American Art: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection (1991): Catalog Acknowledgements

Documenting a museum's collection requires years of extensive research and cannot be accomplished by any one department. We would like to express our appreciation to our colleagues Leslie Greene Bowman, curator of decorative arts; Susan L. Caroselli, associate editor and formerly associate curator of decorative arts; Edward Maeder, curator of costumes and textiles; Constantina Oldknow, former associate curator of ancient and Islamic art; Scott Schaefer, former curator of European paintings; Robert T. Singer, curator of Japanese art; and Nancy Thomas, associate curator of ancient and Islamic art, for sharing their expertise in their respective fields, and to Stephanie Barron, curator of twentieth-century art, and Bruce Davis, curator of prints and drawings, for reading drafts of portions of the text. Thanks also go to Pieter Meyers, head of the Conservation Center , and William Leisher, former head; to paintings conservators Joseph Fronek and the late David Kolch and their staff, to paper conservator Victoria Blyth-Hill; and to Paul Hernandez and his coworkers in the Technical Services department for assistance in examining each work of art and ascertaining its materials. We are indebted to the museum's registrar, Renee S. Montgomery, and her staff, in particular Anne Smith, for clarifying many details on the history of the collection, and Eleanor Hartman and the staff of the Art Research Library, especially Anne Diederick, for obtaining copies of countless hard-to-find journal articles, books, and ephemeral materials.

Over the years many individuals and institutions assisted in our research. A number of the artists and members of their families were able to provide us with remembrances about their lives and specific works of art in the museum's collection. We would like to thank the following artists for their cooperation: Ben Abril, Standish Backus, Rex Brandt, the late Nick Brigante, Paul Cadmus, the late Phil Dike, Nell Fujita, the late Robert Gwathmey, Bendor Mark, J. Jay McVicker, Richards Ruben, the late Millard Sheets, and the late Jan Stussy. The late Nancy Hale Bowers, the late Conrad Buff III, Jacques Davidson, and David Soyer furnished much appreciated information about their respective fathers, Helen Lundeberg on her husband, Lorser Feitelson, Velma Hay-Messick on her husband, Ben Messick, Wesley Halpert on Samuel Halpert, Janet J. Le Clair on Robert Henri, and Louis Ritman's family on him.

We are indebted to several divisions of the Smithsonian Institution. The resources of the Archives of American Art are essential to any research in the field. The staffs of the main office and the various branches offered advice, assistance, and answers to our many questions. A special note of gratitude must go to Stella Paul, former director of the Southern California branch of the Archives in San Marino , and her staff, Margaret Nelson and Barbara Wilson, for facilitating our research on numerous occasions. The staff of the Inventory of American Paintings was also most cooperative.

Vital too was the help of our sister institution, the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, whose registrar, Lella F. Smith, delved into their files to answer our questions. The assistance of Gretchen Sibley, the archivist of the Museum of Natural History , who almost single-handedly ensured that documents on the early years of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science, and Art would be saved, was invaluable. She made known to us the existence of wonderful scrapbooks containing newspaper reviews that document each of the museum's exhibitions from its opening in 1913 through the years of the Great Depression. Without these scrapbooks documentation on the paintings acquired during the early years would not have been as thorough. Her friendliness and many anecdotes made research at our sister museum all the more enjoyable.

Much of the detailed information in this catalogue was derived from registrars' records, catalogues, and archival and library materials available only in other institutions. It is not possible to acknowledge individually all the people in those museums, libraries, historical societies, and associations who provided information, but among those who came to our aid, many on repeated occasions, were: AlbrightKnox Art Gallery, Buffalo, Laura Catalano, Marjorie J. Huston, Annette Masling; American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York, Nancy Johnson; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Tex., Carol Clark; Architectural League, New York, Alison Zucrow; Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ont., Canada, Lorna Somers; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Catherine Li Spence; Art Gallery, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Sandra S. Phillips; Art Institute of Chicago, Courtney Connel, Althea H. Huber, Mary Mclsaac, Mary Mulher; Art Students League of New York; Aurora (Ill.) Historical Society, John J. Jaros; Baltimore Museum of Art, Frances Klapthore Andrews; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Dr. Junginger; Belmont, Gari Melchers M emorial Gallery, Falmouth, Va., Richard S. Reid; Berkshire Athenaeum Public Library, Pittsfield, Mass., Ruth T. Degenhardt; Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Mass., Debra Balken; Bethesda (Md.) Art Gallery, Betty Minor Duffy; Boston Public Library, Janice H. Chadbourne; Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Pa., Gene E. Harris; Brooklyn Museum, Sarah Faunce, Barbara Dayer Gallati, Thea K. Hunter; Brown University Library, Providence, R.I., Mrs. Kenneth A. Lynch; Buffalo and Erie County (N.Y.) Historical Society, Yvonne M. Foote; Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, Ed Amatore; California Historical Society, San Francisco, Pamela Seager, Judy Sheldon, Gerald D. Wright, and in the Los Angeles branch, Daniel Hoye; California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, Evy White Horigan, John M. Orders; B. Gerald Cantor Art Foundation, New York, Michele Fraser Labozzetta; Century Association, New York, Andrew Zaremba; Chaffey Community Art Association, Ontario, Calif; Chicago Historical Society; Cincinnati Art Museum, Mona L. Chapin; City University of New York, Graduate School and University Center, William H. Gerdts, Marlene Park, H. Barbara Weinberg; Cleveland Museum of Art, Jean Addison, Linda Jackson; Colby College, Miller Library, Waterville, Maine, Patience-Ann M. Leuk; Collins Art Gallery, North Falmouth, Mass., Douglas B. Collins; Columbia University, New York, Janet Parks, Allen Staley; Columbus (Ohio) Museum of Art, Maureen Alvim, Christy Putman; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Katherine M. Kovacs, Rebecca Tiger; Dartmouth College Library, Hanover, N.H., Philip N. Cronenwett; Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Rowland Elzea; Denver Public Library, Eleanor M. Gehres; Des Moines Art Center, Phemie Conner; Detroit Institute of Arts, Nancy Rivard Shaw, Maureen A. Siler; Episcopal Church Center, New York, Avis E. Harvey; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, N.Y., Karin Lee; Lyman Field and United Missouri Bank of Kansas City, n.a., cotrustees of Thomas Hart and Rita P. Benton Testamentary Trusts, Kansas City, Mo., Stephen J. Campbell; Frick Art Reference Library, New York, Paula L. Pumplin, Helen Sanger; Friends of the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours, Bankside Gallery, London; Galleries of the Claremont (Calif) Colleges, Marjorie Harth Beebe, Kay Koeninger; Gallery of Art, Washington University, Saint Louis, Joseph D. Ketner II; J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, Calif; Haggin Museum, Stockton, Calif, Joanne Avante; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., James W. Manoney, Rebecca Zurier; Historical Sites, Southwestern Nova Scotia, Annapolis Royal, N.S., Canada, F. G. McGill; Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Carol Hevner, Louise T. Jones; Holland Society of New York, Linda Rolufs; Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah, Calif; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y, Margaret Anne Tockarshewsky; Jonathan Club, Los Angeles, Sally R. Guthrie; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Mrs. Kenneth A. Anderson; La Farge Catalogue Raisonné, Henry A. La Farge, James L. Yarnall; La Jolla (Calif) Museum of Contemporary Art, Erika Torri; Lake Tahoe Historical Society, South Lake Tahoe, Calif, Linda Mendizabal; Maier Museum of Art, Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Va., Ellen Schall; Mariner's Museum, Newport News, Va., Charlotte Valentine; Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, John Baker; Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Ross Uruquhart; Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, Conn., Verna A. Gilson; Memorial Gallery of the University of Rochester, N.Y, Sandra Markham; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Doreen Bolger, Donna Hassler, Joan Mertens, Jennifer Roundy, Lewis I. Sharp; Milwaukee Art Museum, Diane Driessen; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Marilyn Bjorkland, Moira Harris; Monroe County Historical Society, Stroudsburg, Pa., James Crawford; MunsonWilliams-Proctor Institute, Utica, N.Y, Sarah Clark-Langager; Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Messody Zrihenj; Museum and Library of Maryland History, Baltimore, Stiles T. Colwill; Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I., Luann M. Skorupa; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Edward S. .Cooke, Jr., Erica E. Hirschler; Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Mass., Martha J. Hoppin, Nancy L. Swallow; Museum of Modern Art, New York, Barbara C. Matilsky, Clive Phillpot; Museum of the City of New York, Jan Seidler Ramirez; National Academy of Design, New York, Abigail Booth Gerdts, Barbara S. Krulik; National Archives, Public Building Service, Office of Design and Construction, Washington, D.C., William R. Lawson, the late Karel Yasko; National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England, Richard Ormond; National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., the late Adelyn Breeskin, Elizabeth Broun, George Gurney, Christine Hennesey; National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Lillian Miller, Robert G. Stewart; Newberry Library, Chicago, Diana Haskell; New England Historical Genealogical Society, Boston, Pauline King; New Orleans Museum of Art, Vallerie Loupe Olsen; New, port Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, Calif, Cora Lee Gibbs; New-York Historical Society, Mary Carey; New York Public Library; Norton Gallery and School of Art, West Palm Beach, Fla., Esther Grapes, Bruce Weber; Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, Calif, Andrea Clark, Judy Anderson Mowinckel, Helene L. Ratski; Oakland Museum, Mary Bisbee, Barbara Bowman, Christine Doran; Occidental College, Los Angeles, Robert Hansen; Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., Betsy Fahlman; Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse, N.Y., Richard N. Wright; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, N.Y., Norman Loehner; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Frank H. Goodyear, Jr., Cheryl Leibold; Philadelphia Maritime Museum, Ann Wilcox; Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Martha Carey, Grayson L. Harris; Portland (Ore.) Art Museum, Jack Rutland; Prendergast Catalogue Raisonné Project, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, Mass., Gwendolyn Owens; Queens College of the City University of New York, L. M. Chisolm; Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology, Gladys Taylor; Roman Bronze Works, New York, Phillip Schiavo; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Saint Louis Art Museum, Patricia L. Adams, Doris C. Sturzenberger; San Diego (Calif) Historical Society, Bruce Kamerling; United Methodist Church, General Commission on Archives and History, Madison, NJ., Gregory Strong; United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Barbara Beroza, Timothy R. Manns; Unity Church, North Easton, Mass., Richard C. Meyers; University of California, Berkeley, Bancroft Library, Annegret Ogden; University of California, Los Angeles, Robert Brown; University of California, Redlands, Art department; University of Delaware, Newark, John Sloan Archives; University of King's College, Halifax, N.S., Canada, Jane Trimble; University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Martha Clark, Martha J. Hoppin; University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, Hilarie Faberman; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Karal Ann Marling; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, Teresa A. Prater; University of Rochester, N.Y., Sandra Markham; University of Texas, Austin, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, Cathy Henderson; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Lisa Hummel Hancock; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conn., Muriel A. Thompson; Western Heritage Museum, Omaha, Jane G. Murry; Woodstock (N.Y.) Artists Association, Woodstock, Sam Klein; Worcester (Mass.) Art Museum, Kathy Berg, Sally R. Freitag, Susan Strickler; and Yale University Library, New Haven, Conn., Judith A. Schiff.

Many of the works of art in the museum's collection came to Los Angeles directly from the artists or their dealers, while others have been handled by various galleries. The following commercial art galleries and dealers were most helpful, especially in shedding light on the provenances of specific works: ACA Galleries, New York, Meredith Sutton, Amy J. Wolf, H. V. Allison Galleries, Inc., New York, Glenn C. Peck; Babcock Galleries, New York, Michael St. Clair; Berry-Hill Galleries, New York, Bruce Chambers; John Burrows, London; Child's Gallery, Boston, Galena Gorokhoff, Coe Kerr Galleries, Inc., New York, Warren Adelson; Conner-Rosenkranz, New York, Janis Conner; Graham Gallery, New York, Wendy Weaver; Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, Edith Roach; Hammer Galleries, New York, Patrick O'Connor; Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York, Kathleen Burnside, M. P. Naud; Kennedy Galleries, New York; M. Knoedler & Co., New York, Nancy Little; Kraushaar Galleries, New York, Katherine Kaplan, Antoinette M. Kraushaar, Carole Pesner; Meredith Long & Company, Houston, Tex.; James Maroney, Inc., New York; Midtown Galleries, Inc., New York, Bridget L. Moore; Toby C. Moss Gallery, Los Angeles; Steve Newman Fine Arts, Stamford, Conn., Daniele Delouya-Newman; The Old Print Shop, Inc., New York, Kenneth M. Newman; Old West Publishing Co., Denver, Stephen L. Good; Frank Perls Archives, Pasadena, Calif, Joan Q. Hazlitt; Rowe Fine Arts, Inc., Chicago, Ill., Harold M. Rowe; Marvin Sadik, Falmouth, Maine; Schoelkopf Gallery, New York, Robert Schoelkopf, M. R. Schweitzer Gallery, New York; Valley House Gallery, Inc., Dallas, Cheryl S. Vogel; Vose Galleries of Boston; Carol Walker Aten, Robert C. Vose, Jr.; and Zabriskie Gallery, New York, Pamela Dickson, Virginia Zabriskie.

We would like to express our appreciation to a number of scholars and other individuals who shared their knowledge and expertise on individual artists: Mildred Albronda, Mrs. Merrill P. Brooks, Sarah Burns, Taylor Coffman, Mrs. Raymond G. Crawford, Michael B. Croyden, Stanley L. Cuba, David B. Dearinger, Elizabeth Waldo-Dentzel, William Dick, Fredrick S. Dickson, Lord and Lady Eccles, Julian Ganz, Jr., Doris Harris, Mrs. Robert Hays, Jr., Daniel S. Hodgson, Edward Sprague Jones, Ronald M. Lawrence, Rae Alexander-Minter, Ronald G. Pisano, Henry M. Reed, Mrs. Berny Shulman, Will South, Ila Weiss, and Anthony R. White.

The realization of this publication was made possible only through the assistance of many people at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, beginning with Mitch Tuchman, managing editor, and Deenie Yudell, head designer. The skill of Peter Brenner and his staff of photographers ensured the accuracy of all the reproductions. Nancy Carcione ably assisted in preparing the manuscript. Kathleen Preciado and Joseph Newland edited the text; the authors appreciate their expertise, dedication, cooperation, and good humor. Joseph Newland took over the editing in midcourse, a difficult task for any editor, and his close involvement and devotion to the project assured that the catalogue would be realized. And Lilli Cristin created a book design that handsomely satisfies the special needs of a collection catalogue.