Abbot, Agnes Ann, undated
Select: Abbot, Agnes Ann, undated Scope and Contents Cabinet card photograph of the interior of Abbot's studio.
Allston, Washington, circa 1830s
Select: Allston, Washington, circa 1830s Scope and Contents Washington Allston (1779-1843), "Monday, 15th" to unknown. Allston responds that it would be a pleasure to receive a group of people at this studio to see his latest work.
Beard, William Holbrook, 1862
Select: Beard, William Holbrook, 1862 Scope and Contents William Holbrook Beard, New York, 28 January 1862, to Tallmadge Ewers (1832-1902), Secretary of the Young Men's Association, Buffalo, regarding that he cannot take less money for his painting Bears on a Bender, but will reduce the price of Grimal Kin's Dream, both of which are featured in the Buffalo Y.M.A. exhibition that began on 24 December 1861, also mentions two pictures by Worthington Whittredge (1820-1910), and his preparations for a reception in the Studio Building.William Holbrook Beard, New York, 13 March 1889, to Laura Maude Wachschlager. Wachschlager was a young autograph collector and asked Beard to write an introduction to her "illustrious list," but Beard humorously declined through a rather long and mellifluous letter.
Benson, Eugene, 1866
Select: Benson, Eugene, 1866 Scope and Contents Newburyport, Massachusetts, 27 July 1866, to A. D. Vorce, Hartford, Connecticut. Benson thanks Vorce (who ran an art supply and picture frame store) for his compliments regarding an article that Benson had written about Jean-Leon Gerome (1824-1904). In response to Vorse 's suggestion that Benson write a similar article on William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905), the painter-critic explains that, while Bouguereau is a great painter, he lacks salient traits, and offers nothing of interest to the artist-critic.
Bierstadt, Albert, 1888
Select: Bierstadt, Albert, 1888 Scope and Contents New York, 5 November 1888, to Hemy Whitney Cleveland (1836-1907, clergyman and author), Louisville, Kentucky. Bierstadt declines Cleveland 's request to exhibit pictures in Louisville. He cites the primary reason as the recent default of payment by some gentlemen of Louisville for pictures loaned to the Southern Exposition. This, in turn, had caused the collapse of the Art Union (the New York entity that organized the loan exhibition to the Southern Exposition), headed by Enoch Wood Perry (1831-1915). This catastrophe had severe pecuniary consequences for many lending artists, including Bierstadt, who reveals he lost "a thousand dollars out of pocket on the matter."
Blodgett, William Tilden, Jr., 1869
Select: Blodgett, William Tilden, Jr., 1869 Scope and Contents William Tilden Blodgett, Jr. (1856-1917), friendship album with poems, sketches, and botanical watercolors, 25 December 1869. Son of William Tilden Blodgett (1823-1875), the New York art collector who was instrumental in founding the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the album was a gift from his cousins Nina and Katy, with amateur sketches and watercolors by Warren Delano III (1852-1920), uncle of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Coster Chadwick (1952-1914), T. Macomb, and Marie Richers.
Blodgett, William Tilden, Jr., 1869
Select: Blodgett, William Tilden, Jr., 1869 Scope and Contents Two loose watercolors of a Katydid, a type of grasshopper, and "Indian Moccasin" or Lady Slipper flower, by J. D. Forquet, "Drawn from Nature," in the vicinity of Fishkill, New York.
Boughton, George Henry, 1878-1889
Select: Boughton, George Henry, 1878-1889 Scope and Contents George Henry Boughton, Kensington, London, 12 November 1878, to the engraver Andrew Varick Stout Anthony (1835-1906), regarding an illustration for the 1879 edition of Longfellow's The Courtship of Miles Standish, which Anthony will engrave, and also mentions Boughton's new studio and the artists Rossetti and Holman Hunt.George Henry Boughton, Maastricht, Holland, 11 October 1881, to the painter and sculptor John Severinus Conway (1852-1925), regarding a tour through Holland and American artists in London including J. A. M. Whistler (1834-1903), Anna Massey Lea Merritt (1844-1930), William Mark Fisher (1841-1923), and William John Hennessey (1839-1917). George Henry Boughton, 13 April 1885, to Laura Maude Wachschlager. Re: Boughton enclosed signatures from Robert Browning and Edwin Austin Abbey, "Mr. Abbey never signs his full name to me-only 'Ned," for her collection. George Henry Boughton, 13 April 1885, to Laura Maude Wachschlager. Re: Boughton enclosed signatures from Robert Browning and Edwin Austin Abbey, "Mr. Abbey never signs his full name to me-only 'Ned," for her collection.
Brevoort, James Renwick, 1915
Select: Brevoort, James Renwick, 1915 Scope and Contents Yonkers, New York, 29 March 1915, to the editor of the Art Annual. In response to the editor's query, Brevoort will need a few days to have a photograph made of himself to satisfy her request.
Chester, Joseph Lemuel, 1858
Select: Chester, Joseph Lemuel, 1858 Scope and Contents Joseph Lemuel Chester, prominent genealogist, Washington, DC, 15 May 1858, to Benson J. Lossing (1813-1891), eminent historian and art historian. Regarding Chester's efforts on behalf of house guest Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) to sell Peale's portrait of Washington, all of which had been facilitated by Lossing.
Church, Frederic Edwin, 1892
Select: Church, Frederic Edwin, 1892 Scope and Contents Frederic Edwin Church, Hudson, 9 February 1892, to Charles Louis Seeger (1860-1943), publisher, exporter, father of poet Alan Seeger and grandfather of folk singer Pete Seeger. Regarding their forthcoming trip together to Mexico, Church's travel arrangements, and their rendezvous in New York City.
Cole, Joseph Foxcroft, 1872-1874
Select: Cole, Joseph Foxcroft, 1872-1874 Scope and Contents Joseph Foxcroft Cole, Paris, three letters (1872-1874) to Jeremiah Otis Wetherbee (1832-1901), Boston. Wetherbee was a prominent lumber merchant.
Colman, Samuel, 1893-1913
Select: Colman, Samuel, 1893-1913 Scope and Contents Samuel Colman, New York, 30 April 1893, to an unknown correspondent, regarding a request for a photograph of the artist, to which he answers that there has never been one on the market.Samuel Colman, Greenwich, Connecticut, circa June 1902, to the auctioneer Edward W. Kearney (1852-1918), regarding letter of sympathy about the fatal illness of his wife, Anne Lawrence Dunham Colman (1832-1902), who later died on 28 July in Greenwich.Samuel Colman, New York, 30 January 1913, to Dr. Isaac Leopold Rice (1850-1915), regarding a request for correspondence from previous presidents of the National Academy of Design, which he admits he has regretfully destroyed.
Copeland, Alfred Bryant, undated
Select: Copeland, Alfred Bryant, undated Scope and Contents Includes a carte-de-visite portrait photograph and calling card.
Copley, John Singleton, 1794
Select: Copley, John Singleton, 1794 Scope and Contents John Singleton Copley, 29 December 1794, to the collector, engraver, and print-seller Sir John Thane (1748-1818), London, regarding written in the third person, Copley requests portraits of Sir Henry Slingsby, Sir Benjamin Rudyard, Sir Henry Deering, and Francis Rowse for his historical picture of Charles I Demanding in the House of Commons the Five Impeached Members, 1782-1795 (National Portrait Gallery, London).
Cox, Kenyon, undated
Select: Cox, Kenyon, undated Scope and Contents Kenyon Cox undated draft fragment of a humorous speech regarding the building of the paintings collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Cropsey, Jasper Francis, 1862
Select: Cropsey, Jasper Francis, 1862 Scope and Contents London, 2 January 1862, to Edward William Cooke (1811-80, English landscape and marine painter). Cropsey and his wife accept Cooke's invitation to visit the following Tuesday evening.
Darley, Felix Octavius Carr, 1864
Select: Darley, Felix Octavius Carr, 1864 Scope and Contents Felix Octavius Carr Darley, New York, 24 December 1864, to the publishers Messrs. Ticknor & Fields, Boston, regarding postponing his illustrations for The Vision of Sir Launfal by James Russell Lowell (1819-1891), in order to join the Army of the Potomac for the purpose of making studies for Civil War pictures.
DeCamp, Joseph, and Otho Wiecker Regarding Louis Prang archive, 1911, 1931
Select: DeCamp, Joseph, and Otho Wiecker Regarding Louis Prang archive, 1911, 1931 Scope and Contents Joseph DeCamp (1858-1923), Boston, 12 January [1911], to Louis Prang (1824-1909). Re: DeCamp has just returned from Philadelphia and requests Prang to send him a stone so that he may draw the commissioned portrait on it.Joseph DeCamp, Boston, [25 February 1911], to Louis Prang. Re: DeCamp confirms to Prang that he himself made the drawing on the stone.Otho Wiecker [manuscript dealer], Boston, 14 September 1931, to Daniel W. Patterson, New York. Re: Wiecker sends Patterson one of the two above mentioned DeCamp letters to Prang and suggests that Patterson buy the entire Prang archive he has for sale. Otho Wiecker, Boston 19 October 1931 to Daniel W. Patterson, New York. Re: Wiecker sends Patterson the second DeCamp letter to Prang and suggests that Patterson buy the entire Prang archive he has for sale.
di Cesnola, Count Luigi Palma, 1885
Select: di Cesnola, Count Luigi Palma, 1885 Scope and Contents Count Luigi Palma di Cesnola, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 25 March 1885, on museum letterhead, to Hayden W. Wheeler (1827-1904), founder of a prestigious jewelry firm in Manhattan. Regarding an invitation to join the Museum board. Includes an engraved portrait of Cesnola.
Duveneck, Frank, 1898
Select: Duveneck, Frank, 1898 Scope and Contents Frank Duveneck (1848-1919), Boston, 7 May 1898, to Julia Graydon Sharpe (1858-1939). Re: Duveneck discusses summer teaching schedules with fellow artist Sharpe.
Fairman, Gideon, 1813
Select: Fairman, Gideon, 1813 Scope and Contents Gideon Fairman, Philadelphia, 4 October 1813, to Gorham A. Worth (1783-1856), Cashier of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, Albany, regarding new bank note designs with small sketch from America's first prominent engraver.
Falconer, John Mackie, 1857
Select: Falconer, John Mackie, 1857 Scope and Contents New York, 4 May 1857, to Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900), London. Lengthy letter in which Falconer hopes that Cropsey is enjoying England, but regrets that he and Peter Paul Duggan (d. 1861, portraitist and medalist) are both unwell. Informs Cropsey that James B. Windle, Falconer's employer and Cropsey's close friend, has just died. Discusses happenings in New York. Reports on the upcoming exhibition of the NAD, including Edwin White's (1817-77) picture of the First New-England Thanksgiving. Says White will sail for Havre soon; John Frederick Kensett (1816-72) leaves soon for the Upper Missouri; Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900) and Louis Remy Mignot (1831-70) also leave on the new steamship Vanderbilt. Mentions Cropsey's dealings with English artists such as Myles Birket Foster (1825-99), troubles with John Gilbert (1817-97), and a letter of introduction for the engraver Henry Le Keux (1787- 1868). The Palmer Exhibition has closed. Mentions that Tompkins Harrison Matteson (1813-84) will attend the opening of the NAD exhibition and that some are disappointed with the works submitted by John Thomas Peele (1822-97), including his The Sound of the Shell and Music of the Reeds.
Fields, Kate, 1892
Select: Fields, Kate, 1892 Scope and Contents Kate Fields, journalist, prominent literary and arts figure, Washington, DC, 29 April 1892, to John Sartain (1808-1897). Regarding arrangements for Sartain to attend the Art Congress in Washington the following month.
French, Daniel Chester, 1898-1931
Select: French, Daniel Chester, 1898-1931 Scope and Contents Daniel Chester French, New York, 22 December 1898, to James Large, Philadelphia, regarding a letter of introduction from French, who had been selected by the will of the late Richard Smith (1821-1894) to erect a statue of General George Gordon Meade (1815-1872) for the Smith Memorial Arch in Philadelphia, in order to meet with family members to gain background and images for his work. Envelope addressed to Mrs. John B. Large, Philadelphia and postmarked 11 January 1899. Also included is a letter of introduction from John B. Gest (1824-1907), President of The Fidelity Insurance Trust and Safe Deposit Company, Philadelphia, 22 December 1898, to James Large, on behalf of French.Daniel Chester French, New York, 11 January 1899, to Sarah Wise Meade Large, Philadelphia, regarding a visit on Saturday, 14 January 1899, to Philadelphia to secure details for his statue of General George Gordon Meade (1815-1872) for the Smith Memorial Arch in Philadelphia; also hopes to take in the PAFA Exhibition.Daniel Chester French, New York, 24 January 1899, to Sarah Wise Meade Large, regarding acknowledgement of receipt of letters and photographs of General Meade, as well as a print by Thomas Hicks, and informs he has begun to sculpt the statue in clay. Also included are two letters to Mrs. Large, one from her mother (undated), and the other from her son's teacher Robert Anderson of The Episcopal Academy, Lansdowne, Pennsylvania (1911).Daniel Chester French, sixty-three typed letters signed on French's own imprinted stationery and two autograph letters signed. New York City, 12 February 1923- 28 March 1931. Written to Charles Dupuy, the caretaker of French's summer home in Massachusetts.New York, 8 February 1909, to Henry Wolf (1852-1916, wood engraver, artist, illustrator), New York. French writes that he has given no photographs of the Melvin Memorial (1908, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts) for reproduction to anyone except Monumental News, a technical magazine, and thanks Wolf for his appreciation of his work.Glendale, Massachusetts, 22 September 1911, to Henry Wolf (1852-1916, wood engraver, artist, illustrator), New York. In response to Wolfs request to reproduce French's statue of Lincoln for Harper's Magazine, the sculptor regrets that he has promised it to Mr. Johnson of the Century Magazine, who saw it in his studio before it was finished. French suggests that Wolf instead reproduce his equestrian statue of General Draper, photographs of which he can show him once he returns to New York.
Gaugengigl, Ignaz Michael Marcel, 1903
Select: Gaugengigl, Ignaz Michael Marcel, 1903 Scope and Contents Ignaz Michael Marcel Gaugengigl (1853-1932), Boston, 22 February 1903 to Ezra U. Baker. Re: thanks Baker for his payment for his portrait, and will soon send the portrait of his daughter.
Gay, Edward, 1883
Select: Gay, Edward, 1883 Scope and Contents Edward Gay, Mt. Vernon, 24 April 1883, to John Elderkin (1841-1926), editor and author. Regarding illustrations for Bayard Taylor's Lars, a previous and forthcoming trip to Norway, and an outstanding commission for Elderkin.
Gerhardt, Karl, undated, 1883-1889
Select: Gerhardt, Karl, undated, 1883-1889 Scope and Contents Autograph letter to Karl Gerhardt, signed "Larkin G[oldsmith] Mead." Florence, Italy, 11 June 1883.Typed letter to Karl Gerhardt, signed "Abram S. Hewitt." New York, 8 October 1888. On letterhead of Cooper, Hewitt & Co., to Karl Gerhardt, in care of S. L. Clemens, Hartford.Autograph note to Mrs. Karl Gerhardt, signed "Mrs. Mackay." Paris, 14 January 1885.Typed letter to William Wilson Corcoran, signed by "Franklin P. Gowen." Philadelphia, 29 January, 1885.Autograph letter to Karl Gerhardt, signed by "Brander Matthews." New York, 4 January 1886.Typed letter to Karl Gerhardt, signed by "[Senator] Wm. E. Chandler." Washington, DC, 25 June 1888. On United States Senate letterhead.Autograph letter to Karl Gerhardt, signed by "[Senator] Jos. R. Hawley." Washington, DC, 10 July 1888. On Senate Chamber letterhead.Autograph letter to Karl Gerhardt, signed by "J. R. Hawley." Washington, DC, 8 December 1891.Autograph letter to Karl Gerhardt, signed by "Laurence Hutton." Princeton, New Jersey, 21 March 1899.Autograph letter to Mrs. Karl Gerhardt, signed by "I. E. Mackay." No location or date given.Autograph letter to W. S. Chapman, signed by "Karl Gerhardt." No location or date given.
Greenough, Horatio, undated
Select: Greenough, Horatio, undated Scope and Contents Autograph letter signed "Horatio Greenough." Two pages (including integral address leaf). [Washington], not dated. Addressed to Benjamin B. French, Commissioner of Public Buildings in Washington, DC.
Harding, Chester, circa 1846-1865
Select: Harding, Chester, circa 1846-1865 Scope and Contents Chester Harding, Glasgow, Scotland, 21 December 1846, to his son Francis "Frank" Skinner Harding (b. 1843), Springfield, Massachusetts, regarding Harding instructs his youngest son to find Glasgow on the map, pens a sketch of a young boy, and inquires if he has been sledding and obeying his aunts.[Chester Harding] Margaret Eliot Harding White (1823-1903), Keene, New Hampshire, to her future sister-in-law Julia Norton Delano, 11 March 1863, regarding White, who edited her father's memoirs, writes to her future sister-in-law, about to Mary Francis "Frank" Skinner Harding, to congratulate her and learn more about her.Chester Harding, Springfield, Massachusetts, 8 September 1863, to his future daughter-in-law Julia Norton Delano, regarding welcoming her to the family.[Chester Harding] Mary Ophelia Harding Krum (1818-1892), Chateaugay Lake, New York, 19 July 1864, to her future sister-in-law Julia Norton Delano, regarding summer house with her family and father, Chester Harding, and catching up.[Chester Harding] Mary Ophelia Harding Krum (1818-1892), Springfield, Massachusetts, 11 September 1864, to her future sister-in-law Julia Norton Delano, regarding her travels and her return to St. Louis with her father, Chester Harding, as well as warning that her brother Frank's income, whom she raised, will barely support them after their wedding. Chester Harding, Springfield, Massachusetts, 22 December 1864, to his daughter-in-law Julia Norton Delano Harding, Detroit, regarding his wedding gift of money, as well as Frank's looking into the disposal of his property in Detroit.Chester Harding, Springfield, Massachusetts, 15 April 1865, to his daughter-in-law Julia Norton Delano Harding, Detroit, regarding a blunder that cost Frank his job, the poor prospects for Frank's starting a new business in Detroit, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.Chester Harding, St. Louis, 11 October [1865], to his daughter-in-law Julia Norton Delano Harding, Detroit, regarding the hot weather in St. Louis, his intention to stay until Christmas, and his desire to paint several portraits to keep busy.Chester Harding, manuscript fragment, comprising parts No. 2, 3 and 4 of his memoir, A Sketch of Chester Harding, Artist, Drawn by His Own Hand, later edited by his daughter Margaret Eliot Harding White (1823-1903), and published in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by John Wilson in 1866. This is the only known portion of this manuscript.
Hassam, Childe, 1904
Select: Hassam, Childe, 1904 Scope and Contents Childe Hassam, New York, 24 March 1904, to the novelist and playwright Louis Evan Shipman (1869-1933), Cornish, New Hampshire, regarding payment for a painting and an invitation to visit. Includes envelope.
Healy, George Peter Alexander, 1889
Select: Healy, George Peter Alexander, 1889 Scope and Contents Paris, 18 January 1889, to Miss Wright. Healy writes either to a close acquaintance or patron after receiving some family photographs. Describes works in his studio: full-length portraits of Archbishop Rearden of San Francisco and General Winslow, and a half-length portrait of Monsieur Barbedienne. For the Paris Salon he intends to send full-length portraits of Cardinal Archbishop James Gibbons of Baltimore and Abraham Dreyfus. For the Universal Exposition at Paris he intends to send a half-length portrait of the Earl of Lytton, former English Ambassador to France, and a full-length painting of a fourteen-year-old girl playing the violin.
Hollingsworth, George, circa 1870s
Select: Hollingsworth, George, circa 1870s Scope and Contents George Hollingsworth (1813-1882), carte de visite of the Massachusetts painter.
Hunt, William Morris, 1877
Select: Hunt, William Morris, 1877 Scope and Contents Boston, 22 November 1877, to John Ferguson Weir, New Haven."My time is already more than taken up in trying to learn how to paint and as I can get no information on the subject from lectures. I do not think I could assist others by lecturing. The world is full of people who lecture on art and I will not interfere with them."
Huntington, Anna Vaughn Hyatt, circa 1880s, circa 1933
Select: Huntington, Anna Vaughn Hyatt, circa 1880s, circa 1933 Scope and Contents Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) candid oval photographic portrait, circa 1933. Christmas gift from Harriet Randolph Hyatt (1868-1960) [Mrs. Alfred G. Mayor], sister of Anna Hyatt Huntington, noted painter, and former pupil of Dennis Miller Bunker, 12 December 1933, to Anna Bemis Stearns (1867-1949). Mrs. Mayor also included a sketchbook portrait of Anna Bemis signed "H. R. H." [Harriet Randolph Hyatt], and a note that says "I thought you might like to own this sketch of other days I found in an old sketchbook. I hear from Anna [Huntington] that she…"
Huntington, Daniel, 1862
Select: Huntington, Daniel, 1862 Scope and Contents New York, 11 April 1862, to Alexander Hay Ritchie (1822-95, engraver and genre and figure painter), New York. Huntington writes to A. W. [sic] Ritchie, 422 Broadway, that he is suffering from the flu and is unavailable for Ritchie to pick up the photograph of his (Huntington's) uncle that Ritchie will engrave; but he will arrange the matter later, including the size of the plate, when he is better. "I think I shall keep a safe distance from the Exhib. on Varnishing Day."Daniel Huntington (1816-1906), New York, "Wednesday 20th," to Richard William Hubbard (1816-1888). "The Sketch Club are to meet with me on Friday Evening. I shall be happy if you can be with us."
Inman, Henry, 1834
Select: Inman, Henry, 1834 Scope and Contents Henry Inman, New York, 30 January 1834, to Prosper Montgomery Wetmore (1798-1876), Albany, President of the American Art Union. Regarding his quest to secure the commission to paint one of the panels for the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, as well as a favorable mention of his talent by John Quincy Adams in the New York Mirror. Includes an engraved portrait of Inman.
Inness, George, 1884, 1887
Select: Inness, George, 1884, 1887 Scope and Contents George Inness (1825-1894), Milton, New Jersey, 25 May 1884, to Laura Maude Wachschlager. Re: Waschlager was a young autograph collector.George Inness, corrected proof, approved and signed for his entry in Men of the Time: A Dictionary of Contemporaries, containing Biographical Notices of Eminent Characters of Both Sexes, 1887, published by George Routledge, London, 1887.
Jones, Hugh Bolton, 1888
Select: Jones, Hugh Bolton, 1888 Scope and Contents New York, 26 March 1888, to George Frederick Munn (1851-1907, naturalist painter). Jones responds to Munn's request for photographs of pond lily leaves, mentions Jones's picture owned by Mr. Halstead, and apprises Munn of the current addresses of the painters Edwin Howland Blashfield (1849-1936), Thomas Hovenden (1840-95), and William Lamb Picknell (1853-97).
Jones, Thomas Dow, circa 1870s
Select: Jones, Thomas Dow, circa 1870s Scope and Contents Thomas Dow Jones (1811-1881), sculptor, cabinet card portrait of the artist, inscribed by him "T. D. Jones/Sculptor."
Kensett, John Frederick, circa 1869
Select: Kensett, John Frederick, circa 1869 Scope and Contents John Frederick Kensett, Monday, 20 December [ca. 1869], to Richard William Hubbard (1816-18), artist.New York, 1 October 1865, to William A. Baker, Auburn, New York. Kensett responds to Baker's request for an autograph and informs him he has just returned to the city.
Knight, Louis Ashton, circa 1924
Select: Knight, Louis Ashton, circa 1924 Scope and Contents Louis Ashton Knight (1873-1938), press photograph by Bonney, "'Pont Louis Ashton Knight'…Bridge named after well-known American painter." Shows Knight painting on the bridge.
Lang, Louis, 1872
Select: Lang, Louis, 1872 Scope and Contents New York, The Institution for the Savings of Merchants' Clerks, bank check, 22 April 1872, for $35, payable to Mrs. Dillor or Bearer.
Leslie, Charles Robert, 1832
Select: Leslie, Charles Robert, 1832 Scope and Contents Charles Robert Leslie (1794-1859), [London, 21 April 1832], to Abraham Cooper (1787-1868), English painter. Re: "I shall feel obliged if you will let me know when Mr. Marshall's creditors meet and whether or not you intend to be present."
Lossing, Benson J., 1873
Select: Lossing, Benson J., 1873 Scope and Contents Benson J. Lossing, eminent historian and art historian, Dover Plains, New York, 2 December 1873, to Morven M. Jones (1815-1886), Utica, New York, attorney, autograph collector, and victim of one of the most scandalous political trials of the Civil War. Regarding the publication of his historical documents.
Low, Will Hicok, 1895
Select: Low, Will Hicok, 1895 Scope and Contents Giverny, France, 25 September 1895, to Mrs. S. C. Blodget, East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Writing from the prominent artists' colony and home to Monet, Low responds to Mrs. Blodget that he does not possess any photographs of his works but that copies can be procured by contacting William Kurtz, 6 E. 23rd St., New York.Giverny, France, 25 September 1895, to William Kurtz (1833-1904, artist and photographer), New York. Low authorizes Kurtz to make copies of photographs of any of his paintings for Mrs. S. C. Blodget, of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, with the exception of the Diploma Design for the Columbian Exposition. Included with this letter are two carte-de-visite photographs of unidentified women by W. Kurtz, presumably Mrs. Blodget and her daughter.
MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1907
Select: MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1907 Scope and Contents Frederick William MacMonnies (1863-1937), Giverny, France, 28 March 1907, to Miss Jones. Re: some photographs to be sent.
Mayer, Francis Blackwell, circa 1880s
Select: Mayer, Francis Blackwell, circa 1880s Scope and Contents Francis Blackwell Mayer (1827-1899), two cabinet cards, "John E. McCusker posing as Col. Steward for the Artist Frank Mayer, in his Picture of the Burning of the Peggy Stewart-now at the State House, Annapolis, Maryland." Photographic studies for Mayer's The Burning of the Peggy Stewart during the Annapolis Tea Party in 1774 (1886), Maryland State House.
Mills, Clark, 1870
Select: Mills, Clark, 1870 Scope and Contents [Clark Mills] Bank Check for $600 from the National Lincoln Monument Association, Washington, DC, 30 March 1870, paid to "self" and signed by sculptor Clark Mills (1810-1883).
Morse, Samuel F. B., 1826
Select: Morse, Samuel F. B., 1826 Scope and Contents Autograph letter signed "Sam'l F. B. Morse." Two pages. New York, 30 March 1826. Addressed to Charles R. Leslie, Esq., in London.
Myer, Marie Shields, 1912
Select: Myer, Marie Shields, 1912 Scope and Contents Marie Shields Myer, 1 June 1912. Invitation from the New York School of Applied Design for Women for an exhibition of Myer's works on view from June through August 1912.
Nast, Thomas, 1866
Select: Nast, Thomas, 1866 Scope and Contents Thomas Nast, Catskill, 29 July 1866, to the Albany architect John B. Halcott (1846-1895), regarding the procurement of current carte de visites of the publisher Thurlow Weed (1797-1892) and former New York Governor Horatio Seymour (1810-1886) for illustrations.
Neagle, John, circa 1825-1843
Select: Neagle, John, circa 1825-1843 Scope and Contents John Neagle, ca. 1825-1827, to the theater manager Francis Courtney Wemyss (1797-1859), Philadelphia, regarding Neagle's busy schedule, his portrait in progress of the actor William Macready (PAFA), that years' exhibition at the PAFA, his portrait of the actor Junius Brutus Booth (Museum of the City of New York), and that he cannot undertake Wemyss's portrait anywhere but in his own studio.John Neagle, 25 September 1826, to the publisher Mathew Carey (1760-1839), Philadelphia, regarding compiling a list of names and addresses which includes the painter Thomas Sully, the engravers Gideon Fairman, Peter Maverick, James B. Longacre, and Hugh Bridport.John Neagle, 24 January 1827, to the publisher Mathew Carey (1760-1839), Philadelphia, regarding the amicable settlement of a dispute through arbitration, and mentions Joseph Hopkinson (1770-1842), President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the painter Thomas Sully.John Neagle, 26 March 1827, to the publisher Mathew Carey (1760-1839), Philadelphia, regarding Neagle requests the prominent publisher, who has made a solicitation to the artist, what the cost of a church pew will be.John Neagle, 9 June 1830, to the publisher Mathew Carey (1760-1839), Philadelphia, regarding Carey's, a prominent Irish Catholic, "Society for bettering the condition of the Roman Catholics" and Neagle's desire to become a member.John Neagle, 22 July 1843, to Joseph H. Hedges, Philadelphia, regarding acquiring an autograph of Washington Allston, to which Neagle directs him to either of the painters Thomas Sully or Samuel Finley Breese Morse.
Nicoll, James Craig, 1893
Select: Nicoll, James Craig, 1893 Scope and Contents Letter from J[ames] C[raig] Nicoll to "Mr. Skinner," 1893 May 29.
Nutting, Wallace, 1938
Select: Nutting, Wallace, 1938 Scope and Contents Wallace Nutting clipped letter fragment, June 1938.
Palmer, Erastus Dow, 1893
Select: Palmer, Erastus Dow, 1893 Scope and Contents Erastus Dow Palmer, Albany, 18 December 1893, to the sculptor Jonathan Scott Hartley (1845-1912), New York, regarding his affection for his former pupil, the present of a carte de visite of the White Captive, mentions Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), John Quincy Adams Ward (1830-1910), Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), and George Inness (1825-14). Includes photograph of the White Captive.
Peale, Rembrandt, 1852
Select: Peale, Rembrandt, 1852 Scope and Contents Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860), Philadelphia, 3 December 1852, to Mr. Drake. Re: responds that he would be delighted to provide three of his portraits of Washington to Mr. Drake's directors, as he already has two commenced. He recently sold one to "an English Gentleman, Mr. Tarret of Wolverhampton."
Peale, Rubens, 1837
Select: Peale, Rubens, 1837 Scope and Contents Autograph letter to Honorable M. Dikerson, Secretary of the Navy, signed "Rubens Peale." New York, 6 June 1837.
Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, 1920
Select: Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, 1920 Scope and Contents Elizabeth Robins Pennell (1855-1936), Philadelphia, 22 December 1920, to Violet Oakley (1874-1961). Re: Pennell accepts Oakley's invitation for her and her husband Joseph Pennell (1957-1926) to spend Christmas Eve together.
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1875
Select: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1875 Scope and Contents James L. Claghorne (1817-84), president of PAFA, and John Sartain (1808-97), artist and secretary of PAFA, jointly issue and sign a check for payment of $500 to the Philadelphia firm of Frank Furness and George Hewitt, for architectural designs of their landmark building for the PAFA, considered Frank Furness's masterpiece, completed in 1876.
Rosenthal, Tobias, 1881
Select: Rosenthal, Tobias, 1881 Scope and Contents Munich, 11 March 1881, to Francis Seligsberg. Four-page letter written in German with a watercolor sketch of two female artists holding portfolios, one calm and tidy, the other quite disheveled.
Sargent, John Singer, undated
Select: Sargent, John Singer, undated Scope and Contents John Singer Sargent (1856-1925, London, undated, to "My dear Trower." Re: "I have always thought, just after leaving you, of my [illeg] debt, the East End spree." Presumably to either Henry Seymour Trower or his wife Juliet.
Sartain, Emily, 1897-1903
Select: Sartain, Emily, 1897-1903 Scope and Contents Season ticket to an Exhibition of Works by the Late John Sartain at the Art Club of Philadelphia, 1897. Signed with the compliments of "Emily Sartain."Autograph letter to Miss Levy, signed "Emily Sartain." Philadelphia, 28 May 1903. Letterhead: Philadelphia School of Design for Women/ Broad & Masters Streets/ Miss Emily Sartain, Principal.
Sartain, John, 1897
Select: Sartain, John, 1897 Scope and Contents Autograph letter to Fred. M. Hopkins, signed "John Sartain." Philadelphia, 31 August 1897. Includes sketch for title page of Sartain's book Reminiscences of a Very Old Man.
Sartain, William, 1883-1885, 1914
Select: Sartain, William, 1883-1885, 1914 Scope and Contents Autograph note signed "William Sartain." New York, 7 January 1914.New York, 4 October 1883 to S. Louise Phelps (1843/4-after 1920, painter and teacher born Ohio), East Orange, New Jersey. Sartain informs Phelps when his classes will begin, the costs associated, and mentions that his student Miss Cardozo will arrive soon. New York, 3 May 1884 to S. Louise Phelps, East Orange, New Jersey. Sartain quotes Lord Byron, from a letter written in Venice, 14 April 1817.New York, 23 February 1885 to S. Louise Phelps, East Orange, New Jersey. Sartain wishes Phelps to submit his name for non-resident membership in the Orange Art Association; her friend Mrs. Narland [?] is now working in Sartain's studio and wishes to be remembered.New York, 26 March 1885 to S. Louise Phelps, East Orange, New Jersey. Sartain regrets that he cannot instruct her class this summer but suggests she approach Hugh Bolton Jones (1848-1927) or his brother Francis Coates Jones (1857-1932).New York, undated photograph of a female portrait inscribed to S. Louise Phelps: "with Christian regards of I William Sartain." [This is possibly a portrait of Phelps.]
Sliger, Robert, undated
Select: Sliger, Robert, undated Scope and Contents Undated letter envelope from Robert Sliger addressed to himself.
Smillie, George Henry, 1882
Select: Smillie, George Henry, 1882 Scope and Contents George Henry Smillie (1840-1921), Marblehead Neck, Massachusetts, 24 September 1882, to Hattie Merrifield. With a calling card signed "James D. Smillie," (James David Smillie 1833-1909). Re: George H. Smillie informs Hattie Merrifield that he will return to New York the first week of October, and that he takes pupils at $30 a month, or has a class on Thursdays which will begin in the second week of October, whichever she prefers.
Stillman, William James and Marie Spartali Stillman, circa 1875
Select: Stillman, William James and Marie Spartali Stillman, circa 1875 Scope and Contents St. Helen's Cottage, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, England, July? 1875, to Katherine Hillard (1839-1915). Stillman apologizes that she cannot see Hillard because her husband, William James Stillman (1828-1901), wishes to go immediately to Dalmatia and she must close up their house on the Isle of Wight.Amerstone, England, 15 June 1875, to Miss Katherine Hillard. Stillman invites Hillard to visit them at their cottage on the Isle of Wight, says the couple are happy despite the loss of their son, John Ruskin Stillman (1862-75), known as "Russie."
Sully, Thomas, 1839
Select: Sully, Thomas, 1839 Scope and Contents 23 September 1839, to Mr. Herring, New York. Sully informs Herring that the Portrait of Col. Abert (John James Abert 1788- 1863) has been shipped to Washington, and that the bill of lading is in possession of John Trumbull (1756-1843). Sully requests that the Abert portrait be exhibited in Washington prior to being exhibited at the New York Institution. Sully is also waiting on a frame before forwarding Herring his picture of Musidora.
Tanner, Henry Ossawa, 1906
Select: Tanner, Henry Ossawa, 1906 Scope and Contents Henry Ossawa Tanner, Martigues, France, 11 Febraury 1906, to Mr. Morris.
Thayer, Abbott Handerson, circa 1883-1894
Select: Thayer, Abbott Handerson, circa 1883-1894 Scope and Contents Dictated letter (handwritten) to Sadakichi Hartmann, signed in another hand "A. H.Thayer." Monadnock, New Hampshire, 23 April [no year given].Autograph letter to Clara A. May, signed "Abbott H. Thayer." Annotated at top in another hand "21 April 1894."Autograph letter to Mr. Koehler, signed "Abbott H. Thayer." Cornwall-on-Hudson, 12 May 1885.Autograph letter to Mr. Koehler, signed "Abbott H. Thayer." Cornwall-on-Hudson, 31 October 1883.Autograph postcard to Mr. Koehler, signed "A. H. Thayer." Cornwall-on-Hudson, 19 May 1885 [postmark]. Postcard bears letterhead of Magazine of Art-Cassell & Company, Limited.Autograph postcard to Mr. Koehler, signed "A. H. T." Postmarked 1886.
Tuckerman, Henry T., 1854-1859
Select: Tuckerman, Henry T., 1854-1859 Scope and Contents Henry T. Tuckerman, art critic, New York, 6 November 1854, to Benson J. Lossing (1813-1891), historian and art historian. Regarding Tuckerman's desire to obtain a copy of Lossing's profusely illustrated Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution (1851) and inquiring about his progress on Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812 (1862).Henry T. Tuckerman, New York, 4 June 1859, to Benson J. Lossing (1813-1891). Regarding Tuckerman's refusal of an editorship, Lossing's Field Book, and a dispute with Mr. Putnam over the authorship of a Peale painting.
Turner, Charles Yardley, 1885
Select: Turner, Charles Yardley, 1885 Scope and Contents Charles Yardley Turner (1850-1919), New York, 6 April 1885, to Laura Maude Wachschlager. Re: Wachschlager was a young autograph collector and Turner writes: "I will be pleased to see you at my studio some Saturday afternoon between 2 and 5 P. M."
Valentine, Edward Virginius, 1877
Select: Valentine, Edward Virginius, 1877 Scope and Contents Edward Virginius Valentine, Richmond, 12 March 1877, to Dr. James M. Minor, New York, regarding Minor's returning his bust of General Robert E. Lee to him in Richmond.
Volk, Stephen Arnold Douglas, 1881-1915
Select: Volk, Stephen Arnold Douglas, 1881-1915 Scope and Contents Stephen Arnold Douglas Volk (1881-1915), New York, 18 January 1881, to Marion Larrabee, Chicago.Volk, New York 8 May 1911, to Marion Volk, Center Lovell, Maine.Volk, New York, 26 October 1911, to Marion Volk, Center Lovell, Maine.Volk, New York, 20 May 1915, to Marion Volk, Center Lovell, Maine.
Walcutt, William, circa 1860s
Select: Walcutt, William, circa 1860s Scope and Contents William Walcutt (1819-1882) carte de visite by Augustus Morand, Brooklyn, of the Ohio born painter and sculptor.
Weir, Julian Alden, 1891
Select: Weir, Julian Alden, 1891 Scope and Contents Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), Branchville, Connecticut, 26 July 1891, to "Dear Max," [Paris, France]. Re: Weir sends eight etchings including the Portrait of Dr. Weir, "which is $35, already having sold some." "I hope you have made many finds in the shape of fine etchings (& not girls!). I have put etching aside for the present & have some twenty canvases under way."
Wenzler, Henry Antonio, circa 1860s
Select: Wenzler, Henry Antonio, circa 1860s Scope and Contents Wenzler (b. Denmark-d. 27 May 1871, Newport, RI) carte de visite by Maurice Stadtfeld, photographer, 711 Broadway, New York.
West, Benjamin, 1816
Select: West, Benjamin, 1816 Scope and Contents London, 27 February 1816, to Richard James Laurence. West requests the loan of two pictures for an apparent exhibition of "all the pictures painted by me within the last fifty years." The first, Faith and Hope (from Spenser's "Poems of the Fairy Queen"), depicts Laurence's mother and sister, and the second, Una and the Lion, is a portrait of Laurence's wife, nee Miss Hall (Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford).
White, Stanford, 1892-1895
Select: White, Stanford, 1892-1895 Scope and Contents Typed letter signed "White" on the imprinted stationery of McKim, Mead & White. Two separate pages, four total. New York, 16 November 1895. To Frederick William MacMonnies. Typed letter signed "Stanford White" with holograph additions and three-line holograph postscript, on the imprinted stationery of McKim, Mead & White. Two separate pages, four total. New York, 19 January 1892. To Frederick William MacMonnies. New York, 4 February 1895, to Frederick W. MacMonnies (1863-1937, sculptor). On McKim, Mead & White letterhead, White informs MacMonnies that Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) has just dropped out of a commission, and White recommends that MacMonnies accept the order for five large caryatides for the American Surety Building, on Broadway and Pine, which White confides would be "a very good potboiler. "New York, 9 December 1895, to Frederick W. MacMonnies. Re: White wishes MacMonnies to set his price for the Washington Arch groups.
Whittredge, Worthington, 1879
Select: Whittredge, Worthington, 1879 Scope and Contents Worthington Whittredge, New York, 2 February 1879, to Andrew Varick Stout Anthony (1835-1906), American wood engraver.New York, 28 December 1868, to Samuel A. Coale Jr., St. Louis.Whittredge writes to Coale, a St. Louis merchant and arts patron, apologizing that the little picture Coale recently purchased, a scene in the Lebanon Valley, New York, was not ready to be shipped as a Christmas present to this wife, due to damage sustained to the frame, but it will arrive before New Year's day. He explains that since the price charged was well below cost, Coale will have to pay for the expense of the frame, as well as the boxing and shipping. The picture is a little dry in places, so Whittredge advises Coale to take it out of its frame and spread boiled linseed oil evenly over the surface, in preference to varnish, as the work is displayed under glass.
Wolfe, John C., undated
Select: Wolfe, John C., undated Scope and Contents One carte-de-visite portrait.
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