Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Kennedy Galleries Miscellaneous Records, 1864-circa 1983, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.fleimart
Creators:
Kennedy Galleries
Dates:
1864-circa 1983
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1.28 Linear feet
Repository:
The Kennedy Galleries Miscellaneous Records date from 1864 - circa 1983 and measure 1.28 linear feet. These scattered records were compiled by gallery owner Martha Fleischman and relate to art collections and artists historically represented by or associated with the gallery. The collection includes a few letters, one essay, reports, ledger pages, a certificate, printed materials, and photographs of artists and artwork, particularly artwork by Walt Kuhn.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Kennedy Galleries Miscellaneous Records date from 1864 - circa 1983 and measure 1.28 linear feet. These scattered records were compiled by gallery owner Martha Fleischman and relate to art collections and artists historically represented by or associated with the gallery. The collection includes a few letters, one essay, reports, ledger pages, a certificate, printed materials, and photographs of artists and artwork, particularly artwork by Walt Kuhn.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into one series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Kennedy Galleries Miscellaneous Records, 1864-circa 1980 (1.1 linear feet; Box 1, OV 2)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Established in 1874 by Hermann Wunderlich as H. Wunderlich & Co. in Manhattan, Kennedy Galleries has a long history of dealing American art. When Wunderlich died in 1892, Edward G. Kennedy took over the gallery and changed the name in 1912 to Kennedy & Co. Kennedy was the first U.S. dealer to exhibit the etchings and paintings of James McNeill Whistler, and he compiled a 1910 catalogue raisonné of the artist's work. Kennedy retired in 1916, and Herman Wunderlich (Jr.) became senior partner.
Lawrence A. Fleischman, joined the gallery in 1966 as a partner with the late Rudolf G. Wunderlich. In the course of more than a century in business, the gallery has promoted work by artists the likes of Albert Bierstadt, William Merritt Chase, Frederic E. Church, John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Walt Kuhn, Georgia O'Keeffe and Ben Shahn, among others. Under Lawrence A. Fleischman, the gallery served as adviser to the Vatican Museum, Rome in the early 1970s assisting in the selection and acquisition of modern art. Lawrence Fleischman was also the founder of the Archives of American Art, now a part of the Smithsonian Institution. He also served on the White House Committee for the Fine Arts during the administrations of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
In 1966, the gallery moved to East 56th street; and in 1974 moved again to a newly constructed gallery on West 57th Street. In 2005, the gallery became a private dealership under the direction of Martha Fleischman, Lawrence A. Fleischman's daughter.

Administration

Author
Barbara Aikens
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Nicole Blechynden and Barbara Aikens in 2016-2017, and the finding prepared by Barbara Aikens in 2017. Funding from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund supported this work.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These records were donated to the Archives in 2005 and 2006 by Martha Fleischman, director of the Kennedy Galleries, who compiled these miscellaneous items from the Kennedy Galleries' storage.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Preferred Citation
Kennedy Galleries miscellaneous records, 1864-1983, bulk 1900-1948. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
Also found at the Archives of American Art are the Lawrence and Barbara Fleischman Papers, 1837-1984, bulk 1935-1979; an interview of Lawrence A. Fleischman conducted in 1970, Feb. 28-Mar. 9, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art; an interview of Lawrence A. Fleischman conducted 1994 Apr. 18, by Gail Stavitsky, for the Archives of American Art; and an interview of Barbara Fleischman (Lawrence Fleischman's wife) conducted 2011 Dec. 27 and 2012 Jan. 5, 20, and 23 by Avis Berman for the Archives of American Art.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fleischman, Martha Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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