John D. Graham papers, 1799-1988, bulk 1890-1961

This series contains personal and business correspondence, and consists primarily of letters received by Graham from family members, artists, patrons, art and antique dealers, health practitioners, and other associates. Third-party correspondence and letters written by Graham are found among his family's letters and the letters of Jack Mayer. In general, arrangement is alphabetical by correspondent. Incidental letters and letters from unidentified correspondents are filed at the end of the series in miscellaneous files for business, medical, and personal correspondence.

Significant correspondents include David Burliuk, Stuart Davis, Ultra Violet, Francoise Gilot, R.B. Kitaj, and Marc Tobey. Among Elinor Gibson Graham's letters is third-party correspondence with attorney Paul Arnold regarding Graham's estate, a letter signed Dorothy which may have been written by Dorothy Dehner, and letters from Eila Kokkinen, Constance Wellman, and Charles Shaw. Jack Mayer's correspondence also contains lists of paintings and third-party correspondence with interested patrons. A photograph of Jan Tice is found with a letter from Ron Gorchov, and an illustrated letter is among Tice's letters to Graham.

Miscellaneous business correspondence includes letters regarding Graham's antique business, financial affairs, real estate, publishing, responses to letters Graham wrote to politicians, and scattered receipts for personal items. Also found is a letter from a New York Public Library linguist and a letter form a Harvard architect with advice to Graham about employment. Miscellaneous medical correspondence includes letters from a variety of doctors and healers, including Julie Owen, the British practitioner of a bee sting cure. Miscellaneous personal correspondence is separated by the language in which letters are written; undated letters which may be from Graham's early years are found among the letters in Polish and Russian. Names found in miscellaneous personal correspondence are listed in the folder list.

Additional scattered correspondence is found in Biographical Materials and Personal Business Records.