Advanced Search
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Research Collections
  • Exhibitions
  • Publications
  • News & Events
  • Support the Archives
  • Ask Us





  • Image for Series 1: Correspondence, 
1926-1974, undated This collection has been digitized: View Collection

    About the Downtown Gallery records

    All information on this page comes from A Finding Aid to the Downtown Gallery Records, 1824-1974 (bulk 1926-1969), in the Archives of American Art by Catherine Stover Gaines, in the Archives of American Art. (Printable Version of Finding Aid: PDF, 463 KB [Download PDF Version])


    Historical Note | Description of the Collection | How to Use the Collection


    Historical Information [+]

    As a very young woman, Edith Gregor Halpert (1900-1970) attended art school sporadically while pursuing a business career that began in advertising and included work as a personnel manager and efficiency expert. She continued her business career after marrying artist Samuel Halpert (1884-1930) in 1918 and eventually became a highly paid executive with an investment firm. Well-invested bonuses provided the capital for Halpert to open her own business. READ MORE

    Return to top


    Description of the Collection

    Overview - Scope and Contents [+]

    The Downtown Gallery records constitute 109 linear feet on 167 reels of microfilm. The records are dated 1824 to 1974 with bulk dates from 1926 to 1969. READ MORE

    Arrangement and Series Description

    It is not certain how well arranged the files were while still the property of the gallery, though Halpert's background as an efficiency expert and her talents as an organizer suggest that the gallery's records were well maintained. It is clear, however, that much of the original order has been lost; Halpert is known to have removed files, including many records concerning the Harnett-Peto controversy.

    Correspondence (Series 1) is arranged chronologically, and Artist Files (Series 2) is arranged alphabetically. The remaining series are organized into subseries that reflect either a function or specific record type, and the arrangement of each is explained in the detailed series descriptions.

    The Downtown Gallery records are arranged into eight series:

    Return to top

    Subjects

    This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Archives of American Art under the following index terms. People, families and organizations are listed under "Names" when they are creators or contributors and under "Subjects" when they are the topic of collection contents.

    Provenance

    Between 1957 and 1967, the Downtown Gallery loaned portions of its records to the Archives of American Art for microfilming. Because the microfilming was done in increments, the material was not always filmed in logical sequence, and overlapping and duplication of records occurred. Since files loaned for microfilming were, for the most part, still working records used to conduct ongoing gallery business, their contents changed and shifted over time. After Edith Halpert's death in 1970, the records of the Downtown Gallery were received by the Archives of American Art, 1972-1978, as a gift from her niece and executor, Nathaly Baum. In addition to the previously microfilmed material, the gift includes correspondence, inventories and sales records, financial records, photographs, and printed matter, as well as artifacts.

    Return to top

    How the Collection was Processed

    Through the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation, Inc., the Archives of American Art has been able to process and microfilm the Downtown Gallery records and publish this finding aid for use with the microfilm. Related records, now more logically ordered into archival series, are arranged and described according to prevailing archival standards to facilitate access. The collection was processed by Catherine Stover Gaines and Lisa Lynch in 2000. Dr. Diane Tepfer's dissertation (1989) on Edith Gregor Halpert was an invaluable resource in arranging and describing the records of the Downtown Gallery; her chronology was the point of departure for our work.

    Return to top

    Index(es) [+]

    APPENDIX A: INDEX TO CORRESPONDENTS IN SERIES 1 READ MORE

    Return to top


    How to Use the Collection

    Restrictions on Use

    The Downtown Gallery records are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Prior to publishing information regarding sales transactions, researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission from both artist and purchaser involved. If it cannot be established after a reasonable search whether an artist or purchaser is living, it can be assumed that the information may be published sixty years after the date of sale.

    The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.

    Available Formats

    This collection has been digitized. View the Downtown Gallery records online

    The collection is available on microfilm reels 5488-5654 and in digital format on the Archives of American Art website.

    Related Collections

    Berman, Avis. Pioneers in American Museums: Edith Halpert. Museum News 54, no. 2 (November/December 1975): 34-37, 61-64.

    Bragazzi, Olive. The Story Behind the Rediscovery of William Harnett and John Peto by Edith Halpert and Alfred Frankenstein. American Art Journal 15, no. 3 (Spring 1984): 51-65.

    Tepfer, Diane. Edith Gregor Halpert and the Downtown Gallery/Downtown, 1926-1940: A Study in American Art Patronage. Ph.D. diss., University of Michigan, 1989.

    Edith Gregor Halpert, interview by Harlan Phillips, 1962-1963. Oral History Program, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

    Edith Gregor Halpert, interview by Harlan Phillips, January 20, 1965. New Deal and the Arts Project, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

    Edith Gregor Halpert, lecture delivered at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, October 19, 1959, on the 1959 American National Art Exhibition in Moscow. Tape-recorded by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, and transcribed by the the Downtown Gallery staff.

    In addition, the Archives of American Art has among its collections personal papers and oral history interviews of artists and collectors associated with the Downtown Gallery. Researchers are advised to conduct a name search in the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS).

    How to Cite this Collection

    Downtown Gallery records, 1824-1974 (bulk 1926-1969). Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

    Return to top

  • Copyright Statement
  • | Privacy
  • | Smithsonian Institution
  • | Site Map
  • | Web site feedback
  • | Contact Us