Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Carstairs, Charles S.
| title | Art Collecting Files of Henry Clay Frick, 1881-1925, undated. | repository | The Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library |
| description | Correspondence, invoices, inventories, registers, handwritten notes, narrative descriptions, and printed material document the selection, purchase, exhibition, and disposition of art works in his collection from the years 1881 to 1919, with the bulk of the papers documenting purchases. Historical Note: Henry Clay Frick was born December 19, 1849, in West Overton, Pa. One of six children, his parents were John W. Frick, a farmer, and Elizabeth Overholt Frick, the daughter of a whiskey distiller and flour merchant. Frick ended his formal education in 1866 at the age of seventeen, and began work as a clerk at an uncle's store in Mt. Pleasant, Pa. In 1871, Frick borrowed money to purchase a share in a coking concern that would eventually become the H.C. Frick Coke Co. Over the next decade, Frick expanded his business through the acquisition of more coal lands and coke ovens, and joined forces with fellow industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1882. He assumed the chairmanship of Carnegie Bros. & Co. (later Carnegie Steel Co.) in 1889. He served in that capacity until his resignation from the company in December 1899. During his tenure as chairman, differences between Frick and Carnegie emerged, most significantly in their approach to labor issues. This culminated in the 1892 Homestead Strike, widely considered one of the most violent incidents in American labor history. This strained relations between the two men for the remainder of their working relationship, and in 1899, after Carnegie attempted to buy out Frick’s share in the company for a fraction of its real worth, Frick sued. Frick eventually received a satisfactory price for his shares, but agreed never again to hold a position in Carnegie Steel Co. In December 1881, Frick married Adelaide Howard Childs of Pittsburgh. The couple purchased a house (called "Clayton") in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh, and had four children: Childs Frick (1883-1965), Martha Howard Frick (1885-1891), Helen Clay Frick (1888-1984), and Henry Clay Frick, Jr. (born 1892, died in infancy). After his break with Carnegie in 1899, Frick began spending more and more time on the East Coast of the United States. In 1905, he signed a ten-year lease on the Vanderbilt mansion at 640 Fifth Avenue in New York, and built an elaborate summer residence (“Eagle Rock”) on Boston’s North Shore, which was completed in 1906. Though Frick maintained his status as a Pittsburgh resident for the remainder of his life, he and his family chiefly divided their time between Massachusetts and New York. In 1907, Frick purchased land at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 70th Street, and in 1912, after the wrecking of the Lenox Library formerly on the site, began building the beaux arts mansion which now houses The Frick Collection. Designed by Thomas Hastings of the firm Carrère and Hastings, the family moved into the house at One East Seventieth Street in the fall of 1914, and Henry Clay Frick died there on December 2, 1919. While there is evidence that Frick had an interest in art collecting as early as 1871 , little is known about his early acquisitions. His first recorded purchase came in 1881, when he acquired George Hetzel’s Landscape with River. Frick purchased only a few paintings over the next decade, but by the mid-1890’s, he was steadily acquiring new pictures at the rate of about one per month. His taste during this period ran toward contemporary French artists, such as Bouguereau and Cazin, and Barbizon School landscapes. After the turn of the century, however, Mr. Frick's taste shifted to eighteenth century English portraits and seventeenth century Dutch paintings, including works by Gainsborough, Lawrence, Vermeer, Cuyp, and Hobbema. He purchased his first Italian Renaissance painting, Pietro Aretino by Titian, and the first of his eight Van Dycks in 1905, the same year he and his family took up residence in the Vanderbilt house. Major acquisitions during this period include Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait, El Greco’s Purification of the Temple, a second painting by Vermeer (Officer and Laughing Girl), and Holbein’s Sir Thomas More. In 1914, the same year in which the Frick family moved into their newly constructed house at One East 70th Street, Mr. Frick's purchases included works by Gainsborough, Goya, Renoir, Turner and Whistler, among others. From 1915 until his death in 1919, Mr. Frick purchased fewer paintings overall, but added works by Bellini, Boucher, Bronzino, Hoppner, and Stuart, as well as additional works Titian, Holbein, and Vermeer. Although Frick purchased from many dealers while building his collection, he heavily favored the firm of M. Knoedler & Co. Roland Knoedler, Charles Knoedler, and Charles Carstairs were considered friends as well as advisers on art, and Frick made more purchases through them than he did from any other source. A major exception, however, is Frick’s association with Duveen Brothers. Although Frick’s ties to this firm date back to 1906, when rugs, porcelains, and other objects were purchased for the Frick family’s Massachusetts estate, it was not until after the death of J.P. Morgan in 1913 that Frick made his most important acquisitions from them. From 1915 through 1918, Frick purchased millions of dollars of Renaissance bronzes, Chinese porcelains, Limoges enamels, and furniture from the Morgan estate through Joseph Duveen. In 1915, Frick also agreed to purchase the series of panels by Fragonard entitled The Progress of Love (also referred to as The Romance of Love and Youth). The installation of these panels in the Frick residence necessitated a complete renovation of the drawing room, which had only been completed a few months before. In addition to Knoedler and Duveen, Frick acquired paintings through domestic and European galleries such as Arthur Tooth & Sons, L. Crist Delmonico, The Ehrich Galleries, and Durand-Ruel & Sons. Frick also occasionally acquired works through individuals, including Virginia P. Bacon, Alice Creelman, and Roger Fry. Henry Clay Frick’s acquisitions were carefully considered, and he often kept pictures on approval in his home for months before deciding whether to purchase or return them. In certain instances, though, works of art were bought sight unseen, or brought over from Europe at his expense but not purchased. As Frick’s collection grew and his taste evolved, he sometimes returned works for credit towards another painting, and pictures were also sometimes acquired with the option to return them for full credit within a given period of time. In some cases, he actively sought the opinions of art experts such as Roger Fry, Carel F. de Wild, and Charles Henry Hart before consenting to an acquisition. Although Frick continued to acquire works of art until his death in 1919 (his last purchase was Vermeer’s Mistress and Maid), he quietly established plans to open his collection to the public after his death as early as 1915. In his will, dated June 24, 1915, Frick bequeathed his New York City residence, including furnishings, art, and decorative objects, as a museum “for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a gallery of art…and encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts, and of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects.” The museum was endowed with funds for maintenance, building alterations, and acquisitions of art. Henry Clay Frick’s widow continued to live at the residence until her death in 1931. At that time, the building was extensively renovated, and opened to the public as The Frick Collection in December 1935. Related Material: In the fall of 1953, Helen Clay Frick split Henry Clay Frick’s art collection files, sending the materials in this collection to The Frick Collection, while retaining eight linear feet of files related to Mr. Frick’s art works. These files became the property of the Helen Clay Frick Foundation upon the death of Miss Frick in 1984 and are now on deposit in The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives. Location The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives. |
| extent | 3.31 linear ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Notes Writings Printed Materials |
| access | These records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org |
| record link | http://www.frick.org/archives/FindingAids/HCFArtCollectionFiles.html |
| record source | https://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991010196349707141 |
| finding aid | Unpublished finding aid available at the repository. |
| acquisition information | Gift of Helen Clay Frick, 1953-1954. |
| updated | 10/28/2024 11:08:03 |
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| title | Art Collecting Files of Henry Clay Frick, Series IV: Correspondence | repository | The Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library |
| description | Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), a Pittsburgh industrialist who made his fortune in coke and steel, cultivated a lifelong interest in art collecting, beginning with his first purchase in 1881. Upon his death, he bequeathed his New York City residence, along with his extensive collection of paintings, furniture, and art objects, to be established as a museum called The Frick Collection. The Collection has been open to the public since December 1935. These papers consist of correspondence, one letterpress book, invoices, vouchers, canceled checks, inventories, notes, and printed material documenting the selection, purchase, and disposition of Henry Clay Frick’s art collection. Note Forms part of the Frick Family Papers. Arrangement Materials are arranged in six subseries: I. Purchases, II. Inventories and Lists, III. Catalogs and Works Exhibited, IV. Correspondence V. Works Not Purchased, and VI. Sale Catalogs and Miscellanea. Files are arranged chronologically within each subseries. Location Frick Archives Call Number HCFF.1.1 |
| extent | 8.9 linear feet |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Inventories Notes Printed Materials |
| access | These records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org |
| record link | https://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/FindingAids/ArtCollectingFiles.html |
| record source | http://digitalcollections.frick.org/digico/?&_ga=2.239675587.1123930943.1661883654-1090155119.1661882013#/archive/Archives/Art%20Collecting%20Files%20of%20Henry%20Clay%20Frick,%20Series%20IV:%20Correspondence |
| finding aid | Unpublished finding aid available at the repository. |
| acquisition information | Part of the Papers of the Frick Family, placed on deposit by the Helen Clay Frick Foundation, December 2001. |
| updated | 10/28/2024 11:08:05 |
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| title | One East 70th Street Papers, 1907-1931 | repository | The Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library |
| description | These papers, dating from 1907-1931, chiefly document the construction and furnishing of Henry Clay Frick's New York residence at One East 70th Street. Materials include contracts, construction specifications, correspondence, architect's certificates, accounts payable vouchers, accounting and financial records, and inventories, as well as documentation of activities at the house after its construction, and maintenance and improvement of the property. These files do not contain blueprints of the house, or visual renderings (photographs, sketches, etc.) of any aspect of the design and construction process unless noted. For images of the house under construction, see the Wurts Brothers photographs in this repository. The collection is arranged in eight series: I. Construction Contracts, II. Construction Notes and Correspondence, III. Construction Special Orders, IV. Construction Vouchers, V. Furnishings, VI. Financial Records, VII. Post-Construction and Estate Matters, and VIII. Daily Life. Series I: Construction Contracts, 1912-1917, includes a bound index of contractors, lists of bids received, cumulative lists of contracts awarded, account summaries and trial balances, summaries of architect's certificates and bills on hand for payment, and files for each contract awarded. Contract files may contain correspondence, executed contracts, construction specifications, architect's certificates, and insurance and bond information. Correspondents include Thomas Hastings and his firm, Carrère & Hastings, construction superintendent D.B. Kinch, and the various contractors involved in the construction of the house. Contracts were issued for all aspects of the building process, from the wrecking and removal of the Lenox Library through the landscape surrounding the finished house. Multiple contracts were occasionally awarded to the same firm (e.g. Edward F. Caldwell & Co. and Cauldwell-Wingate Co.) Series II: Construction Notes and Correspondence, 1912-1918, contains correspondence, notes, proposals, memoranda, estimates, auditor's reports, invoices, lists of subcontractors, and information regarding costs for labor, materials, insurance, and cartage. These materials document the progression of work at the construction site, as well as the billing, auditing, and payment of accounts. Construction expenses were closely monitored by auditors, and accounting discrepancies are frequently noted. Letters of Carrère & Hastings, superintendent D.B. Kinch, and Frick secretary F.W. McElroy appear throughout these files. This series also contains one letterpress copybook of Henry Clay Frick's outgoing letters during the construction and furnishing of One East 70th Street. Series III: Construction Special Orders, 1913-1915, documents special orders for work not included among the general contracts in Series I. Folder contents typically include correspondence regarding proposals and acceptances, special order certificates issued by the architect, construction specifications, and itemized bills. Series IV: Construction Vouchers, 1912-1914, consists of payment vouchers issued to firms, agencies, and individuals during the construction of the Frick residence at One East 70th Street. As was typical of Henry Clay Frick's accounting practices (see Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series III: Voucher Files for additional examples), vouchers were prepared and sent to the payee along with a check for the amount owed. These vouchers were receipted by the payee, and returned to Henry Clay Frick for his files as evidence of remittance received. Vouchers may have correspondence, invoices, or related documentation attached. Series V: Furnishings, 1914-1924 and undated, contains lists of contracts and estimates, as well as letters, telegrams, notes, and invoices pertaining to the furnishing and decoration of One East 70th Street. As the principal decorators for the house, the files of White, Allom & Co. and Elsie de Wolfe comprise the bulk of this series. Their invoices and correspondence document the procurement of carpets, draperies, mantelpieces, furniture, wall coverings, light fixtures, and accessories for the house. Charles Allom's earliest letters discuss his plans for decorative treatment of various rooms, while later correspondence responds to Henry Clay Frick's frustration at work on the house that remained unfinished. Allom's files also document the changes to the Drawing Room after Frick's acquisition of the Fragonard panels in 1915. Elsie de Wolfe's letters detail the selection of antique pieces through various dealers in London and Paris. Other decorators, dealers, and contractors represented in this series include Duveen Brothers, through whom Frick purchased artwork and furnishings from the J.P. Morgan Collection, E.R. Bacon, who facilitated the purchase of a suite of Beauvais tapestry furniture from the Duke of Devonshire and supplied a set of antique silver wine coolers for the Dining Room, Maus, who overhauled the suite of tapestry furniture, and Gerald and Sydney Letts, who furnished the Bowling Alley and Billiard Room. Additional material concerning the acquisition of objects from the Morgan Collection can be found in the Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series I: Art Files; the Eagle Rock Papers, Series: Furnishings; and the Henry Clay Frick Art Collection Files, all in this repository. Series VI: Financial Records, 1907-1918, documents expenditures made during the construction and furnishing of One East 70th Street. Along with a summary of costs associated with the purchase of the property, this series contains canceled checks, monthly statements, and a check register from the Bankers Trust Co. special account established by Frick for the purpose of paying construction expenses. Also included in this series are a cash book, journal, ledger in which construction expenses were recorded by Frick's staff. For day-to-day expenses at One East 70th after construction was completed, see Series VIII: Daily Life. Series VII, Post-Construction and Estate Matters, 1914-1924, contains inventories of the contents of One East 70th Street as well as Frick's garage property located at 129 West 51st Street. Inventories are grouped by type, namely collection property (i.e. items that would become part of The Frick Collection), estate property (items that became part of Frick's estate for distribution under the terms of his will), and personal property (items that were considered the personal property of Adelaide Frick and her daughter Helen). Additional materials in this series include specifications and contracts for the construction of the Frick Art Reference Library (referred to here as the 71st Street Extension), a file on the disposition of frames from the suite of Chatsworth furniture purchased in 1914, a file on the sculpture gallery proposed by Thomas Hastings but never constructed, a dispute with the city re: flagstones outside the residence, and documentation of a claim against W. & J. Sloane re: outstanding remittance for goods removed from the residence and sold. The last series, Daily Life, 1914-1931, contains materials documenting the Frick family's activities and interests, along with household operations and expenditures. Of particular note are the household diaries, 1914-1919, which record guests to the house, luncheons, dinners and other entertainments, purchase and installation of paintings and other works of art, and comings and goings of family members. This series also contains notebooks with monthly compilations of household payroll and bills paid, summaries of dinners given at the house (e.g. guest lists, menus, music, etc.), inventories of books, wines, and liquors, and information about employees who served the Frick family at One East 70th Street, Eagle Rock, and other locations. Biographical/Historical Note Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919) was a prominent industrialist and art collector who made his fortune in the coal, coke, steel, and railroad industries. Born into modest circumstances in West Overton, Pa., Frick ended his formal education by the mid-1860s. In 1871, he borrowed money to purchase a share in a coking concern that would eventually become the H.C. Frick Coke Co. Over the next decade, he continued to expand his business through the acquisition of more coal lands and coke ovens, and entered into partnership with fellow industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1882. Frick assumed the chairmanship of Carnegie Bros. & Co. (later Carnegie Steel Co.) in 1889, and served in that capacity until his resignation from the company in December 1899. During his tenure as chairman, differences between Frick and Carnegie emerged, most significantly in their approach to labor issues. The 1892 Homestead Strike further strained relations between the two men, and in 1899, Frick permanently severed his relationship with Carnegie. In December 1881, Frick married Adelaide Howard Childs of Pittsburgh. The couple purchased a house ("Clayton") in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh, and had four children: Childs Frick (1883-1965), Martha Howard Frick (1885-1891), Helen Clay Frick (1888-1984), and Henry Clay Frick, Jr. (born 1892, died in infancy). After his break with Carnegie, Frick began spending less time in Pittsburgh, and soon established additional residences in New York and Massachusetts. In 1905, Frick leased the Vanderbilt mansion at 640 Fifth Avenue in New York, which he and his family would occupy for the next nine years. (For lease and other information about 640 Fifth Avenue, see Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series: Subject Files, File #242.) "Eagle Rock", the Frick family's summer home in Prides Crossing, Mass., was completed the next year, in 1906. Also that year, Frick began to make plans for the construction of his own New York residence by purchasing land at the corner of 70th Street and Fifth Avenue. (For more information, see Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series: Subject Files, File #251). At the time of Frick's purchase, however, the Lenox Library was located on the site, and Frick was prevented from taking possession of the property until after the opening of the New York Public Library in 1911. While Frick did offer to relocate the Lenox Library building to another site at his expense, no agreement could be reached with the city, and it was demolished after he took title to the property in 1912. Although Frick first sought designs from Daniel Burnham, architect of the Frick Building in downtown Pittsburgh, he ultimately commissioned architect Thomas Hastings of the firm Carrère & Hastings to design and build his New York residence. The result was a three-story Beaux-Arts mansion clad in limestone, and featuring a 100-foot picture gallery, a garden on the Fifth Avenue side of the house, and an interior courtyard. The site was cleared, plans for the house were finalized in 1912, and construction began in 1913. Charles Allom of White, Allom & Co. was selected to furnish the rooms on the ground floor, as well as the Breakfast Room and Frick's personal Sitting Room, both on the second floor. The remaining rooms on the second and third floors were decorated by Elsie de Wolfe, who was also commissioned to furnish the Ladies' Reception Room on the first floor (now the Boucher Room). Frick, along with his wife and daughter, took up residence in the house in November 1914. (Frick's son, Childs, had married Frances Shoemaker Dixon in the fall of 1913, and consequently never resided in the house.) In 1915, two years after the death of J.P. Morgan, Frick had the opportunity to acquire objects from Morgan's famous collection, including paintings, bronzes, Chinese porcelains, and Limoges enamels. Through the art dealer Joseph Duveen, Frick acquired furniture, paintings, and decorative arts, including a series of Fragonard panels on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The house's first floor Drawing Room was then renovated to accommodate the panels. With the exception of the Fragonard Room, the house remained essentially unchanged from the time of its construction until the death of Adelaide H.C. Frick in 1931. At that time, according to the terms of Frick's will, the house was converted into a museum, with architectural changes overseen by John Russell Pope. Expanded to include two new galleries, a Music Room, and a Garden Court, the museum opened to the public as The Frick Collection in 1935. Preferred Citation One East 70th Street Papers. The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives. Related Materials Additional materials regarding the furnishing of One East 70th Street can be found in the Henry Clay Frick Furnishings Files in this repository. Call Number HCFF.7 |
| extent | 12.8 Linear feet (27 boxes) |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Legal Papers Ephemera Letterbook |
| access | These records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org. |
| record link | http://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/FindingAids/OneEast70thStreetPapers.html#adminInfo |
| record source | https://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991008292599707141 |
| finding aid | Available on the repository's website |
| acquisition information | Placed on deposit by the Helen Clay Frick Foundation, 2001. |
| updated | 10/28/2024 11:08:07 |
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| title | Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series V: Subject Files, 1848-1966, undated | repository | The Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library |
| description | Henry Clay Frick's Subject Files, 1848-1966 and undated, consist of correspondence, financial records, legal documents, notes, and printed material on a variety of topics relating to Frick's personal and business interests. These files were organized by Frick's office staff in Pittsburgh, and do not adhere to any chronological or alphabetical filing system. Instead, documents on a particular topic were gathered into an envelope, and envelopes were assigned sequential numbers. Four separate runs of numbers have been arranged in this series as the following four subseries: I: General Subject Files, II: Unfinished Matters, III: Finished Matters, and IV: Agreements. The last subseries among these papers, Subseries V: Bound Volumes, contains a handful of miscellaneous volumes used by Frick's office staff. Subseries I: General Subject Files, 1848-1966 and undated, is the most voluminous of the materials in this series. These files largely concern real estate transactions, loans and financial assistance to family members, friends, and business associates, and investments in railroads, utilities, mining, banking, and manufacturing. Other topics of interest include Frick's private railroad car “Westmoreland,” the family's box at the Metropolitan Opera; social events hosted by the Frick family, and membership in a range of clubs, societies, and other organizations. These papers also document philanthropic endeavors and the lease of various properties, including the Vanderbilt mansion at 640 Fifth Avenue in New York, the Robert S. Bradley house in Prides Crossing, Mass., a vacation cottage in Palm Beach, Fla., apartments at Louis Sherry's in New York, and the charter of the steam yacht Shemara. An alphabetical index of topics and their corresponding envelope numbers is filed in the beginning of the subseries. Note that some gaps exist among the sequence of envelope numbers, and that some envelopes are empty, indicating that their contents may have been removed and stored elsewhere by Frick's office staff. The location of materials transferred out of these files is often unclear. Subseries II: Unfinished Matters, 1903-1949 and undated, and Subseries III: Finished Matters, 1907-1921 and undated, appear to be two parts of the same sequence of numbered envelopes. As in the General Subject Files subseries, documents pertaining to a transaction or topic were assigned a numbered envelope. Notations were made on the envelopes concerning action taken and the existence of relevant documentation. Matters considered unresolved at the time of Frick's death were probably left in their envelopes, even though action may have been taken and recorded in the course of handling Frick's estate. For those matters considered resolved during Frick's lifetime, the envelope was stamped "Closed" and the contents of the envelopes were removed to another location as indicated on the envelope, with the empty envelope remaining in the file. Documentation from closed matters was transferred into the General Subject Files above (sometimes referred to in notes as the "regular file") or the Henry Clay Frick's Voucher Files, also in this repository (http://www.frick.org/archives/FindingAids/HCFVouchers.html). While the envelopes in the Unfinished Matters subseries are largely empty, they do contain detailed summaries of action taken and existing documentation, and can provide references to materials filed elsewhere among Frick's papers. Subseries IV: Agreements, 1884-1925 and undated, pertain largely to real estate transactions and investments in in various companies. Exceptions to this include an agreement with F.J. Osterling for renovations at Clayton, and contracts for utilities at Clayton and the Frick Building. A bound record of agreements filed at the beginning of the subseries contains details such as the parties involved, pertinent dates (i.e. expiration, payment, renewal, cancellation, etc.), a synopsis, and the location of related documentation. As with the General Subject Files, Unfinished Matters, and Finished Matters, there are unexplained gaps in the sequence of numbered agreements in this subseries. A small group of materials, Subseries V: Bound Volumes, 1911-1920s, contains an address book, an index to a file case, and an inventory of securities held in a safe deposit box. Preferred Citation Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series V: Subject Files. The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives. Call Number HCFF.1.5 |
| extent | 34.3 Linear feet |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Legal Papers Notes Printed Materials |
| access | These records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org |
| record link | http://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/FindingAids/HenryClayFrickSubjectFiles.html |
| record source | https://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991003453399707141 |
| finding aid | Available online and in repository. |
| acquisition information | On deposit from the Helen Clay Frick Foundation, 2001. |
| updated | 10/28/2024 11:08:12 |
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| title | Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series II: Correspondence 1882-1929, undated. | repository | The Frick Collection and Frick Art Research Library |
| description | Henry Clay Frick's Correspondence series (1882-1929, and undated) consists chiefly of incoming letters, including circular letters, telegrams, statements, reports, memoranda, and notes, as well as enclosures and related material. In some cases, copies of Frick's outgoing responses are also included. Items in this series are arranged alphabetically, either by the last name of the correspondent, or by the name of the firm, organization, or publication (e.g. Chas. D. Barney and Co., Seamen's Church Institute, Princeton University, Scottdale Observer, etc.) In a handful of instances, materials are filed by subject (e.g. La Sarraz, Switzerland; painter Andrea del Sarto, etc.) Topics discussed in Frick's correspondence vary widely, and include business dealings, investments, art collecting, philanthropy, politics, real estate, and family matters. The earliest items in this series date from 1882, and include correspondence with Andrew Carnegie and the distillery A. Overholt & Co. From the 1880s through the 1910s, though, Frick corresponded with a wide array of industrialists, bankers, investment firms, executives, and managers, and was a frequent correspondent with members of the Phipps, Mellon, Morgan, and Rockefeller families. Frick's principal business activities were in the areas of coal and coke, iron, steel, and railroads. Materials pertaining to these concerns may be found either under the name of the corporate entity or under the names of individual executives. For instance, in addition to the correspondence filed under Carnegie Steel Co., additional letters can be found under Andrew Carnegie, Millard Hunsiker, A.L. Griffin, J. Ogden Hoffman, F.T.F. Lovejoy, H.M. Curry, and John C. Fleming. Similarly, H.C. Frick Coke Co. correspondence also appears under the names Thomas Lynch, Robert Ramsay, and W.C. Magee. Other executives in the coke, steel, and railroad industries with whom Frick corresponded include Jay C. Morse, W.L. Brown, W.H. Donner, Elbert H. Gary, J.W. Gates, E.B. Leinsenring, Samuel Mather, George W. Perkins, Morris Ramsay, Josiah V. Thompson, and A.R. Whitney, as well as Alexander J. Cassatt, Samuel Rea, William H. Joyce, James McCrea, and John S. Wilson, all of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Examples of industrialists and bankers associated with Frick are Henry G. Morse, Carl C. Law, F.W. Haskell, S.L. Schoonmaker, H.C. McEldowney, and E.B. Morris. Also documented in this series are Frick's investments at various brokerage houses, largely through statements and transactional correspondence with firms such as Lee, Kretschmar and Co., Boissevain and Co., Charles Smith and Sons, James D. Smith and Co., and Kuhn, Loeb and Co. Letters to Frick on the subject of art collecting range from offers of paintings and other objects available for purchase, to requests to visit Frick's gallery, to transactional correspondence regarding the purchase, framing, conservation, insurance and transport of paintings. Such letters are filed under the names of his principal art dealers, M. Knoedler and Co. and Charles Carstairs, as well as under Duveen Brothers, through whom Frick made acquisitions from J.P. Morgan's estate among other purchases, Roger Fry, who assisted Frick in the acquisition of Rembrandt's Polish Rider and also alerted Frick to the availability of other works, and Arthur Tooth & Son, through whom Frick purchased his first old master painting. Additional correspondents who wrote about acquisitions or possible acquisitions include Alice Creelman, Virginia P. Bacon, James H. Dunn, H. Silva White, Julius Oehme, and Jacques Seligmann, among numerous others. An index of works offered to Frick in these files is available, and additional art correspondence can be found in the Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series I: Art Files and in the Henry Clay Frick Art Collection Files in this repository. Correspondence on philanthropic matters documents Frick's contributions to museums and other cultural institutions, colleges and universities, hospitals, churches, and civic organizations. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, American Museum of Natural History, the American Academy in Rome, Harvard University and its Arnold Arboretum, Princeton University, from which Frick's son Childs graduated in 1905, and Columbia University. Materials may be filed under the name of the institution, but can also appear under the names of officials and administrators, as in the case of John Grier Hibben of Princeton University, and Nicholas M. Butler of Columbia University. Notable civic organizations in receipt of Frick's assistance were the Pittsburgh Newsboys' Home, Pittsburgh Association for the Improvement of the Poor, Kingsley House Association, and the Henry Clay Frick Educational Commission, founded by Frick in 1909 with the assistance of Pittsburgh astronomer John Brashear. In addition to his interests in business and art, Frick's papers also document his political activities. Though he himself never held office, he was a strong supporter of the Republican Party, and took an interest in both national politics and those in Pennsylvania, where he maintained legal residency and returned to cast his ballot annually. Frick had prominent political connections, as evidenced by correspondence with Senators Boies Penrose, M.S. Quay, and Philander Chase Knox (later a cabinet member to Presidents Roosevelt and Taft), Representative Edward E. Robbins, and Judge Joseph Buffington, Roosevelt's Treasury Secretary, Leslie M. Shaw, and Roosevelt's personal White House secretary, William Loeb, Jr. Frick's correspondence contains letters to and/or from all U.S. Presidents from Harrison through Wilson, though in some instances there is only a letter or two. The bulk of Frick's presidential correspondence is with Theodore Roosevelt, through whom Frick donated a painting to the White House in 1903. Topics discussed in Frick's political correspondence include campaign contributions, nominations and appointments, and the political climate of the time. Local politics and civic matters are also discussed, especially in the letters of H.D.W. English, Frank F. Nicola, and Pittsburgh mayor William A. Magee. Frick's correspondence concerning real estate details the acquisition, improvement, and administration of property, whether for the family's personal use, or for commercial, industrial, or rental purposes. Of note is his correspondence with various architects of the period, including F.J. Osterling and F.E. Alden, who undertook projects at the Frick residence in Pittsburgh; Little & Browne, who designed the Frick house in Prides Crossing, Mass.; Thomas Hastings, architect of the Frick family's New York residence; Daniel Burnham, who designed the Frick Building in downtown Pittsburgh as well as the Frick monument in Homewood Cemetery; and Hunt & Hunt, who made alterations to the Vanderbilt mansion in New York during the time of the Frick family's residency there. Files of letters to and from George Lockhart Allen, a real estate and insurance broker based in Salem, Mass., document the acquisition of land for Frick's Prides Crossing estate, relations with his neighbors, and the social climate of the area at that time. Another correspondent of note, D.B. Kinch, was at times responsible for the administration of the Frick Building in Pittsburgh, and superintending the construction of the Frick residence in New York. These letters sometimes give insight into Frick's personal interests and hobbies, especially those items documenting his memberships in various sporting, social, and fraternal organizations, as well as in correspondence with C.L. Charley, a Parisian auto dealer who imported cars for Frick, and the naval architectural firm of Tams, Lemoine and Crane, through whom he chartered a yacht just after the turn of the century. These papers also document aspects of Frick's private life and the operation of his office and household through correspondence with his immediate family (his wife Adelaide, son Childs, and daughter Helen Clay), members of the extended Frick, Childs, and Overholt families, employees at his various residences, and office staff in New York and Pittsburgh. Preferred Citation Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series II: Correspondence. The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives. HCFF1.2 |
| extent | 39.4 linear feet (95 boxes). |
| formats | Correspondence |
| access | These records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org |
| record link | http://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/FindingAids/HCFCorrespondence.html |
| record source | https://library.frick.org/permalink/01NYA_INST/1qqhid8/alma991007514669707141 |
| finding aid | Unpublished finding aid available at the repository. |
| acquisition information | Placed on deposit by the Helen Clay Frick Foundation, December 2001. |
| updated | 10/28/2024 11:08:14 |
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| title | M. Knoedler & Co. records, circa 1848-1971. | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | The archive of M. Knoedler & Co. consists of the records of one of the most important American art dealers. The breadth of the archive spans over a century, beginning in 1848, when the French parent company Goupil & Cie, opened an office in New York, to 1971 when the Knoedler gallery was acquired by Armand Hammer. The records of the Knoedler gallery brings to the foreground the business side of dealing as artworks shuttled back and forth among Knoedler, fellow dealers, and collectors whose names represent the historic elite of American society. It traces the growth of the American art market, 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. Knoedler gallery became one of the main suppliers of European old master and post-Impressionist paintings in the United States. Therefore its financial records document the large number of artworks in American museums that were sold by the gallery. The archive also contains letters written by artists Archipenko, Sarah Bernhardt, Rosa Bonheur, Alexander Calder, Edgar Degas, Max Ernst, Paul Gauguin, Greta Garbo, Winslow Homer, Henri Matisse, Irving Penn, Mark Rothko, John Singer Sargent, Joseph Stella, Edward Steichen, and Louis C. Tiffany. The archive includes: financial records on purchases and sales, such as stock books and sales books; records related to commissions of artworks that the dealer made to artists; inventory cards on clients and artworks; records related to the shipment of artworks that did not enter the firm's stock; correspondence with artists, clients and other galleries; photographs of the artworks sold by the gallery; business records from affiliate offices in Paris and London and for the firm's departments, including the one dedicated to framing and restoration; research files; catalogs and ephemera. Arrangement Arranged in twelve 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. Departments; Series VIII. London and Paris offices; Series IX. Other financial records; Series X. Photographs; Series XI. Research files; Series XII. Catalogs and ephemera. Biographical/Historical Note: M. Knoedler & Co. was a successor to Goupil & Co.'s New York branch created in 1848 to expand the firm's market in the sale of reproductive prints. In 1857, Michael Knoedler, an employee of Goupil, bought out the interests of the firm, 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, Carmen Mesmore, Charles Carstairs and Carstairs' son Carroll. In 1956 Henschel died, and E. Coe Kerr and Roland Balay, Michael Knoedler's grandson, took over. In 1971 the firm was sold to businessman and collector Armand Hammer. The gallery closed in November 2011. Preferred Citation M. Knoedler & Co. records, circa 1848-1971, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2012.M.54. |
| extent | circa 1,300 linear feet + ADD1 ( 2 boxes). |
| formats | Business Papers Correspondence Financial Records Photographs Printed Materials |
| access | Series I, II, III, and IV are open for use by qualified researchers. The remainder of the collection is unprocessed. Each series will be opened for use as processing is completed. |
| record link | http://archives2.getty.edu:8082/xtf/view?docId=ead/2012.M.54/2012.M.54.xml |
| record source | http://primo.getty.edu/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=GRI&afterPDS=true&institution=01GRI&docId=GETTY_ALMA21129976460001551 |
| finding aid | Online and in the repository |
| acquisition information | Acquired in 2012. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:16 |
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