Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Kramrisch, Stella, 1898-1993

titleStella Kramrisch Papers
repositoryPhiladelphia Museum of Art
descriptionThe Stella Kramrisch papers document her activities, correspondence and publications as a collector and historian of Indian art. Dating from 1921 to 1998, the material pertains to the art objects acquired by Kramrisch for her personal collection, most of which were gifted or bequeathed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and to her writings and research. Printed material related to Dr. Kramrisch’s research and scholarship comprises most of the collection. Photographs of Indian architecture, paintings and sculpture are also significant in number.
extent60 linear feet
formatsCorrespondence Photoprints Inventories
accessCollection is open for research use. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact archivist.
record linkhttp://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/pacscl/PMA_PMA001
record sourcehttp://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/pacscl/index.html
finding aidAvailable as a PACSCL finding aid on the Penn LibrariAes Web site.
acquisition informationTransferred from the Indian Art Department, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
updated03/16/2023 10:30:06
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titleNancy Wilson Ross Papers, 1913-1986
repositoryUniversity of Texas, Austin
descriptionThe Nancy Wilson Ross Papers, 1913-86, contain virtually complete documentation of her professional writing career, extensive personal correspondence, and files reflecting her interest in Far Eastern culture.

Types of materials found in the collection include holograph manuscript notes; typed manuscripts, carbons, and photocopies; photographs; galley and page proofs; contracts and royalty statements; book announcements; dust jackets; publicity clippings; correspondence; pencil, ink, and watercolor sketches; reports; exhibit announcements and catalogs; newspaper clippings; and periodical publications. Early drafts and working manuscripts of books,

(cont.) an unpublished first novel, short stories, poetry, articles, and reviews, along with supplementary correspondence document her writing career. Her works deal with numerous topics, among them, the Pacific Northwest, the Bauhaus, and Asian culture and religion. Extensive correspondence with family, friends, and numerous other associates is present. Correspondence, organization records, and publications represent Ross's participation on various boards, such as the Asia Society, the Martha Graham Foundation, the San Francisco Zen Center, and the Tibetan Foundation.

Bio/History:
American author and noted authority on Asian religion and art.
extent138 linear feet
formatsCorrespondence Manuscript Photocopies Printed Materials Drawings
accessOpen for research
record linkhttp://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00114.xml
finding aidAvailable online
acquisition informationPurchase, 1972 (R5717)
updated11/12/2014 11:30:14
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titleW. Norman (William Norman) Brown, 1892-1975, Papers, 1912-1975
repositoryUniversity of Pennsylvania, University Archives and Records Center
descriptionW. Norman Brown was an eminent Sanskritist and organizer of the first South Asia area studies program in the U.S., The documentary record of his career reveals the broad range of his lifelong interest in every aspect of South Asian scholarship and cultural activity. His talent in philology and translation was equaled by an administrative ability to arrange archeological dig permits, shepherd authors and printers through the publication process, teach, lecture, consult, publish personal work, travel, and continually strive for increased institutional and government support for area related studies.

His papers include personal and scholarly correspondence, lecture notes, drafts and completed papers, and materials related to research, archeology, travel, and government service. The collection includes correspondence (letters and documents related to research, organizations, and individuals), 1920-1973; research notes, 1919-1973; lecture notes, 1919-1965; Chanhu-daro, Sind expedition, 1934-1943; government reports from the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.), 1941-1947; professional association papers, 1927-1970; and Merganthaler Linotype Company files, 1934-1955 .

extent12 cubic feet
formatsCorrespondence Notes Business Papers
accessAccess in accordance with the Protocols for the University Archives and Records Center.
record linkhttp://www.archives.upenn.edu/faids/upt/upt50/brownwn.html
finding aidAvailable online
updated11/12/2014 11:30:14
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titleHenri Gabriel Marceau Director Records, 1955-1964
repositoryPhiladelphia Museum of Art
descriptionHenri Gabriel Marceau, an internationally known scholar, art historian and architect, was the Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1955 to 1964. Prior to that appointment, he served nearly thirty years at the museum in a curatorial capacity and beginning in 1937 as well as Associate Director.

Marceau's Records consist mainly of correspondence with individuals, corporations, museums and universities, as well as subjects, and they are arranged chronologically by calendar years. Museums are filed under M (for Museum) and then by name for the larger Museums and, alphabetically by individual name for the smaller ones. There are several folders on the installation of the Japanese Tea House and the Kramrisch Collection of Sculpture (1955), as well as a file of condolences for Fiske Kimball in 1955 and 1956. There is a small Object File.
extent56.5 linear feet
formatsCorrespondence
accessThe collection is open for research.
record linkhttp://www.philamuseum.org/pma_archives/ead.php?c=MAR&p=hn
record sourcehttp://www.philamuseum.org/archives/findingaids.html
finding aidAvailable online
updated11/12/2014 11:30:14
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titleIndian Art Department Records, 1896?-1999, n.d.
repositoryPhiladelphia Museum of Art
descriptionIn 1931 the Philadelphia Museum of Art appointed W. Norman Brown (1892-1975) as its first curator of Indian art. At the time of his curatorial appointment, the Indian Art office was part of the Division of Eastern Art. In 1954, Museum Director Fiske Kimball persuaded Dr. Stella Kramrisch (1896-1993) to join the Museum and assume the curatorial position. During Kramrisch's tenure, the formal designation of her department was also modified. In 1956 the Museum renamed the division "Oriental Art," with curators in Indian and Far Eastern art. In 1972, it dropped the divisional title, and separately recognized the two curatorial offices. In the Museum's 1995 annual report, the department was listed for the first time as Indian and Himalayan Art, which remains its current title.

This record group consists primarily of general correspondence and exhibition records that document the department's activities during most of Stella Kramrisch's curatorial tenure. Correspondence is alphabetically arranged by name of individual or institution, as well as a few files identified by subjects, such as scroll painting, lectures, and projects. Institutional correspondents include museums, galleries, universities, publishers and organizations dedicated to the promotion of Asian studies. Examples of the latter include the non-profit American Council of Southern Asia Art (ACSAA) and the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), which is a consortium of universities and colleges that promotes teaching and research about India. The most extensively documented exhibition is "Manifestations of Shiva," which was mounted in 1981. The 13 linear feet of records include a subseries of general files, which are topically arranged and document issues such as budget, travel, openings, publicity, and related symposium. The many "history" files that are a subgroup to the general files appear to pertain to the initial work, research and contacts made in preparing for the exhibition. The second subseries consists of lender files, which are grouped by location, namely American, European and Indian, and within each georgraphic division, by type of lender, either private or institution. The exhibition catalogue is the third subseries, and documentation consists primarily of catalogue entries and photographs of each object, as well as research material.

Most of the material comprising the "Other subjects" series pertaining to a biographical project about Kramrisch undertaken after her death by the department's curatorial and administrative assistant has been transferred to the Stella Kramrisch Papers.
extent36.75 linear feet
formatscorrCorrespondence Photographs Research Files Writings
accessThe collection is open for research
record linkhttp://www.philamuseum.org/pma_archives/ead.php?c=IND&p=hn
record sourcehttp://www.philamuseum.org/archives/findingaids.html
finding aidAvailable online
updated11/12/2014 11:30:14
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titleEvan H. Turner Records, 1964-1978
repositoryPhiladelphia Museum of Art
descriptionEvan H. Turner (born 1927), an art historian and scholar, was the Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) from 1964 to 1978, leading the Museum through a period of significant growth and transformation. He created new art departments for American and 20th Century Art, and the innovative Department of Urban Outreach (DUO) to promote art across the City of Philadelphia. These progressive activities were matched by a groundbreaking exhibition in 1973, the Marcel Duchamp retrospective, which drew upon significant scholarship and assembled virtually the entire oeuvre of one of the most important artists represented in the Museum. In 1975, Turner led the Museum in a major construction project to install a new climate control system in the building, and in 1976, he helped plan the United States’ Bicentennial and the PMA’s Centennial celebrations. Turner was an active member of a number of professional organizations, as well as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The Evan H. Turner records document Turner’s tenure as Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) from 1934 to 1978 (bulk: 1964-1978). A mix of correspondence, inter-office memoranda, reports, minutes and other records provide ample evidence of Turner’s leading position in the Museum’s growth and transformation during that time, as well as exhibition and event planning, and the daily operations of the Museum. The collection also documents Turner’s work with professional organizations, his efforts to help the City plan the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations, and his professorship at the University of Pennsylvania.
extent146 linear feet
formatsCorrespondence Memoranda Reports
accessThis collection is open for research use.
record linkhttp://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/pacscl/PMA_PMA004
record sourcehttp://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/pacscl/index.html
finding aidAvailable as a PACSCL finding aid on the Penn Libraries Web site.
updated11/12/2014 11:30:14
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