Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Margaret Brown Gallery Records, 1921-1958, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.margbrow
Creators:
Margaret Brown Gallery (Boston, Mass.)
Dates:
1921-1958
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
9.3 Linear feet
Repository:
The records of Boston art gallery and framing shop Margaret Brown Gallery measure 9.3 linear feet and date from 1921 to 1958. The collection comprises correspondence with artists, customers, museums and galleries, and Brown's personal correspondence with her son Rodney and friends; artist files containing correspondence, and to a lesser extent, printed materials, price lists, and letters with potential buyers; gallery records containing administrative and financial files; printed materials that include programs for events in which the gallery participated; and photographic materials including photos of works of art and a few artists, and Brown's personal photographs.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The records of Boston art gallery and framing shop Margaret Brown Gallery measure 9.3 linear feet and date from 1921 to 1958. The collection comprises correspondence with artists, customers, museums and galleries, and Brown's personal correspondence with her son Rodney and friends; artist files containing correspondence, and to a lesser extent, printed materials, price lists, and letters with potential buyers; gallery records containing administrative and financial files; printed materials that include programs for events in which the gallery participated; and photographic materials including photos of works of art and a few artists, and Brown's personal photographs.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as five series.
  • Series 1: Correspondence, 1942-1958 (2.6 linear feet; boxes 1-3, OV 12)
  • Series 2: Artist's Files, 1946-1958 (2 linear feet; boxes 3-5)
  • Series 3: Gallery Records, 1934-1958 (3.7 linear feet; boxes 5-7, 9-11)
  • Series 4: Printed Materials, circa 1952-1957 (0.3 linear feet; box 8)
  • Series 5: Photographic Materials, 1921-circa 1950 (0.7 linear feet; box 8)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Margaret Brown Gallery (est. 1945) was an art gallery and frame shop in Boston, M.A.
Margaret Brown was an assistant at the Grace Horne Gallery before opening her own gallery in 1945 on Newbury Street in Boston. The gallery exhibited prominent New England artists, as well as some New York and European artists. Channing Hare, Hopkins Hensel, Aimee Lamb, and Ethel Edwards were among some of the artists who maintained strong relationships with the gallery. Brown was involved in arranging art exhibitions for Boston arts festivals, and became an esteemed member of Boston's art community despite her short career.
Brown died of a brain tumor in the summer of 1957 at age 49.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Margaret Brown Gallery records were donated in 1972 by Harold W. Palmer, a shop assistant at the gallery.
Existence and Location of Copies
Photographs of artwork are available on 35mm microfilm reels 672-673. The remainder of the collection, except for material related to the framing shop, are on 35mm microfilm reels 653-663. All reels are available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2021.

Using the Collection

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.
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
Margaret Brown Gallery records, 1921-1958. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art galleries, Commercial -- Massachusetts -- Boston Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brown, Margaret E., d. 1957 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cox, Gardner, 1906-1988 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Edwards, Ethel, 1914-1999 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kepes, Gyorgy, 1906-2001 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lamb, Aimée, 1893-1989 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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