The records of the American Art Research Council, a cooperative research group headquartered at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, measure 3 linear feet and date from 1935 to 1956. The records include Chairman Juliana Force's correspondence, administrative correspondence, advisory committee files, miscellaneous administrative files, scattered financial records, and printed materials.

The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers measure approximately 36.1 linear feet and date from 1851 to 1975, with the bulk of the material dating from 1888 to 1942. The collection documents the life and work of the art patron and sculptor, especially her promotion of American art and artists, her philanthropy and war relief work, her commissions for memorial sculpture, and her creative writing. Papers include correspondence, journals, writings, project files, scrapbooks, photographs, artwork, printed material, two sound recordings, and miscellaneous personal papers.

The papers of exhibition curator Sanford Schwartz measure 0.7 linear feet and date from 1948-2011. The papers document the preparation and organization of two exhibitions curated by Schwartz, the Myron Stout retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1980, and The Early Work of William King at Alexandre Gallery in New York City in 2007. Materials regarding Provincetown, Massachusetts painter Myron Stout (1908-1987) include correspondence with Stout and lenders to the exhibition; notes, writings, and sketches by Schwartz pertaining to the exhibition; and photographs of Stout, including one with Hans Hofmann teaching in Provincetown in 1948. Material regarding sculptor William King (1925-1990) includes correspondence between Schwartz and King, exhibition research and notes, photographs of artwork, and printed material.

The collection measures 0.02 linear feet and includes 37 letters and postcards from sculptor Luis Jimenez to close friend and artist Rochelle "Shelly" Shicoff. The letters are personal in nature and Jimenez makes references to his ongoing studio processes, some specific works, and his presence at the 1991 Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial exhibition.

The papers of art historian, writer, and museum administrator Lloyd Goodrich measure 35.7 linear feet and date from 1884 to 1987 with the bulk of the material dating from 1927 to 1987. Materials include biographical material, extensive correspondence, writings and research files, organization and committee files, exhibition files, printed material, a scrapbook, and photographic material. The collection is particularly rich in research files on Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Albert Pinkham Ryder, and Reginald Marsh, as well as correspondence with additional notable artists and art figures.

The Wendy Jeffers research material on Niles Spencer measures 3.0 linear feet and dates from circa 1930-2015. The material was compiled by Jeffers for an exhibition and catalog she produced of Spencer's work for the Whitney Museum in 1990 and for research toward an updated catalogue raisonné. The bulk of the collection is comprised of correspondence, provenance research on individual artworks, writing, and photographic material. Jeffers' material expands on Dorothy C. Miller's research completed while organizing a Spencer exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1954.

The papers of modernist painter Ben Benn measure 6.3 linear feet and date from 1906 through 1977, with the bulk of the papers dating from circa 1920 - circa 1970. The collection includes correspondence between Benn and his wife Velida Benn and letters from Oscar Bluemner, Max Weber, Joseph Stella, and other artists. Also found are sketches, sketchbooks, diaries, scrapbooks, personal business records, clippings, photographs, exhibition catalogs, art journals, and auction catalogs. Some of the printed material is quite rare.

The Howard W. and Jean Lipman papers measure 46.6 linear feet and span the years 1916 to 2000, with one brochure maintained in a research file dating to 1848. The bulk dates for the collection are 1932 to 1992. The papers primarily concern the art collecting activities and interests of the Lipmans which included modern American sculpture, American folk art, and other contemporary American paintings. Found within the papers are correspondence files, notes and printed material that served as research and reference material, along with financial material. The collection also contains writings, notes, and editorial material used by Jean Lipman in her dual roles as an editor for Art in America magazine and as a respected art critic and author.

The papers of art historian, curator, and educator Patricia Hills measure 23.1 linear feet and date from circa 1900-2015, bulk 1968-2009. Central to this collection are project files documenting professional work that resulted in lectures, publications, exhibitions, art history courses on numerous artists including Alice Neel, Jacob Lawrence, May Stevens, Rudolf Baranik, and John Singer Sargent. These files and files documenting Hills's tenure at the Whitney Museum of American Art include planning documents, research files, correspondence, manuscripts and accompanying publications, as well as other printed materials. The collection also contains correspondence with art historians, artists, curators, and others, notably Lawrence Alloway, Lowery Stokes Sims, Lucy R. Lippard, T.J. Clark, Leon Golub, and Donald Kuspit; professional files documenting grants and residencies awarded and consulting work; artist and subject files; other writings; and printed material. Membership and affiliation records document Hills' service to the profession, including Women's Caucus for Art and the Visual Culture/Art History Caucus of the American Studies Association.

Materials consist of project catalogs for Mohawk Paper Mills and Neenah Paper, a division of Kimberly-Clark. The collection documents Robins' work as a graphic and industrial designer.