Kurtz, Charles M. (Charles McMeen), b. 1855 d. 1909

Charles M. Kurtz papers, 1843-1990 (1884-1909)

27.6 linear ft. (partially microfilmed on 24 reels)
Reel(s): 4804-4826 and 4912

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

Location of Originals: Reel 4912: Original in the Yale Center for British Art New Haven, Connecticut.

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.

How to Use this Collection

• 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.
• Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm. Use of unmicrofilmed portion requires an appointment.
• Microfilm reels 4804-4826 and 4912 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
• Please read the Finding Aid for more detailed information on this collection.
• Selected images of documents in this collection are online.
• For more information on using resources at the Archives of American Art, please visit our Ask Us page