Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Herter Brothers (New York, N.Y.)
| title | Herter Brothers Records, 1891-1907, bulk 1901-1908. |
| repository | The Winterthur Library |
| description | This collection of business papers was created when William Gilman Nichols served as president of the firm. Included are general accounts, purchase and sales records, letters, bills, time books, and foreign and domestic ledgers. These manuscripts provide a detailed record of furnishings and prices for work at many well-known locations. Clients included the Armour, Guggenheim, McCormack, and Vanderbilt families. The firm worked on the Bellevue Stratford Hotel, Delmonico's, St. Regis Hotel, the state capital building of Minnesota, and the White House. Specifically, the ledgers contain detailed records of interior decoration and furnishings. The handwritten and copies of letters to clients and suppliers contain design proposals, descriptive details regarding style, materials to be used, sketches, specifications, and notes. The foreign ledger reveals the international scope of Herter Brothers' clientele. And, the bills frequently have the name of the job for which the items recorded on them were purchased. Biography or history This company, founded in 1865 by brothers Gustave and Christian Herter, quickly became one of New York City's leading interior design houses and furniture makers. Herter Brothers decorated many of New York's finest homes and businesses as well as many other places throughout the United States. The brothers used such materials as ebonized wood, inlays of ivory and gilt, and other ostentatious devices to satisfy the tastes of their wealthy clients. French, English, and Japanese influences are evident in the furniture designs. In 1870, Christian bought out Gustave who then returned to his native Germany. In 1881, Christian retired from from the business and moved to Paris to paint. He subsequently returned to New York City and died there. The company carried on into the 20th century. Location The Winterthur Library: Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera, Winterthur, DE 19735. Call Number Col. 93 |
| extent | 11 cubic ft. |
| formats | Business Papers Financial Records |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/COL0093.htm |
| record source | http://library.winterthur.org:8000/cgi-bin/webgw |
| finding aid | A folder title listing is available at this repository. A name index to volumes 11, 14, 16, 18, and 25 (sales records, 1891-1905) is available in a card file at this repository. |
| acquisition information | Gift of Mr. & Mrs. James C. Nelson, Jr. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:36 |
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| title | Tiffany and Company Order book, 1879-1918, Clock Department. |
| repository | The New-York Historical Society |
| description | Order book, October 30, 1879-June 24, 1918, kept by the clock department of Tiffany and Company. Records name of customer, description of work done, time and material required, and cost. Customers included the 7th Regiment NGSNY; Frederick Law Olmsted; McKim, Mead and White; William R. Hearst; William K. Vanderbilt; plus furniture dealers such as Herter Brothers and Pottier and Stymus. In addition, much work was done for Tiffany and Company stock and the Paris Exposition of 1889. Location New-York Historical Society Collection Mss Collection Call Number BV Tiffany Non-circulating |
| extent | 1 v., (281 p.). |
| formats | Business Papers Financial Records |
| access | Access: open to qualified researchers at The New-York Historical Society. |
| record source | http://www.bobcat.nyu.edu/nyhistory |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:36 |
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| title | [Photographs of furniture] [graphic]. |
| repository | The Winterthur Library |
| description | Folder contains photographs and information sheets related to seventeen documented and four attributed pieces. The furniture displays the Herter Brothers' major influences including the French Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles and the Aesthetic Movement with its interest in Japanese design. Most of the dates fall in the early 1880s. Biography or history Gustave and Christian Herter, born and trained in Germany, became partners in Herter Brothers around 1865. The firm specialized in high-style furniture making and interior design and received important commissions from wealthy clients. In 1870, Gustave retired and in 1883 Christian died suddenly; the firm continued until around 1906. Notes For more information, see Katherine S. Howe, et. al., Herter Brothers: Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1994), especially Sophia Riefstahl, "Chronology," p. 225-39. Notes The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera holds business papers related to Herter Brothers. Preferred citation Decorative Arts Photographic Collection, Visual Resources, Winterthur Library. Location The Winterthur Library: Decorative Arts Photographic Collection, Visual Resources Department |
| extent | 2 folders (approx. photoprints) : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. or smaller. |
| formats | Photographs Writings |
| access | Reproduction by written permission only from object's owner. |
| record source | http://library.winterthur.org:8000/cgi-bin/webgw |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:39 |
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| title | M. Knoedler & Co. records, approximately 1848-1971 |
| repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | The records of M. Knoedler & Co. document the business of the prominent American art dealer from the mid-19th century to 1971, when the Knoedler Gallery was acquired by Armand Hammer. The archive traces the development of the once provincial American art market into one of the world's leading art centers and the formation of the private art collections that would ultimately establish many of the nation's leading art museums, such as the Frick Collection and the National Gallery of Art. It brings to the foreground the business side of dealing as artworks shuttled back and forth among Knoedler, fellow dealers, and collectors, documenting developments in art connoisseurship, shifting tastes, the changing role of art in American society, and the essential role of private collectors in the formation of public American art collections. The records provide insight into broader economic, social and cultural histories and the nation's evolving sense of place in the world. The Knoedler Gallery became one of the main suppliers of old master and post-Impressionist paintings in the United States. Financial records of the firm provide crucial provenance information on the large number of artworks in American museums that were sold by the gallery. The archive includes stock books, sales books and commission books; correspondence with collectors, artists, art dealers and other associates; photographs of the artworks sold by the gallery; records from the firm's offices in London, Paris and other cities; exhibition files; framing and restoration records, and records of the firm's Print Department. Selected portions of the archive have been digitized and made available online. Connect to selected digitized portions of the archive. Arranged in 14 series: Series I. Stock books; Series II. Sales books; Series III. Commission books; Series IV. Inventory cards; Series V. Receiving and shipping records; Series VI. Correspondence; Series VII. Photographs; Series VIII. Exhibition files; Series IX. American Department records; Series X. Framing and restoration records; Series XI. Print Department records; Series XII. Other financial records; Series XIII. Library cards, scrapbooks, and research materials; Series XIV. Knoedler family papers Biographical/Historical Note: M. Knoedler & Co. was a successor to the New York branch of Goupil & Co., an extremely dynamic print-publishing house founded in Paris in 1827. Goupil's branches in London, Berlin, Brussels, and The Hague, as well as New York, expanded the firm's market in the sale of reproductive prints. The firm's office in New York was established in 1848. In 1857, Michael Knoedler, an employee of Goupil and a manager for the firm, bought out the interests in the firm's New York branch, conducted the business under his own name, and diversified its activities to include the sale of paintings. Roland Knoedler, Michael's son, took over the firm in 1878 and with Charles Carstairs opened galleries in Paris and London. In 1928, the management of the firm passed to Roland's nephew Charles Henschel, Carman Messmore, Charles Carstairs and Carstairs' son Carroll. In 1956 Henschel died, and E. Coe Kerr and Roland Balaÿ, Michael Knoedler's grandson, took over. In 1971 the firm was sold to businessman and collector Armand Hammer. The gallery closed in November 2011. |
| extent | 3042.6 linear feet (5550 boxes, 17 flat file folders). |
| formats | Auction Catalogs Business Records Correspondence Financial Records Ephemera |
| access | Open for use by qualified researchers, with the following exceptions. Boxes 77, 262-264, 1308-1512, 1969-1974, 3592-3723 are restricted due to fragility. Box 4468 is restricted until 2075. |
| record link | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2012m54 |
| record source | https://primo.getty.edu/permalink/f/19q6gmb/GETTY_ALMA21129976460001551 |
| contact information | Contact gallery's archivist |
| finding aid | At the Getty Research Institute and over their website. |
| acquisition information | Acquired in 2012. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:50 |
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