Archives of American Art
Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler and Company
Homer, Winslow, 1836-1910
AAA.mknoeco
Archival Resource Key
0.2 Linear feet
1900-1904
This small collection of twenty-two letters written by painter and illustrator Winslow Homer to his art dealer, M. Knoedler and Company, date from 1900 to 1904. These letters to the New York gallerist concern the logistics of selling his paintings and also reference agents, collectors, and art institutions where his work was being exhibited.
The collection is in English.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler and Company were purchased at auction and donated by Martha J. Fleischman in memory of her father, Lawrence A. Fleischman, in 2010.
Related Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds the Winslow Homer collection; a microfilm copy on reels 2932-2933 of the Winslow Homer and Homer family papers from the Bowdain College; and a video recording, Winslow Homer in Maine.
Existence and Location of Copies
This collection was digitized in its entirety in 2014 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
Processing Information
Biographical information in this finding aid was written by Erin Kinhart; all materials were processed and otherwise described by Judy Ng in 2014 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Preferred Citation
Winslow Homer letters to M. Knoedler and Company, 1900-1904. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Biographical / Historical
Winslow Homer was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1836. He was raised in Cambridge, where he developed a love of art and the outdoors. At the age of 19 he began his career as an illustrator, apprenticing at the J.H. Bufford lithographic firm in Boston. He then decided to become a freelance illustrator. In 1859 Homer moved to New York to work for Harper's Weekly, serving as artist-correspondent for the magazine during the Civil War. After taking some art classes at the National Academy of Design, he decided to focus on oil painting. He quickly gained international recognition as a painter, and in 1866 made his first trip to Europe. In 1873 he decided to work in watercolor and found great success in his experimentation with light and color in this medium. In the mid-1880s Homer moved permanently to Prout's Neck, Maine, an isolated area where he built a studio and focused his paintings on man's struggle with nature. Also during the 1880s he worked on a series of etchings based on his paintings. Homer continued to paint for the next twenty years, vacationing summers in places such as the Adirondacks and the Bahamas to capture varied landscapes, until his death in 1910.
M. Knoedler and Co. was a New York art dealership and gallery that managed the sales and logistics involved in shipping or lending artworks to various collectors, museums, organizations, and institutions.
Scope and Contents
This small collection of twenty-two letters written by painter and illustrator Winslow Homer to his art dealer, M. Knoedler and Company, date from 1900 to 1904. These letters to the New York gallerist concern the logistics of selling his paintings and also reference agents, collectors, and art institutions where his work was being exhibited.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 1 series:
Missing Title
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1900-1904 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Art -- Economic aspects
Art dealers -- Illinois -- Chicago
Illustrators -- Maine
Painters -- Maine -- Prout's Neck
M. Knoedler & Co.
Correspondence
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
9 Folders
Box 1
1900-1904
Scope and Contents
These letters by Winslow Homer concern the construction of frames, pricing of artworks, potential sales, and shipping and receipt of his paintings. They also refer to Homer's Chicago agent, private collectors, and several institutions where his work was being exhibited, including the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, and the Union League Club and the Century Association in New York. There is a telegram from M. O'Brien and Son, Chicago, Ill. to Homer regarding a lost sale and 3 letters that include a sketch illustration of the painting Homer references within the letter.
Arrangement
Correspondence is arranged in chronological order.
Existence and Location of Copies
This series has been scanned in its entirety.
Letter to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 March
1
1
Letter to M. Knoedler: 1900 March
Scope and Contents
Regarding the pricing and and shipping of two watercolors, "Boat Landing, Bermuda" and "North Road, Bermuda."
Letter to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 May
1
2
Letter to M. Knoedler: 1900 May
Scope and Contents
Clarification of J.A. Spoor as the purchaser of "Lost on the Grand Banks."
Letter to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 June
1
3
Letter to M. Knoedler: 1900 June
Scope and Contents
Returning a letter to M. Knoedler and Company.
Letter to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 July
1
4
Letter to M. Knoedler: 1900 July
Scope and Contents
Constructing a frame in the same style as the one for "Hound and Hunter."
Letters to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 September
1
5
Letters to M. Knoedler: 1900 September
Scope and Contents
Missing Title
- Following up on a frame order.
- Shipping two works to the Carnegie Institute for an exhibition.
- Sending new work to M. Knoedler for framing.
- Offering to display "Gulf Stream" at M. Knoedler's after the Carnegie exhibition.
Letters to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 October
1
6
Letters to M. Knoedler: 1900 October
Scope and Contents
Missing Title
- Regarding delivery of two watercolors to the Century Association for their monthly meeting.
- Pricing "Gulf Stream."
- Commissioning two frames for new works.
Telegram from M. O'Brien and Son and letters to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 November
1
7
Telegram from M. O'Brien and Son and letters to M. Knoedler: 1900 November
Scope and Contents
Missing Title
- Telegram from M. O'Brien and Son on the falling through of a sale.
- Regarding shipping a new canvas and checking another canvas for damages.
- Following up on a painting sale, frame orders, and the completion of two new "wonderful paintings."
Letters to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1900 December
1
8
Letters to M. Knoedler: 1900 December
Scope and Contents
Missing Title
- Regarding shipping "Fog" with a pricing rationale.
- Sending new paintings to be framed (including "Breaking the Bar, Cannon Rock"), checking on Century Association watercolors, and an update on new works.
- Final pricing for "Fog" and "Breaking the Bar," finding the market value of his works, and offering M. Knoedler publication rights to "Fog."
- Acknowledgement and decline of offer to ship work to France.
- Sending work to the Union League, update on works and "Gulf Stream."
- Framing and shipping instructions for work sent to the Union League.
Letter to M. Knoedler
Archival Resource Key
1904 August
1
9
Letter to M. Knoedler: 1904 August
Scope and Contents
Regarding a circular on "Early Morning."