INVENTORY OF THE FRENCH & COMPANY RECORDS, 1910-1998,
bulk 1950-1960
Finding aid prepared by Rina Vecchiola
The Getty Research Institute
Research Library
Special Collections and Visual Resources
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, California 90049-1688
Phone: (310) 440-7390
Fax: (310) 440-7780
Email Requests:
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library/reference_form.html
URL:
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library
©2001
J. Paul Getty Trust.
INVENTORY OF THE FRENCH & COMPANY RECORDS, 1910-1998,
bulk 1950-1960
Accession no. 990051
Finding aid prepared by Rina Vecchiola
Getty Research Institute
Contact Information:
- The Getty Research Institute
- Research Library
- Special Collections and Visual Resources
- 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
- Los Angeles, California 90049-1688
- Phone: (310) 440-7390
- Fax: (310) 440-7780
- Email Requests:
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library/reference_form.html
- URL:
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library/
- Processed by:
- Rina Vecchiola
- Date Completed:
-
May 2001, revised Apr
2004
- Encoded by:
- Rina Vecchiola, revised by Julio Vera
©2001 J. Paul Getty Trust.
Descriptive Summary
Title: French & Company records
Date (inclusive): 1910-1998
Date (bulk): 1950-1960
Collection number: 990051
Creator:
French & Company (New York,
N.Y.)
Extent:
6 linear ft.
(17
boxes, 3 flat file folders)
Repository:
Getty Research Institute
Research Library
Special Collections and Visual Resources
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688
Abstract: The French & Company records document some
of the activities of the art dealership and primarily date from the period of
Spencer Samuels's directorship, ca. 1950-1960. Papers relate to legal and
business operations, financial matters, the board of directors, business deals,
artwork sales, exhibitions, and publicity for the firm.
Language: Collection material in
English
Administrative Information
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
French & Company records, 1910-1998, bulk 1950-1960, Getty
Research Institute, Research Library, Accession no. 990051.
Acquisition Information
Collection acquired in 1999 from Spencer A. Samuels Company, New
York. Additional portions received in 2002, 2003.
Processing History
Collection processed by Rina Vecchiola in April 2001. Additions
received in 2002 and 2003 were integrated into the collection in Dec. 2003. One
box of books was separated to the Getty Research Library.
Related Material
The following related collections are part of the Getty Research
Library, Special Collections and Visual Resources:
French & Company photographic archive of fine and decorative
arts, 1920-1968. Special Collections accession no. 71.P.1.
French & Company (New York, N.Y.). Stock sheets and ledgers,
1909-1968. Special Collections accession no. 840027.
Study photographs of tapestries, 1914-1995. Special Collections
accession no. 97.P.7. (The bulk of the photographs in this collection are from
the French & Company photographic archive.)
Separated Material
One box of monographs was separated from the archive. Books have been
cataloged and placed in the Getty Research Library.
Biographical/Historical Note
An art dealership based in New York City, French & Company bought
and sold decorative arts, as well as paintings and sculpture. For over half a
century after Mitchell Samuels co-founded the firm in 1907 in New York, French
& Company was considered one of the largest art dealerships in the world.
Under Mitchell Samuels' directorship, French & Company worked with many
wealthy American collectors eager to develop collections in decorative art
objects and paintings of European provenance. Among the firm's clients were J.
Paul Getty, William Randolph Hearst, J.P. Morgan, the Vanderbilts, and the
Rockefellers. During this period, the firm also served as agents and decorators
for the Huntingtons, Fricks, Mellons, and Astors. The French & Company
building on East 57th Street housed more than 50 showrooms, eight fireproof
vaults and a 10,000 volume art reference library.
Spencer Samuels, Mitchell's son, took over as president of French
& Company in the 1950s. During his presidency, Spencer Samuels collected
sales records from major worldwide art auctions dating to as far back as the
1700s in order to provide complete documentation for the artwork the firm sold.
After his father's death, Spencer sold the firm to City Investing in 1959 and
went to work for Duveen Brothers. In 1968, City Investing sold the firm to
Martin Zimet. Much of the French & Company remaining stock of decorative
arts objects was sold at auction in 1968. The firm continued under the same
name after the 1950s, but with a changing inventory and clientele.
Scope and Content of Collection
The French & Company records document some of the activities of
the art dealership and are drawn mainly from the period of Spencer Samuels'
directorship in the 1950s. Papers relate to legal and business operations,
financial matters, the board of directors, business deals, artwork sales,
exhibitions, and publicity for the firm. One videotape records the opening of
French & Company on Madison Ave., New York City. Specific subjects include
the reorganization of French & Company, audits of the firm, relations with
J. Paul Getty, tapestry sales, appraisals of artworks, and art market research.
Several boxes of clippings, and some photographs, document French & Company
exhibits (including in Mexico and Cuba), as well as art market news. Much of
the documentation is in the form of correspondence: typescript, handwritten, or
copied. Other types of records include ledger sheets, photographs,
transparencies, photocopies, and newspaper and magazine clippings.
The bulk of the firm's records were lost in a fire. The Getty Research
Library holds French & Company stock sheets and ledgers in a separate
acquisition (Accession no. 840027). The photographic archive of the firm was
acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1971, and is now part of the Getty
Research Library's Photo Study Collection (Accession no. 71.P.1 and 97.P.7).
Arrangement
The papers are organized in 7 series:
Series I. Legal and business operations, 1922-1998, bulk
1953-1960
Series II. Financial, 1915-1959
Series III. Board of directors, 1954-1959
Series IV. Business dealings and correspondence,
1944-1960
Series V. Sales records, 1927-1998, bulk 1950-1998
Series V.A. Getty correspondence and appraisals,
1960-1998
Series V.B. Records relating to clients other than Getty,
1945-1972
Series V.C. Artwork inventory and sales records,
1927-1971
Series VI. Exhibitions and publicity, 1930-1967, bulk
1956-1967
Series VII. Architectural drawings, 1910-1950
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Getty, J. Paul (Jean
Paul), 1892-1976—Collectors and collecting
French & Company (New
York, N.Y.)
Art—Collectors and
collecting
Art dealers—New York
(State)—New York.
Art galleries,
Commercial—New York (State)—New York
Tapestry—Collectors and
collecting
Tapestry—Exhibitions
Genres and Forms of Material
Architectural
drawings
Black and white
photographs
Color
photographs
Color slides
Transparencies
Contributors
Getty, J. Paul (Jean
Paul), 1892-1976
Samuels,
Spencer
J. Paul Getty
Museum
Spencer A. Samuels &
Company
Series I.
Legal and business operations,
1922-1998,
bulk
1953-1960
Physical Description:
.75 lin. ft.
1.5 boxes
Scope and Content Note
Legal and business operations are documented in reports and
descriptions of company practices and policies; in records relating to the
reorganization of the firm; in company stock purchase, sale, and exchange
agreements; in loan financing claims; and in real estate agreements. These
papers are arranged chronologically in two groupings. The first group gathers
together general operational papers and the second group is comprised of more
specific legal documentation. See oversize at the end of the collection for
architectural drawings for French & Company's offices and galleries.
Box 1, Folder 1
Overview of French & Co.,
1936-1998,
bulk
1959-1960
Box 1, Folder 3
Corporate by-laws,
1922-1955
Box 1, Folder 4
Company practices and policies,
1955
Box 1, Folder 5
Moving procedure,
1957-1958
Box 1, Folder 6
Analysis of operations,
1959
Box 1, Folder 8
Reorganization,
1923,
1941
Box 1, Folder 9
Title to Widener art collection,
1942
Box 1, Folder 10
Financial situation and City Investing Co. loan,
1953
Box 1, Folder 11
Corporate stock,
1953-1955
Box 1, Folder 12
Corporate stock sales,
1953-1957
Box 1, Folder 13
Corporate stock,
1954-1955
Box 1, Folder 14
Corporate stock purchase agreement,
1955
Box 1, Folder 15
Corporate stock divisions,
ca.
1955
Box 1, Folder 16
Corporate stock exchange with City Investing,
1955
Box 1, Folder 18
Loans and claims,
1955-1960
Box 2, Folder 1
Corporate stock financing,
1956
Box 2, Folder 2
Corporate stock financing,
1956
Box 2, Folder 4
Real estate agreements,
1957-1959
Box 2, Folder 5
Corporate stock sales,
1958
Box 2, Folder 7
Corporate stock sales,
1959
Series II.
Financial,
1915-1959
Physical Description:
.5 lin. ft.
ca. 1
box
Scope and Content Note
The financial papers are arranged chronologically and include
financial statements, balance sheets, profit statements, projected budgets, and
audits, with the latter materials gathered together in a separate chronological
grouping. The bulk of the papers cover the 1950s.
Box 2, Folder 9
Financial statements,
1915-ca.
1959
Box 2, Folder 10
Profits for thirteen years,
1926-1938
Box 2, Folder 11
Financial statements,
1934-1937
Box 2, Folder 12
Financial statements,
1938-1954
Box 2, Folder 13
Balance sheets,
1938-1953,
bulk
1938-1946
Box 2, Folder 14
Analysis of financial accounts,
1953
Box 2, Folder 16
Financial statements,
1956-1959
Box 2, Folder 17
Financial statements,
1957-1958
Box 2, Folder 19
Statements and balance sheets,
1957
Box 3, Folder 7
Audit, client inventories, and policy regarding records
management,
1957-1958
Series III.
Board of directors,
1954-1959
Physical Description:
.25 lin. ft.
ca. .5 box
Scope and Content Note
These papers document the activities of the board of directors
through agendas, meeting minutes, and memoranda arranged chronologically.
Box 3, Folder 8
Meetings and agendas,
1954-1959
Box 3, Folder 9
Final meeting minutes,
1955-1959
Box 3, Folder 10
Memoranda to board of directors,
1955-1959
Box 4, Folder 1
Drafts of meeting minutes,
1957-1959
Box 4, Folder 2
Drafts of memoranda to board of directors,
ca.
1958-1959
Box 4, Folder 3
Drafts of meeting minutes and memoranda,
1959
Box 4, Folder 5
Officers' meeting minutes and agendas,
1959
Box 4, Folder 6
Executive committee,
1959
Series IV.
Business dealings and correspondence,
1944-1960
Physical Description:
.25 lin. ft.
ca. 1 box
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with individuals and organizations is arranged
chronologically. Correspondents include City Investing Company, J. Ilinski, R.
Dowling, S. Semenenko, and Eastman Dillon Union Securities. Business matters
addressed include Riethof Productions, exhibitions, and real estate.
Box 4, Folder 7
Mitchell Samuels Correspondence,
1944-1954
Box 4, Folder 8
Correspondence regarding Riethof Productions,
1949,
1952-1954
Box 4, Folder 9
City Investing Company board of directors,
n.d.
Box 4, Folder 10
Correspondence with City Investing Company,
1955-1958
Box 4, Folder 11
Correspondence with Hutchison of City Investing Company,
1955-1960
Box 4, Folder 12
Correspondence with J. Ilinski regarding exhibitions,
1955-1956,
1959
Box 4, Folder 13
Correspondence with R. Dowling regarding investments,
1955-1960
Box 4, Folder 14
Correspondence with Eastman Dillon Union Securities,
1958
Box 4, Folder 15
Correspondence with S. Semenenko regarding real estate,
1959
Box 4, Folder 16
Draft of business agreement with H. Bloom, Van Zedwitz,
and Pierre,
1960
Series V.
Sales records,
1927-1998,
bulk 1950-1998
Physical Description:
1 lin. ft.
2
boxes
Scope and Content Note
Papers comprised of correspondence, clippings, and appraisals
dealing with artworks such as the Esther Tapestries and clients such as J. Paul
Getty, S. Rubinstein, M. Rheims, F. Weiss, and R. Heine. Subseries group
documents relating to J. Paul Getty and the Getty Museum, to clients other than
Getty, and to artwork inventory and sales.
Series V.A.
J. Paul Getty correspondence and appraisals,
1960-1998
Physical Description:
.25 lin. ft.
Scope and Content Note
Records of correspondence between French and Company and J. Paul
Getty (and others associated with Mr. Getty). Also documentation related to
several appraisals for Getty, and newspaper and magazine clippings on Getty.
All materials are arranged chronologically.
Box 5, Folder 1
Correspondence with Getty,
1960-1965
Box 5, Folder 2
Correspondence with Getty,
1966-1976
Box 5, Folder 3
Appraisal for Getty,
1967
Box 5, Folder 4
Appraisal for Getty,
1967-1973
Box 5, Folder 5
Correspondence with Getty,
1970-1991
Box 5, Folder 6
Appraisal for Getty,
1972-1973
Box 6, Folder 1
Clippings on Getty,
1973-1987
Box 6, Folder 2
Correspondence with, and clippings on, Getty,
1975-1985
Box 6, Folder 3
Correspondence with, and clippings on, Getty,
1988-1998
Series V.B.
Records relating to clients other than Getty,
1945-1972
Physical Description:
.25 lin. ft.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence and other documentation relating to tapestry and
other artwork sales.
Box 6, Folder 4
Correspondence with S. Rubinstein regarding sale of
artworks,
1945-1953,
1957
Box 6, Folder 5
Galleria Luigi Bellini tapestry sales,
1949-1950,
1971-1972,
1976
Box 6, Folder 6
M. Rheims and Menier tapestries sale,
1959-1960
Box 6, Folder 7
Pan American Company, F. Weiss, P. Weiss, R. Heine,
and Esther Tapestries,
1953-1961
Box 6, Folder 8
Pan American Company, F. Weiss, P. Weiss, R. Heine,
and Esther Tapestries,
1960-1962
Box 6, Folder 9
Loan agreements and payment schedules for Esther
Tapestries,
1962-1965
Series V.C.
Artwork inventory and sales records,
1927-1971
Physical Description:
.5 lin. ft.
Scope and Content Note
Records include sales policies, inventory reports, and artwork
stock sheets, sales receipts, descriptions, and photographs.
Box 7, Folder 1
Artwork stock sheet,
1927
Box 7, Folder 2
Miscellaneous correspondence and clippings relating to
artworks,
1931-1971
Box 7, Folder 3
Descriptions of artworks,
1932-1943
Box 7, Folder 4
Artwork sales receipts,
ca.
1942
Box 7, Folder 5
Purchasing committee,
1955-1959
Box 7, Folder 6
Analysis of inventory sale,
1957
Box 7, Folder 7
Sales policies and inventories,
1957-1959
Box 7, Folder 8
Report on inventory verification,
1958
Box 7, Folder 9
European sales of artworks,
1959
Box 7, Folder 10
Open inventory and English artworks,
n.d.
Box 7, Folder 11
Photographs of artworks,
1957-1959
Box 7, Folder 12
Photographs of artworks,
n.d.
Box 7, Folder 13
Photographs of artworks,
n.d.
Box 7, Folder 14
Photographs of artworks,
n.d.
Box 7, Folder 15
Transparencies of artworks,
n.d.
Box 7, Folder 16
Photographs and documentation relating to appraisal of
Mantegna painting,
1940,
1958-1959
Series VI.
Exhibitions and publicity,
1930-1967,
bulk 1956-1967
Physical Description:
1.5 lin. ft.
6
boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series documents publicity, exhibitions, and gallery
activities. Also included are records relating to the specific program of J.
Bratby paintings commissioned for a film. Clippings, photographs, and
correspondence relate to exhibitions, many more clippings are about the art
market. A bound volume of clippings and manuscripts records the history of
Hamilton Palace: the house, the family and sales of the estate. A videocassete
documents the opening the French & Company on Madison Ave., New York City.
One folder holds personal correspondence.
Box 8, Folder 1
Publicity,
1930,
1958-1961
Box 8, Folder 2
Exhibition of tapestries,
1947
Box 8, Folder 3
Strozzi and other exhibitions,
1956-1960
Box 8, Folder 4
General projects,
1957-1959
Box 8, Folder 5
Publicity program for opening of new galleries,
1958
Box 8, Folder 6
Alec Guinness film
The Horse's Mouth, and J. Bratby
paintings,
1958
Box 8, Folder 7
Contemporary gallery,
1959-1960
Box 8, Folder 8
Parke-Bernet Galleries exhibition,
n.d.
Box 8, Folder 9
Clippings and correspondence on the art market,
1915-1959
Box 8, Folder 10
Clippings and correspondence on the art market,
1916-1959
Box 8, Folder 11
Clippings and research on the art market,
1957-1958
Box 8, Folder 12
Correspondence regarding "Currency of Art" pamphlet on
the art market,
1959
Box 8, Folder 13
Clippings on the art market,
1959
Box 8, Folder 14
Preliminary plan for publication on the art market,
n.d.
Box 8, Folder 15
Personal correspondence,
ca.
1930
Box 9, Folder 1
French & Company exhibition in Mexico,
1953,
Physical Description:
29 photographs
Box 9, Folder 2
French & Company exhibition in Mexico,
1953,
Physical Description:
8 items
Scope and Content Note
5 photographs, catalog, clipping, invitation
Box 9, Folder 3
Clippings about French & Company exhibition in
Mexico,
1954,
Physical Description:
ca. 30 items
Box 9, Folder 4
Catalogs,
1956,
1958,
Physical Description:
3 items
Scope and Content Note
Catalog of French & Company exhibit in Havana, Cuba, 1958
and program for celebration, Semana de Bellas Arts, 1956, Cuidad Trujillo,
Dominican Rupublic (2 copies).
Box 9, Folder 5
Clippings from French & Company exhibit in Havana,
Cuba,
1958,
Physical Description:
ca. 30 items
Box 9, Folder 6
Look magazine,
New York Times Magazine,
1952,
1953,
1955
Box 9, Folder 7
Clippings about tapestries,
ca.
1909-1958
Physical Description:
ca. 15 items
Box 9, Folder 8
Hamilton Palace,
n.d.,
Physical Description:
1 vol.
Scope and Content Note
Bound volume with pasted in manuscripts and clippings about
Hamilton palace, history of the Hamilton family, Beckford sale of 1823,
Hamilton sale of 1882, and final sale of 1919.
Box 10
Clippings about exhibitons, art market, ca.
1952-1967
Physical Description:
ca. 100 items
Box 11
Clippings about exhibitons, art market, ca.
1952-1967
Physical Description:
ca. 50 items
Box 12
Clippings about exhibitons, art market, ca.
1952-1967
Physical Description:
ca. 150 items
Box 17
Opening of French & Company on Madison Ave.,
n.d.
Physical Description:
1 videocassette
Scope and Content Note
1 videocassette (VHS) : b&w, sd., dub from 16 mm. b&
print. Dub made by Filmworks for Samuels, Nov 16, 1999.
Series VII.
Architectural drawings,
1910-1911,
1928,
1946,
1950,
n.d.
Physical Description:
66 items
4
boxes
Scope and Content Note
Architectural drawings appear to be for renovations for clients,
and for French & Company office and gallery spaces.
Box 13, Folder 1
Residence for J. Harper-Poor,
n.d.
Physical Description:
9 drawings on tracing paper
Scope and Content Note
Notes on drawings describe renovations to be done.
Box 13, Folder 2
Residence for J. Harper-Poor,
1910?
Physical Description:
9 photographs
Scope and Content Note
Photographs of drawings of the original building, Howells &
Stokes, Architects.
Box 14
Estate Joseph Laroque,
1911
Physical Description:
1 drawing
Box 15
203 E. 56th St,
n.d.
Physical Description:
6 blueprints
Box 16
Henry Otis Chapman, architect,
n.d.
Physical Description:
12 blueprints
Flat file folder 1**
Plan for store building, 210 E. 57th St., New York,
1928
Physical Description:
drawings 1-11
Flat file folder 2**
Alterations to buildings, South corner of 3rd. Ave. and
E. 56th St., New York,
1946
May 27
Physical Description:
sheets 1-8
Flat file folder 3**
Architectural drawings,
1946,
1940
Flat file folder 3**
Measured drawings for 205 E. 67th St., New York,
1950
Sep 18
Physical Description:
9 drawings
Flat file folder 3**
Plan of 5th floor galleries and offices,
n.d.
Physical Description: 1 drawing
