Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery Records, circa 1850s-circa 1970s, bulk 1880s-1950s, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.ebcrocag
Creators:
E.B. Crocker Art Gallery
Dates:
circa 1850s-circa 1970s
bulk 1880s-1950s
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
4 Microfilm reels
Repository:
The E. B. Crocker Art Gallery records date from the 1850s-1970s with the bulk of the material dating from the 1880s-1950s. The collection documents the gallery's founding and history primarily until the mid-20th century, and includes biographical material on the Crocker family and gallery directors; correspondence primarily related to general inquiries; manuscript material and research notes concerning the Gallery's history; photographs of the museum, Crocker family members, and associated individuals; account books and other financial and organizational records; printed material; and scrapbooks of printed material about the gallery, associated artists, and the arts in Sacramento.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The E. B. Crocker Art Gallery records date from the 1850s-1970s with the bulk of the material dating from the 1880s-1950s. The collection documents the gallery's founding and history primarily until the mid-20th century, and includes biographical material on the Crocker family and gallery directors; correspondence primarily related to general inquiries; manuscript material and research notes concerning the Gallery's history; photographs of the museum, Crocker family members, and associated individuals; account books and other financial and organizational records; printed material; and scrapbooks of printed material about the gallery, associated artists, and the arts in Sacramento.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
E. B. Crocker Art Gallery, located in Sacramento, California, is one of the oldest museums in the Western United States and is known for its collection of works from the Gold Rush era to the present day.
The gallery's collection was given to the city of Sacramento and the California Museum Association by Margaret Crocker (1822-1901) in 1885. Margaret Crocker had begun collecting paintings with her husband Judge Edwin Bryant Crocker (1818-1875), during a trip to Europe in 1869. The Crockers ultimately made 2482 acquisitions, often of work by contemporary artists, at home and abroad.
The gallery was housed in a building adjacent to the Crocker's home, and the Crockers commissioned local architect Seth Babson to renovate the home and connect the gallery. Babson completed the renovation of the Crocker mansion and the building of the gallery in 1872.
After several reconstructions over the intervening decades the gallery's name was changed to the Crocker Art Museum in 1978. The buildings underwent renovations in the late 1980s which restored the historic facade of the mansion and modernized the gallery interior. The gallery building is a California Historical Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Administration

Author
Stephanie Ashley
Sponsor
Funding for the digitization of the microfilm for this collection was provided in part by The Walton Family Foundation.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection has been microfilmed on reels 1855-1858. The microfilm has been digitized and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals are in the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was loaned to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1980 by the Crocker Art Museum and was returned after filming.
Processing Information
The collection was microfilmed on Reels 1855-1858 after receipt and was returned to the Crocker Art Museum after filming. The microfilm was described in a finding aid by Stephanie Ashley in 2023 and the microfilm was digitized in 2023 with funding provided by The Walton Family Foundation.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
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
E. B. Crocker Art Gallery records, circa 1850s-circa 1970s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art galleries, Commercial -- California -- Sacramento Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Crocker family (Sacramento, Calif.) Family Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions