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. Collections are described below with links to their full descriptions in our catalog. Additional subject guides and selected digital image thumbnails are also provided.

Access Statement (PDF 23KB)

Edward E. Adams Papers, 1945–1978
Photographs and printed material documenting Adams’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer in Germany during World War II. 
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 24MB)

S. Lane Faison Papers, 1945–1986
Correspondence, military 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 the Central Collecting Point, Munich. 
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 2MB)

Walter I. Farmer Papers, 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. 
Thumbnails of selected digital images (PDF 7.4MB)

Frederick Hartt Papers, 1936–1990
Correspondence, reports, photographs, and publications documenting Hartt’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer in Italy during World War II and his activities on the Committee to Rescue Italian Art (CRIA) following the Florence flood in 1966. 
Thumbnails of WWII digital images (PDF 185MB) 
Thumbnails of Florence Flood digital images (PDF 39.1MB)

E. Parker Lesley Jr. Papers, 1934–1969
Correspondence, reports, and publications documenting Lesley’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer during World War II and his subsequent professional career. 
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 31.4MB)

Charles Parkhurst Papers, 1937–1964
Correspondence, publications, reports, and photographs documenting Parkhurst’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer during World War II.  
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 23.2MB)

James J. Rorimer Papers, 1941–1989
Journals, reports, correspondence, and publications documenting Rorimer’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer during World War II.  
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 62.3MB)

Craig Hugh Smyth Papers, 1938–1989
Art shipment receipts, activity logs, correspondence, diaries, and photographs documenting Smyth’s service as a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer during World War II. 
Thumbnails of digital images (PDF 30.5MB)

Edith A. Standen Papers, 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 a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officer in Germany during World War II.  
Thumbnails of selected digital images (PDF 46.2MB)

Richard Bales Papers, 1942–1990
Audio recordings, correspondence, photographs, and related materials documenting National Gallery founding music director Richard Bales’s activities at the institution and as a composer and conductor.

Donald M. Blinken Papers, 1945–2013
Correspondence, news clippings, and related materials documenting the activities of Donald Blinken as president of the Mark Rothko Foundation and collector of the artist’s works.

Erwin O. Christensen Papers, 1937-1968
Lectures, essays, correspondence, and other material related to National Gallery curator Erwin O. Christensen's professional activities in the areas of folk art and museum development.

Hereward Lester Cooke Papers, 1954-1976
Research notes, correspondence, writings, and other material related to National Gallery  curator Hereward Lester Cooke's professional and personal life.

Philip Conisbee Research Files, 1961–2004
Research files documenting National Gallery curator Philip Conisbee’s art scholarship on 19th century French art.  

Chester and Maud Dale Papers, 1877-1995
Correspondence, dealer files, photographs, news clippings, and related materials  documenting National Gallery founding benefactor Chester Dale’s art collection, the couple’s art-related activities, and their biography.  

Austin Davison Papers, 1936–1991
Research notes, correspondence, tracings, bibliographies, and related items documenting the work of Austin Davison, an artist employed by the Index of American Design, a Federal Arts Project under the Works Progress Administration to create illustrated portfolios of American decorative arts up to the 20th century and to provide work for artists during the Great Depression.

David Finley Papers, 1910–1977
Correspondence, diaries, publications, scrapbooks, motion picture films, and photographs documenting the personal life, family, and activities of National Gallery founding director David E. Finley, including his close association with Andrew W. Mellon.

David Doheny Research Materials on David Finley, 1977-2004
Research materials created and assembled by Doheny for David Finley: Quiet Force for America's Arts (2006), a biography of the National Gallery founding director and close associate of Andrew W. Mellon, the museum’s founder.

Ellen B. Hirschland Research Materials on Chester and Maud Dale, 1973-1981
Research materials created and assembled by Hirschland for her articles on Chester and Maud Dale for the Dictionary of American Biography.

Index of American Design Records, 1929–2018 (bulk 1936–1942)
Correspondence, data sheets, color notes, photographs, and related administrative files documenting the activities of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project to record 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.  

Ira and Virginia Jackson Papers, 1970-2007
Correspondence and research files documenting National Gallery donors Ira J. and Virginia H. Jackson’s art collecting activities, which concentrated on works by The Nabis, and particularly those by Pierre Bonnard.

John Rewald Papers, 1922–1998
Correspondence, notes, photographs and related materials documenting art historian John Rewald’s lifetime 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).

George Martin Richter Papers
Research material and writings of Renaissance art authority and collector George Martin Richter whose image archives are at the National Gallery Library.  

Cornelius V. S. Roosevelt Research Materials on M.C. Escher, 1957-1982
Correspondence, notes, and related materials documenting National Gallery donor Cornelius V. S. Roosevelt's interest in the Dutch artist, M.C. Escher.  

Lessing J. Rosenwald Papers, 1922-1981
Correspondence, accession cards, photographs, and related materials documenting National Gallery of Art founding benefactor Lessing J. Rosenwald's print and drawing collection activities, including acquisitions, exhibitions, loans, and gifts.

Mark Rothko Foundation Records, 1958-2003 (bulk 1976-1995)
Records documenting the activities of The Mark Rothko Foundation, a nonprofit entity responsible for the administration of the artist’s estate, including collection management, exhibitions, loans, and gift distribution.

Lee Seldes Research Materials on Mark Rothko, 1970-2000
Research materials, notes, and draft manuscripts assembled and created by journalist Lee Seldes for her book titled The Legacy of Mark Rothko (1978).

Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Papers, 1948–2020
Correspondence, inventory lists, financial documents, photographs, and related materials  documenting the activities of National Gallery donors 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.  

John Walker Papers, 1803–1994 (bulk, 1930s-1970s)
Correspondence, writings, research materials, and photographs document the personal life, family, and activities of National Gallery director John Walker.

Widener Family Collection Records, 1929–1967
Correspondence, inventory lists, and related materials documenting the Widener art collection at Lynnewood Hall, the family residence in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and the installation of a period room at the National Gallery of Art.

John Wilmerding Papers, 1968-1999
Correspondence, photographs, and printed materials documenting deputy director John Wilmerding's personal and professional activities before, during and after his time at the National Gallery of Art.

Small Special Collections, 1891–2022
Correspondence, photographs, drawings, scrapbooks, lists, notes, newspaper clippings, and related documents associated with the National Gallery of Art donated by known and unfamiliar individuals. Some items have unknown provenance.

Founding, Governance and Early Records
Records documenting the governance and early history of the National Gallery of Art, including its founding, dedication, activities during World War, and early visitors.  

Director Records
Records documenting the activities of the director's office, including policy making and board matters; acquisitions and gifts; donor relations; fundraising and development; loans and exhibitions; capital building; government affairs; special events; management and operations; and related business.

Central Files
Records documenting the early history of the National Gallery and its activities in a centralized filing system from 1939-1970.  

Publications and Printed Material
Publications and printed material documenting National Gallery collections and exhibitions; public and research programs; development, retail, staff activities, and buildings and campus.  
Web-archived digital calendar of events,1941-2020

Building Design and Construction Records
Records documenting the construction, maintenance and major renovation projects of the National Gallery of Art buildings and campus.  

Public Relations and Communications Records
Press releases, news clippings, and related materials documenting press office activities, including publicity, marketing, and media relations.  
Web-archived digital press releases, 1939-2020

Music Program Records
Concert programs, correspondence, scripts, subject files and recordings documenting the music program.
Web-archived digital concert programs, 1942-2020

Learning and Engagement Records
Records documenting educational and engagement programs and activities at the National Gallery of Art.

Registrar Records
Records documenting the Registrar’s collection management activities, including acquisitions, accessions, cataloguing, art movement and storage, loans, installation and exhibitions.

Curatorial Records and Files Records
Records documenting early National Gallery donated art holdings, including the Kress Collection, Clarke Collection, and early works on loan.

Images
Images documenting the National Gallery of Art, its activities, and people, including buildings and campus grounds; exhibition and permanent collection installations; events; and staff and visitors.

Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts Records
Correspondence, reports, meeting materials, and related records documenting the activities and members of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, including special projects such as the Foundation for Documents of Architecture/Architectural Drawings Advisory Group (FDA/ADAG) and the International Congress on Art History (CIHA), among others.

Time-Based Media
Audio media and moving images documenting the National Gallery of Art, its collections, events, people and activities, including lectures and symposia; exhibition-related programs; special events; audio tours; and radio broadcasts.  

Oral History Program
Transcripts and audio recordings of oral history interviews of National Gallery trustees, executive officers, staff, donors, and associated individuals.

Artifacts
Three-dimensional objects with intrinsic value and historical interest relating to National Gallery buildings, people, and activities.

Past Exhibitions, 1941-2020 (PDF 0.5MB)
Comprehensive list of National Gallery special temporary exhibitions from 1941-2020.

World War II Research Resources Guide (PDF 0.7MB)
Information relating to National Gallery activities during World War II, including evacuation of works of art to Biltmore House for safekeeping; special exhibitions for soldiers and war-workers in Washington; efforts to protect art and monuments in war areas; and safeguarding works of art on loan from nations in war areas.