Harold and May Tabak Rosenberg papers, circa 1880-1985, bulk 1940s-1970s

This series consists of nine address books and address cards in two Zephyr America Corporation rolodex address holders with addresses of acquaintances, friends, and colleagues of the Rosenbergs. It is not clear if the books and rolodexes belonged to Harold or May Rosenberg, or to both. Also found are several empty annotated envelopes and other enclosures from the collection.

Letters are almost all incoming and are written almost exclusively to May Rosenberg. The bulk of the letters are from publishers regarding writing submitted by May Rosenberg for publication, with Henry Volkening of Russell & Volkening, Inc., being most prominently represented. They reveal details about the market for Rosenberg's work and hence the tastes and sensitivities of audiences at that time.

Also of significance are letters from June Wayne relating to the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Inc., which Wayne established in 1960 with funding from the Ford Foundation. These three folders of letters document May Rosenberg's friendship with Wayne, and her involvement with the workshop. They record Wayne's request that Rosenberg write in a freelance capacity for the organization, as it's occasional "esthetic spokesman," and her request that Rosenberg write about Louise Nevelson's fellowhip, which took place at the workshop in 1968. The letters also document how Rosenberg was invited to appear in a KCET Television segment as a guest of June Wayne at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in 1972. Also found are letters relating to Rosenberg's writing about the workshop published in Craft Horizons.

Copies of only a handful of letters written by May Rosenberg which are found in the collection, are housed with Wayne's letters. In addition to providing details about the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, these four letters also reveal some of the opinions of the two correspondents on general matters including art, writing, and feminism. One letter from Rosenberg reveals how she drew on her social experiences in the art world as source material, and delivers an incisive criticism of the "round of boredoms" that constituted Rosenberg's Fourth (of July?) experience. She describes introducing newcomers to her friends in the art community and how they quickly come to feel like entitled insiders and begin to patronize her: "I intend to use this material which is very curious—the swift progression from being a social responsibility to being a condescending patronizing insider is a part of the art scene which must be reckoned with. These characters consider themselves the real artists and they no longer need the practicing writer or painters beyond the preliminary stage." Rosenberg's commentary provides witty and razor sharp insights from a writer who moved in the orbit of some of the most successful artists of the time, in addition to the commanding physical and intellectual presence of her art critic and theorist husband.

This series is arranged as four subseries.

The business records found here are mostly routine but do include a small amount of documentation relating to the administration of Harold Rosenberg's estate, such as a list of royalties for his writings from the Whitney Museum of American Art, a will handwritten by May Rosenberg, and some records relating to royalties for A Fish Is Not A Pet from McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Printed material includes a 1956 article about May Rosenberg and the November 1978 issue of Commentary containing an article entitled "Remembering Harold Rosenberg" by Seymour Krim. Also found is a folder of announcements and catalogs for exhibitions and events featuring various artists, including Willem de Kooning, Betty Parsons, and Saul Steinberg. There are also news clippings grouped by subject, including feminism, and several booklets and articles sent to Harold Rosenberg and inscribed by the authors.

A circa 1940s map of East Hampton, Long Island, shows properties in the area, including one which is circled in pencil and is presumably the one purchased by the Rosenbergs.

Photographs include portraits of Harold, May, and Patia Rosenberg, passport and photo booth photos of Harold Rosenberg, and photos of the Rosenbergs with family and friends at events including parties and exhibition openings. Many of the portraits of Harold and May Rosenberg were taken by Maurice Berezov. There is also a portrait of him by Lee Hall.

Photos of artists include nine snapshots which appear to have been taken at Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner's home, and possibly the Rosenberg's home, in Springs, New York. There are two snapshots of Pollock, including one with Patia Rosenberg and his dog, and one snapshot that appears to picture Lee Krasner with another child. Other artists pictured in the photos include Perle Fine, Willem and Elaine de Kooning, and Barnett Newman. There is a 1981 photo of May Rosenberg with Milton Resnick, a photo of June Wayne with Jonas Salk and Francoise Gilot, and photos of Harold Rosenberg receiving an honorary degree from Southampton College in 1976 with Betty Parsons.

Also found are three folders of photos and contact sheets taken during Louise Nevelson's fellowship at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in 1968, showing Nevelson with others working on lithography, and photos of May Rosenberg's visit to June Wayne's studio in 1972 during filming by KCET TV.

There are also thirteen photos of Rosenberg family members, and possibly family friends, dating from circa 1880, which include multiple vintage studio portraits.