Archives of American Art

Peter Pollack papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.pollpete
Creators:
Pollack, Peter, 1909-1978
Dates:
1939-1979
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
6.5 Linear feet
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Correspondence; photographs; writings and lecture notes; and printed material; and a scrapbook.
Scope and Contents
Circa 300 personal letters, 1945-1970, to Pollack from painter Richard Florsheim.
Scope and Contents
Files of correspondence and clippings pertaining to Pollack's career as a curator and photography historian. Most of the files concern Pollack's book "The Picture History of Photography." Other files concern Pollack's work on publications for Harry N. Abrams, Inc., the Worcester Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Also included are writings and lecture notes; a few letters and clippings from scrapbooks; and miscellany. Correspondents include: Ansel Adams, Gyuia Halasz Brassai, Sylvan Cole, Julio De Diego, Helmut Gernsheim, Philippe Halsman, Dimitrios Harissiadis, Yousuf Karsh, Grace M. Mayer, and Beaumont Newhall.
Scope and Contents
Personal correspondence, 1954-1976, with Richard Florsheim discussing various career choices and projects, exhibition openings, Florsheim's art dealers, and book projects Florsheim was involved in; project files, 1948-1962, regarding Pollack's position as the New York City-based Public Relations Consultant for the Archives of American Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Guggenheim, and other institutions. Included are letters, news releases, catalogs, announcements and some photographs and clippings of such projects as the International Biennial of Prints and the AAA European art tour trip.
Scope and Contents
Also included is a scrapbook, 1939-1943, concerning exhibitions and activities of the South Side Community Art Center, Chicago, sponsored by the Illinois Art Project of the WPA-FAP and supervised by Pollack, 1938-1942. The center's purpose was to advance African American art and artists. Included are by-laws; letters from Alain Locke, and Richmond Barthe; photographs of Pollack, Jules Carlen, Horace Pippin, Eldzier Cortor, Canada Lee, Julio de Diego, Jesus Torres, and Eleanor Roosevelt at the dedication of the center, 1941; a typescript of a lecture by Daniel Catton Rich "The Art Museum and the Community Art Center," delivered at the Museum Director's conference, Detroit Institute of Arts, May 1940, newspaper clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs and other printed material.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Peter Pollack (1909-1978) was a photographer, curator, historian, and writer in New York, N.Y.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 822, 2385-2390, and 4886-4887 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Existence and Location of Originals
Reels 2385-2390: Originals returned to Creilly Pollack after microfilming.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Material on reels 822 and 4886-4887 donated 1974-1977 by Pollack, except for the scrapbook which was donated by Jane de Hart, an art historian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who received it from Pollack for her research on African American artists and WPA projects. Material on reels 2385-2390 was lent for microfilming in 1981 by Creilly Pollack, Pollack's widow.

Using the Collection

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.

More Information

Other Finding Aids

Other Finding Aids
Microfilm reels 2385-2390: Finding aid available at Archives of American Art offices.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photography Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum curators Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art centers -- Illinois Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Abrams, Harry N. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brassaï, 1899- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cole, Sylvan Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
De Diego, Julio, 1900- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Florsheim, Richard A., 1916-1979 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gernsheim, Helmut, 1913- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Halsman, Philippe Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Harissiadis, Dimitrios Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Karsh , Yousuf, 1908-2002 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mayer, Grace M. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newhall, Beaumont, 1908-1993 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Davis, Charles H. (Charles Harold), 1856-1933 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Archives of American Art Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal Art Project (Ill.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Works Progress Administration Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
South Side Community Art Center Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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