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Stephanie Ashley
Scope and Contents
The papers of New York City sculptor Charles Keck (1875-1951) measure 8.6 linear feet and date from circa 1905-circa 1954. The papers provide scattered documentation of Keck's life through thirteen letters, two speeches, lists of artwork with price and sales information, printed material, and photographic material, including photos of Keck and his studio, and a collection of 1003 glass plate negatives, primarily of Keck's artwork, which document the wide range of work he produced throughout his prolific career.
Keck's thirteen letters include two from Alexander Stirling Calder and one from Homer Saint-Gaudens. His lists of artwork include details of contracts, payments, and prices.
Photographs include Keck, his wife, Anne Keck, two photos from a circa 1920 Beaux Arts ball, photographs of Keck at work in his studio, including one taken at the American Academy in Rome, three group photographs of Keck, Adolph Weinman, Milton Horn, and others, and photos taken at the unveiling of Keck's monument in Raleigh, North Carolina, that include President Harry S. Truman and Margaret Truman.
Language
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was loaned for microfilming, and the bulk of it was later donated, between 1962-1972 by Anne C. Keck, widow of Charles Keck.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel D105) including scrapbooks containing clippings, speeches, photographs, and some correspondence. Items were returned to the donor after microfilming and are not further described in the container listing of this finding aid.
Funding
Sponsor
Funding for the processing and digitization of portions of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation. The glass plate negatives were digitized with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Processing Information
The papers in the collection received a preliminary level of processing after donation, between 1962 and 1972, and were microfilmed on Reels D105, 439, 441, and 2068. The glass plate negatives were re-housed in 2015 by Anna Rimel with a grant provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
The collection was processed and described in a finding aid by Stephanie Ashley in 2018, and the collection was digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and The Walton Family Foundation.
