Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
Paul Singer Papers
Singer, Paul, 1904-
FSA.A1991.01
Archival Resource Key
23 Linear feet
Boxes 1-28, 30-40, OV29
circa 1880s-1997
The Paul Singer papers measure 23 linear feet and date from circa 1880s to 1997. Materials include biographical documents, correspondence, writings and notes, exhibition and symposium files, travel files, personal art collection records, personal business records, printed material, artwork, artifacts, and photographs.
English
.
Paul Singer Papers
Biographical / Historical
Paul Singer (1904-1997) was a collector of Chinese art and neuropsychiatrist active in New York.
Born in Pressburg, Hungary in 1904, Singer grew up in Vienna, Austria where he studied medicine and developed his lifelong interest in Chinese art. He began his studies in 1921 at the Realgymnasium in Vienna, becoming a neuropsychiatrist in 1929 at the University of Vienna. He and his wife, actress Eva Geyer (1907-1975), fled Austria in 1938. After staying briefly in London, they arrived in New York in 1939 where Singer frequented art dealer shops, such as C. T. Loo and Ralph Chait, auction houses, and thrift stores. Singer met Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987) at a Sotheby's auction in 1957. After Singer's wife's death in 1975, Sackler and Singer entered an agreement whereby Sackler would pay to support Singer's collecting and Singer's collection would go to Sackler upon his death.
Galleries and museums around the country displayed works from Singer's collection, and in 1965, Singer and Max Loehr (1903-1988) co-curated Relics of Ancient China (1965) at Asia House Gallery in New York. The Chinese Institute in New York held several exhibitions showing pieces from his collection, two of which included: Early Chinese Gold and Silver (1971) and Early Chinese Miniatures (1977), for which he wrote the catalogs. In honor of Singer's eighty-fifth birthday in April 1990, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery held a symposium, "New Perspectives on Chu Culture during the Eastern Zhou Period," displaying a select number of objects from his collection and dedicating the published volume of presented papers to Paul Singer. In addition to curating and collecting, Singer also published scholarly articles on Chinese art in journals such as Archives of Asian Art and Oriental Art, and was senior consultant to the Far Eastern Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Max Loehr (1903-1988) began constructing a comprehensive catalog of Paul Singer's collection in 1965, sending entries to Singer as he and his colleagues completed them. After Loehr's death, Thomas Lawton (1931- ) took over much of the Singer collection catalog project, hoping for completion in time for the Symposium in 1990, but the catalog was never published.
Paul Singer died in New Providence, New Jersey in 1997.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
Multiple accessions were merged and archivally processed and a finding aid prepared by Anna Rimel in 2017 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund. For this collection, minimal level processing was implemented, which included arrangement to the series, subseries and folder levels, adhering to the creator's original arrangement as much as possible. Generally, folder contents were simply verified with the original folder titles, but items within folders were not arranged further. All materials were rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners have not all been removed.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 11 series.
- Series 1: Biographical Material, 1911-1996, undated [0.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 28, OV29]
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1906-1996 [2.5 linear feet; Boxes 2-8]
- Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1950s-circa 1990s [2.0 linear feet; Boxes 8-13]
- Series 4: Exhibition and Symposium Files, 1957-1990 [0.7 linear feet; Boxes 13-15]
- Series 5: Travel Files, circa 1960s-circa 1991 [0.2 linear feet; Box 15]
- Series 6: Personal Art Collection Records, 1951-circa 1996 [1.9 linear feet; Boxes 16-20]
- Series 7: Personal Business Records, 1948-1997 [0.9 linear feet; Boxes 20-23]
- Series 8: Printed Material, circa 1900-1996 [0.9 linear feet; Boxes 23-24, 28]
- Series 9: Artwork, circa 1950s [0.1 linear feet; Boxes 24, 28]
- Series 10: Artifacts, circa 1970s-circa 1980s, undated [1.1 linear feet; Box 24, Bust]
- Series 11: Photographs, circa 1880s-circa 1990s [12 linear feet; Boxes 24-27, 30-40]
Scope and Contents
The Paul Singer papers measure 23 linear feet and date from circa 1880s to 1997. Materials include biographical documents, correspondence, writings and notes, exhibition and symposium files, travel files, personal art collection records, personal business records, printed material, artwork, artifacts, and photographs.
Biographical materials document Paul Singer's life in Vienna, Austria and in the United States. Scattered biographical documentation concerning Singer's wife, Eva Geyer, is also included. Correspondence files show the many relationships Singer maintained with art auctions and art dealers, Asian art colleagues, and various museums and universities in an effort to continuously expand and exhibit his collection. Topics also include requests for loans and viewings of Singer's art collection; consultations about other art objects; auction and sales offers; and his unpublished collection catalog project. Writings and notes include drafts of articles, essays, Singer's memoirs, and Singer's unpublished collection catalog drafts. As reflected within exhibition and symposium files, items from Singer's collection were included in several exhibitions over the years, many at the Asia House Gallery and China Institute of America, and a symposium held in his honor at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in 1990, "New Perspectives on Chu Culture during the Eastern Zhou Period." The papers also include various materials documenting Singer's international travels, especially to China from 1979 onward.
Personal art collection records document various Singer collection purchases and sales and include invoices, receipts, shipping documents, appraisal and laboratory testing results, scattered loan agreements, and Arthur M. Sackler Foundation and Purchase Fund documentation. Personal business records include Singer's personal financial files, legal files, and estate papers. Also found within the papers are printed materials, a sketchbook and sketches by others, two picture frames, and a bronze bust of Paul Singer by David Cregeen. Personal photographs depict Paul Singer and his friends and family through snapshots, portraits, vintage photographs, and one album, and primarily document Singer's life in Austria. Also included are images of Singer's apartment showing his collection as a whole, as well as various social events. Photographs of works of art, both within Singer's collection and from other sources, constitute the bulk of the photographs found within the papers and include four photograph albums. However, researchers should note that prints, slides, and negatives of works of art are as yet largely unsorted.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donations received in part from Dr. Paul Singer in 1991 and after his death in 1997, and from the executrix of his estate, Ms. Margit Elsohn, in 2000.
Preferred Citation
The Paul Singer Papers. FSA.A1991.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Archaeology -- China -- Antiquities
Art, Asian -- Collectors and collecting
Art, Chinese -- Collectors and collecting
Photographs
Correspondence
Vienna (Austria)
New York (N.Y.)
Financial records
Biographical Material
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
0.7 Linear feet
Boxes 1-2, 28, OV29
1911-1996, undated
Scope and Contents
Documenting Paul Singer's and wife Eva Geyer's life in Vienna, Austria and in the United States, biographical materials include awards, certificates, diplomas, curriculum vitae, Vienna University grades and notes, vital documents, membership cards, address books, passports, and other materials.
Address Books and Phone Numbers
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950s-circa 1990s
1
1-2
Arthur M. Sackler Feitschrift and Memorial Materials
Archival Resource Key
1987
1
3
Awards and Certificates, Financial Support Recognition
Archival Resource Key
1994-1996
1
4
Business Cards, Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930s-circa 1970s
1
5
Business Cards and Contacts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960s-circa 1990s
1
6
Collected Ephemera on Michael B. Krassner
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
7
Curriculum Vitae
Archival Resource Key
circa 1990
1
8
DEA Registration Renewal
Archival Resource Key
1981
1
9
Diplomas
Archival Resource Key
1929
1
Driver's Licenses and International Certificates of Vaccination
Archival Resource Key
1955-1968
1
11
Medical and Psychiatric Licenses
Archival Resource Key
1944-1962
1
28
Membership Cards
Archival Resource Key
1986-1996
1
13
Metropolitan Museum of Art ID Badge
Archival Resource Key
circa 1990s
1
14
Passports, Eva Geyer
Archival Resource Key
1953-1957
1
15
Passports, Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
1953-1983
1
16
Singer Coat of Arms
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
17
Stationery
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
18
Stock Certificates, Centennial Documents
Archival Resource Key
1891-1960
1
19
Support for Bill Clinton Documentation
Archival Resource Key
1991-1996
1
20
Vienna University Materials
Archival Resource Key
1915-1968
2
1-3
Vital Documents, Eva Geyer
Archival Resource Key
1911-1975
2
4
Vital Documents, Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
1939-1945
2
5
Women's Hospital in New York Documents
Archival Resource Key
1947
2
6
Oversized Diploma from Box 1, Folder 10
Archival Resource Key
1929
OV29
Scope and Contents
See Map Case Drawer 66, F.8.
Oversized Medical and Pyschiatric Licenses from Box 1, Folder 12
Archival Resource Key
1944-1962
28
OV29
Scope and Contents
Also see Map Case Drawer 66, F.8.
Correspondence
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
2.5 Linear feet
Boxes 2-8
1906-1996
Scope and Contents
Correspondence is with Asian art scholars and collectors, museums, galleries, universities, and art dealers, and includes letters, cards, and postcards received, as well as several outgoing letters from Singer. Topics of conversation include loan requests and viewings of Singer's collection; Chinese art object consultations; notices of items of interest up for auction; ongoing discussions of the disposition of Singer's collection upon his death; and publication of and edits to his collection catalog project.
Scope and Contents
The following list is selective and represents about seventy-five percent of the individuals who corresponded with Paul Singer.
- Bahr, Edna H.
- Barnard, Noel (The Australian National University)
- Beach, Milo C. (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery)
- Bernat, Paul
- Brinker, Helmut H. (Fogg Art Museum)
- Brundage, Avery
- Bulling, Anneliese Gutkind
- Bunker, Emma C.
- Bush, George, President
- Capon, Edmund (Victoria & Albert Museum)
- Caro, Frank (C.T. Loo--gallery)
- Chait, Ralph M.
- Chang, Kwang-chih (Yale University)
- Chase, Thomas W. (Freer Gallery of Art)
- Cheung, Kwong-yue (The Australian National University)
- Chow, Fang (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
- Chu, Jen-hsing (National Palace Museum)
- Cleveland, Richard S. (The Saint Louis Art Museum)
- Cox, Warren E.
- Crawford, John M., Jr.
- D'Argence, Ivon (M.H. de Young Memorial Museum)
- Dohrenwend, Doris J. (The Royal Ontario Museum)
- du Boulay, Anthony (Christie's, New York)
- Eskenazi, J.E.
- Fontein, Jan (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
- Fu, Marilyn (Princeton University)
- Fu, Shen (Freer Gallery of Art)
- Gettens, Rutherford J.
- Getz, Joel
- Gichner, Lawrence E.
- Goepper, Roger (Museum fur Ostasiatische Kunst)
- Gray, Basil (British Museum)
- Grisdale, Dick and Marjorie
- Gyllensvard, Bo
- Hathaway, Calvin S. (The Cooper Union)
- Hayashi, Minao (Kyoto University)
- Higuchi, T. (Kyoto University
- Hippen, Will, Jr. (Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego)
- Huber, Louisa G. Fitzgerald
- Hsu, F. Richard (China Institute in America)
- Kahane, Andrew
- Keene, Manuel D.
- Kelley, Clarence W. (The Dayton Art Institute)
- Kimpel, Ben (Drew University)
- Kuwayama, George (L.A. County Museum of Art)
- Lally, James (Sotheby Park Bernet)
- Lee, Sammy Yukuan (Oriental House, Ltd.)
- Lee, Sherman E. (The Cleveland Museum of Art)
- Levitan, Kit Carson Bennett
- Little, Stephen (The Cleveland Museum of Art; Asian Art Musuem of San Francisco)
- Loehr, Max (Fogg Art Museum)
- Loekl, Greta Schreyer
- Loh, Pichon P.Y. (Upsala College)
- Maeda, Robert J. (Brandeis University)
- Mackay, Colin J. D. (Sotheby's, London)
- Marumoto, Shinichi (Kadansha Publishers)
- Matsumoto, Helen L.
- Mino, Yutaka
- Mowry, Robert D. (The Asia Society)
- Neill, Mary Gardner (Yale University Art Gallery)
- Poor, Richard (University of Minnesota)
- Proctor, Patty (Royal Ontario Museum)
- Ravenal, Richard S. (Asian Gallery)
- Rawson, Jessica (The British Museum)
- Reynolds, Valrae (The Newark Museum)
- Riddell, Sheila
- Rockefeller, John D., 3rd
- Rockefeller, Mrs. John D. (Blanchette)
- Sackler, Arthur M.
- Sackler, Jill
- Sackler, Marietta Lutze
- Scott, Hugh (U.S. Senate)
- Schloss, Ezekiel
- Shangraw, Clarence F. (Asian Art Museum of San Francisco)
- Shen, Yusen
- Sickman, Laurence (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art)
- Singer, Erwin
- So, Jenny
- Spelman, Ruth (C.W. Post Center)
- Sullivan, Michael (Univ. Of Malaya in Singapore)
- Swann, Peter C. (Museum of Eastern Art, Oxford)
- Thote, Alain
- Trousdale, William (U.S. National Museum)
- Trubner, Henry (The Royal Ontario Museum)
- Tsang, Shu-ping Teng (National Palace Museum)
- Tsiang, Katherine R.
- Tung, Tom Wu (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
- Umehara, Sueji
- Vannotti, Franco
- Veit, Willibald
- Wardwell, Allen (The Asia Society)
- Washburn, Gordon B. (The Asia Society)
- Waterbury, Florance
- Watson, William (Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, Univ. Of London)
- Whitfield, Roderick (Princeton University)
- Wilson, Marc F. (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art)
- Wu, Tung (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
- Ziebold, Thomas O. (Braddock Services Inc.)
- Woodward, Hiram W., Jr. (The Walters Art Gallery)
- Yuey, Joe
Arrangement
The bulk of the files are arranged alphabetically by correspondent or corresponding institution. Numerous copies made after the receipt of the collection are of select letters and postcards and have not been further sorted.
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation and Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1987-1996
2
7
A, General
Archival Resource Key
1962-1991
2
8
Barnard, Noel
Archival Resource Key
1949-1980
2
9
Bluett and Sons, Ltd.
Archival Resource Key
1959-1984
2
10
Bull, Richard C.
Archival Resource Key
1960-1984
2
11
Bunker, Emma C.
Archival Resource Key
circa 1971-1989
2
12
B, General
Archival Resource Key
1957-1990
2
13
C. T. Loo and CIE
Archival Resource Key
1954-1960
2
14
Capon, Edmund
Archival Resource Key
1975-1986
2
15
Chase, W. T.
Archival Resource Key
1970-1984
2
16
Cheng, Te-k'un
Archival Resource Key
1958-1975
2
17
Christie's
Archival Resource Key
1977-1987
3
1
C, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1996
3
2
Dohrenwend, Doris
Archival Resource Key
1973-1985
3
3
D, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1983
3
4
Eskenazi Limited
Archival Resource Key
1970-1987
3
5
E, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1983
3
6
Falk, Myron S., Jr.
Archival Resource Key
1952-1989
3
7
Fontein, Jan
Archival Resource Key
1957-1992
3
8
Forester, Charles and Hanni
Archival Resource Key
1971-1982
3
9
F, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1982
3
10
Gyllensvard, Bo
Archival Resource Key
1981-1996
3
11
G, General
Archival Resource Key
1955-1993
3
12
Huber, Louisa
Archival Resource Key
1986-1988
3
13
H, General
Archival Resource Key
1957-1990
3
14
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1981-1984
3
15
Juliano, Annette
Archival Resource Key
1964-1975
3
16
Killiam, Walt
Archival Resource Key
1969-1974
3
17
King, Warren
Archival Resource Key
1965-1985
3
18
Krassner, Michael B.
Archival Resource Key
1971-1978
4
1
K, General
Archival Resource Key
1956-1987
4
2
Lawton, Thomas
Archival Resource Key
1973-1992
4
3-4
Loehr, Max
Archival Resource Key
1954-1988
4
5
Lowe, J. E.
Archival Resource Key
1976-1984
4
6
L, General
Archival Resource Key
1957-1986
4
7
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1957-1994
4
8
M, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1996
4
9-10
N, General
Archival Resource Key
1957-1991
4
11
O, General
Archival Resource Key
1953-1989
4
12
P, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1995
4
13
Rockefeller, John D. and Blanchette
Archival Resource Key
1972-1976
4
14
R, General
Archival Resource Key
1957-1986
4
15
Sackler Family
Archival Resource Key
1958-1995
4
16
Spink and Son, Ltd.
Archival Resource Key
1953-1990
5
1
Suback-Sharpe, Gerard
Archival Resource Key
1987
5
2
S, General
Archival Resource Key
1951-1988
5
3
Taylor, Zachary
Archival Resource Key
1968-1974
5
4
Trubner, Henry
Archival Resource Key
1959-1969
5
5
T, General
Archival Resource Key
1960-1989
5
6
Umehara, S.
Archival Resource Key
1956-1968
5
7
U-V, General
Archival Resource Key
1958-1983
5
8
Warren E. Cox and Associates, Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1953-1971
5
9
W, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1993
5
10
Y, General
Archival Resource Key
1954-1985
5
11
Zhanyue, Huang
Archival Resource Key
1986-1992
5
12
Z, General
Archival Resource Key
1966-1987
5
13
Between Paul Singer, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Arthur Sackler
Archival Resource Key
1979-1985
5
14
Collection Donation Consideration, Other Museums
Archival Resource Key
1993-1996
5
15
Condolence Letters and Cards
Archival Resource Key
1975
5
16
Regarding Singer Exhibition and Catalog Arrangements
Archival Resource Key
1986-1990
5
17
Regarding Singer Exhibition and Catalog Arrangements
Archival Resource Key
1987-1990
6
1
General Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-1996
6
2-6
Cards, Birthday Cards and Letters
Archival Resource Key
1992-1994
6
7
Cards, Greeting Cards
Archival Resource Key
1975-1995
6
8
Cards, Holiday Cards
Archival Resource Key
1991-1995
6
9
Postcards Received
Archival Resource Key
1906-1990s
6
10-15
Unsorted Copies, A
Archival Resource Key
1967-1991
6
16
Unsorted Copies, B
Archival Resource Key
1957-1986
7
1
Unsorted Copies, C
Archival Resource Key
1952-1991
7
2-3
Unsorted Copies, D
Archival Resource Key
1971-1984
7
4
Unsorted Copies, F
Archival Resource Key
1952-1989
7
5
Unsorted Copies, G
Archival Resource Key
1955-1991
7
6
Unsorted Copies, H
Archival Resource Key
1953-1987
7
7
Unsorted Copies, K
Archival Resource Key
1957-1987
7
8-9
Unsorted Copies, L
Archival Resource Key
1958-1982
7
10
Unsorted Copies, M
Archival Resource Key
1992-1993
7
11
Unsorted Copies, N-O
Archival Resource Key
1957-1988
8
1
Unsorted Copies, P-R
Archival Resource Key
1963-1986
8
2
Unsorted Copies, S
Archival Resource Key
1954-1990
8
3-4
Unsorted Copies, T-W
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960-circa 1983
8
5-6
Unsorted Copies, X-Z
Archival Resource Key
1952-1983
8
7
Writings and Notes
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
2 Linear feet
Boxes 8-13
circa 1950s-circa 1990s
Scope and Contents
Writings and notes include drafts of manuscripts and typescripts by Paul Singer of various articles, catalog essays and general essay drafts, letters to the editor, unpublished memoir drafts, and unpublished Singer collection catalog project files. Also included are scattered handwritten notes, miscellaneous manuscript drafts, a typescript draft by John E. Lowe entitled "Corrosion Patina Archais Chinese Bronze Artifacts," and item descriptions and notes for an unidentified consulting project.
Articles, "A Bone Mask," Archives of Asian Art
Archival Resource Key
1982
8
8
Articles, Oriental Art Magazine, Various
Archival Resource Key
circa 1968-circa 1972
8
9
Articles, "A Puzzling Object," Archives of Asian Art
Archival Resource Key
circa 1982-circa 1984
8
10
Articles, "Terminology"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980
8
11
Articles, "To the Rescue," Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America
Archival Resource Key
1965-1969
8
12
Catalog Essay, Introductory Essay to "Ancient Chinese Bronzes" Exhibit
Archival Resource Key
1977
9
1
Catalog Essay, "Unearthing China's Past"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1973
9
2
Essay, "Shang Dynasty Ku"
Archival Resource Key
1968-1969
9
3
Essay, Unidentified Handwritten Draft
Archival Resource Key
undated
9
4
Letter to the Editor, China Medical Tribune
Archival Resource Key
1986
9
5
Letters to the Editor, New York Times
Archival Resource Key
1986-1988
9
6
Memoirs, Drafts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s
9
7-13
Miscellaneous Manuscript Drafts and Typescripts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970s-circa 1980s
9
14
Miscellaneous Notes
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950s-circa 1990s
10
1
Notebooks
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950s-circa 1990s
10
2
Singer Collection Catalog Project, Introduction and Catalog Entry Drafts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960s-circa 1990
10
3-9
Singer Collection Catalog Project, Introduction and Catalog Entry Drafts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1989-circa 1990
11
1-7
Singer Collection Catalog Project, Introduction and Catalog Entry Drafts
Archival Resource Key
1990
12
1-6
Singer Collection Catalog Project, Introduction and Catalog Entry Drafts
Archival Resource Key
1990
13
1-2
Unidentified Consultation Project, Item Descriptions and Notes
Archival Resource Key
circa 1976
13
3
Unidentified Handwritten Draft by Singer
Archival Resource Key
undated
13
4
Writings By Others, Lowe, John E., Typescript
Archival Resource Key
circa 1977-circa 1980
13
5
Exhibition and Symposium Files
Series 4
Archival Resource Key
0.7 Linear feet
Boxes 13-15
1957-1990
Scope and Contents
Files document the various places part or all of Singer's collection was publicly exhibited. Most exhibitions were held at Asia House Gallery and the China Institute of America, though files also include exhibitions held at the Dayton Art Institute, High Museum of Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Lowe Art Museum, and Stanford University. Symposium files document the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery symposium held in Singer's honor in 1990: "New Perspectives on Chu Culture during the Eastern Zhou Period."
Arrangement
This series is arranged as 2 subseries.
- 4.1 Exhibition Files, 1952-1992
- 4.2 Symposium Files, "New Perspectives on Chu Culture during the Eastern Zhou Period," circa 1990
Exhibition Files
4.1
Archival Resource Key
1952-1992
Arrangement
Files are generally arranged chronologically by date of exhibition.
Arts of the Chou Dynasty (1958), Standford University
Archival Resource Key
1957-1959
13
6
Relics of Ancient China (1965), Asia House Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1964-1981
13
7
Early Chinese Gold and Silver (1971), China House Gallery
Archival Resource Key
circa 1971-circa 1972
14
1
Sculptural Jades of China (1972), Asia House Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1963-1972
14
2
Early Chinese Miniatures (1977), China Institute of America
Archival Resource Key
1976
14
3-4
Freedom of Clay and Brush Through Seven Centuries in Northern China: Tzu-chou Typewares 960-1600 A. D. (1981), Indianapolis Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1978-1981
14
5
Chinese Gold and Silver from the Tang Dynasty (A. D. 618-907) from American Collections (1984-1985), The Dayton Art Institute
Archival Resource Key
1982-1985
14
6
Ritual and Power: Jades of Ancient China (1988), China Institute of America
Archival Resource Key
1987-1988
14
7
Various Exhibitions, Asia House Gallery of the Asia Society
Archival Resource Key
1965-1985
14
8
Various Exhibitions, China Institute in America, China House Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1952-1992
14
9-11
Various Exhibitions, Oriental Ceramic Society
Archival Resource Key
1960-1983
14
12
Exhibition Loan Agreements and Correspondence, High Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1984-1985
14
13
Exhibition Loan Agreements, Lowe Art Museum
Archival Resource Key
1978
14
14
Symposium Files, "New Perspectives on Chu Culture during the Eastern Zhou Period"
4.2
Archival Resource Key
circa 1990
Inventory List of Works Included
Archival Resource Key
circa 1990
15
1
Invitation and Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1990
15
2
Photograph Album, Unbound
Archival Resource Key
1990
15
3
Transcript of Toast to Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
1990
15
4
Travel Files
Series 5
Archival Resource Key
0.2 Linear feet
Box 15
circa 1960s-1991
Scope and Contents
Documenting Singer's trips to China and other international destinations, travel files include arrangements and itineraries, brochures and maps, various ephemera, tickets and receipts, and one photograph album.
China, Arrangements and Itineraries
Archival Resource Key
1979-1980
15
5
China, Background Materials
Archival Resource Key
circa 1979-circa 1980
15
6
China, Ephemera
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980
15
7
China, Exchange Memos
Archival Resource Key
1980
15
8
China, Photograph Album
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980-circa 1989
15
9
China, Receipts and Invoices
Archival Resource Key
1980
15
10
China, Slide of Paul Singer in Canton
Archival Resource Key
1980
15
11
China, Travel Brochures and Maps
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980
15
12
Arrangements and Itineraries
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970s
15
13
Travel Ephemera
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960s-circa 1980
15
14
Receipts and Invoices
Archival Resource Key
1969-1976
15
15
Tickets
Archival Resource Key
1971-1976
15
16
Travel Brochures
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s-1991
15
17
Personal Art Collection Records
Series 6
Archival Resource Key
1.9 Linear feet
Box 16-20
1951-circa 1996
Scope and Contents
Files document the movement and continuously changing size of Singer's art collection and include appraisal, conservation, and donation documentation; Arthur M. Sackler Foundation agreements and Purchase Fund documentation; invoices and receipts for purchases and consignment sales; loan agreements; and photography and shipping invoices. Unsorted copies are presumed to be duplicates of documentation already within the collection, made after the acquisition of the collection.
Appraisal Paperwork
Archival Resource Key
1992-1994
16
1
Appraisals and Conservation
Archival Resource Key
1957-1985
16
2
Appraisal and Donation Documentation, The Morris Museum
Archival Resource Key
1992-1993
16
3
Appraisals, Inventories, and Notes
Archival Resource Key
circa 1977-circa 1996
16
4-5
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation Agreements and Contracts
Archival Resource Key
1967-1997
16
6-7
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation Purchase Fund
Archival Resource Key
circa 1988-1996
16
8-9
Book Purchases and Invoices, China International Book Trading Corporation
Archival Resource Key
1985-1993
16
10
Book Purchases and Invoices, Collet's Booksellers
Archival Resource Key
1956-1975
16
11
Book Purchases and Invoices, General
Archival Resource Key
1951-1993
16
12
Book Purchases and Invoices, General
Archival Resource Key
1951-1993
17
1
Invoices and Receipts, A
Archival Resource Key
1955-1996
17
2
Invoices and Receipts, B
Archival Resource Key
1953-1983
17
3
Invoices and Receipts, C. T. Loo
Archival Resource Key
1953-1959
17
4
Invoices and Receipts, Christie's
Archival Resource Key
1977-1996
17
5
Invoices and Receipts, Coleman Galleries
Archival Resource Key
1952-1968
17
6
Invoices and Receipts, Consignment and Auction Galleries
Archival Resource Key
1990-1994
17
7
Invoices and Receipts, C-D
Archival Resource Key
1952-1986
17
8
Invoices and Receipts, Eskenazi Limited
Archival Resource Key
1972-1975
17
9
Invoices and Receipts, E
Archival Resource Key
1987-1990
17
10
Invoices and Receipts, Frank Caro Co.
Archival Resource Key
1967-1989
17
11
Invoices and Receipts, F-G
Archival Resource Key
1958-1969
17
12
Invoices and Receipts, Hartman
Archival Resource Key
1967-1983
17
13
Invoices and Receipts, Hausman, David
Archival Resource Key
1992-1996
17
14
Invoices and Receipts, H-I
Archival Resource Key
1953-1992
17
15
Invoices and Receipts, J. J. Lally and Co. Oriental Art
Archival Resource Key
1986-1995
17
16
Invoices and Receipts, J. T. Tai and Co., Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1956-1986
17
17
Invoices and Receipts, John Sparks Limited
Archival Resource Key
1953-1977
17
18
Invoices and Receipts, J
Archival Resource Key
1985-1996
17
19
Invoices and Receipts, Komor, Matthias
Archival Resource Key
1954-1983
17
20
Invoices and Receipts, K
Archival Resource Key
1951-1993
17
21
Invoices and Receipts, L
Archival Resource Key
1953-1992
17
22
Invoices and Receipts, M-N
Archival Resource Key
1954-1990
17
23
Invoices and Receipts, Nuri Farhadi, Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1964-1987
17
24
Invoices and Receipts, Oriental House Ltd. [Sammy Yukuan Lee]
Archival Resource Key
1969-1972
17
25
Invoices and Receipts, O-R
Archival Resource Key
1964-1981
17
26
Invoices and Receipts, Rare Art, Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1972-1984
18
1
Invoices and Receipts, Sotheby's
Archival Resource Key
1952-1995
18
2-3
Invoices and Receipts, Spink and Sons, Ltd.
Archival Resource Key
1951-1977
18
4
Invoices and Receipts, S
Archival Resource Key
1954-1996
18
5
Invoices and Receipts, TK Oriental Antiques, Inc.
Archival Resource Key
circa 1990-1996
18
6
Invoices and Receipts, T. Y. King and Sons
Archival Resource Key
1969
18
7
Invoices and Receipts, T
Archival Resource Key
1963-1980
18
8
Invoices and Receipts, V
Archival Resource Key
1984-1992
18
9
Invoices and Receipts, Warren E. Cox and Associates, Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1959-1968
18
10
Invoices and Receipts, W-Y
Archival Resource Key
1955-1994
18
11
Invoices and Receipts, General
Archival Resource Key
1951-1996
18
12
Loan Agreements, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1990-1993
18
13
Loan Requests and Receipt Paperwork, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1973-1994
18
14
Photography Invoices, O. E. Nelson
Archival Resource Key
1967
18
15
Sampling and Custody Paperwork
Archival Resource Key
1992
18
16
Shipping Receipt, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1990
18
17
Unsorted Copies, Appraisals and Purchase Inquiries
Archival Resource Key
circa 1987-circa 1996
19
1
Unsorted Copies, Invoices and Purchase Receipts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1951-circa 1987
19
2-8
Unsorted Copies, Invoices and Purchase Receipts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1958-circa 1996
20
1-6
Personal Business Records
Series 7
Archival Resource Key
0.9 Linear feet
Boxes 20-23
1948-1997
Scope and Contents
Records include financial records, legal files, and estate papers. Financial records include Austrian pension paperwork; bank statements and cleared checks which include scattered collection purchase information, and other general financial materials. Legal files include property leases, civil action paperwork, medical license documentation, last will and testament, and paperwork regarding the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Singer's collection disposition. Estate papers primarily document the appraisal, inventory, and final destination of Singer's collection and finances after his death in 1997, but also include some correspondence and legal arrangements made prior to his passing.
Arrangement
This series is arranged as 3 subseries.
- 7.1 Financial Records, 1951-1996
- 7.2 Legal Files, 1948-1995
- 7.3 Estate Papers, 1991-circa 1997
Financial Records
7.1
Archival Resource Key
1951-1996
Austrian Pension Documentation, Pensionsversicherungsanstalt
Archival Resource Key
1974-1996
20
7
Austrian Pension Statements, Creditanstalt-Bankverein
Archival Resource Key
1979-1996
20
8-9
Bank Statements
Archival Resource Key
1975-1994
21
1-3
Checks Cleared
Archival Resource Key
1975-1994
21
4-8
Scope and Contents
Document purchases made by Paul Singer.
Checks Cleared, Copies, To Michael Krassner and David Hausman
Archival Resource Key
1996
21
9
Deposit and Stock Ledgers
Archival Resource Key
1951-1953
21
10
General Financial Material
Archival Resource Key
1978-1984
21
11
I. O. U., Louise Koepfler
Archival Resource Key
1974
21
12
Invoices, Princeton University Gallery Talks
Archival Resource Key
1972
21
13
Tax Materials
Archival Resource Key
1987-1997
22
1
Vehicle Purchases
Archival Resource Key
1972-1994
22
2
Legal Files
7.2
Archival Resource Key
1948-1995
Appellant's Brief, New York State v. Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
1948
22
3
Civil Actions
Archival Resource Key
1989-1994
22
4
Civil Actions, Home Shopping Network
Archival Resource Key
1995
22
5
Last Will and Testament
Archival Resource Key
1985
22
6
Leases
Archival Resource Key
1970-1992
22
7
Medical License Documentation
Archival Resource Key
1949-1963
22
8
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Regarding Singer Collection
Archival Resource Key
1978-1982
22
9
Reinstatement of Medical License
Archival Resource Key
1954-1961
22
10
Estate Papers
7.3
Archival Resource Key
1991-circa 1997
Estate Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1991-1997
22
11-12
Estate Memos, Final Arrangements
Archival Resource Key
1997
22
13
Finances and Investment Paperwork
Archival Resource Key
1997
22
14
Inventory, Chinese Art Collection
Archival Resource Key
circa 1997
22
15-17
Legal Arrangements and Paperwork
Archival Resource Key
1995-1997
23
1-2
Loan Agreements, Singer Estate and Sackler Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1997
23
3
Smithsonian Estate Receipt Documentation
Archival Resource Key
1997
23
4
Printed Material
Series 8
Archival Resource Key
0.9 Linear feet
Boxes 23-24, 28
circa 1900-1996
Scope and Contents
Printed materials include exhibition announcements and catalogs, published articles by Paul Singer, various collected materials and blank postcards, among other materials.
Announcements
Archival Resource Key
1982-1996
23
5
Auction Item Description, Chait Galleries
Archival Resource Key
circa 1955
23
6
Blank Postcards
Archival Resource Key
circa 1920s-circa 1980s
23
7-8
Brochures
Archival Resource Key
1990s
23
9
Clippings, Eva Geyer
Archival Resource Key
circa 1920s-circa 1930s
23
10
Clippings, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1978-1979
23
11
Clippings, General
Archival Resource Key
circa 1945-circa 1990s
23
12-14
Collected Material, Book of Erotic Prints by Marquis Franz von Bayros
Archival Resource Key
circa 1900-circa 1910
23
15
Scope and Contents
Oversized material housed in Box 28.
Collected Material, Karl F. Landegger
Archival Resource Key
1963-1982
23
16
Exhibition Catalogs, Staten Island Museum
Archival Resource Key
1962
23
17
Journals, Articles, and Images About or Including Singer's Collection
Archival Resource Key
1965-1973
23
18
Portrait Print of Dr. Julius Hocheness
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930
23
19
Published Articles by Paul Singer, Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America
Archival Resource Key
1962-1988
24
1
Published Articles by Paul Singer, Oriental Art Magazine
Archival Resource Key
1960-1988
24
2
Published Articles by Paul Singer, Various
Archival Resource Key
1937-circa 1980s
24
3-4
Oversized Collected Material, Book of Erotic Prints by Marquis Franz von Bayros from Box 23, Folder 16
Archival Resource Key
circa 1900-circa 1910
28
Artwork
Series 9
Archival Resource Key
0.1 Linear feet
Boxes 24, 28
circa 1940s-circa 1950s
Scope and Contents
Artwork includes one sketchbook, presumed to be Paul Singer's, and various pencil and charcoal sketches by others.
Sketchbook
Archival Resource Key
undated
24
5
Scope and Contents
Oversized material housed in Box 28.
Charcoal, Pencil, and Paint Sketches by Unknown Artists
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940s-circa 1950s
24
6
Artifacts
Series 10
Archival Resource Key
1.1 Linear feet
Box 24, Bust
circa 1970s-circa 1980s, undated
Scope and Contents
Materials include two pictures frames owned by Singer, and one bronze bust of Paul Singer made by David Cregeen.
Alligator Skin Picture Frame
Archival Resource Key
undated
24
7
Bronze Bust of Paul Singer by David Cregeen
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970s-circa 1980s
24
8
Cast Metal Picture Frame
Archival Resource Key
undated
24
9
Photographs
Series 11
Archival Resource Key
12 Linear feet
Boxes 24-27, 30-40
circa 1880s-circa 1990s
Scope and Contents
Personal photographs and negatives are of Paul Singer, Eva Geyer, friends and family, Singer's apartment and art collection, vacations, and various social events. One unbound photograph album depicting life in Austria, early family and vacation snapshots, and Eva Geyer's vaudeville career is also included.
Photographs of works of art depict Singer's collection as well as objects from other sources, and include unsorted negatives, slides, prints, and four photograph albums.
Arrangement
This series is arranged as 2 subseries.
- 11.1 Personal Photographs, circa 1880s-circa 1990s
- 11.2 Works of Art, circa 1970-circa 1990
Personal Photographs
11.1
Archival Resource Key
circa 1880s-circa 1990s
Images of Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
24
Portrait Images and Snapshots of Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
circa 1920s-circa 1994
24
10-12
Portrait Images and Snapshots of Paul Singer, Strip Negatives
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960s-circa 1980s
24
13
Portrait Images and Snapshots of Paul Singer, Nitrate Negatives
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930s-circa 1940s
24
14
Paul Singer, Passport and I. D. Photographs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960s-circa 1990s
24
15
Paul Singer with Bronze Bust of Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
circa 1986
24
16
Paul Singer with His Collection
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s
24
17
Images of Paul Singer
Archival Resource Key
25
Paul Singer with His Collection, Copy Prints of Slide
Archival Resource Key
1987
25
1
Paul Singer with His Collection, Negatives
Archival Resource Key
1987
25
2
Paul Singer with His Collection, Slides
Archival Resource Key
1987
25
3
Paul Singer Medical Training and Physician Workplace Photographs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940s-circa 1960s
25
4
Paul Singer and Arthur Sackler Agreement Signing
Archival Resource Key
1987
25
5
Paul Singer and Noel Barnard
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s
25
6
Paul Singer and Margit Suback Elsohn
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s
25
7
Paul Singer and Margit Suback Elsohn, Photograph Album Pages
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s
25
8
Paul Singer and Eva Geyer
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940s-circa 1964
25
9
Snapshots of Paul Singer and Eva Geyer and Vacation Snapshots, Nitrate Negatives
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930s-circa 1940s
25
10
Paul Singer and Thomas Lawton
Archival Resource Key
circa 1990s
25
11
Paul Singer and Max Loehr
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960s-1983
25
12
Paul Singer with Others
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930s-circa 1993
25
13
Images of Margit Subak Elsohn
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930s-circa 1990
25
14
Portrait Images of Eva Geyer
Archival Resource Key
circa 1915-circa 1950s
25
15
Eva Geyer Performance Photographs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930s
25
16
Vintage Family Photographs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1880s-circa 1918
25
17
Vintage Family Photographs, Eva Geyer
Archival Resource Key
circa 1890s-circa 1915
25
18
Images of Friends and Family
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-circa 1980s
25
19
Images of Others
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950s-1991
25
20
Vacation and Family Snapshots
Archival Resource Key
circa 1929-circa 1980s
25
21
Vacation Snapshots, Color Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s
25
22
Social Events, Paul Singer's 75th Birthday
Archival Resource Key
1979
25
23
Social Events, Color Prints and Snapshots
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950s-circa 1990s
26
1
Social Events, Black and White Prints
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950s-circa 1972
26
2
Collection and Apartment Interiors
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s-circa 1990s
26
3
Image of Unidentified Document
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960s-circa 1970s
26
4
Personal Photograph Album, Unbound
Archival Resource Key
circa 1920s-circa 1930s
26
5
Scope and Contents
Oversized material housed in Box 27.
Works of Art
11.2
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970-circa 1990
Unidentified Work of Art, Negative
Archival Resource Key
circa 1980s
26
6
Unsorted Images of Works of Art
Archival Resource Key
circa 1970-circa 1990
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
Scope and Contents
Includes negatives, prints, slides, transparencies, and four photograph albums depicting works of art from Paul Singer's collection and from other sources.