Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Weyhe Gallery Records, 1921-2014, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.weyhgall
Creators:
Weyhe Gallery
Dates:
1921-2014
Languages:
The collection is mostly in English, but also includes records in German and French particularly in the correspondence and financial records series.
Physical Description:
15.3 Linear feet
Repository:
The records of New York gallery and bookstore Weyhe Gallery measure 15.3 linear feet and date from 1921 to 2014. The collection is comprised of administrative files that include material related to the daily functions of the gallery; correspondence with curators, dealers, museums, clients, and artists including Ansel Adams, Alexander Brook, Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Hilla Rebay, and Marion Willard, among others, and from Lynton Kistler to Carl Zigrosser expressing his desire to exhibit his collection of hand-printed lithographs; artist files that include correspondence and business records; financial records consisting of loan and consignment records, sales invoices, ledgers, and other material that documents the movement of artwork through the gallery and bookstore; printed materials that include photocopies of sales catalogs, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and other material; and photocopies of 8 volumes of scrapbooks containing clippings relating to artists, prints, and the gallery.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The records of New York gallery and bookstore Weyhe Gallery measure 15.3 linear feet and date from 1921 to 2014. The collection is comprised of administrative files that include material related to the daily functions of the gallery; correspondence with curators, dealers, museums, clients, and artists including Ansel Adams, Alexander Brook, Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Hilla Rebay, and Marion Willard, among others, and from Lynton Kistler to Carl Zigrosser expressing his desire to exhibit his collection of hand-printed lithographs; artist files that include correspondence and business records; financial records consisting of loan and consignment records, sales invoices, ledgers, and other material that documents the movement of artwork through the gallery and bookstore; printed materials that include photocopies of sales catalogs, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and other material; and photocopies of 8 volumes of scrapbooks containing clippings relating to artists, prints, and the gallery.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as six series.
  • Series 1: Administrative Files, circa 1930-circa 1990 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1921-2005 (3.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-4)
  • Series 3: Artist Files, 1930-2002 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)
  • Series 4: Financial Records, 1926-2009 (9.2 linear feet; Boxes 5-14, 17)
  • Series 5: Printed Materials, 1930-2014 (0.8 linear feet; Box 14, OV 18)
  • Series 6: Scrapbooks, circa 2000 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 14-16)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Weyhe Gallery (est. 1919) was an art gallery and bookstore in New York, N.Y. It was one of the first New York galleries to specialize in prints.
The gallery was established by German-born dealer Erhard Weyhe (1883-1972). Before World War I, he worked as a print dealer, as well as a book dealer and publisher. He owned a shop in London but moved his business to New York once the war began. He first opened the Weyhe Gallery on 710 Lexington Ave. in 1919. From 1923 to 2003, the gallery was located at 794 Lexington Ave. The gallery focused on artists from Western Europe but also sold the works of Antonio Frasconi, Wanda Gág, Rockwell Kent, Rudy Pozatti, and Diego Rivera among others.
Carl Zigrossser was the gallery's first director from 1919 to 1940. When Zigrosser departed after accepting a position at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Weyhe took over as director. After Weyhe's death in 1972, his daughter, Gertrude Dennis, operated the gallery and bookstore until her death in 2003. Weyhe's granddaughter, Deborah Kiley, currently runs the gallery as Weyhe Art Books in Mt. Desert, Maine.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records were donated in 1996, 2012, and 2016 by the Weyhe Gallery via owners Gertrude Weyhe Dennis and Deborah Weyhe Kiley.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2019.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Weyhe Gallery records, 1921-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Prints Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printmakers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Collectors and collecting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art galleries, Commercial -- New York (State) Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weyhe, Erhard, 1882-1972 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zigrosser, Carl, 1891- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kistler, Lynton R., , 1897-1993 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Galerie Alfred Flechtheim Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weyhe Art Books, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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