Henri Gallery records, circa early 1900s, 1940-1996, bulk 1957-1995

Scope and Contents

The records of Henri Gallery, a Washington, D.C. gallery which showed painters from the Washington Color School and emerging artists, measure 55.4 linear feet and date from circa early 1900s, 1940 to 1996, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1957 to 1995. The gallery's relationship with artists and clients, exhibitions, sales, and other business is documented in alphabetical files containing a wide variety of materials, including correspondence, sales records, printed materials, photographs, slides, and motion picture film. Additional correspondence, newspaper clippings, 114 exhibition posters, scattered drawings, illustrated cards, and photographic materials are also found in the collection.

General Correspondence includes incoming business correspondence with artists, clients, galleries, and museums, regarding artwork, exhibitions, and other business issues. Also found here are holiday cards, handmade cards, and illustrated correspondence.

The bulk of the records consist of Alphabetical Files contains materials regarding artists, clients, exhibitions, galleries, museums, and various subjects of interest, originally arranged alphabetically by folder title. Folders range in quantity and variety of materials, including correspondence, printed materials, photographs, sales and consignment records, resumes, price lists, and exhibition records. There are especially rich or extensive files for Darryl Abraham, Harry Anderson, Cynthia Bickley-Green, Robert Clements, Mary Beth Edelson, Leslie Exton, Colin Greenly, Mimi Herbert, Traute Ishida, Kiki Kogelnik, Ida Kohlmeyer, Ed McGowin, Tom Nakashima, Graeme Outerbridge, Martin Puryear, Italo Scanga, Robert Stackhouse, Philip Van Brunt, and May Wilson. Of interest is the complete series of Eleanor Antin's 100 Boots postcards.

The bulk of Printed Materials are newspaper clippings regarding artists, exhibitions, and Henri Gallery. There are also 114 posters dating from 1959-1979 from Henri Gallery exhibitions and other galleries' exhibitions of artists in which the Henri Gallery represented.

Artwork is comprised of loose drawings and sketches, many of Henri. Photographic Materials contains black and white photographs, scattered color photographs, snapshots, and slides of artwork, exhibitions, Henri, the galleries spaces, and the Not New shop. Most photographs are undated.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Henri donated the Henri Gallery records in three accessions between 1980 - 1981. Henri's daughter, Helen Schnoebelen donated additional records in 1996.

Sponsor

Processing Information

The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Haug in 2012, with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Care Preservation Fund.

The Archives of American Art has implemented minimal processing tactics when possible in order to increase access to more of our collections. Minimal processing included arrangement to the series and folder levels. Generally, items within folders were simply verified with folder titles and dates, but not arranged further. Folder titles were transcribed from original folder headings or, to a much lesser extent, supplied by the processing archivist. The collection was rehoused in archival containers and folders. Staples and other fasteners were not removed, but correspondence was removed from envelopes and filed behind the envelope. Materials were removed from binders or damaged binding when necessary.

Materials with Social Security numbers were redacted with copies left in the collection. The original documents are maintained separately.

Motion picture film reels were inspected and re-housed in 2016 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.

Additional finding aid description of the film recordings was completed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2024.