James J. Rorimer papers, 1921-1982, bulk 1943-1950

This series contains forms and certificates dating from Rorimer's time in the U.S. Army, including a certificate of honorable discharge and certificate of service. A Harvard transcript and Alumni Bulletin are also included.

These records are arranged chronologically.

Correspondence mostly relates to Rorimer's army service during World War II from 1943-1946, such as letters about placement and assignments in the army, army directives, and announcements of awards. There are a few personal letters from Rorimer's wife Katherine or Kay. There are also letters about publishing the book Survival and congratulatory notes upon publication The more prominent names among the correspondents include Paul Sachs, associate director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard; John D. Rockefeller, Jr., philanthropist; Robert Lehman, banker and donor to the Metropolitan Museum; Francis Henry Taylor, director of the Metropolitan Museum; and Captain Edith A. Standen, one of the Monuments Men.

This series is arranged chronologically.

There are three drafts of Rorimer's book Survival: The Salvage and Protection of Art in War, which was originally titled and referred to in these versions as Safe-Keeping. The earliest draft is mostly handwritten, the later draft is a mixture of typed and handwritten pages, the third draft is a typescript of the manuscript. There is also one folder of revisions for the earliest draft.

Writings are grouped together according to the manuscript draft with the handwritten draft first, then the second draft, and the typescript draft at the end.

Financial records consists of one folder containing various forms and receipts from Rorimer's time serving in the U.S. army.

There is one folder of Metropolitan Museum of Art Board of Trustees minutes for one meeting.

Photographic materials include black and white photographs, negatives, and contact prints. Aside from a few travel photographs, the bulk of the series is dedicated to Rorimer's work in the Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives section during the war. There is one photograph album given to Rorimer from the headquarters of the Office of Military Government in Baden-Wurttemberg titled War Damage in Wurtemmberg: A Selection of Photographs. The rest of the photographs depict MFAA activities such as recovery and transportation of cultural artifacts from stolen art repositories such as Buxheim monastery and Neuschwanstein castle, documentation of bomb damage in Germany and other countries, the protection of historic sites in France, and restitution and exhibitions at the Wiesbaden Central Collecting Point. Many of the photographs have annotations written on the verso. Photographs of people, including Rorimer, Stanislaw Lorentz, Edith A. Standen, and Rose Valland, are scattered throughout the series, and indicated with notes at the folder level.

The photographs album is at the beginning of the series. The rest of the photographs are grouped by subject, the arranged chronologically within each grouping.

Printed materials consist of a scrapbook, news clippings, press releases, bulletins, several magazines, booklets, and manuals of maps. Most are related to The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, activities and discoveries of the Monuments Men, and profiles of art collectors and directors. There is also a large scrapbook which contains some personal materials, such as letters and Harvard Alumni bulletins about Rorimer, but the majority of the content consists of news clippings, some of which are duplicated in other folders.

The scrapbook is at the beginning of the series and the remainder of the material are grouped together by type, such as clippings, periodicals, postcards, and then chronologically within each grouping.