Joseph Cornell papers, 1804-1986, bulk 1939-1972

Subseries consists of correspondence sent and received by Benton in the administration of Cornell's residual estate, as well as some printed material and photographs that were accumulated in the same files. Correspondents include: lawyers, collectors, dealers, galleries, museums, curators, scholars, writers, art critics, artists, admirers of Cornell, the executors of Cornell's estate, and charitable institutions, as well as some of Cornell's former "helpers," friends, and acquaintances.

Correspondence generally relates to the exhibition, loan, appraisal, auction, and sale of Cornell art work. It documents, in particular, Cornell exhibitions at the ACA Galleries, Art Institute of Chicago, Castelli Feigen Corcoran Gallery, Hopper House, Washburn Gallery, and Washington University in St. Louis; and the major Cornell retrospectives, "Joseph Cornell" at the Museum of Modern Art (November 1980-January 1981) and "Joseph Cornell: An Exploration of Sources" at the National Museum of American Art (November 19, 1982-February 27, 1983). Correspondence also relates to the disposition of Cornell material and art work, including donations of his papers, books, records, and/or source material to various cultural institutions (such as the Anthology Film Archives, Museum of Modern Art, Archives of American Art, and National Museum of American Art, among others), and gifts of art work to various museums and galleries (such as Meadow Brook Art Gallery at Oakland University, Mead Art Gallery at Amherst College, and Williams College Museum of Art, among others). Correspondence also concerns Benton's gifts of art work (particularly, collages and book objects), source material, memorabilia, and copies of some of Cornell's papers to various individuals.

Correspondence documents Benton's many efforts to continue Cornell's legacy and to preserve his memory, including her monetary donations to charitable institutions in memory of her brothers; her attempts to correct misinformation and misrepresentations of Cornell and his family published in various articles (as in a letter to New York Magazine correcting a mistake about the nature of Robert's handicap in an article written by Thomas Hess); and her concern to have the right person do a "Cornell book" (as reflected in correspondence with Wayne Andrews, Dore Ashton, Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Diane Waldman, and Don Windham). Correspondence also documents her role in facilitating research on Cornell, including that of graduate students, such as Sherry Friend and Helen Haroutanian ( See also Series 9), and that of scholars such as David Porter; her work organizing and cataloging Cornell's papers and source material; and the various requests she fielded for information about or authentication of certain Cornell works.

Subseries is comprised of Benton's files pertaining to various legal matters that arose in the course of administering Cornell's residual estate. Files primarily consist of copies of correspondence sent and received by Benton's lawyer, Dennis Hurley (of the firm, Behringer, Hurley and Hurley), on her behalf; copies of legal documents such as briefs, exhibits, court reporter's minutes, petitions, affidavits, and compromise agreements; and copies of income tax returns.

Files primarily relate to the legal dispute between the executors of Cornell's estate (Richard Ader and Wayne Andrews) and members of Cornell's family (namely, Benton and her niece, Helen Batcheller). The main issue of dispute was the ownership of Cornell art works in the possession of family members. Also at issue was the ownership of the non-Cornell art works owned by Cornell, as well as whether or not certain Cornell material (such as source material and ephemera) was to be considered art work (since art works went to the Trust and remaining material went to Benton as part of the residual estate). Files also relate to the case in United States Tax Court, determining whether the value of the works transferred to Benton and Batcheller were includable within the gross estate of Cornell for federal estate tax purposes.

To a lesser extent, files (especially correspondence) also relate to the estate tax proceedings of the Helen S. Cornell estate ( See also Series 1); the issue of ownership of the Bebe Marie doll (which initially belonged to Cornell's cousin, Ethel Storms, and was subsequently used by Cornell in the box, Untitled (Bebe Marie), in the 1940s); the charitable trust, the C and B (Cornell and Benton) Foundation, that Benton established as part of the compromise agreement with the executors; payment of gift taxes on works owned by Batcheller; and the appraisal, insurance and loan of Cornell works owned by Benton.

Subseries is comprised of printed material, some of which was most likely collected by Cornell and either shared with his sister during his lifetime or bequeathed to her along with the rest of his papers, and some of which was created and/or accumulated by Benton during the time she was administering Cornell's residual estate.

Printed material collected by Cornell includes various clippings, a legal publication, issues of National Geographic magazine (with pages cut out), and stamps. It is possible that some of this printed material (particularly the magazines) constitutes part of Cornell's source material, which he may have used in his own box constructions and collages or shared with Benton for her to use in her collages.

Printed material collected by Benton includes announcements and catalogs for exhibitions of Cornell works; clippings on or related to Cornell; publications (such as Architectural Digest and Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago) with articles on or referencing Cornell or his art works; lists (created by Benton) of Cornell material given to the Anthology Film Archives and of Cornell's record collection (parts of which seem to have been given to different institutions, including the Lighthouse Music School, the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind, and Southampton College, among others); and a brief biography of Robert Cornell written by Lynda Roscoe Hartigan for the International Year of Disabled Persons at the Smithsonian Institution.

Subseries consists of fragments of the papers of Betty Cornell Benton and Helen S. Cornell.

Betty Cornell Benton's papers include kindergarten art work, a printed inventory of Robert Cornell's train collection (which she compiled in collaboration with Robert during the time period from 1962 to 1963), and notes. Some of Benton's notes concern Cornell's biography and magazine collection, and may relate to certain activities in handling his estate.

Helen S. Cornell's papers include printed material on Flushing and the World's Fair (which took place in Flushing in 1939), as well as some writings. The printed material, collected and oftentimes annotated by Mrs. Cornell, documents some of the interests she shared with her son and relates to certain formative experiences shared by the family (such as their repeated visits to the World's Fair, which seems to have been a special time for all).

Beyond the fact that they were stored together, it is unclear how the rest of these fragments relate to Cornell's estate papers. Related papers can be found amongst biographical material, family correspondence, and Robert Cornell's papers.