Search

Start Over Repository Philadelphia Museum of Art Archives

Main content

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]

Main content

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]

Main content

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]

Main content

Dalton Dorr records, 1876-1904 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.25 linear feet (10 document boxes)
Abstract:
Dalton Dorr played a key role in the early years of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (later known as the Philadelphia Museum of Art). Dorr was elected Secretary of the Corporation in 1880. In 1888 he acted as both Secretary and Curator, and by 1892 he was performing the duties of Secretary, Director, and Curator. In 1899 William Platt Pepper took over as Director of the Museum, and Dorr continued on as Curator and Secretary. Dalton Door died on February 26, 1901. Shortly after, Edwin Atlee Barber assumed the roles of Secretary and Curator. This collection contains letter books, dating from 1876 to 1904, containing the correspondences of Dorr, Pepper, and Barber. The correspondence pertains to the Centennial exposition, Museum collections, acquisitions, exhibitions, staff, and repairs to Memorial Hall, as well as information regarding the formation of the Museum and its associated schools.

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

Main content

Langdon Warner records, 1917-1923 (bulk) 1916-1929 (inclusive)

Extent:
4.58 linear feet (11 document boxes)
Abstract:
Langdon Warner, a scholar of Asian art and an archeologist, was Director of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art from 1917 to 1923. Warner also served as Curator of the Wilstach Collection (the Wilstach family art collection was bequeathed to the city in 1892 and custodianship was transferred to the Museum in 1917). While serving as Director of the Museum Warner, traveled extensively in Asia and was often away from the Museum. Almost immediately after taking the job, he departed for Japan where he set about acquiring works of art that "were thought too good to lose." The Langdon Warner records contain correspondence of Langdon Warner, Museum Director between 1917 and 1923, and E. Hamilton Bell, Acting Director during Warner’s absence. At the time, the Museum's collections were housed in Fairmount Park's Memorial Hall. The correspondence mainly concerns the Museum's facilities, collections, exhibitions and purchases. This collection is divided into two series: Series...(see more)

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

Main content

A. E. (Albert Eugene) Gallatin Papers, 1927-1943 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 linear foot
Abstract:
These three scrapbooks document the first museum gallery in America devoted to modern art and founded by the collector and art historian Albert Eugene Gallatin. The scrapbooks contain newspaper and magazine clippings, press releases and announcements of exhibitions, acquisitions and new publications. Coverage starts with the 1927 announcement of the opening of the Gallery of Living Art, which was housed and operated by New York University on its main Washington Square campus, and concludes in 1943 when the University closed the facility, which by then operated as the Museum of Living Art, and Gallatin's collection was transferred to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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

Main content

Edwin Atlee Barber Papers, 1885-1916 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.5 linear feet
Abstract:
Edwin Atlee Barber was Director/Curator of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1901 to 1916, and Honorary Curator of American Pottery and Porcelain from 1893 to 1916. His great interest was pottery, porcelain, and ceramics, primarily early American works. This collection contains a small selection of his writings and research about these topics.

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

Main content

Giuseppe Donato Papers, 1897-1965, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
6 linear feet
Abstract:
This collection consists primarily of personal correspondence between the French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) and his former student Giuseppe Donato (1881-1965), who became a noted Philadelphia sculptor. There are approximately one dozen original items written by Rodin, and photocopied versions of the 30 pieces of correspondence sent by Donato. Letters from a few other individuals associated with Rodin are also included, as well as a small portrait photograph Rodin autographed to Donato and a clip of Rodin's hair. All 20 pieces of correspondence, including the notated calling cards, are in French. The 1965 obituary of Donato published in the Philadelphia Bulletin is also included.

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

Main content

Gloria Braggiotti Etting Photographs, 1935-1994, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
0.75 linear foot
Abstract:
Born in Italy's Tuscan region, author and photographer Gloria Braggiotti Etting easily made her home among Philadelphia's high society upon her marriage to artist Emlen Etting. Her photographs, taken primarily from the 1960s to 1980s, record some of the most prominent citizens, as well as noted artists, authors and celebrities the world-over. While some of the subjects Etting photographed are formally posed in portrait fashion, many are more candid as they casually mingle at black-tie dinners and other social gatherings. Etting did not take all of these photographs, although it is unclear how many. For many of the photographs, Etting identified each person. Few, however, are dated. Several pieces of correspondence are also included. Most are from American composer Ned Rorem, as well as a published score of his 1970 composition "Gloria."

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

Main content

Graham Hood Papers of Bonnin and Morris Porcelain Manufactory, 1965-1976, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
1 linear foot
Abstract:
This collection consists primarily of correspondence curator and scholar Graham Hood generated during his 1965 to 1970 research of America's first porcelain manufactory, and during and after the publication of his book regarding the same. The work, entitled "Bonnin and Morris of Philadelphia: the first American porcelain factory, 1770-1772," was published in 1972. The collection also contains photographs, which include those used in the book, reports and other writings. The folder-level inventory included with the collection was created in 2002.

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

Main content

Hannah Ann Zell Scrapbook, 1873-1904, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
0.25 linear foot
Abstract:
Hannah Ann Zell devoted her scrapbook to the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia in 1876, as well as to the Pennsylvania Museum's School of Industrial Art and the Associate Committee of Women, which primarily raised funds on behalf of the school. Her scrapbook, which consists of clippings, ephemera and occasional correspondence, attests to the civic spirit of women of the period.

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

Main content

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]

Main content

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]

Main content

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]

Main content

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]

Main content

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]

Main content

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]

Main content

Daniel M. Williams Biographical Collection of George Grey Barnard, 1863-1969, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
8.5 linear feet
Abstract:
This collection documents the tireless efforts of journalist Daniel M. Williams to refine and publish a biography of the American sculptor and collector George Grey Barnard. While the project never came to fruition, the collection represents approximately 30 years of Williams's accumulated research and writings, and consists of correspondence, including some of Barnard's personal letters to his family, as well as clippings, ephemera and photographs regarding the artist's life and career as a sculptor and important collector of Medieval art and architecture. Works by Barnard documented here include his celebrated commissions, such as the monumental figural group for the Pennsylvania Capitol at Harrisburg, as well as his controversial depictions of Abraham Lincoln and the god Pan. References to Barnard's excursions to the French countryside in search of artifacts include his sale to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. of more than 600 pieces, which would collectively be housed and referred to as...(see more)

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

Main content

Marcel Duchamp Research Collection, 1933-2003, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
9 linear feet
Abstract:
The Marcel Duchamp Research Collection is comprised of ephemera, photographs, clippings, writings and correspondence related to the artist Marcel Duchamp, his life, work, and legacy which was collected and compiled by the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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

Main content

Arensberg Archives, 1905-1957, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
33 linear feet
Abstract:
Art collectors Walter and Louise Arensberg amassed a seminal collection of Modern and pre-Columbian art between 1913 and 1950, when they presented it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Arensberg Archives contain correspondence, ephemera, clippings, writings, personal and art collection records, and photographs documenting the couple's art collecting activities as well as their friendship with many important artists, writers and scholars, including Marcel Duchamp, Charles Sheeler, Walter Pach, Beatrice Wood, and Elmer Ernest Southard. The collection also includes some material related to Walter Arensberg's study of Francis Bacon and the founding of his research institute, the Francis Bacon Foundation.

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

Main content

Rodin Museum Records, 1892-1991, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
4 linear feet
Abstract:
The Rodin Museum, located on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, houses Philadelphian movie theater magnate and philanthropist Jules E. Mastbaum's exceptional collection of works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Mastbaum amassed the collection between 1923 and 1926 for the expressed purpose of founding a museum for the citizens of Philadelphia. The buiding was designed by noted architects Paul Philippe Cret and Jacques Greber between 1926 and 1929. The Rodin Museum is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Records in this collection document the administration, maintenance, and renovation of the Rodin Museum.

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

Limit your search

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »