Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Emily A. Francis papers, circa 1910s-1969, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.franemil
Creators:
Francis, Emily A., 1879-1966
Dates:
circa 1910s-1969
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
10 Linear feet
Repository:
The Emily A. Francis papers, circa 1910s-1969, measure 10 linear feet and include organizational records of Contemporary Arts and affiliated member organization, Collectors of American Art, Inc., founded and directed by Emily A. Francis in 1929 and 1937, respectively. The collection consists of biographical material, foundation and board materials, correspondence, artist files, gallery files, exhibition files, membership materials, business and financial material, printed material, scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Emily A. Francis papers, circa 1910s-1969, measure 10 linear feet and include organizational records of Contemporary Arts and affiliated member organization, Collectors of American Art, Inc., founded and directed by Emily A. Francis in 1929 and 1937, respectively. The collection consists of biographical material, foundation and board materials, correspondence, artist files, gallery files, exhibition files, membership materials, business and financial material, printed material, scrapbooks, artwork, and photographs.
Biographical materials include personal financial material and documents relating to Francis' emigration from New Zealand in 1916. Foundation and board materials document the founding and continuing business of Contemporary Arts and Collectors of American Art, Inc. through board books, meetings minutes, by-laws, and articles of incorporation. Correspondence is with New York and international artists, as well as members, institutions, galleries, and board members; and artist files consist of correspondence, scattered photographs, exhibition materials, and consignment and loan agreements. Among the artists featured extensively in correspondence and artist files are Edward Betts, Virginia Cuthbert, Charles Logasa, and Sam Middleton.
Contemporary Arts gallery files document gallery activities through consignment and loan files to institutions and galleries, inventory records, sign-in registers, and event files. Exhibition files include loan agreements, exhibition price lists, and exhibition catalog mock-ups, as well as scattered correspondence. The files also include membership registers, member bulletin mock-ups, and other membership files, as well as financial ledgers with sales and artist accounts, leases and legal documents, receipts and invoices, and other business and financial material. Exhibition announcements and catalogs, member bulletins and annual reports, "The Bulletin of the Collectors of American Art, Inc.," and other printed material, are also included. Fifteen scrapbooks contain clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs relating to Contemporary Arts and Collectors of American Art, Inc. Extensive artwork consists of a charcoal sketch, paintings and paint sketches, and original prints, including woodcuts and serigraphs. Photographs are of Emily A. Francis and others, gallery installation views, events, and artwork.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 12 series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1921-1966 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Foundation and Board Materials, 1928-1969 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Correspondence, 1924-1964 (1.9 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)
  • Series 4: Artist Files, 1933-1964 (0.3 linear feet; Box 3)
  • Series 5: Contemporary Arts Gallery Files, 1930-1966, undated (1.1 linear feet; Boxes 3-4)
  • Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1931-1965 (0.8 linear feet; Box 5)
  • Series 7: Membership Materials, 1935-1966, undated (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)
  • Series 8: Business and Financial Material, 1928-1966 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 6-7)
  • Series 9: Printed Material, 1931-1966, undated (Boxes 7-8)
  • Series 10: Scrapbooks, 1931-1962 (1.2 linear feet; Box 8-9, 13-14)
  • Series 11: Artwork, 1940-1962, undated (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 10-12)
  • Series 12: Photographs, circa 1910s - circa 1960s (0.1 linear feet; Boxes 10, 12)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Emily A. Francis (1879-1966) (also known as Emily Jacobs) was the director of the Contemporary Arts gallery (also known as Contemporary Arts, Inc.) in New York, which she founded in 1929 and incorporated into a membership organization in 1931.
Inspired by the American Art-Union (1839-1851), she organized the Collectors of American Art, Inc. in 1937, which was associated with the gallery and initially called the Painting of the Month Club. Contemporary Arts held group shows and selected original artist prints and paintings to distribute annually to Collectors of American Art, Inc. paying members, which began at $5.00 per year. The stated mission of Collectors of American Art, Inc. was "to encourage production and distribution of Fine Art in America." Contemporary Arts sponsored painters and sculptors and exhibited their works in annual traveling exhibitions to universities and art centers across the country, as well as internationally; held regular Monday evening open house receptions for artists to exhibit their paintings and sculptures and chat with the public; and held monthly "Meet the Artist" parties for high schoolers to talk with the artists. Francis was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and first visited the United States in 1913, emigrating in 1916. She remained director of Contemporary Arts and Collectors of American Art, Inc. until her death in New York City in 1966, at the age of 87.

Administration

Author
Anna Rimel
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated in 1965 by Emily A. Francis and in 2023 by Peter Van Doren, a client of Francis.
Existence and Location of Copies
Portions of the collection are available on 35mm microfilm reels D224-D226 & D232-D233 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the finding aid does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Anna Rimel in 2023.

Using the Collection

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.
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.
Preferred Citation
Emily A. Francis papers, circa 1910s-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gallery directors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women art dealers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bishop, Isabel, 1902-1988 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lazzari, Pietro, 1898-1979 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Logasa, Charles, 1883-1936 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mayer, Grace M. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Middleton, Samuel M., 1927- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wilson, Ellis, 1899-1977 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Contemporary Arts (Gallery) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Collectors of American Art (Firm) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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