Smithsonian Archives of American Art

Marsden Hartley outside a cave in Les Baux, Provence, France., ca. 1931
Mardsen Hartley posing in a cave, ca. 1931. Downtown Gallery records, 1824–1974. Gift of Edith Gregor Halpert.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, ca. 1933
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, ca. 1933. Albert Kahn papers, 1888–1973. Lydia K. Malbin, Rosalie K. Butzel and Edgar A. Kahn.

Sculptor Una Hanbury and subject Georgia O'Keeffe, 1967

Sculpture class at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, ca. 1888
Sculpture class at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, ca. 1888. Thomas Anshutz papers, 1870–1942. Gift of Elizabeth R. Anshutz. In the last quarter of the 19th century the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts was one of the most prestigious and influential art schools in America. After the departure of Thomas Eakins, Thomas Anshutz (1851–1912) was among its best-known instructors. He taught there for nearly thirty years and many of his students became major figures in American art. The bare-headed man in the center of this photograph is Robert Henri.

Stuart Davis in New Mexico, 1923
Stuart Davis in New Mexico, 1923. Downtown Gallery records, 1824–1974. Gift of Edith Gregor Halpert.

David Smith, ca. 1942
Photograph of David Smith, ca. 1942. Photographer unknown, caption by Dorothy Dehner. Dorothy Dehner papers, 1927–1987. Gift of Dorothy Dehner. Smith (1906–1965), the pre-eminent American sculptor of the mid-20th century, is shown here uncharacteristically at work on a marble sculpture. Some 35 years after the photograph was taken, Dorothy Dehner (1901–1994), Smith’s first wife, wrote the extremely informative caption stating that Smith “did it mainly with Freeman’s power tools. He was always fascinated by industrial methods & had never hand carved marble, even though this picture depicts hammer & chisel.” This sort of specific information proves how valuable a well-labeled photograph can be for art historical research.

The Ideographic Picture exhibition, Betty Parsons Gallery, 1947 Jan. 20 - Feb. 8
Catalog of an exhibition at the Betty Parsons Gallery, January 20–February 8, 1947. Betty Parsons papers and Gallery records, 1927–1985. Gift of the Betty Parsons estate. Gallery records provide fascinating and sometimes startling documentation concerning the economics of the art world. On this page of a Betty Parsons Gallery catalog, the asking prices, which were not always the same as selling prices, have been written in pencil next to each work.

Juan Gris , 1932 Feb.
Catalog of Juan Gris exhibition, Marie Harriman Gallery, February 1932. Marie Harriman Gallery exhibition catalogs and announcements 1932–1961. Gift of W. Averell Harriman. The records of the Marie Harriman Gallery have disappeared, like those of many other small or short-lived galleries. Fortunately, scholars can reconstruct a record of the gallery’s important exhibitions through individual catalogs such as this. Marie Harriman was married to W. Averell Harriman and established a gallery, which was in operation from 1930 to 1942, on East Fifty-seventh Street. Her specialty was French Post-Impressionists and School of Paris painters, but she showed Americans as well, particularly Walt Kuhn, who was a friend and advisor.

Certificates of Authenticity, between 1832 and 1836
Certificates of Authenticity for portraits Catlin painted from life, 1831–1832. George Catlin papers, 1821–1904, 1946. Deposited at the Archives of American Art 1981 by the Bureau of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution. In 1828 George Catlin (1796–1872) began recording American Indian culture through his portraits and scenes from daily life, including buffalo hunts. To bankroll his life’s work, he traveled with his own exhibition to many American cities, London, and Paris. Never financially successful, Catlin was eventually rescued from debt by Joseph Harrison Jr., a wealthy American industrialist, who purchased the paintings, papers, and related artifacts in 1852. They were left neglected in a warehouse, but ultimately Harrison’s widow donated the entire collection to the Smithsonian Institution.

Armory show button and tie tack, 1913
Armory Show catalog, button and pin, 1913. Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family papers, and Armory Show records, 1882–1966. Gift of Brenda Kuhn. Perhaps the most celebrated items in the Archives are the primary documents that constitute the records of the Armory Show of 1913 (officially titled the “International Exhibition of Modern Art”). Walt Kuhn, who had served as secretary of the exhibition’s sponsoring organization, zealously guarded the scholarly treasures for years—even to the point of denying their existence. Thanks to his daughter, the papers were given to the Archives in 1962 and have been available to researchers ever since.

International Exhibition of Modern Art, New York, N.Y., 1913
Armory Show catalog, button and pin, 1913. Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family papers, and Armory Show records, 1882–1966. Gift of Brenda Kuhn. Perhaps the most celebrated items in the Archives are the primary documents that constitute the records of the Armory Show of 1913 (officially titled the “International Exhibition of Modern Art”). Walt Kuhn, who had served as secretary of the exhibition’s sponsoring organization, zealously guarded the scholarly treasures for years—even to the point of denying their existence. Thanks to his daughter, the papers were given to the Archives in 1962 and have been available to researchers ever since.

Irving Blum (b. 1930 )
Irving Blum to David Herbert, ca. 1959 Jan.
Irving Blum, Letter to David Herbert, [undated]. David Herbert papers, 1950–1995. Gift of Jaime Andradre. Blum and Walter Hopps founded the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1958. The gallery was an immediate success, and Blum kept New York-based Herbert (1922–1995) abreast of the goings-on. Blum writes about the gallery opening of the Robert Irwin exhibition: “Movie stars, poodles, beggars, shopkeepers & the four Gingo’s, a family of performing Eskimos from Point Barrow, Alaska. I got stoned after awhile & starting tap dancing & whinnying like a horse.”

Marcel Breuer (b. 1902 d. 1981)
Marcel Breuer to Edward Larrabe Barnes, 1946 Mar. 26
Marcel Breuer, Letter to Edward Larrabe Barnes, March 10, 1946. Marcel Breuer Papers, 1920–1986. Gift of Constance L. Breuer. Breuer’s (1902–1981) long and productive career and brilliant innovations put him in the forefront of modern architecture and design. From the Bauhaus to the Whitney Museum of American Art, from the Wassily chair to Harvard, his extraordinary career is reflected in myriad documents. In this letter, Breuer writes to Barnes about the major decision he had made to leave Harvard to set up full time as an architect in New York.

Alexander Calder (b. 1898 d. 1976)
Alexander Calder to Ben Shahn., 1949 Feb. 24

Mary Cassatt (b. 1844 d. 1926)
Mary Cassatt to John Wesley Beatty, 1909 Oct. 6
Mary Cassatt, Letter to John Beatty, October 6, [undated]. Carnegie Institute Museum of Art papers. The director of the Carnegie Institute Museum of Art asked each of the artists who participated in the semiannual Carnegie International Exhibitions to send a personal photograph, which would be published in the catalog. In this letter, Cassatt (1844–1926) vehemently refused his request: “…it would be very disagreeable to me to have my image in a catalogue or in any publication…. What has the public to do with the personal appearance of the author of a picture or statue? Why should such curiosity if it exists be gratified?”

Frederic Edwin Church (b. 1826 d. 1900)
Frederic Edwin Church to Martin Johnson Heade, 1871 Mar. 1
Frederic E. Church, Letter to Martin Johnson Heade, March 1, 1871. Martin Johnson Heade papers. Gift of Robert G. McIntyre. Church (1826–1900) and Heade (1819–1904), two of the most significant American landscape painters of the 19th century, shared a studio in the Tenth Street Studio Building in New York. Church, writing from Hudson, New York, sends instructions to hold his mail and includes a sketch of a postman overwhelmed by a large box of mail.

John Singleton Copley (b. 1738 d. 1815)
John Singleton Copley to Ozias Humphry, 1775 July 2
John Singleton Copley, Letter to Ozias Humphry, July 2, 1775. Charles Henry Hart autograph collection, 1731–1912. Anonymous gift. Copley (1738–1815) wrote this letter to English painter Humphry from Parma, Italy. He begins with a discussion of artistic matters and concludes with current political affairs in America, stating his relief that his wife and family have reached England safely. He expresses his concern about the unrest in the American colonies, his fear of possible civil war with England, and his distress for his friends still in America. Copley settled permanently in England shortly after writing this letter.

Joseph Cornell (b. 1903 d. 1972)
Joseph Cornell diary page, 1945 Feb. 26-27
Joseph Cornell Diary, February 26–27, 1945. Joseph Cornell papers, 1722–1973. Gift of Elizabeth Benton. The Joseph Cornell (1903–1972) papers are one of the largest collections of an individual artist's papers in the Archives. His writings and diaries reflect mundane aspects of his life, his routine activities, as well as his keenly felt observations. They constitute an intimate and detailed portrait of this reclusive but important artist.

Dorothy Dehner (b. 1901 d. 1994)
Concerning photograph of David Smith, ca. 1942, 1978 Jan. 4
Photograph of David Smith, ca. 1942. Photographer unknown, caption by Dorothy Dehner. Dorothy Dehner papers, 1927–1987. Gift of Dorothy Dehner. Smith (1906–1965), the pre-eminent American sculptor of the mid-20th century, is shown here uncharacteristically at work on a marble sculpture. Some 35 years after the photograph was taken, Dorothy Dehner (1901–1994), Smith’s first wife, wrote the extremely informative caption stating that Smith “did it mainly with Freeman’s power tools. He was always fascinated by industrial methods & had never hand carved marble, even though this picture depicts hammer & chisel.” This sort of specific information proves how valuable a well-labeled photograph can be for art historical research.

Marcel Duchamp (b. 1887 d. 1968)
Marcel Duchamp to Jean Crotti, 1918 July 8
Marcel Duchamp, Letter to Jean Crotti, July 8, 1918. Jean Crotti papers, 1910–1973. Gift of Alice Buckler-Brown. Of all the champions of the avant-garde in the first half of the 20th century, no one is more famous than Duchamp (1887–1968). This letter is part of a group written to his sister, Suzanne, and to Jean Crotti, with whom Duchamp had shared a New York studio, and who later became Suzanne’s husband. These letters reveal insights into the private world of this idiosyncratic and complex artist. In them, he discusses much of his art from the 1910s and 20s, when he was producing some of his most important work.

Thomas Eakins (b. 1844 d. 1916)
William O'Donovan in his studio, 1891 May
Thomas Eakins, Photograph of William Rudolf O’Donovan, May 1891. Photographs of Artists, Collection II. Gift of Margaret O'Donovan Polhemus. Documentary photographs are indispensable to art historical research, and the Archives’ collections are a rich resource with the total number of photographs approaching one half million. The Archives also holds photographs that are works of art in themselves. The photography of Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) is fascinating for both its documentary and artistic qualities, as in this image of the portrait sculptor William Rudolf O’Donovan (1844–1920).

Desmond Fitzgerald (b. 1846 d. 1926)
Desmond Fitzgerald, 1925
Desmond Fitzgerald, Diary, 1925. Desmond Fitzgerald papers, 1868–1930. Archives purchase. Fitzgerald (1846–1926) was one of Boston’s leading art collectors and patrons. Among his notable achievements was his arranging for the Armory Show to travel to Boston in the spring of 1913. He kept a diary for 47 years, and here he writes about visiting Claude Monet in 1925, just before the deaths of both men.

F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald to Charles Green Shaw, 1927 June 21
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Letter to Charles Green Shaw, June 21, 1927. Charles Green Shaw papers, 1830-1974. Charles Green Shaw bequest. Shaw (1892-1974), an abstract painter and well-connected social figure, had earlier planned to be a writer. His circle of friends included F. Scott Fitzgerald who, known to give generous advice to young writers, was particularly kind to his friend Shaw. Fitzgerald is encouraging before offering criticism: "It is a damn good piece of humorous writing from end to end. I wish you'd try something with a plot." He ends by apologizing for being "drunk and dull the other night."

Marsden Hartley (b. 1877 Jan 4 d. 1943 Sept. 2)
Marsden Hartley to Rockwell Kent, 1912 Sept. 22
Marsden Hartley, Letter to Rockwell Kent, [1912/1913]. Rockwell Kent papers, [ca. 1840]–1993. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Rockwell Kent and Shirley (Sally) Kent Gorton. Hartley (1877–1943), a major figure in American art in the first half of the 20th century, was also a poet and prolific letter writer. His letters are often lengthy, usually informative, and an excellent resource for scholars. While in Paris and Germany in 1912 and 1913, he wrote frequently to Rockwell Kent about the writers and artists he met and his opinions about their work. In this letter he writes of Picasso’s “depth of understanding and insight into the inwardness of things.”

Leo Holub (b. 1916 )
Imogen Cunningham on my back porch San Francisco, 1972
Imogen Cunningham on Leo Holub’s porch, San Francisco, 1972. Photograph by Leo Holub. Leo Holub papers, 1936–2001. Gift of Leo Holub.

Leo Holub (b. 1916 )
Richard Diebenkorn, visiting artist and professor at Stanford University, 1963
Richard Diebenkorn, visiting artist at Stanford University, 1963. Photograph by Leo Holub. Leo Holub papers, 1936–2001. Gift of Leo Holub.

Winslow Homer (b. 1836 d. 1910)
Winslow Homer to J. Eastman Chase, 1882 Feb. [?]
Winslow Homer, Letter to J. Eastman Chase, February 1882. J. Eastman Chase papers, 1877–1917. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Robbins. Homer (1836–1910) spent the winter of 1881–82 in England at the North Sea town of Cullercoats, which inspired some of his best-known work. This terse, but informative, letter to his dealer is fascinating as Homer almost casually writes: "If you like you may cut off the life boat….” Homer is also very specific about the price he wants: $250.

Edward Hopper (b. 1882 d. 1967)
Edward Hopper to Frank Knox Morton Rehn, 1926 Sept. 15
Edward Hopper, Letter to Frank K. M. Rehn, September 15, 1926. Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries records, 1858-1969. Gift of John Clancy. Hopper (1882-1967) writes to art dealer Frank Rehn during a visit to Gloucester, Mass., where he painted some of his best-known watercolors. In this letter, he focuses his keen interest on the framing of his pictures. He includes a sketch of the frame, as well as the precise type of mat and where to buy it. He even suggests that, at the framer's shop, the woman at the desk will give a better rate than the framer would.

Rockwell Kent (b. 1882 d. 1971)
Rockwell Kent to Frances Kent, ca. 1926 Sept. 13
Rockwell Kent, Letter to his wife, Frances, September 13, [1926]. Rockwell Kent papers, [ca. 1840]–1993. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Rockwell Kent and Shirley (Sally) Kent Gorton. Kent’s (1882–1971) papers form an extraordinarily rich collection, which sheds light on all aspects of his life as painter, printmaker, illustrator, writer, lecturer, explorer, and political activist. In 1969 just as the papers were packed ready to be shipped to the Archives, his house in upstate New York and its contents were destroyed by fire. By sheer good fortune, the papers survived. Afterward, as Kent prepared to send the papers to the Archives he wrote: “we wish that the whole house, with all its now irreplaceable contents, had been sent to the Archives.”

Alexander Liberman (b. 1912 )
Betty Parsons, ca. 1965
Betty Parsons, ca. 1965. Photograph by Alexander Liberman. Betty Parsons papers and Gallery records, 1927–1985. Gift of the Betty Parsons estate.

Jervis McEntee (b. 1828 d. 1891)
Diary, Vol. IV, June 16, 1883- July 31, 1889
Jervis McEntee, Diary, 1886. Jervis McEntee papers, 1850–1905. Gift of Mrs. Helen S. McEntee. An obscure figure today, landscape painter McEntee (1828–1891) was at the center of artistic life in New York for thirty years. His detailed diary from 1872 to 1890 records a remarkably complete picture of the art world in late 19th-century New York. We learn of his own life, and more importantly, about numerous other artists, collectors, writers, even politicians. Fascinating moments in the life of the metropolis are described, such as the openings of the Metropolitan Museum and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Francis Davis Millet (b. 1846 d. 1912)
Francis David Millet, 1908
Francis Davis Millet, Diary, 1908. Francis Davis Millet and Millet family papers, 1858–1984. Gift of Joyce A. Sharpey-Schafer and David M. Emerson. Millet (1846–1912) was a prominent figure in the art world on both sides of the Atlantic in the decades just before and after the turn of the 20th century. He was a cultural advisor to two presidents, and by the late 1880s was a leading member of the American expatriate community in England. His diaries vividly describe his travels around the world and his friendships with such figures as John Singer Sargent, Edwin A. Abbey, Henry James, and Mark Twain. Millet’s extraordinary life ended with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

Joan Miró (b. 1893 d. 1983)
Abstract self-portrait, 1961 Nov. 21
Joan Miró, Sketch and note, November 21, 1961. Dwight Ripley papers relating to Joan Miró, [ca. 1945]–1961. Gift of S. Dillon Ripley. Collector Dwight Ripley (d. 1973) was the fortunate recipient of this charming sketch by Miró (1893–1983).

Samuel Finley Breese Morse (b. 1791 d. 1872)
Samuel Finley Breese Morse, New York, N.Y. letter to Elizabeth Breese, 1827 Jan. 20
Samuel F. B. Morse, Letter to Miss Elizabeth Breese, January 20, 1827. Breese and Morse family papers, 1772–1846. Gift of Constance K. Clarke. Morse (1791–1872), a painter and inventor of the Morse code, studied with Benjamin West in London, beginning in 1811. He later settled in New York and by 1826 was a founder and first president of the National Academy of Design. This charming illustrated letter was written to one of his upstate New York cousins. He begins the letter by saying he feels “more like dropping asleep than writing a letter.” He breaks from this desire to write of his work on a painting in progress and with the National Academy of Design, which had just been established.

Lilla Cabot Perry (b. 1848 d. 1933)
Bridge in Giverny, France, between 1899 and 1909

Lilla Cabot Perry (b. 1848 d. 1933)
Flower Bed at Giverny, France, between 1899 and 1909

Lilla Cabot Perry (b. 1848 d. 1933)
Studio of Claude Monet, Giverny, France, between 1899 and 1909
Monet’s Garden at Giverny, ca. 1889–1909. Photographer unknown. Lilla Cabot Perry photographs, [ca. 1889–1909]. Gift of James Holsaert. American painter Perry (1848–1933) became acquainted with Claude Monet in the summer of 1889 when she and her husband visited Giverny. The Perrys were so smitten with Giverny that they eventually took the house and garden next door. Perry later wrote about her years in Giverny, and her papers contain a wonderful visual record of Monet’s studio and garden between 1889 and 1909.

Jackson Pollock (b. 1912 d. 1956)
Jackson Pollock letter to Betty Parsons, ca. 1951
Jackson Pollock, Letter to Betty Parsons, [1951]. Betty Parsons papers and Gallery records, 1927–1985. Gift of the Betty Parsons estate. By 1951 Pollock (1912–1956) was well known in the art world, but his work had few buyers. He had, nonetheless, strong views on the monetary value of his work. In this letter to Parsons, he refers to his precarious financial position and his attempt to relieve the situation by trying to get mural commissions. He makes it clear that, if he is successful without her help, she would not get a fee. Pollock left the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1952.

Ad Reinhardt (b. 1913 d. 1967)
Artists' Equity Ball, 1947 Apr. 30

Kay Bell Reynal (b. 1905 d. 1977)
Mark Rothko at work, 1952
Mark Rothko in his studio, 1952. Photograph by Bell Reynal. Photographs of Artists, Collection I. Gift of Kay Bell Reynal.

Kay Bell Reynal (b. 1905 d. 1977)
Alfred Stieglitz, ca. 1940
Alfred Stieglitz, ca. 1940. Photograph by Kay Bell Reynal. Downtown Gallery records, 1824–1974. Gift of Edith Gregor Halpert.

Musya Sheeler
Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen and John Marin, 1958
Edward Steichen, Charles Sheeler and John Marin, ca. 1950. Photograph by Musya Sheeler. Charles Sheeler papers, 1938–1965. Transferred from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.

Everett Shinn (b. 1876 d. 1953)
Everett Shinn's personal account book listing titles and prices of his contributions to the 'Eight Show' at Macbeth Galleries, 1908
Everett Shinn, Personal Account Book, 1908. Everett Shinn collection, 1894–1953. Purchased from Thurston Thacher. Shinn (1876–1953) was part of “The Eight,” whose exhibit at the Macbeth Gallery in 1908 challenged the art establishment and is considered a landmark event in American art history. This personal account book lists the titles and prices of his works in the exhibition. He sold No.7, Girl in Blue to Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney (Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney), founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Doug Stewart
Wendell Castle, 1969
Wendell Castle at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina, 1969. Photograph by Doug Stewart. Fendrick Gallery records, 1952–2001. Gift of Barbara Fendrick.

Wayne Thiebaud (b. 1920 )
Café Flowers, Caged Condiments, Cupcakes Java and Sinkers and Other Food, ca. 1995
Wayne Thiebaud, Sketch, ca. 1995. Wayne Thiebaud papers, 1994–2001. Gift of Wayne Thiebaud. Thiebaud (b.1920) established his career in California (where he still lives) and achieved fame with his first exhibition at the Alan Stone Gallery in New York in 1962. His thickly painted and evocative paintings of cakes, pies, tie racks, and the like seemed characteristic of the same consumer culture that the Pop artists of the early 1960s depicted, but Thiebaud’s art always seemed to have a somewhat different sensibility.

Mark Tobey (b. 1890 d. 1976)
Mark Tobey to Windsor Utley, 1959
Mark Tobey, Letter to Windsor Utley, 1959. Windsor Utley papers, 1951–1959. Gift of Windsor Utley. Tobey (1890–1976) was one of a group of established artists in the Pacific Northwest who made a considerable mark on the art world. One of his students in Seattle was Utley, who maintained a friendship with Tobey throughout the 1950s. Tobey’s reaction to the art of that decade is fascinating; in this letter, he writes: “I really am sick of modern art really - it’s small pickins now. The best work seems to have been done in the early decades of the 20th century.”

Worthington Whittredge (b. 1820 d. 1910)
Completed commissions and other pictures, ca. 1860
Worthington Whittredge, Ledger, ca. 1860. Worthington Whittredge papers, [undated] and 1836–1932. Gift of L. Emory Katzenbach and W. W. Katzenbach. Whittredge (1820–1910), a Hudson River School painter, kept this ledger with several pages inscribed “Completed Commissions and other Pictures.” Dating from about 1860, this “liber veritatis” was an extremely useful method of record keeping for Whittredge and is a valuable document for art historians.

Andrew Wyeth (b. 1917 )
Andrew Wyeth letter to Hazel Lewis, 1950 Oct. 12
Andrew Wyeth, Letter to Hazel Lewis, October 12, 1950. Macbeth Gallery records, [ca. 1890]–1964. Gift of Robert G. McIntyre. The Macbeth Gallery Records span 62 years (1892–1954) and comprise some 150,000 items: letters from many people significant in the art world, financial records, photographs, scrapbooks, and exhibition catalogs. Although celebrated for exhibiting “The Eight” in 1908, the proprietors of the gallery were, on the whole, not enamored of modern art. In the gallery’s later years, its best-known artist was Andrew Wyeth (b. 1917), a more traditional artist, whose first one-man show was held there in 1937, and who stayed with the Macbeth Gallery until it closed in 1954.