Finding Aid for the J. Paul Getty Family Collected Papers, circa 1880s-1989, undated

Sue Luftschein, Cyndi Shein, Sara Seltzer, Nancy Enneking


Descriptive Summary

Title: J. Paul Getty family collected papers
Date (inclusive): 1880s-1989undated
Number: IA20009
Creator/Collector: Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976
Physical Description: 21 Linear Feet (30 boxes, 1 flat file)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Institutional Records and Archives
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: The collection comprises collected materials related to art collector and oil tycoon J. Paul Getty and his parents, George F. Getty I and Sarah C. Getty. The collected papers on J. Paul Getty include some of his personal and business correspondence and other documents, dating from 1909 to 1976, providing insight into his art collecting activities, his business concerns, and his personal and family relationships. The materials also contain documents postdating Mr. Getty's death (1977, 1980-1989) that concern the management of his estate and eulogize his life and accomplishments. The George F. Getty I and Sarah C. Getty papers, dating from 1890 to 1939, primarily comprise family and oil business correspondence and offer researchers a glimpse into the Getty household. The collection includes correspondence, art and furniture inventories, financial records, legal documents, publications, ephemera, and photographs, dating from around the 1880s to 1989.
Request Materials: To access physical materials at the Getty, go to the library catalog record  for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for general library access policy . See the Administrative Information section of this finding aid for access restrictions specific to the records described below. Please note, some of the records may be stored off site; advanced notice is required for access to these materials.
Language: Collection material is in English

Biographical Note

American oil tycoon and art collector Jean Paul Getty was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 15, 1892 to George Franklin Getty (1855-1930) and Sarah Catherine McPherson Risher Getty (1852-1941). George was an attorney and insurance executive whose 1903 visit to oil-rich Osage land in Indian Territory (a region that was annexed by the United States government that later became the State of Oklahoma in 1907) inspired him to lease land and begin drilling, launching his career in the petroleum industry. In 1905 the Getty family moved to Los Angeles, but George maintained his oil business in Oklahoma, traveling to the oil fields periodically. Jean Paul, called "Paul," attended a private military school before going on to college. He first attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley (1909 to 1911). In November of 1912 he began his studies at Magdalen College at Oxford University in England and received a diploma in Politics and Economics in June 1913. He then enhanced his education by means of a Grand Tour of Europe, viewing art collections and ancient ruins that sparked his interest in art and antiquities. He also toured parts of the Middle East and North Africa before returning to the United States in September of 1914.
In 1914, Paul joined the family petroleum business and spent a year in the oil fields of Oklahoma. An investment in 160 acres near Stone Bluff, Oklahoma led to Paul's announcement two years later that he had earned his first million dollars. He then lived the carefree life of a rich young bachelor in Los Angeles for more than a year before his father convinced him to return to the oil business in Oklahoma. Soon thereafter Paul persuaded his father to shift the focus of the family business operations to the Los Angeles basin. Paul continued to work for the family company in addition to conducting oil drilling of his own, securing the family fortune by the time the stock market crashed in 1929. Upon his death in 1930, George left controlling interest in the company to Sarah. In 1934 Paul forced Sarah out of control of the company and gave her an annuity. His fortune grew as he acquired the controlling interest in several companies and became the head of a vast organization with activities in oil exploration, transportation, production and marketing, as well as minerals, manufacturing, real estate and agriculture. In the mid-1940s Paul bought the Saudi Arabian portion of the lease on the mineral rights in the Neutral Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; his wealth dramatically increased when this site produced oil in 1953.
Beginning in the early 1930s, J. Paul Getty lived in a house he built next to William Randolph Hearst's on the beach in Santa Monica. During World War II he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma for four years to supervise wartime production of parts for Allied aircraft at his Spartan Aircraft plant. In 1945 he purchased 64 acres in Malibu, California and renovated the existing hacienda, known as the Ranch House, where he lived until 1951. (See finding aid IA20021 for records regarding the Ranch House.) When Getty departed the United States for Europe in 1951, he kept his Malibu estate for the display of his art collection and for his eventual return to California. The J. Paul Getty Museum Trust was incorporated in December 1953; The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Ranch House opened to the public in April 1954.
Getty had been collecting art since the 1930s. In 1938 he made his first major purchases: a group of furniture; a carpet that had belonged to Louis XIV, often called the "Ardabil Carpet"; and Rembrandt's Marten Looten (he donated the Ardabil Carpet and the Rembrandt to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1954). Another of his strong interests was antiquities, inspired by his travels throughout Europe and by visits to the Vatican Museums. He took pride in being knowledgeable in the areas in which he was collecting and in finding bargains. Getty continued to collect art throughout his lifetime, despite occasional assertions that he was no longer in the market. While some objects were expressly purchased for the Getty Museum, Mr. Getty also maintained a personal art collection, some of which was on long-term loan to the museum. By 1968 his art collection had begun to outgrow the Ranch House and he began planning a new building on the property to properly house these works. He chose to pattern this new museum building after a first-century Roman country house, based primarily on the plans of the ancient Villa dei Papiri near Herculaneum. This museum, often called the Getty Villa, opened to the public on January 16, 1974.
After leaving the United States in 1951, Getty lived in hotel suites in Europe until 1960 when he moved to Sutton Place, a historic 72-room Tudor manor located 25 miles southwest of London. In 1957 Fortune magazine designated Getty as the world's wealthiest man, and he became the object of considerable public interest. For the rest of his life, both the respectable press and the tabloids reported on his perceived eccentricities and his private life.
Getty married and divorced five times and had five children with four of his wives.
  • First wife: Jeanette Demond, mother of George F. Getty II
  • Second wife: Allene Ashby
  • Third wife: Adolphine "Fini" Helmle, mother of Jean Ronald Getty
  • Fourth wife: Helen "Ann" Rork (also known as Helen Ann Rork Wilson and Helen Ann Rork Light), mother of Eugene Paul and Gordon Peter Getty
  • Fifth wife: Louise Dudley Lynch (also known as Theodora Lynch, Teddy Lynch, and Teddy Getty Gaston), mother of Timothy Ware Getty
J. Paul Getty died in England on June 6, 1976 without ever returning to California. Although he never saw the museum, he is buried at the Getty Villa property on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Much to everyone's surprise, Getty left the bulk of his fortune to the museum, requesting that the funds be employed to promote "the diffusion of artistic and general knowledge."
J. Paul Getty's publications include:
  • Getty, J. Paul. The history of the oil business of George F. and J. Paul Getty from 1903 to 1939. Los Angeles (?), 1941.
  • Getty, J. Paul. Europe in the eighteenth century. [Santa Monica, Calif.]: privately printed, 1949.
  • Le Vane, Ethel, and J. Paul Getty. Collector's choice: the chronicle of an artistic odyssey through Europe. London: W.H. Allen, 1955.
  • Getty, J. Paul. My life and fortunes. New York: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1963.
  • Getty, J. Paul. The joys of collecting. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1965.
  • Getty, J. Paul. How to be rich. Chicago: Playboy Press, 1965.
  • Getty, J. Paul. The golden age. New York: Trident Press, 1968.
  • Getty, J. Paul. How to be a successful executive. Chicago: Playboy Press, 1971.
  • Getty, J. Paul. As I see it: the autobiography of J. Paul Getty. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1976.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

The records described in accessions 1986.IA.22; 1986.IA.40; 1987.IA.05; 1987.IA.11; 1987.IA.16; 1992.IA.03; 1997.IA.08; 1998.IA.07; 2002.IA.02; 2004.IA.17; 2006.IA.05; 2007.IA.32; 2009.IA.36; 2012.IA.37; 2014.IA.02; 2018.IA.58; and 2019.IA.56 are available for use by qualified researchers.
Please note: materials that have been marked restricted or confidential must be removed from boxes prior to access.
With the exception of materials that have been marked restricted or confidential, the records described in accessions 1986.IA.48 and 2010.IA.17 are available for use by qualified researchers.
The following types of records are permanently closed: records containing personal information, records that compromise security or operations, legal communications, legal work product, and records related to donors. The J. Paul Getty Trust reserves the right to restrict access to any records held by the Institutional Archives.

Restrictions on Use

Contact Rights and Reproductions   at the Getty Research Institute for copyright information and permission to publish.

Preferred citation

J. Paul Getty Family Collected Papers, circa 1880s-1989, undated (bulk 1911-1977). Institutional Records and Archives. The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, IA20009.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifaia20009

Acquisition Information

This collection was assembled from a number of sources and is comprised of the following accessions:
  • 1986.IA.22 transferred by the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities
  • 1986.IA.40 transferred by the J. Paul Getty Trust
  • 1986.IA.48 transferred by the J. Paul Getty Museum (the material was originally part of accession no. 1986.IA.01 and was assigned no. 1986.IA.48 in January 2006 for purposes of providing better administrative control)
  • 1987.IA.05 (unidentified source)
  • 1987.IA.11 transferred by the J. Paul Getty Museum
  • 1987.IA.16 transferred by the J. Paul Getty Estate
  • 1992.IA.03 donated by Zeki Yonet
  • 1997.IA.08 donated by unidentified dealer
  • 1998.IA.07 donated by or acquired from Spencer A. Samuels & Co.
  • 2002.IA.02 (unidentified source)
  • 2004.IA.17 donated to the Institutional Archives by the Nethercutt Collection
  • 2006.IA.05 transferred by the J. Paul Getty Trust
  • 2007.IA.32 donated by Lynda Jenner
  • 2009.IA.36 discovered by Getty Institutional Archives staff during review of unaccessioned legacy records
  • 2010.IA.17 acquired from Scott J. Winslow Associates, Inc.
  • 2011.IA.44 transferred by the J. Paul Getty Trust
  • 2012.IA.37 transferred by the Getty Research Institute
  • 2014.IA.02 donated by Scott J. Winslow
  • 2018.IA.58 donated by John M. McDivitt
  • 2019.IA.56 purchased from Bonhams

Processing History

Phil Curtis created a box list in the summer of 2003, began a preliminary rehousing of the collection, and created and began encoding a preliminary finding aid in November 2004. Sue Luftschein completed the rehousing and restructured and completed this finding aid in August 2005. In 2009, Cyndi Shein processed material accessioned during the Legacy Records Appraisal Project and revised the finding aid accordingly. The acquisition of some of J. Paul Getty's personal papers and George F. and Sarah C. Getty's papers in 2010 introduced new content to the collection; Cyndi Shein processed and added the following accessions: 1997.IA.08; 1998.IA.07; 2006.IA.05; 2007.IA.32; and 2010.IA.17. She then restructured the intellectual arrangement of the materials and rewrote the finding aid to reflect the new nature of the collection. Cyndi Shein added accessions 2011.IA.44, 2012.IA.37, and 2014.IA.02. Sara Seltzer added accession 2018.IA.58. Nancy Enneking added accession 2019.IA.56
Please note that accessions 1987.IA.11, 1992.IA.03, and 1998.IA.07 are housed in shared box 1986.IA.22-02. Accession 2002.IA.02 is housed with the other oversized photographs in box 1986.IA.48-12. Accessions 2004.IA.17, 2009.IA.36, and 2011.IA.44 are housed in shared box 1987.IA.16-01. Accessions 2014.IA.02 and 2018.IA.58 are housed in a shared box.

Related Archival Materials Note

The following archival materials are offered as possible sources of further information on the people, programs, and subjects covered by the records. The listing is not exhaustive.
Contributing Institution: Getty Institutional Archives
J. Paul Getty and the Ashby Sisters Papers, 1926-1992, undated. The Getty Research Institute (IA20013).
J. Paul Getty Diaries, 1938-1946, 1948-1976. The Getty Research Institute (IA40009).
Ralph Hewins Collected Papers for Biography of J. Paul Getty, 1957-1973, 1984 and undated. The Getty Research Institute (IA20012).

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection comprises materials gathered from a variety of sources that relate to art collector and oil tycoon J. Paul Getty and his parents, George F. Getty I and Sarah C. Getty. The collection includes correspondence, art and furniture inventories, financial records, legal documents, publications, ephemera, and photographs, dating from approximately 1880 to 1989 and undated.
The collected papers on J. Paul Getty include some of his personal and business correspondence and other documents, providing insight into his art collecting activities, his business ventures, and his personal and family relationships. The financial records primarily describe the affairs of Getty family businesses as well as Getty's estate at the time of his death. The legal documents describe legal and financial relationships within the Getty family through correspondence, wills, prenuptial agreements, divorce decrees, financial settlements, child and spousal support agreements, and other supporting documents. The little material relating to his marriages is mostly represented among his legal files. Materials related to Mr. Getty's publications contain correspondence with co-authors and publishers, typescripts and drafts of his books, and copies of his published books and articles. The collected papers also contain documents postdating Mr. Getty's death (1977, 1980-1989) that concern the management of his estate and eulogize his life and accomplishments.
The collected George F. Getty I and Sarah C. Getty papers include letters, telegrams, hand-drawn maps, cancelled stock certificates, contracts, promissory notes, travel documents, receipts, and various forms of ephemera. The family correspondence includes letters written by J. Paul Getty to his parents that provide insight into the personal and early business relationships between George, Sarah, and Paul. While the family correspondence hints at the atmosphere of the Getty household, George's papers shed light on his early oil operations, including scouting potential drilling sites, day-to-day management of drilling activities, and his political efforts to protect his interests/land in the Osage Nation (part of the Indian Territory that was annexed by the United States government that later became the state of Oklahoma). Sarah's mostly peripheral involvement in the family business is evidenced by her correspondence with George and several notarized documents.
The photographs consist primarily of black-and-white photographs and negatives, dating from approximately the 1880s to the 1970s, of J. Paul Getty, family, friends, properties, and city and landscape views. The photographs also include several images of the J. Paul Getty Museum and galleries during its early years. The images are of various sizes, and are largely undated and unidentified. The majority of these photographs once belonged to J. Paul Getty, while a smaller number of them seem to have belonged to his father, George F. Getty I. The photographs come from several different sources, including Ralph Hewins, Getty's biographer.

Arrangement

These records are organized into three series:
Series I. J. Paul Getty papers, 1909-1977, 1982-1984, 1989, undated (bulk 1912-1976);
Series II. George F. Getty I and Sarah C. Getty papers, 1890, 1904-1921, 1928, 1931-1934, 1939, undated (bulk 1911-1912);
Series III. Photographs, 1880s-1970s, undated.

Indexing Terms

Subjects - Names

Getty, Sarah C. (Sarah Catherine)
Getty, George F. (George Franklin), 1855-1930
Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976

Subjects - Corporate Bodies

Minnehoma Oil and Gas Company
Ada Oil Corporation
San Joaquin Oil Company
Getty Oil Company
Oklahoma Oil Corporation
George F. Getty, Incorporated
J. Paul Getty Museum

Subjects - Topics

Oil fields -- Oklahoma -- Osage Reservation
Art objects -- Collectors and collecting
Art museums
Billionaires -- United States -- 20th century
Entrepreneurship -- 20th century
Petroleum -- History -- United States -- 20th century

Genres and Forms of Material

Photographs
Ledgers (account books)
Reports
Financial records
Legal documents
Publications
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence

Contributors

Gaston, Teddy Getty, 1913-
Getty, Sarah C. (Sarah Catherine)
Bramlett, Norris (Cagle Norris)
Hewins, Ralph
Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976
Le Vane, Ethel
Getty, George F. (George Franklin), 1855-1930

Bibliography

Information in the biographical note on J. Paul Getty was gleaned from the collection and from the following publications:
  • Getty, J. Paul. As I see it: the autobiography of J. Paul Getty. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1976.
  • Hewins, Ralph. The richest American: J. Paul Getty. New York: Dutton, 1960.

 

Series I. J. Paul Getty papers, 1909-1977, 1982-1984, 1989, undated (bulk 1912-1976)

Physical Description: 17.6 Linear Feet (22 boxes, 1 flat file)

Scope and Content Note

The collected papers on J. Paul Getty include some of his personal and business correspondence, records, and ephemera dating from 1909 to 1976, and provide insight into his art collecting activities, his business concerns, and his personal and family relationships. The collected papers also contain documents postdating Mr. Getty's death (1977, 1980-1989) that concern the management of his estate and eulogize his life and accomplishments.
Material related to Mr. Getty's art collecting and collections include correspondence, inventories, photographs, invoices, reports, import/export documents, curators' notes, and clippings. The materials provide information on purchases, shipping, and insurance of works of art. The correspondence primarily comprises letters received by J. Paul Getty, the earliest correspondence being the most personal. The financial records primarily describe the financial well-being of Getty family businesses as well as Getty's estate at the time of his death. The legal documents describe legal and financial relationships within the Getty family through correspondence, wills, prenuptial agreements, divorce decrees, financial settlements, child and spousal support agreements, and other legal documents. Materials related to Mr. Getty's publications contain correspondence with co-authors and publishers, typescripts and drafts of his books, and copies of his published books and articles. The collected papers also contain various dissociated papers of J. Paul Getty related to his life and interests, including scattered diary entries.
Please note that the Institutional Archives, Getty Research Institute holds Mr. Getty's more complete diaries: J. Paul Getty Diaries (1938-1946, 1948-1976), Finding aid no. IA40009.

Arrangement

Material is arranged into four subseries:
 

Series I.A. Art collecting and collections, 1934-1974, 1977, 1982, undated (bulk 1934-1974)

Physical Description: 2.4 Linear Feet (10 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Material includes correspondence, inventories, photographs, invoices, reports, import/export documents, curators' notes, and clippings regarding J. Paul Getty's art collections and art collecting activities, dating 1934 to 1974, 1977, 1982, and undated. The records provide information on purchases, shipping, and insurance of works of art. Correspondence with art dealers comprises the bulk of the material. The inventories primarily concern Getty's art collection at Sutton Place, his estate in England. The Sutton Place tapestry inventory includes clippings about the estate after Getty's death. The curators' notes are diary excerpts and notes taken by Getty Museum curators who were given a brief opportunity to examine Mr. Getty's diaries after his death. The notes relate to the curators' areas of interest, such as the provenance and acquisition of art objects and the collecting habits of Mr. Getty; the notes do not reflect the contents of the diaries as a whole.

Arrangement

Material is arranged by type of material, beginning with correspondence, which is followed by inventories, curators' notes, and insurance policies.
 

Art collections correspondence, 1934-1959, 1970-1972

Arrangement

Material is arranged alphabetically by the surname or corporate name of the correspondent.
box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 1

B miscellaneous, 1939-1954

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 2

William L. Bane and Co., 1938-1939

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 3

Mario Bellini, 1953-1954

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 4

Benardout and Benardout, London, 1938-1943, undated

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 5

J.M. Botibol, 1939-1940, undated

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 6

Brill and Brill, Croydon Galleries, 1937-1942, undated

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 7

Gerald L. Brockhurst, 1938-1946

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 8

C miscellaneous, 1937-1952

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 9

Camerons, 1949-1951

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 10

Christie, Manson and Woods, Ltd., 1938-1950

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 11

T. Crowther and Son, 1937-1940

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 12

D miscellaneous, 1938-1941

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 13-16

Duveen Brothers, Inc., 1939-1951

Physical Description: (4 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 17

F miscellaneous, 1938-1939

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 18

Augustus Frank, 1934-1940

box 1986.IA.48-01, folder 19-22

French and Company Inc., 1937-1941

Physical Description: (4 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 1-7

French and Company Inc., 1942-1959, 1970-1972

Physical Description: (7 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 8

French and Company Loan, 1958

box Shared 1987.IA.16-01; 2004.IA.17; 2009.IA.36; 2011.IA.44

Furnishings: correspondence regarding works of art, antiques, furniture, carpets and other furnishings for Mr. Getty's home, 1934-1945

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 9

G miscellaneous, 1938-1939, 1950

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 10

Gill and Reigate, 1938

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 11

Grosvenor Galleries, 1937-1938

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 12

H miscellaneous, 1939, 1950

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 13

Henry John Hatfield and Sons, Ltd., 1938-1939

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 14

Hudson Forwarding and Shipping Co., Inc., 1938-1940

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 15

Hyde (John Alden Lloyd) through Knudson (Arvid O.), 1948

box 1986.IA.48-02, folder 16-19

Insurance correspondence, 1934-1939

Physical Description: (4 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 1-2

Insurance correspondence, 1940-1945

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 3

J miscellaneous 1940, 1951

box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 4-5

Jansen, Inc., 1937-1945

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 6

Maison Jemont, 1936-1937

box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 7-9

Jenkins House 1937-1945

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 9

K miscellaneous, 1938-1940

box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 10

Kende Galleries, Inc., Gimbel Brothers, 1945-1946

box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 11

Kingsley House, 1941, undated

box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 12-15

Charles F. Krug Jr., 1937-1942

Physical Description: (4 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 16

L miscellaneous, 1939-1940, 1944

box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 17-20

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1933-1954

Physical Description: (4 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 21-22

Leon Lacroix, 1938-1950

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-03, folder 23

Levi: Correspondence with/re: Gaston Levi, art restorer, 1939-1940

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 1

M miscellaneous, 1938-1952

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 2

Rayner McConnal, 1938-1940

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 3

Lady Mendl purchases, 1949-1950

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 4

Mensing auction Amsterdam, 1938-1939

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 5

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1940-1949

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 6

N. Mitchell, 1940

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 7

Mystic Art Association, Connecticut, 1938

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 8

N miscellaneous, 1938-1941

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 9

New York World's Fair, 1939

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 10

Parish-Watson and Co., 1941

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 11

Parke-Bernet, 1940

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 12

Frank Partridge and Sons, 1938-1972

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 13-15

Penson and Co., 1938-1942

Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 16

Petit, Marcel and Gilbert, 1939-1940

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 17

Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1940-1948

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 18

Pitt and Scott, 1938-1939

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 19

Rosenberg and Steibel, 1951-1953

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 20

H. L. Rowland, 1939, undated

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 21

Schaeffer Galleries, 1939

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 22

F. Schnitterjer and Son, 1937

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 23

Security First National Bank vault 1, 1942-1943, undated

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 24-25

Arnold Seligmann, Rey and Co., Inc., 1939

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 26

Sorolla paintings, 1934, 1942

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 27

Sotheby and Co., 1938-1940

box 1986.IA.48-04, folder 28-29

Spink and Son, Ltd., 1949-1953

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 2

Stendahl Gallery, 1934, 1939

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 3

T-V miscellaneous, 1939-1952, undated

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 4

Tessier's Ltd., 1939

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 5

Thierard Frères, 1937

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 6

Duc De Trévise, Paris, 1938-1939, undated

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 7

Vardi, New York, 1937

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 8

Arthur S. Vernay, 1948-1949

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 9

W-Z miscellaneous, 1938-1950

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 10

Michael Williams, Ltd., 1938-1939, undated

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 11

Woog Meyer, Paris, 1938-1939

 

Inventories, curators' notes, and insurance policies, 1938-1974, 1977, 1982, undated

Arrangement

Materials are arranged in chronological order.
box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 18-20

Consular invoices, oceanic shipments, declaration of free entry, Port de France, Volendam, Champlain, 1938

Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 17-18

Curators' notes: typed excerpts from J. Paul Getty's diaries related to art, selected by Museum curators after Getty's death, 1938-1974

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 17

"History of Antique and Fine Art Purchases," 1939

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 21-23

Consular invoices, oceanic shipments, declaration of free entry, SS Pacific Grove, SS Excambion, SS Wisconsin, SS Northern Prince, 1940

Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 24

French and Co. Inc. storage inventory, 1941

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 25-26

"J. Paul Getty Art Objects and Antiques as of August 31, 1942" and related correspondence, 1942

Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 27

Inventory, 1942

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 28

Inventories, 1942, 1946, 1948-1950, undated

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 29

Inventory, 1951

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 1

Inventory compiled by Charles Packer, 1952

box 1986.IA.48-10, folder 1

Insurance policies on art objects, 1954-1958

box 1986.IA.48-15, folder 2-6

Sutton Place inventory, 1964

Physical Description: (5 folders)
box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 3

Inventory of tapestries at Sutton Place, 1982, undated

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 4

Inventories, undated

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 2-3

Inventory of books, undated

Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 5

Silver inventory, undated

 

Series I.B. Business and personal papers, 1909-1914, 1920-1977, undated

Physical Description: 6.5 Linear Feet (12 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Material comprises some of the personal papers and business records maintained by art collector and oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, gathered from a variety of sources. Material dates from 1909 to 1977 and includes personal correspondence, financial records, and legal documents.
The correspondence primarily consists of letters received by J. Paul Getty ("Paul") dating from 1912-1914 and 1926-1977. The early correspondence is the most personal; it reflects the relationship between Paul and his parents and hints at the relationships between Paul and two of his wives, Helen "Ann" Rork and Louise Dudley "Teddy" Lynch. A small selection of letters were sent from Getty to an acquaintance, Ann Mitchell. The correspondence from "friends and acquaintances" varies in content and degree of intimacy. Correspondence from "others" primarily contains letters from persons not acquainted with Mr. Getty and contains letters about various business ventures and interests, requests for information, fan mail, and letters of acknowledgment from Getty's staff in response to the incoming mail. Some of the correspondence to Mr. Getty from others post-dates his death.
The financial records consist of a promissory note, correspondence, financial statements, annual reports, a will, and tax statements relating to J. Paul Getty and the J. Paul Getty estate, dating 1909, 1926, 1928, 1932 to 1942, 1950 to 1957, 1976 to 1977, and undated. The records primarily describe the financial well-being of Getty family businesses as well as Getty's estate at the time of his death. The earliest document (1909) is a hand-written note signed by seventeen-year-old Paul to his father, George F. Getty I, acknowledging the partial receipt of his allowance ($2.60). Some of the early tax and financial documents postdate George F. Getty's death, but concern his various companies. Other records detail the status of J. Paul Getty's estate and his personal financial status through tax returns and financial statements.
The legal documents describe legal and financial relationships within the Getty family through correspondence, wills, and other legal documents, dating from 1926 to 1976. The materials include an unsigned carbon copy of an early J. Paul Getty will (dated May 1, 1950) and a copy of Sarah C. Getty's will. Some of the records concern Getty's wives and children, including prenuptial agreements, divorce decrees, financial settlements, alimony discussions, child support negotiations, and an inventory of possessions. These records concern Getty's second wife, Allene Ashby; his third wife, Adolphine "Fini" Helmle; his fourth wife, Helen "Ann" Rork; and his fifth wife, Louise Dudley "Teddy" Lynch.
The other papers comprise various dissociated papers of J. Paul Getty, dating from 1920 to 1952 and undated. The papers include samples of his early schoolwork; receipts for auto purchases; vital records and meeting minutes from some of his oil companies; notes regarding diet and health; and scattered diary entries. Please note that the Institutional Archives, Getty Research Institute holds Mr. Getty's more complete diaries: J. Paul Getty Diaries (1938-1946, 1948-1976), Finding aid no. IA40009.

Arrangement

Material is arranged by format: correspondence, financial records, legal records, and other papers.
 

Correspondence, 1912-1914, 1926-1977, undated

Note

For additional correspondence to J. Paul Getty from his wives, see Legal records in this series (I.B.). For letters written from J. Paul Getty to his parents, see Series II.A. George F. Getty I papers. Family history and correspondence and Series II.B. Sarah C. Getty papers.

Arrangement

Material is arranged according to correspondent, beginning with immediate family and moving outward by levels of intimacy, finally to fan mail and others not actually acquainted with Mr. Getty.
box 2010.IA.17-01

From father, George F. Getty, 1913-1914, 1920, 1926, 1928, undated

box 2019.IA.56-01

Telegram and letter from father George F. Getty, 1912, 1926

box 2010.IA.17-01

From mother, Sarah C. Getty, 1926, 1930, 1936, 1938, undated

box 2010.IA.17-01

From wife, Helen "Ann" Rork, 1931, 1941 (bulk 1931)

box 2010.IA.17-01

From wife, Louise Dudley "Teddy" Lynch, 1954, 1955, undated

box 2010.IA.17-01

From friends and acquaintances, 1912, 1913, 1926-1949 (scattered), undated

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box Shared 2014.IA.02; 2018.IA.58

Letters from J. Paul Getty to Ann Mitchell, 1934-1936

Scope and Content Note

Includes five letters. Four are authored by J. Paul Getty; one is uncertain.
box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 12-13

From others, 1946-1977

Physical Description: (4 folders)
box 2010.IA.17-01

Outgoing: letter of introduction and copy of one letter, 1926, 1941

box 1986.IA.48-05, folder 16

Medical, 1965-1966

Access Information

RESTRICTED. This material is closed until 2066.
 

Financial records, 1909, 1926-1942, 1950-1957, 1976-1977, undated (bulk 1932-1957)

Arrangement

Material is arranged in rough chronological order.
box 2010.IA.17-01

Acknowledgment of allowance received from father and promissory note from J. Paul Getty to father, 1909, 1928

box 2010.IA.17-01

Check register, Mexico, 1926

box 2010.IA.17-01

Cancelled check, loan agreement, and expense notes, 1929, 1932, undated

box 2010.IA.17-04

Document regarding 1932 tax filing related to Minnehoma Oil, signed "Paul Getty," 1933

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 23

George F. Getty, Inc. financial information, 1936

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 22

George F. Getty, Inc. 1936 tax returns, 1938 deficient tax letter, 1936, 1938

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 24

George F. Getty, Inc. IRS audit letter and report, 1938

box 1986.IA.48-07

Getty family personal and corporate annual reports, 1938

Physical Description: (1 volume)

Scope and Content Note

One bound volume, prepared for J. Paul Getty, comprising financial reports for the year 1938 on the following persons and corporations: George F. Getty, Inc.; Ada Oil Corporation; Santa Fe Company; Getty Realty Corporation; J. Paul Getty, Trustee "under that certain declaration of Trust dated December 31, 1934, wherein Sarah C. Getty is the trustor and J. Paul Getty, trustee"; J. Paul Getty; and Sarah C. Getty.
box 2010.IA.17-01

Income tax history of Sarah C. Getty, February 4, 1941

box 2010.IA.17-01

J. Paul Getty signed affidavit and claim related to personal income taxes, 1941, 1942

box 2010.IA.17-01

J. Paul Getty signed affidavit related to personal income taxes, August 17, 1942

box 1986.IA.48-07, folder 2

Correspondence re: 1950 taxes, 1950-1954

box 1986.IA.48-07, folder 3

Correspondence re: 1951 tax return, 1951-1954

box 1986.IA.48-07, folder 4

Balance sheets, notes, re: 1951 taxes, 1951-1952

box 1986.IA.48-07, folder 5-7

J. Paul Getty tax returns, 1952

Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-07, folder 8

Balance sheets, notes, re: 1952 tax return, 1952

box 1986.IA.48-07, folder 1

J. Paul Getty financial statements, 1952, 1953

box 1986.IA.48-08, folder 1-2

Correspondence re: 1952 JPG tax return, 1953-1955, 1957

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-08, folder 3-4

Income tax returns, JPG, 1953

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-15, folder 7

Pacific Western Oil Corporation and subsidiary companies financial statement, as of December 31, 1955, March 9, 1956

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 19

Check stubs and spending notes, 1957

box 1986.IA.48-15, folder 8

"Residuary Trust of Sarah C. Getty financial statement as of March 31, 1976 and 1975," April 20, 1976

box 1986.IA.48-08, folder 5-12

J. Paul Getty estate tax return, table of contents, schedules A-P, and will, circa 1976

Physical Description: (8 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-08, folder 14-15

J. Paul Getty estate financial statements from Ticor Trust Department Title Insurance and Trust, October 1976

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-08, folder 13

J. Paul Getty estate inheritance tax declaration, 1977

 

Legal records, 1926-1976

Arrangement

Material is arranged in rough chronological order, beginning with agreements made between Mr. Getty and his wives.
 

Agreements with wives:

box 2010.IA.17-01

Allene Ashby: prenuptial agreement (incomplete) and signed divorce settlement agreement, 1926, 1928

box 2010.IA.17-01

Adolphine "Fini" Helmle: prenuptial agreement, correspondence, divorce settlement agreement, 1932, 1935, 1948

 

Helen "Ann" Rork:

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 8

Divorce complaint and transcript, 1936

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 9

Correspondence and miscellaneous, 1936, 1938-1939

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 10-13

Correspondence, 1941-1975

Physical Description: (4 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 14

Alimony agreement, October 1, 1935

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 15

Supplemental agreement, December 23, 1938

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 16

Letter to Ann Getty from JPG acknowledging receipt of all indebtedness, December 23, 1938

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 17

Legal documents, correspondence re: alimony, child support, Ann Light Trust, 1938-1976

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 20

Louise Dudley "Teddy" Lynch: inventories of possessions, 1950

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 6

Sarah C. Getty will (copy), 1942

box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 7

Sarah C. Getty Trust: cross-complaint, April 9, 1948

box 2010.IA.17-04

Life insurance policies for Eugene Paul (Jean Paul, Jr.) and Gordon Peter Getty, 1936, undated

Access Information

RESTRICTED. This material is closed for the life of Gordon Peter Getty.
box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 18

Schedules of collateral required at Citizens National Trust and Savings Bank for Gordon Peter Getty, Ann Rork Wilson, and Eugene Paul Getty, undated

Access Information

RESTRICTED. This material is closed for the life of Gordon Peter Getty.
box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 19

Schedule of endowment policies for Eugene Paul Getty and Gordon Peter Getty, undated

Access Information

RESTRICTED. This material is closed for the life of Gordon Peter Getty.
box 1986.IA.48-06, folder 21

Letter and certificate of occupancy for construction of art gallery at the Getty Ranch House, 1945, 1949

box 2010.IA.17-01

J. Paul Getty Last Will and Testament (carbon copy), May 1, 1950

 

Other papers, 1918-1952, undated

Arrangement

Material is arranged alphabetically by topic.
box 2010.IA.17-01

Auto purchases, 1927, 1942, undated

 

Diary entries and notes:

Scope and Content Note

The diary entries herein are scant and dissociated from J. Paul Getty's more complete diaries, which are held by the Institutional Archives, Getty Research Institute: J. Paul Getty Diaries (1938-1946, 1948-1976), Finding aid no. IA40009.
box 2010.IA.17-01

Diary entries, April 22, 1936, August 1940

box 2010.IA.17-01

Diary of Texas/Mexico trip, May 29-July 18, 1948

box 2010.IA.17-01

Typed transcript of diary entries, March 18-April 13, 1949, December 15-17, 1950

box 2010.IA.17-01

Notes regarding diet and health, undated

 

Oil business:

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically by name of corporation.
box 2010.IA.17-01

Carl B. King Drilling Co. drilling agreement with J. Paul Getty, 1937

box 2010.IA.17-05

Getty Oil Company/Oklahoma Oil Corporation minutes and other records, 1920-1952

Physical Description: (1 loose-leaf binder)
box 2010.IA.17-01

Oklahoma Oil stock certificates (cancelled), 1922

box 2010.IA.17-01

Pacific Western Oil Corporation correspondence and reports, 1936, 1937, 1948, 1950, 1951

box 2010.IA.17-05

San Joaquin Oil Company articles of incorporation, meeting minutes, and balance sheets, 1930-1934

Physical Description: (1 folder and 1 scrapbook)

Scope and Content Note

Documents in folder were found loose inside front cover of scrapbook.
box 2010.IA.17-01

Unidentified oil company, handwritten notes/ suggestions, undated

box 1986.IA.48-09, folder 10

Plan (sketch) for Getty tomb, undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

Private investigation of Helen "Ann" Rork Getty "Office Memo," September 7, 1935

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 16

Schoolwork: Exposition of stanza from Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

Schoolwork: Grammar 7A composition book with one entry in it, undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

Travel documents: Permit to enter Mexico (1932); applications for permits to enter occupied territories in Europe (1948, 1949); and undated note to self regarding application procedures, 1932, 1948, 1949, undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

United States Army application for commission, signed and notarized, November 4, 1918

 

Series I.C. Publications, typescripts, and related material, 1940-1976, 1989, undated (bulk 1940-1967)

Physical Description: 1.4 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Records consist of correspondence, invoices, manuscripts, books, and articles, dating from 1940 to 1989 and undated, by or about J. Paul Getty. The bulk of the correspondence concerns Collector's choice, co-authored by Getty and Ethel Le Vane. This correspondence was sent to and received by Le Vane and is mostly concerned with the foreign language editions of the book. The manuscripts/typescripts include drafts of Europe in the eighteenth century, a complete copy of J. Paul Getty as collector, a sample chapter of Midas: the life of J. Paul Getty, by Alice Goldfarb Marquis; and copies of Collector's choice in three languages.

Arrangement

Material is arranged according to format, beginning with correspondence, followed by Mr. Getty's published works, typescripts, and drafts.
 

Correspondence, 1940-1975

box 1986.IA.48-09, folder 1-3

Printing: history and catalogue, 1940-1941

Physical Description: (3 folders)
box 1986.IA.48-09, folder 4-8

Correspondence re: Collector's choice, 1955-1964, 1970, 1975

Physical Description: (5 folders)
box Shared 2014.IA.02; 2018.IA.58

J. Paul Getty correspondence with Playboy/HMH Publishing Co. staff and Hugh Hefner, fan mail, and internal memos primarily re: How to Be Rich, and articles contributed by Getty, 1961, 1966, 1967

 

Publications, 1949, 1955-1968, 1976, 1989, undated (bulk 1955-1968)

 

Published works:

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, Europe in the eighteenth century, 1949

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, and Ethel Le Vane, Streifzüge eines kunstsammlers, 1955

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, and Ethel Le Vane, Vingt mille lieues dans les musées, 1955

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, and Ethel Le Vane, Collector's choice, 1956

box 1987.IA.05-01

Hewins, Ralph, J. Paul Getty: The richest American, 1961

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, "What makes an executive?" Playboy Magazine, May 1962

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, My life and fortunes, 1963

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, How to be rich, 1965

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, The joys of collecting, 1965

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, "The homogenized man: a plea for the preservation of the individual in our increasingly pigeonholed society," Playboy Magazine, August 1965

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, "Quitting time," Playboy Magazine (photocopy), February 1967

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, The golden age, 1968

box 1987.IA.05-01

Getty, J. Paul, As I see it: the autobiography of J. Paul Getty, 1976

box 1987.IA.05-01

Biographies in bronze: portrait sculpture by Robert Berks, exhibition catalog featuring a bronze bust of J. Paul Getty, 1989

 

Typescripts and drafts:

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 4-11

"J. Paul Getty as a collector," articles by Museum curators, Fredericksen, Wilson, and Frel, 1982

Physical Description: (8 folders)
box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 14-15

Sample chapter, Marquis, "Midas: The life of J. Paul Getty," 1983

Physical Description: (2 folders)
box 2010.IA.17-02

Europe in the eighteenth century typescript and annotated drafts, undated

box Shared 1987.IA.16-01; 2004.IA.17; 2009.IA.36; 2011.IA.44

Getty, J. Paul, "A journey from Corinth," undated

Physical Description: (2 folders)
 

Series I.D. Ephemera and clippings, 1914-1920, 1932-1954, 1974, 1982-1984, undated

Physical Description: 7.3 Linear Feet (7 boxes, 1 flat file)

Scope and Content Note

Material comprises ephemera and clippings collected by or pertaining to J. Paul Getty. Items date from 1939 to 1989 and undated, and include some of J. Paul Getty's foreign driving licenses; an audio recording of an interview with Mr. Getty; an article from a Minneapolis historical society concerning Getty's childhood with photographs and documents from that institution; every-day artwork; and other ephemera and clippings.

Arrangement

Material is arranged first by format and then alphabetically.
 

Ephemera:

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 1

Audio recording of interview with J. Paul Getty (Rome), 1952

Physical Description: (1 DVD)
box Shared 1987.IA.16-01; 2004.IA.17; 2009.IA.36; 2011.IA.44

Caricature of J. Paul Getty by Jack Rosen, undated

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 24

Cruise passenger list and brochure, 1914, 1920

box 2010.IA.17-02

Driving licenses and auto club cards, 1933, 1939

box 2010.IA.17-02

Event programs, unattributed poem, loose envelopes, 1912, 1932, 1933, 1935

object 1998.IA.06

Oil painting by the artist Jack L. Gray, depicting the oil tanker George F. Getty at sea, undated

box 2010.IA.17-04

Poster from Occidental College (Los Angeles) soliciting funds, circa 1942

Flatfile 1986.IA.40

[Portrait of a Woman], drawing by Gerald Leslie Brockhurst, 1916

box 1997.IA.08-01

Valise adorned with travel stickers, undated

Physical Description: (1 leather valise, approximately 18 x 15 x 12 inches)
 

Clippings:

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 23

Spartan Aircraft Company clippings and letter, 1942-1947, 1974

box 1986.IA.48-09, folder 9

"New Getty Museum houses sculpture" clipping, 1954

box 2010.IA.17-04

"Getty writes about money and women" clipping from San Jose Mercury News clipping, November 21, 1976

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 22

J. Paul Getty in Minneapolis articles and supplemental material, 1982-1984

 

Series II. George F. Getty I and Sarah C. Getty papers, 1890, 1904-1921, 1928, 1931-1934, 1939, undated (bulk 1911-1912)

Physical Description: 1 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Material comprises personal and professional papers of George Franklin Getty I and Sarah C. Getty, parents of Jean Paul Getty ("Paul"). Material dates from 1890 to 1939 and includes letters, telegrams, hand-drawn maps, cancelled stock certificates, contracts, promissory notes, travel documents, receipts, and various forms of ephemera. The family correspondence includes letters written by J. Paul Getty to his parents that provide insight into the personal and early business relationships between George, Paul, and Sarah. While the family correspondence hints at the atmosphere of the Getty household, George's papers shed light on his early oil operations, including scouting potential drilling sites, day-to-day management of drilling activities, and his political efforts to protect his interests/land in the Osage Nation (part of the territory that the United States government annexed in 1907 to form the state of Oklahoma). Sarah's mostly peripheral involvement in the family business is evinced by her correspondence with George and several notarized documents. Please note that although Sarah signed personal correspondence "Sara," most of the notarized documents and J. Paul Getty's autobiography spell her first name "Sarah," by which she is more commonly known.

Arrangement

Material is arranged into two series:
 

Series II.A. George F. Getty I papers, 1890, 1904-1921, 1928, undated (bulk 1911-1912)

Physical Description: 0.8 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Material comprises some personal and professional papers of George Franklin Getty I, father of Jean Paul Getty ("Paul"), dating 1890-1928 and undated. The family correspondence comprises letters received by George F. Getty I from various family members. The letters from his son, J. Paul Getty ("Paul"), primarily concern Paul's residence and travel abroad and usually include Paul's requests for funds. Letters from his wife, Sarah, address a blend of parenting, domestic, and business concerns. Because George employed his family in his business, letters from his siblings and other relatives contain news regarding family, real estate transactions, property management, and oil operations. The family history is an account of George Getty's ancestry as told by George's uncle, Joseph Getty.
The business and personal papers provide a glimpse of George's early oil operations, including scouting potential drilling sites, day-to-day management of drilling activities, and political efforts to protect his interests/land in the Osage Nation, part of Indian Territory that the United States government annexed that later became the state of Oklahoma in 1907. Material includes letters, telegrams, hand-drawn maps, cancelled stock certificates, contracts, promissory notes, and other documents. Most of the letters are outgoing correspondence written by George F. Getty I. As was customary at the time, a reply to a letter is sometimes written directly on top of the original letter, thus a single sheet may contain an outgoing letter and its incoming response. The general incoming and outgoing correspondence are primarily related to property management, banking, and general business activities. Material also includes some papers that belonged to George's secretary, Mable McCreery.
Material also includes dissociated ephemera collected by or related to George F. Getty I, including a paper-cut portrait of Mr. Getty and one loose-leaf, handmade scrapbook containing pressed fauna and flora, accompanied by short hand-written descriptions, which was likely sent to him by one of his relatives in Washington state.

Arrangement

Material is arranged by subject, beginning with family history and correspondence; followed by business and personal papers; concluding with ephemera and publications.
 

Family history and correspondence, 1890, 1910-1915, 1920, undated (bulk 1911-1912)

Arrangement

Letters are arranged by correspondent in order of importance, beginning with George's son, J. Paul Getty. Each correspondent's letters are arranged chronologically. The letters are followed by a family history written by George's uncle, Joseph.
box 2010.IA.17-02

Letters from son, Paul, 1910-1915, 1920

box 2019.IA.56-01

Letters from Paul, 1912-1913, 1920

box 2010.IA.17-02

Letters from wife, Sarah, 1911-1912, undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

Letters from sister, Belle, 1911-1913, undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

Letters from brother, D. L. Getty, 1911-1912, undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

Letters from sister, Jennie V. Getty, 1913

box 2010.IA.17-02

Letters from sister, Laura and her husband, H. L. Allen, 1911, 1912, undated

Scope and Content Note

Includes one carbon copy of a letter written by George F. Getty to Laura.
box 2010.IA.17-02

Letters from other relatives, including correspondence written between relatives that is not addressed to George F. Getty, 1911, undated

box 2010.IA.17-02

Getty family history by Joseph Getty, handwritten original and transcription, April 16, 1890

 

Business and personal papers, 1904-1921, 1928, undated (bulk 1911-1916)

Arrangement

Material is arranged by subject, beginning with correspondence, followed by oil business papers and other personal papers.
 

Correspondence:

box 2010.IA.17-03

General incoming, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1914-1916, 1920, undated

box 2010.IA.17-03

General outgoing, 1911, 1914, undated

box 2010.IA.17-03

With H. S. Lehr of Ohio State University regarding donations, 1911, 1912, 1914

 

Oil business papers:

box 2010.IA.17-03

Correspondence with scout, Ola J. Rogers, regarding oil field development, 1913-1914

Scope and Content Note

Comprises letters, telegrams, and hand-drawn maps.
box 2010.IA.17-03

Correspondence regarding operations, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1919, undated

Scope and Content Note

Material contains incoming letters and carbon copies of outgoing letters, including correspondence addressed to the United States government regarding George's holdings in Oklahoma and the fairness of certain taxes paid by oil producers.
box 2019.IA.56-01

Letters from U.S. Interior Secretary Lane regarding Osage oil and gas, 1915

box 2010.IA.17-03

Stock certificate, contract, promissory note, and other notes, 1906, 1921, 1928, undated

box 2010.IA.17-03

Telegram/telegraph messages, primarily regarding oil business, 1911-1914, undated

 

Other personal papers:

box 2010.IA.17-03

Automobile purchases, maintenance, and related documents, 1911, 1912, 1920, undated

box 2010.IA.17-04

Document appointing George F. Getty District Deputy Grand Master for the Masonic Grand Lodge of St. Paul, Minnesota, February 5, 1904

box 2010.IA.17-03

Real estate transactions, 1911, 1912, undated

box 2010.IA.17-04

Travel document for George F. Getty, accompanied by his wife and minor son, issued by the United States of America Department of State, May 25, 1909

box 2010.IA.17-02

Secretary Mabel McCreery Notary Public certificate and other McCreery documents, 1915-1917

 

Ephemera and publications, 1911-1912, undated

Arrangement

Material is arranged alphabetically by subject.
box 2010.IA.17-03

Business card, calling cards, and other identification cards, undated

box 2010.IA.17-03

Paper-cut silhouette (profile portrait) of George F. Getty, undated

box 2010.IA.17-03

Receipts (various), primarily from Brentwood Country Club, 1911-1912

box 2010.IA.17-03

"Wildflowers of Washington" scrapbook, undated

box 2012.IA.037-01

Northern. Yearbook of Ohio Northern University, 1914

box 2012.IA.037-01

Northern. Yearbook of Ohio Northern University, volume dedicated to George F. Getty. 1917

 

Series II.B. Sarah C. Getty papers, 1908, 1909, 1919, 1921, 1931-1934, 1939, undated

Physical Description: 0.1 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Material comprises papers, with dates scattered between 1908 and 1939, once belonging to Sarah Catherine McPherson Risher Getty (1852-1941), including four letters, one postcard, and a souvenir booklet from her son, J. Paul Getty. Also included are two postcards from other relatives, a promissory note, and a few documents related to real estate development and water association stocks. Some documents are signed by both Sarah and her husband, George. Please note that although Sarah signed personal correspondence "Sara," most of the notarized documents and J. Paul Getty's autobiography spell her first name "Sarah," by which she is more commonly known.

Arrangement

Material is arranged in rough chronological order.
box 2010.IA.17-03

Promissory note and other signed documents related to real estate development and water association stock, 1908, 1909, 1919, 1921

box 2010.IA.17-03

Souvenir booklet "Views of Athens," signed "To Mother from Paul," Christmas 1913

Physical Description: (17 colored prints of landmarks in and around Athens, Greece, mounted on green pages, and bound with a ribbon.)
box 2010.IA.17-03

Correspondence from son, Paul, 1931, 1934

box 2019.IA.56-01

Letter from son Paul, 1933

box 1986.IA.22-01, folder 25

Postcard to Mrs. George F. Getty from her grandson, George F. Getty II and his mother, Jeannette, 1932

box 2010.IA.17-03

Postcard of the Panama Canal from her grandson, George F. Getty II, 1939

 

Series III.  Photographs, circa 1880s-1970s

Physical Description: 2.4 Linear Feet (7 boxes containing over 100 unique images)

Scope and Content Note

Materials consist primarily of black-and-white photographs and negatives, dating from approximately the 1880s to the 1970s, of J. Paul Getty, family, friends, properties, and city and landscape views. The materials also include several images of the J. Paul Getty Museum and galleries during its early years. The images are black-and-white unless otherwise specified.
The images are of various sizes, and are largely undated and unidentified. The majority of these photographs once belonged to J. Paul Getty, while a smaller number of them seem to have belonged to his father, George F. Getty I. The photographs come from several different sources, including Ralph Hewins, Getty's biographer.
When negatives were found together in an envelope they have been kept together in a set. The photographic prints, having arrived in the archives in a state of complete disarray, have been roughly organized by subject. Negatives can be found for some of the prints in this group of photographs and vice versa, but such relationships are uncommon.
Please note that image counts are approximate and represent the number of unique images (not counting duplicates).

Arrangement

The provenance of the photographs has been obscured by time. In an effort to improve access, the photographic prints and negatives in each accession are arranged in binders and roughly grouped by subject.
Sets of photographic negatives, when present, have been placed at the back of the last binder of each accession. Sets have been assigned alphabetical identities by the Archives to facilitate retrieval. Rather than attempting to match the negatives with corresponding prints, these sets of negatives have been left in the order in which they were received.
Individual negatives created by the Archives have been housed with their associated prints when possible.
 

J. Paul Getty:

box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set A

Portrait of J. Paul Getty as child, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

J. Paul Getty in 8th grade class portrait, Emerson School, May 23, 1906

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set A

J. Paul Getty shipboard as a young adult, undated

Physical Description: (3 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-03

Souvenir photographs of J. Paul Getty and guests at various nightclubs, 1950s, undated

Physical Description: (10 black-and-white photographic prints of various sizes enclosed in cardstock frames imprinted with nightclub logos)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set H

J. Paul Getty with first wife, Jeanette Demont, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

J. Paul Getty at his desk, circa 1939-1945

box 2010.IA.17-06

J. Paul Getty at work, traveling, and at leisure, 1935, 1949, undated

Physical Description: (approximately 30 black-and-white photographic prints, various sizes)

Scope and Content Note

Includes snapshots of Getty with former wife, Allene, and with unidentified women and children.
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set B

J. Paul Getty in swimsuit, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set B

J. Paul Getty in front of automobile and in front of low stone wall, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set C

J. Paul Getty in front of automobile, undated

Physical Description: (3 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set C

J. Paul Getty at beach, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set D

J. Paul Getty in front of automobile and in front of stone wall, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set D

J. Paul Getty in front of equine statues, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set F

J. Paul Getty with dog (landscape in background), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set G

J. Paul Getty with dog (on tennis court?), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set G

J. Paul Getty at beach, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set H

J. Paul Getty with landscape in background, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

J. Paul Getty portrait in profile, 1939

box 2007.IA.32-01

J. Paul Getty portraits taken at Sutton Place, undated

Physical Description: (3 photographic prints and corresponding negatives)
box 2007.IA.32-01

J. Paul Getty and guests at Sutton Place, including Getty Villa planning meetings, undated

Physical Description: (10 photographic prints and corresponding negatives)
box 2007.IA.32-01

J. Paul Getty hosting annual Christmas party for children at Sutton Place, undated

Physical Description: (4 photographic prints and corresponding negatives)
box 2007.IA.32-01

J. Paul Getty color portraits taken at Sutton Place, 1970s

Physical Description: (5 photographic prints and corresponding negatives)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 1

J. Paul Getty with Richard M. Nixon, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print and corresponding negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 1

J. Paul Getty with son and others, undated

Physical Description: (6 photographic prints and 2 negatives)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

J. Paul Getty presenting trophy to Boyer Coe, Mr. Universe (London), 1973

Physical Description: (2 photographic prints and one document)
box 1986.IA.48-11

J. Paul Getty headshot (pinstriped suit), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 1986.IA.48-11

J. Paul Getty standing on a country road in front of barbed wire fence, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print with corresponding negative)
box 1986.IA.48-11

J. Paul Getty in his estate golf cart, the "Getty-up," undated

Physical Description: (1 contact print and corresponding negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02

J. Paul Getty receiving an honorary degree, undated

Note

See original photograph in Hewins collection.
box Shared 1987.IA.16-01; 2004.IA.17; 2009.IA.36; 2011.IA.44

Coffin at Getty Villa burial site, undated

Physical Description: (2 color slides)
 

Travel and leisure:

 

Sarah C., George F., and J. Paul Getty tour of Europe, probably 1909

Scope and Content Note

Comprises images from the Getty family vacation in the summer of 1909. Includes images of George, Sarah, and Paul (from a distance) in a Chadwick touring car and scenes of Paris, Avignon, Holland, "Strassburg," Stratford on Avon, Oxford, the Rhine River, the Maas River, Monte Carlo, and "the Alps." Includes one picture of 17-year-old Paul in the driver's seat of the car with the Monte Carlo Casino in the background.
box 2010.IA.17-06

Prints

Physical Description: (approximately 14 photographic prints)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set A

Negatives

Physical Description: (approximately 27 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06

Snapshots of unidentified scenes, people, and animals (including a chimpanzee), undated

Physical Description: (approximately 8 photographic prints)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set B

European athletic team (weightlifters and perhaps swimmers) group photos and beach scenes, undated

Physical Description: (approximately 16 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set C

Unidentified beach and outdoor scene, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set D

European cityscapes, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set E

European landscapes and street scenes, often featuring an unidentified woman, undated

Physical Description: (approximately 15 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set F

Ancient ruins and harbor scenes (possibly Herculaneum), undated

Physical Description: (approximately 12 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set G

Ancient ruins (amphitheatre, aquaduct, and other structures), harbor scenes, street scenes, and volcano, (possibly including Herculaneum), undated

Physical Description: (approximately 38 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set H

Ancient ruins, landscapes, cityscapes, and street scenes, undated

Physical Description: (14 photographic negatives)

General

Images are dark and difficult to identify.
box 2010.IA.17-06

Photographic postcards, 1934, undated

Physical Description: (11 photographic postcards, sepia and black-and-white)

Scope and Content Note

Sepia postcards depict scenes from Duvall, Wisconsin and unidentified persons. Black-and-white postcards depict Hearst Castle (California), a German train, and Swiss mountain scenes. Some of the postcards are annotated and one is signed "Edith," but none of them have been addressed or posted.
box 1986.IA.48-11

Various shots, including rowing, ruins, St Mark's (Venice), ships, a beach (Bahamas), and Hearst Castle, undated

Physical Description: (7 photographic prints and 1 photographic postcard)
box 1986.IA.48-11

New York City and Harbor, 1892, 1909, undated

Physical Description: (4 photographic prints)
 

J. Paul Getty Museum:

box 2007.IA.32-01

Museum staff, including Stephen Garrett, Gillian Wilson, Jiri Frel, and others, 1970s

Physical Description: (5 photographic prints with corresponding negatives)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 3

Ranch House galleries, undated

Physical Description: (5 photographic prints)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 2

Ranch House: Louis XVI Gallery, undated

Physical Description: (7 photographic prints)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Exterior views of J. Paul Getty's Malibu Ranch House, undated

Physical Description: (4 photographic prints with corresponding negatives)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Museum staff: curator Jiri Frel, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Ranch House zoo feeding (bear?), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Ranch House painting gallery, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Interior Ranch House: Guests touring J. Paul Getty Museum and Ethel Le Vane signing book ( Collector's Choice), circa 1956

Physical Description: (6 photographic prints and corresponding negatives)
box Shared 1987.IA.16-01; 2004.IA.17; 2009.IA.36; 2011.IA.44

Ranch House zoo: bear and bison undated

Physical Description: (2 color slides)
 

Art objects:

box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

French furniture images [sent from JPG to David S. Hecht?], undated

Physical Description: (6 photographic negatives)
box 2007.IA.32-01

Detail of tapestry at Sutton Place (color), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print and corresponding negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 4

Queen Anne oak panelled room with fireplace (possible model for renovation of "Getty dining room"), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print and corresponding negative)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Unidentified tables (French decorative arts), undated

Physical Description: (6 photographic prints)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Unidentified statues on pedestals, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
 

Getty family:

box 2010.IA.17-06

George F. and Sarah C. Getty in automobile (San Diego, California), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 2010.IA.17-06

George F. Getty, I portrait, undated

Physical Description: (1 black-and-white photographic print)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

Sarah C. Getty portrait in pearl necklace, circa 1880s

Physical Description: (1 photographic print and corresponding negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set A

Sarah C. Getty (?) shipboard, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06

Sarah C. Getty in armchair, interior of 647 South Kingsley Drive, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

Sarah C. Getty in armchair, interior of 647 South Kingsley Drive (enlargement), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print and corresponding negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

George F. Getty II portrait, July 29, 1967

Physical Description: (1 color photographic print)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

George F. Getty II portrait with Dalmation, undated

box 2010.IA.17-06

George F. Getty II with puppies (Midland, Texas), circa 1951-1952

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

Crosshatch portraits of infant sons, undated

Physical Description: (Photographs of two unsigned drawings and one photographic negative)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

Portrait of son with Scottish Terrier, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box Shared 1986.IA.22-02; 1987.IA.11; 1992.IA.03; 1998.IA.07

Portrait of wife and infant son, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 2007.IA.32-01

Images of J. Paul Getty's grown sons and other family members at Sutton Place, undated

Physical Description: (5 photographic prints and corresponding negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06

Teddy Getty dancing aboard the Queen Mary, undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print, 5 x 7 inches)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 5

Allene Ashby, undated

Physical Description: (2 hand-tinted photographic prints)
 

Getty residences:

General

Images of Getty's Ranch House near Malibu, California have been placed with images of the J. Paul Getty Museum (above).
box 2010.IA.17-06

South Kingsley Drive interior (?) undated

Physical Description: (3 photographic prints)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set A

South Kingsley drive exteriors and interiors, including teenaged J. Paul Getty in the Chadwick, 1908

Physical Description: (approximately 16 photographic negatives)

General

Several of these images are blurred or otherwise of poor quality.
box 2007.IA.32-01

Color photographs of Sutton Place interiors, exteriors, and grounds in different seasons, undated

Physical Description: (approximately 37 photographic prints and corresponding negatives)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 6

Sutton Place with Cadillac in driveway, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic prints)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Getty home at East 61st Street and 5th Avenue, which was torn down to clear the site for the Hotel Pierre (New York), circa 1920s

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
 

Business:

box 2010.IA.17-06

Rural scenes with people, horses, and oil derricks in background, undated

Physical Description: (5 photographic prints, sepia and black-and-white)
box 1986.IA.48-11

Aerial photos of Mexican coast, including Acapulco, where Getty's Hotel Pierre Marques would eventually be constructed, undated

Physical Description: (8 photographic prints)
 

Oil tanker (?), undated

box 2010.IA.17-06

Print

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set C

Negative

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
 

People:

box 2010.IA.17-06

Tintype of unidentified boy on a tricycle, undated

Physical Description: (1 ferrotype)
box 2010.IA.17-06

Snapshots of unidentified persons, undated

Physical Description: (approximately 18 photographic prints)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set C

Unidentified woman at beach, in front of auto, and on the deck of a boat, undated

Physical Description: (approximately 4 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set D

Unidentified woman in front of equine statues and stone columns, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set G

Unidentified woman with dog (on tennis court?), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic negative)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set H

Unidentified woman shipboard, undated

Physical Description: (2 photographic negatives)
box Shared 1986.IA.48-12; 2002.IA.02, folder 7

Group photo (unidentified persons), undated

Physical Description: (1 photographic print)
 

Other:

box 1986.IA.48-11

Exteriors and interiors of unidentified buildings, undated

Physical Description: (13 photographic prints)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set I

Space-age stewardess leaning over passenger (film or television?), undated

Physical Description: (1 strip of 3 black-and-white negatives)
box 2010.IA.17-06, section Set I

Red-haired woman in nursery rhyme costume on stage with boy, undated

Physical Description: (1 color negative)