Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Clark, Robert Sterling, 1877-1956
| title | Sterling and Francine Clark Papers | repository | Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute |
| description | Robert Sterling Clark was an heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune. After graduating from Yale in 1899 with a degree in Engineering, he joined the United States Army. His service took him to China where he helped quell the Boxer Rebellion. In 1908 and 1909 he led an expedition to a remote area of northern China to conduct geographical, ethnological, and zoological exploration. Shortly thereafter Sterling settled in Paris where he began collecting art and met Francine Clary, whom he would marry in 1919. Sterling kept extensive diaries, which trace the development of his taste in art, his idiosyncratic approach to collecting, his political views, and his interest in breeding thoroughbreds. His horse, Never Say Die, won the Epsom Derby in 1954. Also included in the Papers are inventories for insurance purposes of artworks, jewelry, rare books, and wine; correspondence with various friends and business colleagues, including Arthur de C. Sowerby, Clark’s partner in the expedition to China; and personal materials such as wills, favorite recipes, passports, and photographs. There are a number of objects in the collection, including a saddle and several sets of spurs, military uniforms, and firearms. |
| extent | 112 linear feet |
| formats | Correspondence Diaries Financial Records Appraisals |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record source | http://www.clarkart.edu/library/archives_project.cfm |
| finding aid | Unprocessed |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:29:51 |
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| title | Institutional Records of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute | repository | Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute |
| description | The Institutional Record of the Clark, for the period 1950–1994, includes historical materials related to the Clarks’ decision to locate their collection in Williamstown; founding documents, such as incorporation papers, early board minutes, and engineering studies and architectural plans; and records that document a fifty-year history of the Clark, including its governance, collections, exhibitions, and the development of the Clark Library and its research and academic program. |
| formats | Administrative Records Business Papers Exhibition Files |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| record source | http://www.clarkart.edu/library/archives_project.cfm |
| finding aid | Unprocessed |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:55 |
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| title | Institutional Oral Histories, 1978-1999 (bulk 1998-1999) | repository | Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute |
| description | This series contains oral history interviews, on VHS, audiocassette, DVD, and betacam, with a variety of people affiliated with the Clark family and/or the early history of the museum and graduate program. The interviews include: Javotte Ray, Francine Clark's granddaughter; Frances Greenough and Cecily Symington, Cooperstown friends of the Clarks; Cary Grayson, the son of Admiral Cary T. Grayson, a close friend of the Clarks; Venice Partenope, a nurse who cared for the Clarks in their final years; Lane Faison, Bill Pierson, and Whitney Stoddard, professors of art history at Williams College who knew the Clarks and were active in the early history of the museum and graduate program; Norman Hirschl, an art dealer who dealt with the Clarks; Alexander Stoller, a sculptor who knew Sterling Clark and Peter Guille; Victor Tardino Sr., one of Sterling Clark's accountants Daniel Perry, architect of the 1955 museum building; George Heard Hamilton, former director of the Clark; Lou McManus, former superintendent of Buildings and Grounds at the Clark; David Brooke, former director of the Clark who conducted research on the Clark Family and the early history of the museum; and Casmir de Rham, a Clark trustee. There is one DVD of a panel talk held in 1994 with Lane Faison, Daniel Perry and Venice Partenope discussing their recollections of RSC moderated by David Brooke. There are many duplicates in the series. There are up to 3 VHS copies of some interviews, as well as copies on Betacam, DVD and audiocassette. Interviews with David Brooke and Waldo Johnston, Jr. only exist on DVD. The DVD of the interview with Daniel Perry also includes historical footage of the Clark and "Never Say Die" winning the Derby. The audiocassette interviews of Cecily Symington, Frances Greenough, Whitney Stoddard, and Bill Pierson do not have an accompanying video Preferred Citation: [Cite the item (as appropriate)], Institutional Oral Histories, 1978-1999, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Records, Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts Related Materials: On the occasion of the Clark Art Institutes 50th anniversary, the Clark published: The Clark brothers collect: impressionist and early modern paintings / Michael Conforti ... [et al.] ; with additional contributions by Daniel Cohen-McFall ... [et al.], Williamstown, Mass., Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2006. Related or similar material can be found in the following series in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Archives, Williamstown, Massachusetts: Sterling and Francine Clark Papers; Director's Office 1955-1977; Records and Papers of David Brooke Biographical and Historical Note In 1950 Sterling and Francine Clark chartered the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute as a home for their extensive art collection. Opened to the public in 1955, the Institute has built upon this extraordinary group of works to become a highly respected art museum and one of the few institutions in the United States that combines a public art museum with a complement of research and academic programs, including a major art history library Call # CAI ARC 2007.47 |
| extent | 5.05 linear ft |
| formats | Video recording Sound Recording |
| access | Contact repository for restrictions and policies. |
| acquisition information | Custodial History: The VHS, Betacam, and Audiocasettes were moved to the Director's Vault sometime after 1999. The DVDs were found in the media services workspace |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:30:03 |
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