Series V: Furnishings

Series V: Furnishings, 1914-1924 and undated, contains lists of contracts and estimates, as well as letters, telegrams, notes, and invoices pertaining to the furnishing and decoration of One East 70th Street. As the principal decorators for the house, the files of White, Allom & Co. and Elsie de Wolfe comprise the bulk of this series. Their invoices and correspondence document the procurement of carpets, draperies, mantelpieces, furniture, wall coverings, light fixtures, and accessories for the house. Charles Allom's earliest letters discuss his plans for decorative treatment of various rooms, while later correspondence responds to Henry Clay Frick's frustration at work on the house that remained unfinished. Allom's files also document the changes to the Drawing Room after Frick's acquisition of the Fragonard panels in 1915. Elsie de Wolfe's letters detail the selection of antique pieces through various dealers in London and Paris. Other decorators, dealers, and contractors represented in this series include Duveen Brothers, through whom Frick purchased artwork and furnishings from the J.P. Morgan Collection, E.R. Bacon, who facilitated the purchase of a suite of Beauvais tapestry furniture from the Duke of Devonshire and supplied a set of antique silver wine coolers for the Dining Room, Maus, who overhauled the suite of tapestry furniture, and Gerald and Sydney Letts, who furnished the Bowling Alley and Billiard Room.

Additional material concerning the acquisition of objects from the Morgan Collection can be found in the Henry Clay Frick Papers, Series I: Art Files; the Eagle Rock Papers, Series: Furnishings; and the Henry Clay Frick Art Collection Files, all in this repository.

Materials are arranged alphabetically by decorator, dealer, or contractor.