Chester Beach papers, 1846-1999, bulk 1895-1999

Photographs of artwork by Beach are mainly of sculpture. A large number of duplicate prints were weeded, though multiple copies may still remain. No duplicate glass plate negatives were removed, and their original box letters are noted in the finding aid since there are references to them in many project files. Among the images of early work are drawings from his student days. Both photograph albums are devoted to the sculpture of Chester Beach. It is evident that the many blank pages in Volume 1 once contained photographs. Photographs of artwork by other artists consist of a portrait of Chester Beach by G. Laurance Nelson, and one painted posthumously by his daughter, Natalie Beach McLaury.

Photographs of Chester Beach include an early childhood portrait, circa 1885, and several images of Beach as a young artist by Gertrude Kasebier, circa 1910. There are photographs of Beach in his studio, including him working on portraits of Helen Leeming and Henry L. Doherty. Pictures of Beach with others include a drawing class at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute, with family and friends, and at a "Dinner tendered to Edmund W. Greacen by Samuel T. Shaw, Salmagundi Club, March 2, 1922." Also found are a few photographs of sitters. Places recorded are Beach's boyhood home in San Francisco, the interiors of his New York City and Brewster, New York studios, and Brookgreen Gardens. Miscellaneous subjects are nude models.

Photograph and negatives are arranged by document type and subject. Glass plate negatives are arranged by negative size and original order. Most images of sitters are found among the project files (Series 2). Project files also contain a wide variety of other photographs, including: finished work, work in progress, maquettes, plasters, sites, and installation and dedication ceremonies. Scrapbook volumes 1 and 2 (Series 8) contain a few photographs, as do the Christmas cards (Series 6).

Glass plate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.

The bulk of this series has been scanned. Duplicates of negatives and blank versos of photographs have not been scanned. Duplicates of glass plate negatives have been scanned.