06. Art Scholarship

Abstract Helen Clay Frick (1888-1984), daughter of industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick, founded the Frick Art Reference Library in 1920 and served as its director until 1983. The papers reflect her lifelong interest in the sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon (1741-1828) and document the research she and the Frick Art Reference Library staff conducted over the course of nearly fifty years. The Research Files span the years 1930-1977, and contain typed and handwritten research notes,...

Abstract Helen Clay Frick (1888-1984), daughter of industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick, founded the Frick Art Reference Library in 1920 and served as its director until 1983. These files were produced through her research on Italian sculpture and painting, primarily to annotate photo mounts in the Frick Art Reference Library Photoarchive. The Research Files span the years 1920-1933, and contain typed and handwritten research notes, black and white photographs, printed material, some...

Abstract Katharine McCook Knox (1890-1983), a Washington, D.C.-area art historian and author specializing in early American art, worked with the Frick Art Reference Library as a researcher, consultant, and special staff member for over 50 years. These records document her work as a member of the Library staff, as well as her personal research and writings in the field of early American art from 1922 to 1974. Records include correspondence, typescripts and manuscripts, galley proofs, handwritten and...

Abstract Helen Clay Frick (1888-1984), daughter of industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick, had a lifelong interest in art history, particularly in the French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon (1741-1828). This resulted in nearly 50 years of research, for which she enlisted Frick Art Reference Library staff members as well as outside consultants in her work. These research files contain typed and handwritten research notes, correspondence, photographs, Frick Art Reference Library photo mounts,...

Abstract Dr. J. Hall Pleasants (1873-1957), an authority on early Maryland painters and their works, provided the Frick Art Reference Library with information on thousands of Maryland paintings, and also organized and participated in the Library's photographing expeditions to Maryland. The correspondence and notes in this collection contain information on the genealogy of portrait subjects, painting provenance, attributions, owners, dates, and locations, with the bulk of the research concerning...

Abstract These records consist of correspondence and notes concerning the history and authentication of paintings by Gilbert Stuart, a prominent early American portraitist. Begun as an independent project by Lawrence Park, the project was completed by William Sawitzky under the auspices of Helen Clay Frick and the Frick Art Reference Library after the death of Mr. Park in September 1924, resulting in the publication Gilbert Stuart: an Illustrated Descriptive List of his...

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Correspondence, photographs, printed material, and notes document John Hill Morgan's research on George Washington portraits and other early American works of art. Morgan (1870-1945), an assistant professor and curator of American painting at Yale University, was considered an authority on early American art, most notably of portraits of George Washington.

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Typescript photocopies of the English translations of the correspondence and diary of Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757), prominent Italian portrait artist. Originally in French and Italian, the documents were translated by Anna Kleinman. Collection also includes explanatory footnotes, biographical sketches of correspondents, and microfilm of the original documents.

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Data Sheets on individual portraits, photographs, correspondence, research notes, and printed materials document Lucy B. Mitchell's research on the American folk artist, James Sanford Ellsworth. Mitchell (1901-1988), an art historian and collector of Ellsworth’s paintings, was considered an authority on the artist.

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Papers and research files of art historian and collector Alfred Moir (1924-2010), containing photographs, research notes, correspondence, writings, and documents relating to his personal art collection. Art collecting content emphasizes Old Master drawings, while research content focuses on Italian baroque art, particularly the work of Caravaggio and his followers.