The collection was initially bought by art historian Thomas Brumbaugh of Vanderbilt University from Walter R. Benjamin Autographs of Madison Avenue, and subsequently acquired in 1978 by the National Collection of Fine Arts, now the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Shortly thereafter, the letters were transferred to the Archives of American Art.
The collection was digitized in its entirety in 2016 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website.
Materials received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and the collection was microfilmed onto reel 2041. The collection was prepared for digitization and described by Judy Ng in 2016, with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
John Gellatly letters received from artists, 1887-1931. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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
Art collector John Gellatly (1853-1931) lived in New York City, N.Y. and established a real estate and insurance business in 1885. An art enthusiast, Gellatly furthered his interests by enrolling in classes. There, he would meet his future wife, the heiress Edith Rogers, whom he married in 1886. Together, they began collecting decorative art objects and contemporary paintings, including works by Albert P. Ryder, Abbott Thayer, and Childe Hassam. After Edith's death in 1917, Gellatly continued to collect art and eventually gifted the 1,640 objects and paintings in his collection to the Smithsonian in 1929. He died of complications from pneumonia in 1931.
The John Gellatly letters received from artists measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1887 to 1931. Found within the collection are 120 letters to Gellatly from Emma and Abbott H. Thayer, Frederick S. Church, Irving Wiles, Albert Pinkham Ryder, C. E. S. Wood, and George Grey Barnard. Some of the letters contain sketches, particularly those from Church. Topics include the price and progress of artworks, requests for commissions, mutual friendships, and daily events. There are also two copies of the poem "The Flying Dutchman" by Albert P. Ryder.
The collection is arranged as 1 series.
List of letters available at Archives of American Art offices.
The John Gellatly letters received from artists measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1887 to 1931. Found within the collection are 120 letters to Gellatly from Emma and Abbott H. Thayer, Frederick S. Church, Irving Wiles, Albert Pinkham Ryder, C. E. S. Wood, and George Grey Barnard. Some of the letters contain sketches, particularly those from Church. Topics range from the price and progress of artworks and requests for commissions to mutual friendships and daily events. There are also two copies of the poem "The Flying Dutchman" by Albert P. Ryder.
Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by surname of the artist.
This series has been scanned in its entirety.
Correspondence, Barnard, George Grey: 1925
Correspondence, Church, Frederick S.: 1887-1919
Correspondence, Church, Frederick S.: 1920
Correspondence, Church, Frederick S.
Correspondence, Church, Frederick S.: 1923
Correspondence, Ryder, Albert Pinkham: 1897-1910
Correspondence, Thayer, Abbott and Emma: circa 1903-1923
Correspondence, Thayer, Abbott and Emma: 1903
Correspondence, Thayer, Abbott and Emma: 1905
Correspondence, Thayer, Abbott and Emma: 1907-1908
Correspondence, Thayer, Abbott and Emma: 1912-1923
Correspondence, Wiles, Irving R.: 1929-1931
Correspondence, Wood, C.E.S.: 1919
Correspondence, Miscellaneous: circa 1885-1930