Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Adams Davidson Galleries Records, 1922-2013, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.adamdavi
Creators:
Adams Davidson Galleries
Dates:
1922-2013
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
21 Linear feet
Repository:
The records of the Adams Davidson Galleries measure 21.0 linear feet and date from 1922 to 2013. The records document the history of the galleries through board meeting minutes, legal cases, appraisal course materials, and other administrative files; correspondence with insitutions and customers seeking to acquire artwork or have thier artwork appraised; artist files consisting of notes, photographs of works, and background information for specific pieces of artwork; correspondence and materials related to exhibitions held at the galleries; correspondence and some receipts with institutions and individuals regarding the purchasing of artwork or having artwork appraised; receipts, price lists, invoices, and other financial records; articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and other printed material; and photographs, slides, and transparencies of artwork.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The records of the Adams Davidson Galleries measure 21.0 linear feet and date from 1922 to 2013. The records document the history of the galleries through board meeting minutes, legal cases, appraisal course materials, and other administrative files; correspondence with insitutions and customers seeking to acquire artwork or have thier artwork appraised; artist files consisting of notes, photographs of works, and background information for specific pieces of artwork; correspondence and materials related to exhibitions held at the galleries; correspondence and some receipts with institutions and individuals regarding the purchasing of artwork or having artwork appraised; receipts, price lists, invoices, and other financial records; articles, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and other printed material; and photographs, slides, and transparencies of artwork.
Administrative files consist of board meeting minutes, some legal cases related to artwork in the care of the galleries, insurance policies, and appraisal course materials. Also included are files related organizations such as the American Society of Appraisers, Washington Art Dealers Association, and the Appraisers Association of America that Ted Cooper and the galleries were affiliated with.
Correspondence consists of general correspondence between the galleries and other institutions and individuals interested in artwork.
Artist files consist of files of artists whose works were exhibited or sold by the galleries; The majority of the artists are nineteenth century American artists. Some files only consist of photographs or transparencies of an artist's works, while others contain notes, related articles, and background information on the artist and specific pieces of artwork.
Exhibition files consist of shipping receipts, loan forms, correspondence, articles, and exhibition announcements for exhibitions held at the galleries. Some of the exhibitions include: "I.M. Pei: Drawings for the East Building - National Gallery of Art in Evolution," "Works on Paper From Thomas Cole to Andrew Wyeth," and "Edgar Nye: An American Regionalist."
Institution files consist of correspondence and some receipts related to artwork that was sold or loaned to other institutions for exhbitiions or to be sold. Also included are individuals who purchased artwork from the galleries or inquired about having appraisals performed on their owned artwork.
Financial records consist of sales material such as price lists, consignments, and invoices for appraisal research. Also included are appraisal reports, financial statements, and shipping receipts. There are also customer binders and customer index cards noting who bought certain artwork and for how much.
Printed material consists of articles, clippings, newsletters, exhibition announcements, and exhibition catalogs related both to the galleries and some of the artists and artwork represented by the galleries.
Photographic material consists of photographs, slides, and transparencies of artwork sold by the galleries or of works for which appraisals were performed.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into eight series.
  • Series 1: Administrative Files, 1971-2011 (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1969-2008 (0.6 linear feet; Box 2)
  • Series 3: Artist Files, 1922-2006 (3.7 linear feet; Boxes 2-6)
  • Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1966-2006 (0.7 linear feet; Box 6)
  • Series 5: Institution Files, 1970-2006 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)
  • Series 6: Financial Records, 1940-2013 (9.7 linear feet; Boxes 8-17, 21)
  • Series 7: Printed Material, 1971-2007 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 17-18)
  • Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1985-1995 (2.9 linear feet; Boxes 19-22)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Adams Davidson Galleries (established1965-closed 2014) was a gallery in Washington, D.C. that represented American artists active in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Founders Peter Powers and Donald Webster co-directed with their spouses Elizabeth Powers and Judy Webster until 1969, when Elizabeth Powers became sole owner. Theodore (Ted) Arthur Cooper was hired as Assistant Director of the gallery in 1970. In 1971, Cooper bought out Powers' interest and became sole owner. Through the gallery, Cooper also took commissions as an appraiser of American art.

Administration

Author
Ricky Gomez
Sponsor
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Existence and Location of Copies
Two photographs of paintings are available on 35mm microfilm reel 3814 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Photographs on reels 3814 donated 1980 by the Adams Davidson Galleries. The gallery records were donated 2015 by the Theodore Arthur Cooper estate via Laura Cooper Jordan, executor.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2022.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Conditions Governing 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
Adams Davidson Galleries records, 1922-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art galleries, Commercial -- Washington (D.C.) Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
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