Edward and Josephine Hopper Research Collection
Scope and Contents note
The material in The Edward Hopper Research Collection documents the long relationship between Edward Hopper (1882-1967) and the Whitney Museum of American Art. It includes voluminous documentation of the artist’s life and work compiled by Whitney curators in the course of preparing exhibitions of Hopper’s work and the Hopper Catalogue Raisonné, as well as correspondence with Hopper and his wife Josephine, and with collectors of Hopper work.
Series 1, Collector files, documents the ownership and provenance of Hopper's works. Please note that these files were compiled for the Catalogue Raisonné and may contain information that is no longer current. Also note that this information is heavily restricted; only public owners' files are accessible.
Most of the material in Series 2 and 3 was gathered for the Catalogue Raisonné project, which began in the mid- to late-1970s and was completed upon publication in 1995. Series 2 consists of extensive clipping files covering Edward Hopper's life, his artwork, and exhibitions. Series 3 holds lists and collections of photographs of Hopper’s work.
The biographical and personal papers in Series 4 include some original Hopper correspondence, as well as a compendium of photocopies of letters from other archives. Also included in this series are a chronology of Hopper’s life, photographs of the artist, his wife, and various family members; photographs of life documents such as birth certificates; unpublished interviews; and notes made by Whitney curator Lloyd Goodrich about conversations with he had Hopper.
Series 5 consists of material relating to Edward Hopper’s wife, Josephine Nivison Hopper, who acted as his agent and business manager. Included here is correspondence, both original and photocopied from other collections; photographs of her work; and miscellaneous notes.
The administrative material in Series 6 is largely restricted, and includes files about the bequest of Hopper works and files relating to their management.
The Exhibition files in Series 7 relate to all the exhibitions on Hopper held at or organized by the Whitney Museum. This material is complemented by the corresponding Curatorial files (Series 8), and researchers are urged to see both. Like the Curatorial files, these also belong to the Museum’s institutional archives.
Series 8, Curatorial Files, consist of files relating to Hopper that were created by various curators at the Whitney Museum. Lloyd Goodrich was not only in charge of the Hopper collection during much of his tenure at the Museum (1930-1974), but was also a good friend of the Hoppers. Gail Levin took over as curator of the Hopper Collection (serving in this capacity from 1977-1984) and began work on the Catalogue Raisonné during her tenure at the Museum. Deborah Lyons worked with Levin, and continued the Hopper work after Levin left the Museum.
The material in Series 9 relates to Hopper prints, including photographs, cataloging information, collector information and a folder of photographs of Hopper collages, which are primarily Christmas cards.
The final Series includes miscellaneous material relating to projects not having to do with the Whitney Museum for which Hopper and/or his work were the subject.
See Series List and Series Descriptions, below, for more detailed description. See Appendices for Folder Lists. Restrictions Some material in this collection concerns private collectors and is therefore inaccessible to the public. See series descriptions for more details.
Dates
- 1894-2007
- Majority of material found within Bulk, 1930-1995
Conditions Governing Access
Some material in this collection concerns private collectors and is therefore inaccessible to the public. See series descriptions for more details.
Extent
80.0 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Edward and Josephine Hopper Research Collection documents the long relationship between Edward Hopper (1882–1967) and the Whitney Museum of American Art. It includes voluminous documentation of the artist’s life and work compiled by Whitney curators while preparing exhibitions of Hopper’s work and the Hopper Catalogue Raisonné. Materials include correspondence with Edward Hopper, his wife Josephine, and with collectors of Hopper works.
Arrangement note
The collection is organized into ten series; series arrangement is listed as follows:
Series I: Collector files, 1971-2000
Four subseries, arranged alphabetically by collector name within each group:- Subseries 1.1: Private Collectors. 1964-2000
- Subseries 1.2: Private Collectors, preliminary drawings, 1965-1988
- Subseries 1.3: Gallery and Corporate Collections,1974-1995
- Subseries 1.4: Museum Collections, 1962-1996
Series II: Clippings and printed matter, circa 1904-late 1980
Twelve subseries are all are arranged chronologically, with the exception of Subseries 2.2, which is arranged alphabetically by title of work:- Subseries 2.1: Mentions of Hopper in books, 1923-1989
- Subseries 2.2: Clippings referencing individual works of art, 1920s-1980s
- Subseries 2.3: General clippings, chronological, 1904-1995
- Subseries 2.4: Hopper commenting on his work, 1917-1979
- Subseries 2.5: Published interviews and conversations, 1933-1981
- Subseries 2.6: Published writings by Hopper, 1927-1959
- Subseries 2.7: Hopper films, 1981-1983
- Subseries 2.8: Gail Levin book reviews, 1980-1982
- Subseries 2.9: Juries and contests, 1932-1939
- Subseries 2.10: Press releases, 1933-1983
- Subseries 2.11: Exhibition catalogs, 1908-1987
- Subseries 2.12: Collections holding Hopper work
Series III: Photographs and lists, 1970s-1990s
Ten subseries, as follows:- Subseries 3.1: Illustrations, circa 1900-circa 1925
- Subseries 3.2: Preliminary Drawings, 1919-1966
- Subseries 3.3: Drawings, 1890-1965
- Subseries 3.4: Hopper Bequest Drawings, 1916-1954, undated
- Subseries 3.5: Oils, 1895-1965
- Subseries 3.6: Watercolors, 1905-1965
- Subseries 3.7: Catalogue Raisonne Photographs, 1996
- Subseries 3.8: Thematic Photographs, undated
- Subseries 3.9: Negatives and Transparencies, undated
- Subseries 3.10: Slides, undated
Series IV: Biographical and personal papers, circa 1894-1968
Eight subseries, as follows:- Subseries 4.1: Correspondence, 1894-1996, undated
- Subseries 4.2: Hopper photographs
- Subseries 4.3: Portraits of Hopper by other artists
- Subseries 4.4: Life documents
- Subseries 4.5: Life chronology
- Subseries 4.6: Interviews with Hopper, 1955-1968
- Subseries 4.7: Notes and memoirs about Hopper, 1940-1966
- Subseries 4.8: Miscellaneous personal items
Series V: Josephine N. Hopper papers, 1920-1965
Four subseries, arranged as described below:- Subseries 5.1: Correspondence, 1933-1965
- Sub-subseries 5.1.1: Original correspondence
- Sub-subseries 5.1.2: Transcribed correspondence
- Subseries 5.2: Notes
- Subseries 5.3: Photographs of her work
- Subseries 5.4: Press clippings, 1914, 1959
Series VI:Administrative files, circa 1968-1995
Five subseries, as follows:- Subseries 6.1: Hopper bequest, circa 1968-1990
- Subseries 6.2: Hopper ledger books, 1984-1989, undated
- Subseries 6.3: Collections management, circa 1970-1994
- Subseries 6.4: Funding
- Subseries 6.5: Hopper Research Collection
Series VII: Exhibition Files, circa 1950-circa 1992
Six subseries, as follows:- Subseries 7.1: Whitney Studio Club
- Subseries 7.2: Whitney Museum, Main (Eighth Street and Madison Avenue, 1950-1993)
- Subseries 7.3: Whitney Museum branches, 1974-1988
- Subseries 7.4: Traveling exhibitions with no Whitney Museum venue, 1989-1993
- Subseries 7.5: Other venues
- Subseries 7.6: Miscellaneous
Series VIII: Curatorial files, mid 1940s-mid 1990s
Three subseries, as follows:- Subseries 8.1: Lloyd Goodrich, circa 1945- circa 1987
- Subseries 8.2: Gail Levin, circa 1977- circa 1995
- Subseries 8.3: Deborah Lyons, 1984-1995
Series IX:Prints, 1902-1926
Five subseries, as follows:- Subseries 9.1: Collectors and collections
- Subseries 9.2: Bibliography and exhibition references
- Subseries 9.3: Collection record
- Subseries 9.4: Photographs and cataloging information
- Subseries 9.5: Hopper collages
Series X: Related projects, 1931-2002
Three subseries, as follows:- Subseries 10.1: Richard Stark Materials
- Subseries 10.2: Miscellaneous
- Subseries 10.3: Notes
- Art, American--20th century Subject Source: Loc
- Art, American--20th century--Exhibitions Subject Source: Loc
- Etching, American--20th century--Exhibitions Subject Source: Loc
- Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967
- Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967. Nighthawks Subject Source: Loc
- Hopper, Jo N. (Josephine Nivison), 1883-1968
- Landscape painting, American Subject Source: Loc
- Landscape painting--20th century Subject Source: Local sources
- New York (N.Y.)--In art--Exhibitions Subject Source: Loc
- New York (N.Y.)--Pictoral works Subject Source: Loc
- Painting, American--20th century--Exhibitions Subject Source: Loc
- Painting--Exhibitions Subject Source: Loc
- Watercolor painting, American--20th century--Exhibitions Subject Source: Loc
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Whitney Museum of American Art Archives, New York, NY Repository
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St.
New York, NY 10014 United States
archives@whitney.org