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Hilary Price
Scope and Contents
Alvord Eiseman's research on Charles Demuth dates from circa 1914-2005 and measures 10.8 linear feet. The collection is comprised of authenticating correspondence, unpublished writings, comprehensive artwork files, printed material, and photographic material that were used in Eiseman's research toward a catalogue raisonné on Demuth.
Writings make up a significant portion of the collection and include a manuscript of Eiseman's unpublished "Catalogue Raisonné of the Complete Works of Charles Demuth," which includes five parts, as well as numerous lists, appendices, a bibliography, and multiple drafts of certain sections. Eiseman's dissertation, "The Study of the Development of an Artist: Charles Demuth, Volumes I and II" is also found here, as well as numerous other writings about Demuth. Artwork files include hundreds of index cards organized by artwork date and contain the size, medium, signature location, collection, exhibitions, reproductions, and provenance of each work. Most cards are also accompanied by a reproduction of the artwork.
Eiseman died before his manuscript could be published and his research material was given to the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco by Eiseman's friend Grete Meilman. The catalogue raisonné research continued until 2001, although the project was never completed. Meilman then handed the project over to historian Ulrich Hiesinger in 2003. Despite the additional attempts to complete the project, the catalogue raisonné was never published.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated in 2016 by Grete Meilman, a friend of Alvord Eiseman's who received the collection at the time of Eiseman's death.
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the papers of Charles Demuth, 1883-1935, available on microfilm reel 2385.
Processing Information
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Hilary Price in 2017.