Francis Danby (1855-1858). A portion of the correspondence relates to Gillott’s pen business, advertising, shares, investment of capital, property offers and sales both in England and overseas. Series II. Letterbooks, 1853-1882, 3 bound vols. Vol. 1, 1853-1854 (41 p.) letters addressed to Gillott regarding paintings; Vol. 2, 1858-1861 (206 pp.) copies of letters sent regarding pictures and loans for exhibitions, recipients include Cox, John Linnell, Thos. Agnew and Sons Ltd., and Turner; Vol. 3, 1856-1882, holds private correspondence regarding personal and domestic matters. Series III. Ledgers, ca. 1843-1867, 5 bound vols. One ledger (49 p.) entitled "Picture transactions" (1846-1853) contains memorandums and notes on pictures on loan, sold, and purchased. With sketches by Linnell of works commissioned by Gillott. The remaining four volumes concern legal and business (vol. 1); collecting, collection, and art dealing (vols. 2-3); and personal and family accounts (vol. 4). Series IV. Sales & auction catalogues, pamphlets and articles, ca. 20 items. Includes sales catalogues of the Joseph Gillott and Charles Dickens estates with published biographical sketches of Gillott and newspapers clippings. Biographical or Historical Notes: Gillott was a Birmingham (England) manufacturer who, in the course of assembling a large private collection of English paintings, bought and sold both native art and the work of Italian masters, and became closely associated with the dealer Ernest Gambart. Gillott’s collection became one of the most widely known and viewed of the Victorian age. The bequests and estate sales that followed his death were of considerable significance in dispersing works into private collections. His activities coincided with and had considerable influence on the formation of the international commercial art market and the exhibition system. Other Archival Location: Joseph Gillott papers; Also located at; Birmingham Public Library, Birmingham, England. Joseph Gillott papers relating to his art dealing; Also located at; Birmingham University Library, Birmingham, England. |
| extent | 4 lin. ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Catalogs Ephemera |
| access | Open for use by qualified researchers. |
| record link | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat76596 |
| record source | http://library.getty.edu/vwebv/searchBasic |
| finding aid | Detailed inventory, created by Jeannie Chapel, available in the repository. |
| acquisition information | The Gillott papers represent surviving documents acquired by Jeremy Maas from Gillott’s heirs. Letters from J.M.W. Turner to Gillott, originally part of the archive, are not among the papers acquired by the Getty Research Library. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:57 |
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| title | Records of the Director's Office: Frederic Allen Whiting, 1913-1930 | repository | The Cleveland Museum of Art |
| description | The records of the Director's Office are the primary source for understanding the decisions made and actions taken at the highest level of the museum's administration. In addition, the records constitute one of the most valuable, unified resources for researching the early history of the museum and its art collection; initial construction and expansion of the museum building; changes in the museum's administrative hierarchy; personalities and activities of individual staff members; artistic and social movements of the first half of the twentieth century; and the museum's relationship with civic, cultural, and educational institutions throughout the country and the world. The records from Frederic Allen Whiting's tenure as director are divided into four main series: I. Numbered Administrative Correspondence, II. Unnumbered Administrative Correspondence, III. Biographical Materials, and IV. Index to Numbered Administrative Correspondence. Citation: The Cleveland Museum of Art Archives, Records of the Director's Office: Frederic Allen Whiting, date and short description of document [e.g., letter from Whiting to Kent, 6 June 1916]. |
| extent | 22.6 cubic feet, 72 boxes |
| formats | Administrative Records Writings Correspondence Notes |
| access | At the end of the restricted period, the records will still be subject to the review of the archivist before access is granted. |
| record link | http://library.clevelandart.org/museum_archives/finding_aids/whiting/index.php |
| record source | http://library.clevelandart.org/museum_archives/finding_aids/ |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:11 |
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| title | Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd. Records, 1850-2013. | repository | National Gallery Research Centre |
| description | It was announced on March 5, 2014 that "the National Gallery expands Research Centre through the acquisition of Agnew's archive." The National Gallery's web site states that the archive dates back to 1850's and consists of stockbooks, daybooks, diaries and account ledgers. The gallery estimates it will be two years before the archive is completely processed but aims to it accessible during this time. |
| extent | National Gallery Research Centre |
| formats | Financial Records Stock Books Diaries |
| access | Contact the National Gallery Research Centre directly for further details. |
| record link | http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/research/national-gallery-research-centre |
| record source | http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/about-us/press-and-media/press-releases/the-national-gallery-expands-research-centre-through-the-acquisition-of-agnews-archive |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:16 |
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