Archives of American Art

Isidore Konti papers

Summary
Collection ID:
AAA.kontisid
Creators:
Konti, Isidore, 1862-1938
Dates:
1879-1956
Languages:
Approximately half the letters from Frederick G. R. Roth are in German.
Physical Description:
1.8 Linear feet
(on 3 microfilm reels)
1.3 Linear feet
Addition
Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
Letters, award certificates, contracts, drawings, clippings, printed material, 2 scrapbooks, and photographs document Konti's sculpture projects.
Scope and Contents
Reel 1208: Photographs (1904-1936) show Konti, his family and his works of art. A scrapbook (1908-1928) contains photographs of works of art, clippings, and a letter to Konti's niece, Malvina Kaeyer, from Thomas Green requesting information about a Konti bronze he owns. Another scrapbook (1908-1956) contains a 1929 blueprint of Memorial Park, clippings, photographs of the Kelahan Memorial and the Spanish-American War Monument, and 2 exhibition catalogs (1938-1947).
Scope and Contents
Reels 1210-1211: Letters (1894-1949) concern sculpture projects and were written primarily by Konti's colleagues, including Karl Bitter, Elliott Daingerfield, Rudolf Eickemeyer, Daniel Chester French, Charles Keck, Hermon MacNeil, Paul Manship, Frederick G. R. Roth, and Adolph Weinman. Business materials include award certificates (1879-1956), contracts (1900-1929), copyright cards (1907-1911), receipts (1905-1926) from the Roman Bronze Works and records of sales (1913-1926). Art works consist of 92 drawings and a sketchbook. Printed materials include clippings (1928-1946), brochures on the Yonkers Art Association (1940) and exhibition and auction catalogs (1898-1940).
Scope and Contents
Unmicrofilmed: A 1902 letter from Karl Bitter concerns the fall exhibition. Other materials include account statements and receipts from the Gorham Company (1921-1937), the constitution and by-laws (1951) and a bulletin (1954) from the Hudson River Museum, a 1926 catalog on "Small Bronzes by Great Sculptors as Prizes" and six negatives of the Estelle Weaks Reilly Memorial.
Scope and Contents
Addition Unmicrofilmed Correspondence, certificates, photographs of works of art and people, newspaper clippings, three-dimensional sculpture of a profile 2" X 2", works of art on canvas board and photo albums, letters of condolence, biographical material [c. 1901- 1974].
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Sculptor. Born July 9, 1862 in Vienna, Austria, emigrated to New York City in 1892, eventually settling in Yonkers, N.Y., where he lived the rest of his life. Konti had studied in Vienna, under Edmund Von Hellmer and Karl Kundmann, and in Rome. Konti worked in the Beaux Arts tradition. In New York, he became an associate of Philip Martiny, a former student of Saint-Gaudens, who sent him to work on decorative models at the World's Columbia Exposition in Chicago. In 1904, Konti created the fountains of the Atlantic and Pacific for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. During the following decades, he established his reputation, befriending many of the significant sculptors of the early 20th century. Died Jan. 11, 1938, Etaples, France.
Administration
Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 1208 and 1210-1211 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Reproduction Note
Two letters from Karl Bitter and Paul Manship are photocopies.
Existence and Location of Originals
Location of originals unknown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers, originally lent for filming by the Hudson River Museum, were subsequently given by Konti's grandnephew, Richard E. Kaeyer. Loan material which was not part of the gift includes 2 oversize award certificates (Reel 1208:692 and Reel 1210:1351) and a biographical account (Reel 1211:570).
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
More Information
Other Finding Aids
Other Finding Aids
A list of prominent correspondents is available at Archives of American Art offices.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Decoration and ornament, Architectural -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eclecticism in architecture -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- United States Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bitter, Karl Theodore Francis, 1867-1915 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Daingerfield, Elliott, 1859-1932 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eickemeyer, Rudolf, 1862-1932 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Keck, Charles, 1875-1951 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
MacNeil, Hermon Atkins, 1866-1947 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manship, Paul, 1885-1966 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Roth, Frederick George Richard, 1872-1944 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weinman, Adolph A. (Adolph Alexander), 1870-1952 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Repository Contact
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions