William T. Evans letters, 1842-1969

Collection Information

Size: ca. 900 items (on 3 micofilm reels)

Summary: Printed material and letters to Evans from collectors, dealers, and artists. Letters discuss business matters including the Munich International Art Exposition 1883, the American Watercolor Society, the Salmagundi Club, the Lotos Club, and Evans loaning work from his private collection for exhibitions, requests from artists wanting Evans to comment on and handle their work, thank you notes and invitations to openings and dinners. Significant correspondents include George Inness, Childe Hassam, Thomas W. Dewing, Worthington Whittredge, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Frederic Edwin Church, Joseph Pennell, Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer, Rembrandt Peale, Hobart Nichols, John George Brown, William A. Coffin and Eastman Johnson.

Biographical/Historical Note

Art patron and collector. Born in Ireland, he came to the United States as a child. He gave collections of paintings to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. and the Montclair Museum.

Provenance

Letters on reels 4054-4055 were lent to the Assistant Curator of Painting and Sculpture, National Collection of Fine Arts in 1970 by Robert Price who acquired them along with paintings from Evans' estate and elsewhere. They were photocopied and the copies were given to the NCFA-PG Librarian, who transferred them to the Archives of American Art in 1979. In 1988 the copies were microfilmed by the Archives and discarded. The original letter on reel 2804 was transfered from NMAA, 1981.

Location of Originals

• Reels 4054-4055: Originals in the possession of Robert Price.

Alternative Forms Available

Microfilm reels 4054-4055 and 2804 (fr.14-19) available for use at Archives of American Art offices or through interlibrary loan.

Restrictions on Access

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

How to Cite This Collection

William T. Evans letters, 1842-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.