Betty Parsons Gallery records and personal papers, 1916-1991, bulk 1946-1983

Files consist of correspondence with museums, galleries, dealers, colleges and universities, arts organizations, and associations. Correspondence typically relates to the general operations of the gallery, including loans, sales, prices, appraisals, conservation, damages, shipping, insurance, exhibitions, and requests for information about artists. requests for photographs, and slides, shipping, including promotion, exhibition, and sale of work by gallery artists.

Files are arranged alphabetically according to the name of the institution or the surname of the individual. When the name of a business or institution also represents the name of an individual, the file is arranged by the name of the business. For example, correspondence with the Sidney Janis Gallery is filed under "S".

Files consist of correspondence with private collectors and other individuals, including artists, researchers, art critics, gallery assistants, politicians, and business acquaintances. Correspondence concerns most of the same topics as the correspondence with institutions and dealers, such as sales, purchases, invoicing, loans, requests for photographs and information, requests for information about artists and specific works of art, damages and conservation work, authentication and appraisal of works, and national and international shipping. In addition, there is correspondence about the gallery's role in forming a collection of contemporary drawings (John S. Newberry Collection), and sculpture commissions (including an Alexander Liberman sculpture commissioned by Solomon Smith for the Church of the Holy Spirit in Chicago).

The bulk of the correspondence with artists represented by the gallery can be found amongst the artists files. Artists' correspondence found here typically relates to artists seeking representation by the gallery and written recommendations (for grants, fellowships, and jobs) provided by Betty Parsons.

Correspondence with gallery assistants includes letters from people seeking a position or making arrangements to travel from abroad to take a position, as well as letters from Jock Truman, Marie Hartley, and others to Parsons while she was away, concerning gallery matters.

Files are arranged alphabetically.

Files consist of correspondence with various publishers, newspapers, and magazines, concerning publications and articles on art and artists, Betty Parsons and the gallery, the gallery's stable of artists, and her responses. Also covered are advertising, reproductions of art work and purchase of prints for illustrations, and various printing and publishing projects.

Files are arranged alphabetically by name of publisher or publication. In instances where the name of a publisher contains the name of an individual, the file is arranged alphabetically according to the surname of the individual (for instance, correspondence with Harry N. Abrams, Inc. is filed under "A"). Though unusual, this means of alphabetizing may have originated with the creator and therefore no attempt has been made to modify it.

This is the correspondence, most from the 1980s, of gallery assistants Deborah Hildreth and Wendy Peterson. Organized chronologically, this correspondence concerns such matters as tax audits and other gallery business, artists seeking representation, and requests for information. Also found is miscellaneous correspondence (scattered greeting cards mostly) addressed to Jack Tilton.

Found here are gallery logs from 1977-1981 and two telephone and address books that are undated. Staff of the Betty Parsons Gallery maintained the gallery logs, which were used primarily to record telephone messages, although the logs also include lists of calls to make, things to do, mail sent, works sold, etc.

Files are arranged chronologically by year.