Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Kurtz, Charles M. (Charles McMeen), 1855-1909
| title | Charles M. Kurtz papers, 1843-1990 (1884-1909). | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Primarily correspondence and printed material, but also diaries, legal and financial material, notes and writings, photographs, and works of art reflect Kurtz's involvement with the National Academy of Design, the art departments of the Southern, World's Columbian, St. Louis, International Universal (Paris), and Louisiana Purchase Expositions, the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, and his activities as a collector and private dealer. Biographical material consists of reminiscences, certificates, and obituaries. There is approximately 15 ft. of professional and personal correspondence, dated 1843-1990. Of particular interest is correspondence with artists: Du Bois F. Hasbrouck, Robert Macaulay Stephenson and Patty Thum; administrators: Luigi Palma di Cesnola, Sara Hallowell, Halsey C. Ives and Charles Ward Rhodes; dealers: Samuel P. Avery, Alexander Reid, Charles Sedelmeyer; collectors: Thomas B. Clarke, John Wanamaker; organizations: American Art Association, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; family and friends, notably his wife, Julia Stephenson Kurtz, father, D.B. Kurtz and the Starkweather family. Requests for submissions of works of art are forms, and a few letters, returned by artists describing the works they wish to exhibit for the Southern Exposition, 1886, the St. Louis Expositions, 1893-1897, and exhibits of the Glasgow School at St. Louis, 1895, and at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, 1905. Forms are arranged by exposition, and thereunder alphabetically by artist. Legal and financial material consists of agreements, a will, inventories and price lists of the Kurtz's collection, ledgers, 1877-1886, and lists of art related expenses, 1884-1919. 5 vol. of diaries, Mar. - May 1894, Jan. - Dec. 1897, Feb. 1899, Mar. 1899, and Jan. - Mar. 1901 contain detailed entries regarding travels, daily activities, art related events, and expenses. The Feb. 1899 volume describes a sale of paintings from Thomas Benedict Clarke's collection. Notes and writings include drafts of "Art: Its Evolution, Influence and Mission," lecture notes, writings on theory, aesthetics, criticism, collecting, artists and other topics, short stories, comic operas and other compositions, address books, and exposition gallery plans. Twelve volumes of scrapbooks, 1878-1909, contain clippings of Kurtz's columns from the New York Star, Tribune and other papers, and clippings and printed material regarding the Southern and St. Louis Expositions, and the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, and other art related clippings. Extensive printed material includes catalogs for various exhibitions, mostly from New York galleries; catalogs for the sale of Kurtz's collection, 1910; clippings; catalogs and other material relating to the Southern, World's Columbian, St. Louis and Louisiana Purchase Expositions; calling cards; brochures; invitations; and programs. Photographs are of Kurtz, his wife, and others, paintings in his collection, exposition buildings and installations. Some of the photographs were copied from glass plate negatives received with the collection. REEL 4912: Notebook written by Charles Kurtz in 1891, and revised in 1895, chronicling the Glasgow School of Painters. Kurtz details the debut of this group of painters in London and Munich in 1890, discourses on the contemporary Scottish art world, describes the struggles and accomplishments of the School, and ends with extensive characterizations of the artists. UNMICROFILMED: Material which was not microfilmed includes a D.B. and E.L. Kurtz letterpress book, 1877-1887; financial material, including cancelled checks and stubs, and an inventory of the library of Kathrine Woodford Simpson; miscellaneous writings by others; and printed material, including non-art related exposition publications, proof sheets for catalogs, National Academy Notes (1889) and Academy Notes, v.1-v.4 (1905-1909), reproductions of works of art, menus, including one for a dinner for Edwin Austin Abbey with a signed photogravure by Abbey and autographs of 19 attendees including James Smillie, Childe Hassam, and Herbert Vos (with caricature), 1902, and other miscellaneous printed matter. Also, photographs of works of art, and a series of 12 photographs of young men and women taken by Guglielmo Pluschow; and art work, ca. 1876-1902, measuring 23 x 35.2 cm or smaller, including sketches, ink illustrations for Academy Notes, a lithograph by Robert J. Wickenden (signed), an engraving, 6 etchings, including 3 etched invitations to gallery openings of Mary Curtis Richardson, Benoni Irwin and others, a portrait of a man by Jay Hambidge (tempera on paper), and 1 landscape painting (oil on canvas). |
| extent | 27.6 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 24 reels) reels 4804-4826 and 4912 |
| formats | Correspondence Financial Records Photographs Diaries Inventories |
| access | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment. Reel 4912: Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce must be obtained from: Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., Box 2120 Yale Station, New Haven, Connecticut 06520. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| finding aid | Online and in repository. |
| acquisition information | All but reel 4912 was donated in 1988 by Isabel Kurtz, daughter of Charles Kurtz, and by her estate through E.W. Dann Stevens, executor, l99l. Some of the correspondence was damaged by fire, and was photocopied for microfilming purposes. Microfilm copy of Kurtz's notebook (reel 4912) was given to AAA for duplication in 1994 by the Yale Center for British Art, which had received it as a gift from the Isabel Kurtz estate. Reel 4912: Original in the Yale Center for British Art New Haven, Connecticut. |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:29:52 |
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| title | Louisiana Purchase Exposition, Department of Art records, 1896-1908. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Biographical sketch on Halsey Ives, Chief of the Department; Halsey Ives' files, including general correspondence, correspondence and material relating to the Art building, confidential letters, letters with artists' biographies for the Handbook for the Exposition, shipping department correspondence, and personal correspondence. Also included are Charles M. Kurtz's files of correspondence; Frederic Allen Whiting correspondence; Jury of Awards correspondence and lists; applications from artists to International, National, and Local Advisory Committees; monthly reports; clippings; printed material; and miscellaneous invitations. Bio / His Notes: The art department of the Lousiana Exposition was responsible for the art exhibition for the St. Louis World's Fair, 1904. Halsey C. Ives was the chief of the department, Charles M. Kurtz was the chief assistant, and Frederic Allen Whiting was the superintendent of Applied Arts. |
| extent | 9 linear ft. (on 20 microfilm reels) reels 1734-1753 |
| formats | Microfilm Artist Files Diaries Business Papers Personal Papers |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| finding aid | Finding aid available. |
| acquisition information | Lent for microfilming 1975 by the St. Louis Museum of Art. Originals returned to the St. Louis Museum of Art, St. Louis, Missouri after microfilming. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:52 |
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| title | National Academy of Design letterbook, 1891-1916. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | A scrapbook/letterbook containing 74 letters from artists, written mostly to Academy president Harry Watrous, with several to Charles M. Kurtz regarding paintings and sculpture lent for exhibitions, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 (the St. Louis World's Fair), and other matters. Correspondents include: Edwin Austin Abbey, John White Alexander, Otto Bacher, Edward Bell, Albert Bierstadt, Ralph Blakelock, Edwin Blashfield, Gutzon Borglum, Frederick A. Bridgman, John George Brown, Howard Russell Butler, William A. Coffin, Timothy Cole, Colin C. Cooper, Kenyon Cox, Charles Curran , Frederick Dielman, Paul Dougherty, Lucia Fairchild Fuller, Charles Gibson, Alex Harrison, Robert Henri, Daniel Huntington, John Johansen, Francis C. Jones, Wm. Kline, John La Farge, W. L. Lathrop, Jonas Lie, Will Low, Frank Millet, Thomas Moran, H. Siddons Mowbray, John Francis Murphy, James Craig Nicoll, R. A. Niehaus, Charles Niehaus, Maxfield Parrish, Joseph Pennell, Alexander Phimister Proctor, Alexander Robinson, William S. Robinson, William Allen Rogers, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Victor Salvatore, W. Elmer Schofield, Susan Watkins Serpell, Walter Shirlaw, George Smillie, James D. Smillie, Harry Snell, Edward Steichen, George Story, Henry O. Tanner, R. Van Boskerck, Elihu Vedder, Robert Vonnoh, Hubert Vos, William Whittemore, Irving Ramsey Wiles, Henry Wolf, Thomas W. Wood, and Theodore Wores. Bio / His Notes: Art society; New York, N.Y. Harry Watrous was elected president of the National Academy of Design in 1894. He served as Chairman, Executive Committee on Art for the State of New York for the International Exposition of 1904 (Louisiana Purchase Exposition). Charles M. Kurtz was editor of NAD's Academy Notes, and was Asst. Chief, Dept. of Fine Arts, for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1904. |
| extent | 1 v. (74 items) reel 2679 (frames 1110-1203) |
| formats | Correspondence Scrapbooks Microfilm |
| access | Patrons must use microfilm copy. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| finding aid | Alphabetical index to artists/correspondents' names available in Archives of American Art offices. |
| acquisition information | Lent for microfilming 1982 by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which had received it from Watrous. Watrous participated in the Corcoran's Biennials and donated two paintings. Original in: The Corcoran Gallery of Art Archives. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:52 |
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| title | American Art Association records, 1853-1924. | repository | Archives of American Art |
| description | Papers retained by Kirby, 1910-1923, including photograph and price files on more than 100 auctions, 1910-1913, 1915-1918, and 1921-1923, with sections from a typescript of the history of the firm describing many of the sales; a correspondence and clipping file, 1910-1923, containing letters from William Merritt Chase regarding the sale of his collection, David Belasco, Joseph Widener, Lockwood deForest, John P. Morgan, and others; an address on the history of the Association delivered by Kirby; and a small file of material commemorating the death of Francis Davis Millet, drowned in the sinking of the Titanic, 1912. REELS 4478-4484: 28 v. of record books, including 14 v. recording sales of paintings, 1885-1921; "Disposition of Pictures," 1886-1891 (mostly 1887), (1 v.); "Pictures Rec'd and Delivered," July 1881-May 1891 (1 v.); Submissions to New York Water Color Club, 1890-1892 (1 v); Sales by other galleries and auction houses, 1853-1902 (4 v.), representing sales in Paris and the U.S., apparently compiled from printed catalogs; stock book, 1887-1917, of "Paintings," (1 v.), and a stock book for furniture of the American Art Association offices, 1912 (1 v.); and 4 albums of photographs of Stanford White's house and collection, auctioned November 1907. UNMICROFILMED (7.7 linear ft.): Thomas Kirby's correspondence, speeches, partnership agreements, memorabilia, and notes and manuscript pages from his autobiography and biography (both unfinished); speeches and press releases related to the 1922 opening of the American Art Galleries; files on auctions and exhibitions, 1884-1910, compiled by Rose H. Lorenz to aid Charles De Kay in the preparation of Kirby's biography "Art Under the Hammer" (unfinished), containing correspondence, clippings, price lists, photographs and manuscript pages; financial records of auctions, 1918-1922; memoranda and legal papers; clippings, exhibition catalogs, 1853-1917; and photographs. Among the photographs are several of Thomas Kirby and 1 of Gustavus, and a group of 62 cabinet photographs taken by photographers in Paris, all but a few of French artists, probably related to the Association's involvement in the late 1890s to early 1900s of sales of paintings by French artists. UNMICROFILMED (13 linear ft.): ca. 172 volumes and packages, including account books (75 v.); Bric-a-Brac (4 v.), salary lists (5 v.), sales of books, etchings, etc. (4 v.), catalog distribution (3 v.), and address books (128 v.). Also included are 9 v. of ledgers from the Blakeslee Galleries, presumably acquired in 1914 when gallery owner Theron Blakeslee died, and the Association auctioned off the Gallery's paintings. |
| extent | 50 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 7 reels) reels 422-425 and 4478-4484 |
| formats | Correspondence Photographs Clippings Financial Records Notes |
| access | Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment and is limited to Washington, D.C. storage facility. |
| record source | http://www.siris.si.edu/ |
| finding aid | Unmicrofilmed (7.7 linear ft.): Box inventory available at AAA offices. Reels 4478-4484: Inventory of record books available at AAA offices. |
| acquisition information | Material on reels 422-425 was donated in 1968 by Kirby's daughter, Mrs. Thomas B. Waller. The unmicrofilmed material and record books on reels 4478-4484 were originally given to the American Antiquarian Society by Gustavas T.Kirby, son of Thomas E. Kirby, in 1936. The Antiquarian Society placed the record books on deposit at the Archives of American Art in 1972 and subsequently donated them along with the Kirby material January 1978. An additional 5 items concerning the opening of the Association's new building were donated 1993 by the American Antiquarian Society. |
| updated | 11/12/2014 11:29:59 |
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