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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Alma de Bretteville Spreckels Papers, 1920-1978, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.sprealma
- Creators:
-
Spreckels, Alma de Bretteville, 1881-1968
- Dates:
-
1920-1978
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.6 Linear feet
- Repository:
The papers of San Francisco art patron and philanthropist Alma de Bretteville Spreckels measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1920 to 1978. The collection focuses on Spreckels's founding of and service to the California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Maryhill Museum of Fine Arts through correspondence, financial and legal records, meeting minutes, photographs, printed material, and registrarial records. Of note are Queen Marie of Romania's handwritten descriptions describing the provenance of her mementos and artifacts donated to the Maryhill Museum of Fine Arts.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The papers of San Francisco art patron and philanthropist Alma de Bretteville Spreckels measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1920 to 1978. The collection focuses on Spreckels's founding of and service to the California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Maryhill Museum of Fine Arts through correspondence, financial and legal records, meeting minutes, photographs, printed material, and registrarial records. Of note are Queen Marie of Romania's handwritten descriptions describing the provenance of her mementos and artifacts donated to the Maryhill Museum of Fine Arts.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (1881-1968) was an art patron and socialite from San Francisco, California. Her early childhood was marked by near poverty but her fascination with art led her to studying at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art (San Francisco Art Institute). Alma worked as an artist model for artists such as Robert Aitken, and she was purportedly the inspiration for Aitken's Dewey Monument in San Francisco.
Alma married the heir of a sugar fortune, Adolph B. Spreckels, with whom she had two children. Following Adolph's death in 1924, Spreckels focused her energies on art patronage and philanthropy, including the founding and sourcing of collections for the Palace of the Legion of Honor and the Maryhill Museum of Art.
Administration
Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Sponsor
Processing of this collection received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art by Mrs. Dorothy Munn, daughter of Alma de Bretteville Spreckles, in 1980.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection is available on 35mm reels 1732-1733 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The papers were microfilmed on reels 1732-1733 after receipt. The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2023 with support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
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
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels papers, 1920-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Decorative arts -- Romania | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Art patrons -- California -- San Francisco | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Philanthropists -- California -- San Francisco | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| California Palace of the Legion of Honor | Corporate Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Maryhill Museum of Art | Corporate Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
