Rihoko Ueno
Scope and Contents
The papers of New York historian Virginia Teague measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1913-1962, with the bulk of materials from 1913-1917. The papers consist of scattered records and papers compiled by Virginia Teague for the intended purpose of writing a history of the 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS). Documents include correspondence, business records, and printed material mostly in connection with the Copley Society and AAPS.
There are a few letters from Elmer MacRae and Vera Kuhn to Virginia Teague recalling the Armory Show. There is one letter from Art Alliance of America Secretary, Elizabeth Grimball, to Henry Fitch Taylor advocating "preparedness" for artists in the event of international hostilities.
Records of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors include meeting minutes, 1913-1915, with agendas, drafts and completed reports of proceedings, checklists of attendees, a hand-written statement by Walt Kuhn, signed by Arthur B. Davies and Elmer McRae, and a mimeograph copy of the AAPS Constitution. Additional correspondence is between Henry Fitch Taylor, George Luks, and James Townsen regarding a review published in American Art News.
Records of the Copley Society are mostly related to the Armory Show. Business records include an exhibition contract and daily sales tallies from the Copley Society, which hosted the Boston venue at Copley Hall. Correspondence is with Walt Kuhn, Arthur B. Davies, John Quinn, Holker Abbott, Edward Warren, L. Flanders, and the law firm of Brandeis, Dunbar & Nutter, and regards a disagreement over sharing revenue generated by the Armory Show exhibition; and letters from General Services Administration and the U.S. Treasury Department regarding customs records for the Armory Show.
Printed material includes catalogs and clippings about the Armory Show.
Language
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Virginia Teague papers relating to the Armory Show were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2010 by Adam and Clover Bergmann, son and daughter of Rudolph Bergmann, Virginia Teague's friend. The papers were found in Bergmann's home after his death in 2009.
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family and Armory Show records, which contain records of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors kept by Walt Kuhn, Secretary of AAPS. Correspondence (January 1951) between Teague and Vera Kunn in the Walt Kuhn, Kuhn family papers, and Armory Show records in the Archives of American Art shed some light on Teague's intentions to compile a history of the Armory Show and contact she had with others to gather materials.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and described in a finding aid by Rihoko Ueno in 2020.