Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Phillips, Duncan, 1886-1966
| title | The Phillips Collection records, 1920-1960. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence files, arranged chronologically and alphabetically; gallery records; operational records; music program files; and exhibition files. REELS 1929-1994: Correspondence, largely concerning the foundation, operation, and acquisitions of the museum; gallery records; music program files; and exhibition files. REEL 1890: Correspondence with artist Augustus Vincent Tack. REEL 1926: Correspondence with artists Arthur Dove and Alfred Stieglitz. |
| extent | 43 linear ft. (on 68 microfilm reels) |
| formats | Correspondence Exhibition Files Gallery Records |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record link | n/a |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/phillips-collection-records-8367 |
| finding aid | Chronological list to the collection available in AAA offices. |
| acquisition information | Donated 1979 by the Phillips Collection. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:28 |
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| title | Phillip Duncan's Papers |
| repository | Phillips Collection Library and Archives |
| description | The library contains material that supports research on works of art in the museum’s permanent collection, special exhibitions, and the history of the museum. The archives contain the writings of Duncan Phillips, the museum’s founder, and a wide array of source material on the history of the museum. |
| formats | Writings |
| access | Prospective readers must be adults with a focused research project that relates to the permanent collection or history of The Phillips Collection. Qualified readers may be currently enrolled graduate or doctoral students; current faculty or teaching staff at a university; current staff of a museum, gallery, auction house, or art dealer; authors; or professional researchers with a written referral from a professional in the field describing the research. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:28 |
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| title | Phillips Collection Archives |
| repository | Phillips Collection Library and Archives |
| description | The library contains material that supports research on works of art in the museum’s permanent collection, special exhibitions, and the history of the museum. The archives contain the writings of Duncan Phillips, the museum’s founder, and a wide array of source material on the history of the museum. |
| formats | Exhibition Files Writings |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:28 |
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| title | Lee Gatch papers, 1925-1979. |
| repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Correspondence, notebooks, writings, photographs, catalogs and other publications. REEL D160: Letters from Gatch's dealer J.B. Neumann, detailing his financial difficulties, Marian Willard of Willard Gallery, collector Duncan Phillips, who discusses a catalog he is writing on Gatch, and painter and collector Max Kahn; photographs of Gatch, ca. 1934; a commonplace book, 1925-1937, which also includes food recipes and an inventory of Gatch's paintings; clippings; and catalogs. REEL NLG-1: Mainly correspondence with Phillip Bruno of World House Galleries concerning the pricing and delivery of paintings. Gatch comments specifically on "Veronica's Veil" and "Gothic Night." Also included are social notes from Elsie Driggs Gatch to Josephine Bruno, playbills from performances of Merriman Gatch, clippings, and photographs. REEL N69-137: an autobiographical sketch; letters, 1934-1965, from Lewis Mumford, Katharine Kuh, and others, commending his work, from J.B. Neumann and Duncan Phillips, discussing sales of his painting, and from Max Kahn, commenting generally on art matters; brief essays by Gatch on his paintings "Jurassic Frieze" and "World's End," and the development of his painting; a book of poems inscribed by the author, Power Dalton; and catalogs. REEL 1: Letters to Elsie Driggs, 1934-1935, commenting on his art theories, his plans for Yaddo, and his financial situation; an exchange between Gatch and Bruno, commenting on his use of texture; one letter from Duncan Phillips, discussing an article he is preparing on Gatch. Also, a typescript comment by Gatch on the aim of his art, a certificate from the New York Institute of Mechanics, 1941, and a National Institute of Arts and Letters citation, 1965. REEL 2812: 36 photographs of Gatch, his homes, and studios, ca. 1927-1963; 3 exhibition catalogs; and a letter, February 8, 1979, from Robert J. Koenig to Merriman Gatch regarding "The Acrobats" by her father. UNMICROFILMED: Photographs, printed material, several letters, a student notebook, and memorabilia. Bio / His Notes: Painter; New York, N.Y. |
| extent | 1.0 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 5 reels) |
| formats | Microfilm Correspondence Notebooks Writings Photographs |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record link | n/a |
| record source | https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/lee-gatch-papers-8962 |
| acquisition information | Donated 1963-1979 by Gatch and his wife Elsie Driggs Gatch, except for material on reel NLG-1, which was lent for microfilming, as well as portions of the unmicrofilmed material, which were donated 1971 by Mrs. Leonard Strauss (6 snapshots), who was working on a master's thesis on Gatch, and by Gatch's sister, Sister Mary Rachel Gatch (2 letters, and printed material). |
| updated | 02/14/2025 10:07:36 |
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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 10:07:44 |
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