Early Administrative Records
Scope and Contents
The collection encompasses a selection of central administrative records produced by Whitney Museum staff and maintained by the Museum secretary from 1930 to approximately 1960. Records include administrative files, correspondence, board meeting minutes, annual reports, photographs, publications, exhibition planning documents, early property records, press announcements, clippings, and lists of art works. The collection also includes original correspondence with former directors of the Whitney, including Juliana Force, Lloyd Goodrich, and Hermon More. Other significant documents include a copy of the original deed of trust, handwritten responses to museum questionnaires by artists, and original correspondence pertaining to the “Statement on Modern Art” that was co-published by the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1950. The records provide unique insight into the early history and operations of the Whitney Museum.
Dates
- 1930-1966
Access to Collection
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Conditions Governing Use
The Frances Mulhall Achilles Library Archives at the Whitney Museum of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use only. It is the user's responsibility to determine and obtain any necessary permissions from the Whitney Museum and other rights holders to reproduce and publish material from the collections.
Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproductions. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
Privacy and Personally Identifiable Information
Manuscript collections that include twentieth and twenty-first century archival materials may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state “right to privacy” laws. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal cause for action if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person.
Researchers agree to make no notes or other recordation of privacy protected information if found within the archival collections, and further agree not to publish, publicize, or disclose such information to any other party for any purpose if found within the archival collections.
Extent
40 boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection encompasses a selection of central administrative records produced by Whitney Museum staff and maintained by the Museum secretary from 1930 to approximately 1960. Records include administrative files, correspondence, board meeting minutes, annual reports, photographs, publications, exhibition planning documents, early property records, press announcements, clippings, and lists of art works. The records provide unique insight into the early history and operations of the Whitney Museum.
Abstract
Key documentation of the founding and early development of the Whitney Museum of American Art, encompassing a selection of central administrative records produced by multiple Museum staff members and maintained by the Museum secretary from 1930 to approximately 1960. Materials include administrative files, correspondence, board meeting minutes, annual reports, photographs, publications, exhibition planning documents, property records, press announcements, and press clippings.
Organization of the Collection
The records are arranged in three series, which generally correspond to a decade, and have been further arranged into subseries. The contents of each subseries are arranged loosely by museum department or function.
Series I: 1930-1940, 1896-1992
- Subseries A: Executive, 1931-1939
- Subseries B: Administration, 1931-1939
- Subseries C: Public Relations, 1930-1939
- Subseries D: Education, 1931-1936
- Subseries E: Museum Publication Records, 1930-1939
- Subseries F: Properties, 1896-1988
- Subseries G: Research Curator (Lloyd Goodrich), 1936-1940
- Subseries H: Exhibitions, 1932-1942
- Subseries I: Administrative, 1935-1940
Series II: 1940-1950, 1937-1983
- Subseries A: Executive, 1942-1949
- Subseries B: Administration, 1940-1950
- Subseries C: Director’s General Correspondence (Juliana Force), 1940-1949
- Subseries D: Research Curator’s Correspondence (Lloyd Goodrich), 1940-1949
- Subseries E: Secretary and Assistant Curator’s Correspondence (Rosalind Irvine), 1946-1958
- Subseries F: Public Relations, 1940-1950
- Subseries G: Properties, 1939-1951
- Subseries H: Exhibitions: General Records, 1932-1951
- Subseries I: Administrative, 1940-1945
Series III: 1950-1960, 1932-1966
- Subseries A: Executive, 1950-1957
- Subseries B: Administrative, 1949-1960
- Subseries C: General Administrative Correspondence, 1950-1960
- Subseries D: Artist Equity Association, 1950-1955
- Subseries E: Modern Art Controversy, 1950, 1960
- Subseries F: Guest Books, 1950-1953
- Subseries G: Memorabilia and Awards, 1956
- Subseries H: Central Viewing Catalog, 1949-1958
Other Finding Aids
Related archival collections: The following archival collections held by the Francis Mulhall Achilles Library and Archives at the Whitney Museum of American Art provide additional information regarding administrative departments and staff members between 1930-1970.
- Curatorial Records, Frances Mulhall Achilles Library and Archives, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- Exhibition Records, Frances Mulhall Achilles Library and Archives, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- Office of the Director Records, Frances Mulhall Achilles Library and Archives, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- Whitney Artists’ Correspondence and Ephemera Collection, Frances Mulhall Achilles Library and Archives, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
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
