Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Vose Galleries of Boston
| title | Vose Galleries of Boston records, circa 1876, 1890s-1996, bulk 1920s-1930s. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The records of Vose Galleries of Boston measure 25.6 linear feet and date from circa 1876, 1890s-1996 with the bulk of materials dating from 1920s-1930s. Nearly 90 percent of the collection documents the gallery's handling of American paintings and portraits through incoming and outgoing business correspondence with artists, clients, galleries, and museums, including considerable correspondence with portrait artist Alfred Jonniaux and clients regarding commissioned portraits. Other materials include client files; artists' biographies; records of sales, consignments, framing, restoration, and banking, mostly from the 1940s-1960s; and scattered exhibition catalogs, newspaper clippings, and postcards. Also found is a handwritten manuscript regarding the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, PA and a 1991 videotape about the Vose Galleries and its founding family. Correspondence of note is with artists Childe Hassam, Malvina Hoffman, Alfred Jonniaux, and John Singer Sargent; galleries Ehrich Galleries, Clapp & Graham Co., M. Knoedler & Co., Macbeth Galleries, Milch Galleries, Newhouse Galleries, Arthur U. Newton Galleries, Norton Galleries, and Howard Young Galleries; the estates of Anna Coleman Ladd and William E. Norton; and the family of Abbott H. Thayer. Researchers should note that the records do not comprehensively span the gallery's history or operations. The bulk of the collection is correspondence from the 1920s-1930s and, lesser so, from the 1970s. There is little material in the collection which dates before the 1910s or the 1950s-1960s, other than correspondence regarding Alfred Jonniaux and some financial records. Records loaned for microfilming should be consulted for materials outside of the bulk dates of this collection, especially for materials from the late 1800s-early 1900s. Bio / His Notes: Vose Galleries (founded 1841) is a long time family run art gallery based in the Boston, Mass. area. Additional forms: Materials lent for microfilming on reels B1, 2380, 4593-4594, and 4909 available for use at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Reels 3936-3940 available for use only at Archives of American Art offices. Loc. of Assoc. Material: From 1965-1994, Vose Galleries of Boston loaned materials to the Archives of American Art for microfilming which are available on microfilm reels B1, 2380, 3936-3940, 4593-4594, and 4909 and by interlibrary loan. These materials were returned after microfilming and not included in later donations from the gallery. Reel B1 contains a scrapbook compiled by Seth Vose and annotated by Robert Vose that contains clippings, 1886-1900, and an 1889 letter from author and critic Alfred Trumble; and a scrapbook compiled and annotated by Robert C. Vose spanning the years 1920-1940, 1897, and 1905, and containing clippings and handwritten lists. Reel 2380 contains numerous photographs, circa 1890-1964, of Seth Morton Vose, Robert C. Vose, Sr., artists, collectors, and dealers associated with Vose Galleries; a Macbeth Gallery "smoker" in honor of Emil Carlsen; a drawing of Charles Emil Heil by George F. Wing, and a charcoal drawing after Monticelli by Albion Harris Bicknell. Many of the photographs are annotated by Robert C. Vose. Reels 3936-3940 contain account books, 1871-1887; a journal, 1889-1903, a ledger, 1889-1901; invoice books, 1896-circa 1954, inventories of paintings and drawings in stock, 1884, 1892 and 1906; exhibition records, 1911-1982?; traveling exhibition records, 1915-1949; and a record of paintings sold, 1876-1894. Written permission is required to access these reels. Reels 4593-4594 contain clippings, undated and 1891-1989, chiefly about purchases, sales and exhibitions, but also pertaining to art dealers, museums, artists, and art events. Reel 4909 contains a scrapbook of clippings, announcements, programs, and other printed materials, 1882-1993. The Archives of American Art holds several separately cataloged collections related to Vose Galleries of Boston, including the Carrig-Rohane Shop records (1903-1962); oral history interviews with Seth Morton Vose (July 24, 1986 - April 28, 1987) and Robert C. Vose, Jr. (June 27 - July 23, 1986); a sound recording and videotape of a Robert C. Vose, Jr. lecture at the Somerset Club (May 14, 1987); a sound recording of an interview with Robert C. Vose (March 1961); the Miscellaneous Art Exhibition Catalog collection containing Vose Galleries exhibition catalogs, circa 1900-1941; and, Robert C. Vose, Jr. typescripts and clippings, 1961, on microfilm reels 3480 and 4314. Cite as: Vose Galleries of Boston records, circa 1876, 1890s-1996, bulk 1920s-1930s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. |
| extent | 25.6 linear ft. |
| formats | Correspondence Photographs Scrapbooks Financial Records Catalogs |
| access | REELS 3936-3940: ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required. Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. storage facility. Reels 3936-3940: Authorization to publish, quote or reproduce requires written permission from an officer of the Vose Galleries, 238 Newbury St., Boston, Mass.02116 |
| record link | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/vose-galleries-boston-records-9272 |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| finding aid | Index to clippings on reels 4593-4594 is available at AAA offices. |
| acquisition information | Scrapbooks on reel B1 lent for microfilming by the Vose Galleries, 1955. Photographs on reel 2380 lent for microfilming, 1981, and unfilmed material donated by the Vose Galleries, 1965 through 1995, including 4 ft. of clippings microfilmed on reels 4593-4594. The clippings were originally compiled by Sibbie Marsh, long-time gallery assistant, and then by Robert C. Vose, Jr. after he joined the firm, circa 1931. The scrapbook on reel 4909 was lent for microfilming 1994. Account books and other records on reels 3936-3940 were processed and microfilmed by the Getty Art History Information Program in 1987; the film was donated by the Getty although the records are retained by Vose. Continuing additions to the records are transferred to the Archives by Robert C. Vose, Jr. as he finishes his use of them in writing a lengthy series of vignettes from the firm's history. |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:29:44 |
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| title | R.C. & N.M. Vose (Firm) Records, 1871-1982 [microform] | repository | The Getty Research Institute |
| description | Records span the late 19th century through the late 20th century and include account books, invoice books, exhibition records, and sale books. Arrangement: Organized in 8 series: Account books, 1871-1887; Records of paintings sold, 1876-1894; Journals, 1889-1903; Ledgers, 1889-1901; Invoice books, 1896-ca. 1954; Inventories, 1884, 1892, 1906; Traveling exhibition records, 1915-1949; Exhibition records, 1911-1982. Biographical or Historical Notes: Art dealer based in Providence, R.I., and then Boston, Mass. The firm, founded in Providence, in 1841, was known as Vose & Huxford in the 19th century, Robert C. Vose Galleries in the 1950s, and Vose Galleries of Boston by the 1980s. |
| extent | ca. 20 lin. ft. 102 fiche : positive Use copy 102 fiche : negative Master copy |
| formats | Business Records |
| access | Access to and use of with written permission of an officer of the Vose Galleries of Boston; inquire at Reference desk |
| record link | http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cat611561 |
| record source | http://library.getty.edu/vwebv/searchBasic |
| acquisition information | Original records are held by Vose Galleries of Boston. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:51 |
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| title | Oral history interview with S. Morton Vose, 1986 July 24-1987 April 28. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | An interview of S. Morton Vose conducted by Robert F. Brown for the Archives of American Art. Vose speaks of the pervasive effect of his family's art gallery upon his life; studying languages at Harvard College; his affiliation with the gallery from 1927 on; the increasing emphasis on American painting during his career at the Vose Gallery, and the gradual deemphasis on European work. He reminisces about some Vose Gallery clients, especially Maxim Karolik, and some art dealers; he discusses a traveling exhibition he was involved in; he speaks of the gallery's relations with prominent museum personnel, such as William Reinhold Valentiner and E.P. Richardson. Vose also discusses the pitfalls of appraising art collections, his father's last years, and the firm's move, and his recent work on a Dictionary of American Painters. He recalls William Morris Hunt, Thomas Robinson, Leopold Seyffert, Catherine Morris Wright, Maxim Karolik, Elizabeth Paxton, Paul Sample, John Whorf, Hermann Dudley Murphy, Winslow Homer, James Fitzgerald, Arthur Healey, and many others. Bio / His Notes: Art dealer, art historian; Brookline, Mass. |
| extent | Sound recording: 4 sound cassettes. Transcript: 87 p. |
| formats | Interview Transcript Online Transcript |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| finding aid | Transcript is available on the Archives of American Art's Web site. |
| acquisition information | These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:57 |
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| title | Robert C. Vose lecture, 1987 May 14 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | A lecture delivered by Robert C. Vose at the Somerset Club, Boston Massachusetts, May 14, 1987. Vose recalls some of the major American paintings sold by the Vose Galleries. He speaks of the thirty to forty year cycles in popularity and prices of American paintings, and of leading collectors, particularly Maxim Karolik. Bio / His Notes: Art dealer (Boston, Mass.) |
| extent | 1 sound cassette. |
| formats | Interview Sound Recording |
| access | Untranscribed; use requires an appointment. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| acquisition information | The lecture was given at the Somerset Club for members of the Archives of American Art. Vose agreed to its being recorded and included in the Archives' collection. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:57 |
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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 | http://primo.getty.edu/GRI: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 | 05/29/2018 14:44:15 |
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| title | Miscellaneous art exhibition catalog collection, 1813-1953, bulk 1915-1925 | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | The collection comprises circa 770 items, dating from 1813-1953, the bulk of which are exhibition catalogs from New York City art galleries for the first two decades of the twentieth century, representing exhibitions of mainly modernist art. Catalogs for exhibitions held in Boston (mainly pre-1900) and a few other cities are also present. Included are several rare catalogs, notably one for the "Eight" held at Macbeth Gallery in 1908. Besides catalogs, the collection also contains exhibition announcements, gallery publications, and other printed material. The collection is especially relevant for the study of early American modernism, and is useful in understanding the role of art galleries, exhibitions, the art market, and the exhibition catalog itself, in American art. Historical Note: In 1979, the American Antiquarian Society donated approximately 1,500 exhibition catalogs and art-related printed material to the Archives of American Art (AAA). The Society had received most of them over a long period of time, many of them addressed to the director, Charles Brigham. For several years subsequent to the donation, AAA sporadically added exhibition catalogs to the collection from various sources. Some of these additions are annotated in the hand of Walt Kuhn and are presumed to have been part of his papers in the Archives. |
| extent | 4.4 linear feet |
| access | Use of original papers requires an appointment. |
| record source | http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/miscellaneous-art-exhibition-catalog-collection-9520 |
| acquisition information | The bulk of the collection was donated 1979 by the American Antiquarian Society, who presumably assembled them from various sources. Others were received individually, while many are annotated in the hand of Walt Kuhn and are presumed to have originally been part of his papers in the Archives. In 2005, additional catalogs were integrated, some of which are presumed to have been removed from various collections over the years. |
| updated | 08/07/2015 10:22:40 |
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