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Edwin Atlee Barber Records, 1901-1916 (bulk) 1898-1933 (inclusive)

Extent:
19.6 linear feet (47 document boxes)
Abstract:
Edwin Atlee Barber was Curator/Secretary of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art from 1901to 1907, Director/Curator from 1907 to 1916 and Honorary Curator of American Pottery and Porcelain from 1893 to 1916. His great interest was in pottery, porcelain, and ceramics, primarily early American works. A scholar and prolific writer, Barber wrote and published numerous articles on his specialty. He is considered a pioneering scholar in his field. The Edwin Atlee Barber records include both general and administrative correspondence from Barber’s tenure at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. The Museum was know as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art until 1938, when it was changed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Materials date from 1898 to 1933. Included in the collection are letters sent to Barber after his death; some of these letters were answered by Barber’s wife or daughter. This collection contains correspondence covering a broad...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Director's Exhibition Records, 1915-1983 (inclusive)

Extent:
25.42 linear feet (61 document boxes)
Abstract:
The Director's Exhibition records of the Philadelphia Museum of Art contain documentation of exhibition activities at the Museum. These records are not a comprehensive account of exhibitions held by the Museum, but an ongoing file produced by the executive office in the course of administering exhibitions for the Museum, kept in the Director’s office between 1915 and 1981. Additional exhibition records may be located within a specific Director’s records, or in Curatorial records; Museum Directors during this period included Edwin Atlee Barber, Langdon Warner, Fiske Kimball, Henri Marceau, Evan Turner, and Jean Sutherland Boggs.

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Lloyd and Edith Havens Goodrich, Whitney Museum of American Art, Record of Works by Thomas Eakins, 1894, 1903, 1915-1986 (inclusive)

Extent:
42 linear feet
Abstract:
The Lloyd and Edith Havens Goodrich, Whitney Museum of American Art, Record of Works by Thomas Eakins consists mainly of typescript and manuscript papers, correspondence, and a variety of research and reference materials pertaining to Lloyd Goodrich's major published and unpublished works on American artist Thomas Eakins. This collection documents more than 50 years of Eakins scholarship, during which Goodrich published "Thomas Eakins: his life and work" (1933) and the revised and augmented monograph, "Thomas Eakins" (1982). A revision of the 1933 publication's catalogue raisonne section, intended as a separate volume, never reached the final stages before Goodrich's death, but represents a significant volume of material. Of note is correspondence with Thomas Eakins's widow, Susan Macdowell Eakins; Goodrich's transcriptions of Thomas Eakins's own correspondence, much of which is now lost; and his interview notes with Eakins's sitters, students, friends, and relatives, including...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Johnson Collection Curatorial Records, 1917-2007, undated (bulk 1927-1992) (inclusive)

Extent:
56.25 linear feet
Abstract:
The Johnson Collection Curatorial Records represent two "generations" of curatorial oversight of the art collection acquired by John Graver Johnson (19841-1917), one of Philadelphia's most prominent corporate lawyers. While the collection of more than 1,600 European paintings, sculpture and textiles is owned by the City of Philadelphia through Johnson's bequest, it is administered by and housed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as is Johnson's extensive art library. In these curatorial records, the earlier files reflect the administrative and curatorial activities of Henri Marceau and Barbara Sweeny, roughly documenting their combined years of service, 1926-1972. Joseph J. Rishel succeeded Sweeny as Johnson Collection curator in November of 1972. His tenure, which continues to this day, comprises the second curatorial term, from 1973 to 1992. A small amount of papers created later are included separately. The second generation of records also reflects the work of assistant and...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Fiske Kimball Papers, 1874-1957, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
101 linear feet
Abstract:
The Fiske Kimball Papers document the myriad interests and tireless professional pursuits of architect, scholar and museum director Fiske Kimball (1888-1955). The papers include professional and personal correspondence; architectural drawings; manuscript, typescript, and printed versions of articles, books, and reviews; photographs, including some personal snapshots and portraits of Kimball and his family; and research and reference material, particularly notes and clippings.

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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The Stella Kramrisch papers, 1921-1998 (inclusive)

Extent:
60.0 linear feet
Abstract:
As a teacher, lecturer, curator and prolific writer, Dr. Stella Kramrisch (1898-1993) devoted nearly 70 years to the study and appreciation of Indian art. She served as the curator of Indian art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1954 until her death in 1993. The Stella Kramrisch papers document her activities, correspondence and publications as a collector and historian of Indian art. The records in this collection date from 1921 to 1998 and contain information about the art objects in Stella Kramrisch’s personal collection (which were later donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art), and her publications and research. There is also a large collection of photographs of Indian architecture, paintings and sculpture. The majority of the collection is printed material related to Kramrisch’s research and scholarship; the breadth of the materials in this collection attests to her seminal influence on and ground-breaking contributions to Indian art scholarship.

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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John Milton Fogg, Jr. collection of letters and papers relating to Albert C. Barnes and the University of Pennsylvania, 1925-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.4 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:
Albert C. Barnes (1872-1951), an art collector and founder of the Barnes Foundation, had an uneasy relationship with the University of Pennsylvania, despite efforts on both parts to establish a collaboration in art education between the Barnes Foundation and the University. This collection contains primarily correspondence between Barnes (or the secretary of the Barnes Foundation, Nelle E. Mullen, on Barnes' behalf) and University of Pennsylvania officials, largely related to an effort to establish a joint Penn-Barnes course, which met for only a few sessions in 1946 before being called off by Barnes.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Records, 1862-2008 (inclusive) 2001-2006 (bulk)

Extent:
12 cubic feet
Abstract:
To celebrate Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday, which fell on January 17, 2006, five institutions in the Philadelphia area formed in 2000 an alliance named Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Consortium. The Consortium initiated a grand multifaceted and internationally-involving scenario for the celebration. The full name of the project is Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, or "Ben Franklin 300, 1706-2006." This collection documents the organization, planning and operation of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary from the time the BFT Consortium was established in 2000 till the project was wrapped up in mid 2008.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center [Contact Us]

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FOCUS Archives, 1972-1975 (inclusive)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet (2 containers)
Abstract:
"FOCUS: Philadelphia Focuses on Women in the Visual Arts" was a city-wide arts program that occurred in April and May of 1974 and featured mostly East Coast artists and scholars. Initiated by Philadelphia painter Diane Burko, the two month program included art exhibitions, juried shows, panels, lectures, workshops, demonstrations and film viewings, all organized by Philadelphia-area women who were involved with the arts. The central event of the FOCUS program was “Women’s Work: American Art, 1974,” a contemporary art exhibit financed by and held in the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center. Other FOCUS events focused on topics such as race, history, and the realities of being a female artist.The records in the FOCUS collection date from 1972 to 1975 and include meeting minutes from various FOCUS committees, outreach and advertising documents, correspondence, and records of the grant application process. Despite the relatively brief existence of the initiative, the deliberate...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Community Programs and Urban Outreach Records, 1970-1980 (bulk) 1951-1984 (inclusive)

Extent:
18.0 linear feet (18 containers)
Abstract:
The Department of Urban Outreach (DUO) of the Philadelphia Museum of Art was established in 1970 as an effort to reach new audiences by bringing art and art programs directly into Philadelphia’s inner city neighborhoods. In 1977, it became the Department of Community Programs, hereafter referred to as the Department. This collection documents the activities of the Department. The records date from 1951 to 1984, the bulk dating from 1970 to 1980, and include correspondence, exhibit planning documentation, photographs and scrapbooks, information concerning artists involved in various projects, and some general research files concerning related events and initiatives in the art community. While the collection does not provide comprehensive documentation of all aspects of the Department, it does include a wide variety of resources that demonstrate the Department’s intentions of appealing to culturally, economically and ethnically diverse communities. Of particular interest are the...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Marketing and Public Relations Department Records, 1960-1995 (bulk) 1927-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:
67.0 linear feet (67 containers)
Abstract:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art was founded in 1876, just after the close of the United States Centennial Celebration. While a Public Relations office has long been part of its organizational structure, the Museum did not designate a formal office of Marketing until 1994. That year's annual report noted for the first time a joint Marketing and Public Relations department operated by a staff of seven. The Marketing and Public Relations Department records houses photographs and documents created and used by the marketing team at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to promote exhibits, events and other activities of the Museum and its various departments. The records were used for external advertising as well as for publication in the Museum’s internally produced and distributed publications, like the annual report or the Bulletin . The collection dates from 1947 to 1999 (bulk: 1970-1995) and includes a wide array of materials, including photographs of events and featured works of art, press...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Evan H. Turner Records, 1964-1978 (inclusive)

Extent:
146.0 linear feet (146 containers)
Abstract:
Evan H. Turner (born 1927), an art historian and scholar, was the Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) from 1964 to 1978, leading the Museum through a period of significant growth and transformation. He created new art departments for American and 20th Century Art, and the innovative Department of Urban Outreach (DUO) to promote art across the City of Philadelphia. These progressive activities were matched by a groundbreaking exhibition in 1973, the Marcel Duchamp retrospective, which drew upon significant scholarship and assembled virtually the entire oeuvre of one of the most important artists represented in the Museum. In 1975, Turner led the Museum in a major construction project to install a new climate control system in the building, and in 1976, he helped plan the United States’ Bicentennial and the PMA’s Centennial celebrations. Turner was an active member of a number of professional organizations, as well as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Board of Trustees Records, 1875-1998 (inclusive)

Extent:
20 linear feet
Abstract:
These records consist primarily of meeting minutes of the Museum's Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, from the time of the institution's incorporation to the 1990s. Reports presented at Trustee meetings, resolutions and minutes of meetings of a few of the earliest Standing Committees are also included. Gifts, loans, membership and finances are the most frequently discussed topics. Other material pertains to the exhibitions of 1888 and 1889, held to promote American industrial arts, and the Museum Fund, a fundraising and publicity campaign introduced in the late 1920s. Indexed correspondence from exhibitors documents the former. The latter consists primarily of correspondence, proposal and summary reports, and ephemera.

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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Conservation and Technical Research Collection, 1932-1969, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
39 linear feet
Abstract:
The collection documents the establishment and early operations of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's conservation laboratory and the use of photographic technology in conservation and curatorial work. While the majority of the material pertains to the activities of Henri Marceau, Curator of Painting and Sculpture, and of the John G. Johnson Collection, and of David Rosen, who served as an adviser to the Museum's conservation and technical research projects, the collection also includes some records of Theodor Siegl, who was hired as the Museum's first full-time conservator in 1955. In addition to correspondence, technical brochures, and educational materials, the collection includes extensive files of prints, negatives, and lantern slides documenting works of art in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and John G. Johnson collections, as well as works sent to the Museum for restoration and/or exhibition purposes.

Held at: Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives [Contact Us]

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