Archives of American Art

RISD Museum of Art records

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.rhodisla
Creators:
Rhode Island School of Design. Museum of Art
Dates:
[ca. 1877-1960]
Languages:
Within the Directors' and Presidents' correspondence, there are three letters in German from Josef Albers, 1939-1940, seventeen letters in French from Desparmet Fitzgerald, a French art dealer, offering paintings for sale, 1932, and two letters in French from André Girodie, another French art dealer offering works for sale, 1922. In the Heinrich Schwarz correspondence, there are ca. 37 letters in German and ca. 17 letters in French chiefly from dealers and colleagues of Schwarz.
Physical Description:
17 Microfilm reels
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Correspondence, writings and notes, business records, scrapbooks and printed material.
Scope and Contents
"The Rhode Island School of Design: A Half Century Record (1879-1928)," by Elsie S. Bronson, A.M., 1928, providing historical information on the founding, organization, and activities of the school and museum; excerpts from RISD yearbooks pertaining to the museum, 1877-1944, including exhibitions (complete listing after 1901), loans, gifts, lectures, and prizes awarded from year to year; "Lists of articles belonging to RISD, 1898," a notebook containing handwritten lists of donations and donors and receipts of purchases of works of art and supplies needed for teaching;
Scope and Contents
Six volumes of minutes of the Museum committee, 1894-1950, also included within the volumes are museum "rules adopted before 1901," correspondence regarding the acquisition of a Chinese fresco, 1949, and a six-page undated list of "European Acquisitions" of drawings and prints including prices paid, names of dealers, and countries represented. Presidents' and Directors' correspondence with dealers, artists, curators, donors, educators, and others. Included in the Isaac Comstock Bates correspondence file are his will, a three-page memorial tribute to him, and a list of articles willed to the school by him. Also included are correspondence and writings of Heinrich Schwartz, Curator of Prints and Drawings;
Scope and Contents
exhibition files, 1885-1950, containing catalogues, price lists, checklists, insurance valuations, clippings, a few letters, an incomplete list of exhibitions (1885-1951), and a list of artists and titles of paintings in annual fall exhibitions; a scrapbook of Isaac Comstock Bates, 1877-1889, containing letters from artists and dealers; and 27 scrapbooks, 1877-1889, containing clippings, notices, and catalogues relating to the school and museum.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 3629-3645 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals in the RISD Museum of Art, Providence, R.I.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Lent for microfilming 1985 by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.

More Information

Other Finding Aids

Other Finding Aids
Index to microfilm reels 3629-3645 compiled by John Carpenter of the RISD museum available in all Archives of American Art offices.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art museums, University and college -- Rhode Island -- Providence Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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