Finding Aids
Finding aids are guides to the collections of papers and records in the National Gallery of Art Archives. These guides provide historical or biographical information about the creator of the records, describe the organization of the materials, and list the folders with brief descriptions of their contents. Select collections are described below with links to PDF finding aids.
Edward E. Adams Papers (PDF 1.1MB), 1945–1978
Photographs and printed material documenting Edward E. Adams’s World War II service as a captain with the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section of the United States Army in Germany during and immediately after World War II. (0.75 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.1MB)
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 24MB)
Erwin O. Christensen Papers (PDF 6.8 MB), 1937-1968
Collection consisting of lectures, essays, correspondence, and other material related to Erwin O. Christensen's professional activities in the areas of folk art and museum development.
Hereward Lester Cooke Papers (PDF 6.7 MB), 1954-1976
Collection consisting of research notes, correspondence, writings, and other material related to art curator Hereward Lester Cooke's professional and personal life.
Philip Conisbee Research Files (PDF 0.8MB), 1961–2004
Collection consisting of research files compiled by art scholar and curator Philip Conisbee, documenting his work on 19th century French art. Materials include notes, correspondence, photocopies of excerpts from published sources, articles, photographs, and exhibition-related ephemera.
Chester and Maud Dale Papers (PDF 0.8MB), 1877-1995
Papers documenting Chester’s art collection, the couple’s art-related activities, and their biography. Materials consist of newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, correspondence, notebooks, ephemera, and photographs.
David Doheny Research Materials on David Finley (PDF 6.7 MB), 1977-2004
Collection consisting of research materials created and assembled by David Doheny for this 2006 publication David Finley: Quiet Force for America's Arts, a biography of the National Gallery founding director and close associate of Andrew W. Mellon, the museum founder.
East Building Commissioned Works of Art Files (PDF 0.8MB), 1971–1982
This series documents the activities of the Planning Office for the planning, selection, and installation of commissioned works of art and other specially selected works of art for the East Building.
S. Lane Faison Papers (PDF 1.2MB), 1945–1986
Correspondence, OSS interrogation reports, and photographs primarily accumulated by Faison during his service in the United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU), and during his activities overseeing the closing of the Central Collecting Point, Munich. (1.5 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.2MB)
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 2MB)
Walter I. Farmer Papers (PDF 1.7MB), 1935–2000
Files, recordings, photographs, and publications documenting Farmer's service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer during World War II and his later research on World War II-era art looting and restitution. (7 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.7MB)
Thumbnails of selected digital images (PDF 7.4MB)
David Finley Papers (PDF 2.4MB), 1910–1977
Correspondence, diaries, publications, scrapbooks, motion picture films, and photographs documenting the personal life, family, and activities of David E. Finley, including his close association with Andrew W. Mellon. (48 cubic feet)
Frederick Hartt Papers (PDF 1.9MB), 1936–1990
Correspondence, reports, photographs, and publications relating to Hartt’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) officer in Italy during World War II and his activities as a member of the Committee to Rescue Italian Art (CRIA) following the Florence flood in 1966. (8 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.9 MB)
Thumbnails of WWII digital images (PDF 185MB)
Thumbnails of Florence Flood digital images (PDF 39.1MB)
Ellen B. Hirschland Research Materials on Chester and Maud Dale (PDF 7.3 MB), 1973-1981
Collection consisting of research materials created and assembled by Ellen B. Hirschland for her articles on Chester and Maud Dale for the Dictionary of American Biography.
Index of American Design Records (PDF 4.1MB), 1929–2018 (bulk 1936–1942)
Collection documenting the activities of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project to record the development of American folk and decorative arts from the colonial period through 1900, while providing relief work to unemployed artists, researchers, and photographers during the Great Depression. Materials consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, lists, data sheets, publications, color notes, and images. Inventories for data sheets and images of Index objects are linked as separate pdfs from the finding aid, due to their page length. (290 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 4.1MB)
Inventory for digitized images of Index objects (PDF 1.6MB)
Inventory for data sheets for Index objects (PDF 4.2MB)
Ira and Virginia Jackson Papers (PDF 7.3 MB), 1970-2007
Collection documenting the art-collecting activities of Ira J. and Virginia H. Jackson. From 1996 to 2006, Dr. and Mrs. Jackson donated nearly 800 watercolors, prints, and drawings, including many by Pierre Bonnard, to the National Gallery of Art.
E. Parker Lesley Jr. Papers (PDF 1.1MB), 1934–1969
Correspondence, reports, and publications documenting Lesley’s activities as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) officer during World War II and his subsequent professional career. (1.25 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.1MB)
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 31.4MB)
Oral History Collection (PDF 0.4MB)
Descriptions of oral history interviews conducted with trustees and donors to the National Gallery, former executive officers, retired curatorial and administrative staff, architects and others associated with design and construction of the West and East Buildings, and close observers of the National Gallery over time.
Charles Parkhurst Papers (PDF 1.5MB), 1937–1964
Correspondence, publications, reports, and photographs relating to Parkhurst’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) officer during World War II. (3 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.5MB)
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 23.2MB)
Past Exhibitions (PDF 0.5MB), 1941-2020
The National Gallery supplements and enhances its permanent art collection with special temporary exhibitions. This is a comprehensive list of exhibitions from 1941-2020.
Press Releases (PDF 1.8MB), 1939-2020
Digital versions of press releases providing information about National Gallery of Art exhibitions, acquisitions, educational and other activities, music programs, key staff appointments, and elections to the Board of Trustees.
John Rewald Papers (PDF 1.8MB), 1922–1998
Files accumulated by art historian John Rewald during his lifetime of research on Cézanne and other impressionist and post-impressionist artists, including working files for his two major Cézanne publications: Paul Cézanne: The Watercolors (1983) and The Paintings of Paul Cézanne (1996). (48 cubic feet)
Cornelius V. S. Roosevelt Research Materials on M.C. Escher (PDF 7.4 MB), 1957-1982
Collection documenting Cornelius V. S. Roosevelt's interest in the Dutch artist, M.C. Escher. Roosevelt aquired a major collection of Escher's work, which he donated to the National Gallery of Art between 1973 and 1983.
James J. Rorimer Papers (PDF 1.3MB), 1941–1989
Journals, reports, correspondence, and publications concerning Rorimer’s wartime activities as an officer in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Section of the United States Army during World War II. (7 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.3MB)
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 62.3MB)
Lessing J. Rosenwald Papers (PDF 16.1 MB), 1922-1981
Papers documenting National Gallery of Art founding benefactor, businessman, and art collector Lessing J. Rosenwald's acquisition and exhibition activities relating to his print and drawing collection. Materials consist of correspondence, subject files, accession cards, scrapbooks, lecture notes, and photographs.
Mark Rothko Foundation Records (PDF 0.8MB), 1958-2003 (bulk 1976-1995)
Records created or collected by the Mark Rothko Foundation, a nonprofit entity responsible for the administration of the artist’s estate. Materials include board and administrative records, curatorial and collection management files, documents related to gift distribution, papers pertaining to the National Gallery of Art, and Rothko legal case files.
Lee Seldes Research Materials on Mark Rothko (PDF 7.4 MB), 1970-2000
Files consisting of the research materials and chapter files assembled and created by journalist Lee Seldes for her book titled The Legacy of Mark Rothko.
Craig Hugh Smyth Papers (PDF 1.4MB), 1938–1989
Art shipment receipts, activity logs, correspondence, diaries, and photographs relating to Smyth’s activities as an officer with the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Section of the United States Army during World War II. (3 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.4MB)
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 30.5MB)
Edith A. Standen Papers (PDF 1.7MB), 1906–1998
Diaries, correspondence, publications, and photographs documenting Standen’s life, in particular personal daily diaries that she kept from 1921 until her death, materials relating to the Widener Collection, and papers associated with her service in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and as an officer with the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Section of the United States Military Government in Germany immediately after World War II. (10 cubic feet)
Finding aid (PDF 1.7MB)
Thumbnails of selected digital images (PDF 46.2MB)
Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Papers (PDF 1.7MB), 1948–2020
Collection documenting the activities of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel as collectors of minimal and contemporary art and their relationship with art institutions, artists, dealers, curators, scholars, and other individuals in the art world. Materials consist of correspondence; checklists, object lists, and inventories; invoices and financial documents; photographs; audiovisual recordings; newspaper clippings; posters; invitations and greeting cards; monographs and exhibition catalogs; and non-accessioned works of art.
John Wilmerding Papers (PDF 7.4 MB), 1968-1999
Correspondence, photographs, and printed materials documenting John Wilmerding's personal and professional activities before, during and after his time at the National Gallery of Art.
World War II Research Resources Guide (PDF 0.7MB)
World War II had a dramatic impact on the National Gallery of Art, which sent paintings off-site for security, received works of art from other nations for safe-keeping, developed programs and exhibitions for soldiers and war-workers in Washington, and participated in efforts to protect art and monuments in war areas. A wide range of records on each of these subjects is available for research and described within.