Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Nickolas Muray Papers, 1910-1978, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.muranick
Creators:
Muray, Nickolas, 1892-1965
Dates:
1910-1992
Languages:
The collection is in English.
Physical Description:
1.5 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of photographer Nickolas Muray measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1978. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, including a handful of letters from Frida Kahlo; writings; teaching files, primarily of photography courses taught at New York University; printed material; artwork; and photographic materials of Muray, his family and friends, and his work. There is a 0.6 linear feet Unprocessed Addition which includes biographical material, correspondence, photographs, research notes and a diary about Africa, and a subject file on the book The Revealing Eye, Personalities of the 1920s, written by Paul Gallico with photographs taken by Muray, 1967.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of photographer Nickolas Muray measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1992. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, including a handful of letters from Frida Kahlo; writings; teaching files, primarily of photography courses taught at New York University; printed material; artwork; and photographic materials of Muray, his family and friends, and his work.
There is a 0.6 linear feet Unprocessed Addition which includes biographical material, correspondence, photographs, research notes and a diary about Africa, and a subject file on the book The Revealing Eye, Personalities of the 1920s, written by Paul Gallico with photographs taken by Muray, 1967.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 2 series.
  • Missing Title
  • Series 1: Nickolas Muray papers, 1910-1978 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, OV 3)
  • Series 2: Unprocessed Addition, 1927-1992 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Photographer Nickolas Muray (1892-1965) lived and worked in New York, New York and was known for his portrait, fashion, and advertising photography and for his mastery of the carbro color printing process.
Born in Szeged, Hungary, Muray spent time in Budapest as an engraver's apprentice and moved to Germany at the age of 16 to expand his technical knowledge of photo-engraving and photography. In 1913, Muray immigrated to America where he worked as a photo engraver at Stockinger Engraving Co. and eventually opened his own photography studio in 1920. After successfully completing a commission to photograph Broadway star Florence Reed, Muray continued to build his portfolio with regular commissions for Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair to photograph movie stars, artists, musicians, artists, and models. In the 1930s, Muray mastered the carbro printing process and established one of the first color labs in America. His color fashion and advertising work continued to appear regularly in Vogue, Ladies' Home Journal, Woman's Home Companion, McCall's and other periodicals.
In addition to his professional work, Muray wrote reviews for Dance magazine and represented the United States in 1928 and 1932 as a member of the Olympic fencing team. He maintained a long distance affair with artist Frida Kahlo throughout the 1930s, eventually ending the relationship but remaining friends until her death in 1954. In 1942, Muray married his fourth wife, Margaret (Peggy) Schwab, with whom he had a daughter, Mimi. Muray died of a heart attack in 1965.

Administration

Author
Judy Ng
Sponsor
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated in 1988 and 2019 by Muray's daughter, Mimi Murray.
Existence and Location of Copies
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2016 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website. Materials which have not been scanned include blank pages, blank versos of photographs, and duplicates. In some cases, published books and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.
Processing Information
Materials received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and the collection was microfilmed onto reels 4392-4393. The collection was prepared for digitization and described by Judy Ng in 2016, with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Nickolas Muray papers, 1910-1992. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.

More Information

Other Finding Aids

Other Finding Aids
Finding aid available at Archives of American Art offices.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photography -- Study and teaching Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographers -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Portrait photography Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Latino and Latin American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kahlo, Frida Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New York University -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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