Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America

Archives related to: Abrams, Harry N.

titleHarry N. Abrams interview, 1972 Mar. 14.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionAn interview of Harry N. Abrams conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art. Abrams speaks of his educational background including classes at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League, and New York University. He recalls his book designs, advertising and mail orders for Schwab and Beatty (1928-1936) and the Book-of-the-Month Club (1936-1950) and his association with Illustrated Modern Library and Illustrated Junior Library.

He discusses the organization and early problems of the Abrams Publishing Company, paperback reprints, translations, foreign publications and successful titles. Abrams speaks of the Abradale Press, the Norman Rockwell series, the Contemporary Painters series; and the characteristics of book club and bookstore customers. The interview concludes with a description of his art collection.
extent1 sound tape reel ; 5 in. Transcript: 29 p.
formatsSound Recording
accessContact repository for restrictions and policies.
acquisition informationThis interview is 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.
updated03/16/2023 10:29:49
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titleEliot Elisofon Papers, 1930-1988 (bulk, 1942-1973)
repositoryUniversity of Texas, Austin
descriptionEliot Elisofon's career as a photojournalist, filmmaker, author, artist, and collector of primitive art and sculpture is documented by photographs, transparencies, slides, negatives, films, research material, notes, photo captions, logbooks, correspondence, agreements and other documents, drafts, proofs, tearsheets, clippings, scrapbooks, catalogs, sketchbooks, and artifacts, all dating from 1933 to 1988.
extent60.5 linear feet
formatsCorrespondence Photographs Writings Research Files Ephemera
accessOpen for research with the exception of Elin Elisofon's biography research files (folders 70.15 through 72.5) which require her permission to use
record linkhttp://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/fa/elisofon.hp.html
record sourcehttp://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/fa/elisofon.hp.html
finding aidOnline and in repository.
acquisition informationGift, 1992
updated11/12/2014 11:29:54
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titlePeter Pollack papers, 1939-1979.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionCorrespondence; photographs; writings and lecture notes; and printed material; and a scrapbook.

REEL 822: Ca. 300 personal letters, 1945-1970, to Pollack from painter Richard Florsheim.

REELS 2385-2390: Files of correspondence and clippings pertaining to Pollack's career as a curator and photography historian. Most of the files concern Pollack's book THE PICTURE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY. Other files concern Pollack's work on publications for Harry N. Abrams, Inc., the Worcester Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Also included are writings and lecture notes; a few letters and clippings from scrapbooks; and miscellany. Correspondents include: Ansel Adams, Gyuia Halasz Brassai, Sylvan Cole, Julio De Diego, Helmut Gernsheim, Philippe Halsman, Dimitrios Harissiadis, Yousuf Karsh, Grace M. Mayer, and Beaumont Newhall.

REELS 4886-4887: Personal correspondence, 1954-1976, with Richard Florsheim discussing various career choices and projects, exhibition openings, Florsheim's art dealers, and book projects Florsheim was involved in; project files, 1948-1962, regarding Pollack's position as the New York City-based Public Relations Consultant for the Archives of American Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Guggenheim, and other institutions. Included are letters, news releases, catalogs, announcements and some photographs and clippings of such projects as the International Biennial of Prints and the AAA European art tour trip.

Also included is a scrapbook, 1939-1943, concerning exhibitions and activities of the South Side Community Art Center, Chicago, sponsored by the Illinois Art Project of the WPA-FAP and supervised by Pollack, 1938-1942. The center's purpose was to advance African American art and artists. Included are by-laws; letters from Alain Lock, and Richmond Barthe; photographs of Pollack, Jules Carlen, Horace Pippin, Eldier Cortor, Canada Lee, Julio de Diego, Jesus Torres, and Eleanor Roosevelt at the dedication of the center, 1941; a typescript of a lecture by Daniel Catton Rich "The Art Museum and the Community Art Center," delivered at the Museum Director's conference, Detroit Institute of Arts, May 1940, newspaper clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs and other printed material
extent6.5 linear ft. (microfilmed on 9 reels) reels 822, 2385-2390, and 4886-4887
formatsMicrofilm Correspondence Photographs Printed Materials Writings
accessPatrons must use microfilm copy.
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
finding aidReels 2385-2390: Finding aid available at AAA offices.
acquisition informationMaterial on reels 822 and 4886-4887 donated 1974-1977 by Pollack, except for the scrapbook which was donated by Jane de Hart, an art historian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who received it from Pollack for her research on African American artists and WPA projects. Material on reels 2385-2390 was lent for microfilming in 1981 by Creilly Pollack, Pollack's widow. Location of Original: Reels 2385-2390: Originals returned to Creilly Pollack after microfilming.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:54
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titleHerman J. Wechsler papers, 1917-1976.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionGeneral correspondence, and correspondence with publishers; notes and manuscript drafts of articles and books on art, a manuscript on Italian artist Andrea Del Castagno, unpublished manuscripts and prints for a book "A Journey Through the World of Art", publications by Wechsler and others; a notebook with quotations from writers; tear sheets of his column "Adventures in Collecting"; a scrapbook containing correspondence, clippings, exhibition announcements, and 2 photos of the Fine Arts Reproductions Gallery; correspondence, draft of legal document, handwritten text and articles regarding reproduction of Toulouse-Lautrec posters; photographs of Wechsler, his family, and his exhibitions; royalty statements; prints of work by other artists; files on Alfred Aufhauser and Harry N. Abrams containing correspondence, manuscripts, and notes; a volume II of CARNET DE DESSINS, a facsimile of Henri Matisse's sketchbook for his cut-out gouache, PARAKEET AND MERMAID (1955); printed material on the F.A.R. Gallery; printed matter; clippings; and miscellany.
extent2.6 linear ft.
formatsCorrespondence Notes Manuscript Photographs Writings
accessUnmicrofilmed; use requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility.
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
acquisition informationDonated 1977-1981 by Mrs. Herman J. Wechsler, Wechsler's widow.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:54
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titleMitchell A. Wilder papers, 1946-1979.
repositoryArchives of American Art
descriptionCorrespondence; writings; speeches and notes for lectures; photographs; and files on museums and institutions in the U.S.

REEL 1685: Condolence letters sent to Wilder's wife Sally following his death from leukemia in 1979. Included are letters from Richard Avedon and Ansel Adams.

REELS 1846-1848: Correspondence, including a letter Sept. 28, 1964 from G. O'Keeffe and letters of condolence; memorial resolutions; speeches and notes for lectures; material on the architect George Nelson; an unpublished manuscript on art of the West and manuscripts of articles and catalogs; magazine articles; photographs; and 15 files of program and building analyses of museums and institutions in the U.S.

REEL 1853: Several letters between Wilder and Harry N. Abrams, 1971 and 1976; proposals; and brief drafts for an unpublished manuscript by Wilder on the art of the American West.

Bio / His Notes:
Museum director; Fort Worth, Tex. Director of the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, 1961-1979. He established an active exhibition program that sent shows on the American West to the USSR and Japan. He also established the largest collection of photographs in the southwest. Over 300,000 prints are stored there.
extent1.6 linear ft. (on 5 microfilm reels) reel 1685, reel 1846-1848 & 1853
formatsMicrofilm
accessPatrons must use microfilm copy.
record sourcehttp://www.siris.si.edu/
finding aidReels 1846-1848: An inventory available at the Archives of American Art offices.
acquisition informationMicrofilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project. Material on reels 1685 & letter from Georgia O'Keeffe lent for microfilming 1979-1980; material on reels 1846-1848 & 1853 donated 1979-1980 by Sally D. Wilder, widow of Wilder. Location of Original: Reel 1685 & G. O'Keeffe letter: Originals returned to Sally D. Wilder after microfilming.
updated11/12/2014 11:29:54
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