George Leslie Stout papers, 1897-1978

Collection Information

Size: 6 Linear feet

Summary: The papers of conservator and museum director George Leslie Stout measure 6 linear feet and date from 1855, 1897-1978. Stout was head of the conservation department at Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum, director of the Worcester Art Museum and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Massachusetts, and a member of the Monuments, Fine Art and Archives (MFAA) Section of the U.S. Army during World War II. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence with family, friends, colleagues and professional associations. There are letters from fellow Monuments Men who served in the MFAA section such as Thomas Carr Howe, Ardelia Hall, Lamont Moore, Theodore Sizer, Langdon Warner and several other prominent arts administrators. The papers also contain biographical materials, writings, sketches and one sketchbook, military records, printed materials, and photographs.

Biographical/Historical Note

George Leslie Stout (1897-1978) was a museum director and prominent art conservator in Massachusetts. Stout was head of the conservation department at Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum, and director of the Worcester Art Museum and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Massachusetts. During World War II, Stout served in the U.S. Army Monuments, Fine Art and Archives (MFAA) and played a leading role in the protection, location, and recovery of art work stolen by the Nazis.

Provenance

George Leslie Stout donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1978. In that same year, Robert Stout, son of George Leslie Stout, loaned four diaries to the Archives of American Art for microfilming.

Related Materials

Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with George Stout conducted by Paul Karlstrom in 1978. The Archives of Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reel 1378) including four diaries that describe Stout's experiences surveying war-caused damages in France, Germany, and Japan, and the recovery of Nazi impounded art works. Contained in the diaries are several letters, memos, personal documents, printed matter, and a photograph of U.S. military personnel and others viewing an art exhibit. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.

Language Note

The collection is in English, with a few materials in French, Japanese, Italian, and Thai. English; French; Japanese; Italian; Thai

Funding

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.