Henri Vever A Finding Aid to His Papers at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives


Descriptive Summary
	Creator:	Vever, Henri, 1854-1942
	Title:	The Henri Vever Papers
	Dates:	1875-1932
	Quantity:	2.5 linear feet, 35 items
	Abstract:	The papers of Parisian jeweler and art collector Henri Vever (1854-1942) include six diaries; a ledger of his art acquisitions; original oil paintings by Vever; and photographs. The materials document Vever's circle of friends, patrons, and other art collectors in turn-of-the-century Paris.
	Identification:	A1988.4, A1993.3

Biographical Information

For a more detailed look at the life of Henri Vever, please see the following publication from which much of this biographical information originates: Lowry, G.D. with Nemazee, S. (1988). A jeweler's eye: Islamic arts of the book from the Vever Collection. Washington D.C.: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Insitution with Seattle: University of Washington Press.


	Biographical Overview
	Date	Event
	1854	Vever born in Metz, France.
	1870	Following the German annexation of Metz during the Franco-Prussian War, the Vever family leaves Metz for Luxembourg.
	1871	Jean-Jacques Ernest Vever (father of Henri) buys a jewelry studio in Paris. Vever begins apprenticeship at Loguet and at Hallet and attends night classes at the Ecole des Art Décoratif in Paris.
	1873	Vever enters the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the studios of M.A. Millet and J.L. Gérôme.
	1881	Jean-Jacques Ernest Vever retires and Vever and his brother Paul assume control of the jewelry shop (Maison Vever). Henri Vever marries Jeanne Monthiers.
	1882	Jeanne Vever gives birth to Marguerite Vever, the couple s only child.
	1885	Vever buys first painting.
	1891	Vever travels to Russia where the Maison Vever takes part in a jewelry exhibition in Moscow.
	1892	Vever becomes a regular participant of the dîners japonisants organized by art dealer Siegfried Bing.
	1893	Vever appointed commissioner for jewelry to the World s Columbian Exposition, in Chicago. Maison Vever exhibits jewelry at the Exposition.
	1894	Vever donates forty Japanese prints to the Louvre.
	1900	Vever joins the Société Franco-Japonasie and is elected the mayor of Noyers, France.
	1906-1908	Vever publishes, Bijouterie Française au XIXe Siècle.
	1913	With Georges Marteau, Vever authors, Miniatures Persanesa catalogue of the 1912 Exposition des Arts Musulmans.
	1915	Paul Vever dies.
	1919	Maison Vever commissioned to make sword of honor offered to Marshall Ferdinand Foch by the city of Paris to celebrate the end of World War I.
	1921	Vever retires.
	1939	Marguerite Vever dies.
	1942	Henri Vever dies.
	1982	Maison Vever closes.

Jeweler, art collector, and author Henri Vever was born in Metz, France in 1854. Together with his older brother Paul, Henri Vever managed the family jewelry firm, Maison Vever, from 1881 until Paul s death in 1915 and Henri s retirement in 1921. As an art collector, Vever amassed a large collection of European, Asian, and Islamic art. Through his work as a jeweler, art collector, and author, Henri Vever played an important role in the twentieth-century art world.

To equip him with the proper skills to run Maison Vever, Henri Vever apprenticed in the studios of Louguet and of Hallet and attended the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in 1871. Two years later, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts accepted Henri and he entered the studios of artists M.A. Millet and J.L. Gérôme. Jean-Jacque Ernest Vever retired from Maison Vever in 1881 and his two sons, Henri and Paul, assumed control.

The youngest son of Jean-Jacques Ernest Vever, Henri Vever was born into a family of jewelers. His grandfather, Pierre-Paul Vever, launched a successful jewelry shop in Metz in 1854. Upon retirement, Pierre-Paul Vever s son, Henri s father, assumed control of the shop. With the German annexation of Metz during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Jean-Jacque Ernest Vever took his family to Luxembourg and one year later acquired a jewelry shop at 19 Rue de la Paix in Paris and named the new shop Maison Vever.

That same year Henri married Jeanne Monthiers and she gave birth to the couple s only child, Margeurite, in 1882. Henri, Jeanne, and Margeurite Vever lived at 19 Rue de la Paix in the same building that housed Maison Vever. In 1892 Jeanne Vever inherited her family s estate in Noyers, France.

The Vever brothers ran a very successful jewelry studio. Not only did Maison Vever s clientele base expand during their tenure, but its designs were often prizewinners at various expositions around the world. The 1900 Exposition Universalle in Paris offers an example. The Maison Vever submission won a Grand Prix at this exposition in which the art movement Art Nouveau played a major role.

Henri Vever was a proponent of the Art Nouveau movement, a turn-of-the-century art movement whose adherents sought to forge a new, modern style, one that would, reunite art and craft. According to curator Glenn Lowry, Vever s interest in Art Nouveau affected the Maison Vever s designs. & during the 1880s many of the Maison Vever s designs were highly traditional, by the beginning of the 1890s the firm was at the vanguard of the art nouveau movement.

In addition to his work at Maison Vever, Vever amassed an enormous and influential collection of European, Asian, and Islamic art. Initially a collector of European art, by the late 1880s Vever s collecting interests expanded to include Asian and then Islamic art works. According to Lowry, Vever s interest in Islamic art was sparked in 1891 when he traveled to Moscow to participate in a jewelry exhibition. In approximately 1892 Vever joined Les Amis de l Art Japonais, a group whose members met for dinners at which they discussed Japanese art. Claude Monet was also a member of this group.

From 1906 to 1908, Vever published a three-volume series, Bijouterie Française au XIXe Siècle . This set became the, standard text on nineteenth-century jewelry . Through his art collections, writings, and profession, Henri Vever played an important role in the twentieth-century art world. He acquired a large art collection and often loaned pieces out for exhibition to various galleries and museums throughout the world. Henri Vever retired from Maison Vever in 1921 and the sons of Paul Vever, André and Pierre, took over the reigns. Henri Vever died in 1942 at the country estate in Noyers. Maison Vever continued operation until 1982 when it permanently shut its doors.

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Scope and Content Note

The Henri Vever Papers measure 2.5 linear feet (35 items) and span the years 1875 1932. The collection contains six diaries, an account ledger, 20 photographs, one guest list, one ceremonial pommel, and six original oil paintings by Henri Vever.

This collection is organized into five series:

Series 1: Diaries, 1878-1901

Series 2: Account Ledger, 1894, 1907-1917

Series 3: Photographs, 1867-1932, n.d

Subseries 3.1: Henri Vever and Family

Subseries 3.2: Vever Family Estate in Noyers, France

Series 4: Miscellaneous, 1893, 1918[?]

Subseries 4.1: Dinner guest list

Subseries 4.2: Pommel

Series 5: Art Works, 1914-1915

Subseries 5.1: Le Havre, France

Subseries 5.2: Château de Noyers

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Access is by appointment only, Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please contact the Archives to make an appointment.

Restrictions on Use

No restrictions on use.

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Selected Search Terms

	Names:
		Vever, Henri, 1854-1942
	Subjects:
		Art dealers -- France
		Art nouveau
		Art, Asian
		Art, European
		Art, Islamic
		Jewelry -- France -- History -- Nineteenth Century
		Jewelry -- France -- History -- Twentieth Century
	Places:
		Le Havre (France)
		Paris (France)
	Document Types:
		Art works
		Diaries
		Photographs

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Related Material

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery holds the, Vever Collection of Islamic Manuscripts. Additionally, the Archives holds, the Vever Family Photograph Album which contains photographs depicting the Vever family from 1881-1930 and the family estate in Noyers, France.

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Administrative Information

Alternate Formats

A portion of the collection has been microfilmed and is available through the Archives.

Preferred Citation

Henri Vever Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Gift of François Mautin, 1988

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Linda M. Machado, 2001.

Provenance

The Henri Vever Papers were donated to the Archives by the grandson of Henri Vever, François Mautin, in 1988. Additionally, Mr. Mautin donated six original oil paintings by Henri Vever to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in 1988. These paintings were transferred to the Archives in 1993.

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Description of Series/Container List



Series 1: Diaries, 1878-1901
	This series comprises six diaries kept by Henri Vever. They span the years 1878 to 1901 and all are handwritten and in French. All the diaries include later annotations by Mr. Vever's grandson, Francois Mautin. The diaries document the day-to-day happenings of Mr. Vever s personal and professional lives. The earliest of the diaries dates from 1878. The diary from 1891 documents Vever s travels to Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. Four diaries are sequentially titled, HV [Henri Vever] 1 , HV2 , HV 3 , and HV 4 . These four diaries contain continuous entries starting in 1898 and ending in 1901. The series is arranged chronologically.
Box	Folder
1	1	Diary, 1878
				Annotated by F. Mautin on July 1984
1	2	Diary, 1891
				Travel journal. Annotated by F.M. [Francois Mautin] July to Sept. 1891. Handwritten, in French.
1	3	Diary, 1898
				H.V. 1 Annotated by F. [Francois] Mautin.1st entry 1 January 1898, last 5 May 1898. Handwritten, in French.
1	4	Diary, 1898
				H.V.2 Annotated by Francois Mautin 1st entry, 9 May 1898, last 25 Nov. 1898. Handwritten, in French.
1	5	Diary, 1898 - 1899
				H.V.3 Annotated by Francois Mautin 1st entry, 26 Nov. 1898, last 5 Nov. 1899. [1 Enclosure program from Conservatoire National de Musique, Société des Concerts. April 1899.]. Handwritten, in French.
1	6	Diary, 1899 -1901
				H.V.4 Annotated by Francois Mautin.1st entry 6 Nov. 1899, last 11 March 1901. Handwritten, in French.

Series 2: Account Ledger, 1894, 1907-1917
	This series comprises a one-volume ledger, with enclosures, maintained by Vever for 1894 and 1907 to 1917 to record his art purchases. Items enclosed in the ledger are housed next to the volume in a separate folder. Entries include year, date, name of dealer or auction house from which the item was purchased, a description of the purchase, and the asking and paid prices (in French francs). The series comprises one ledger book and a folder of items enclosed in the ledger (including the record for 1894).
Box	Folder
2	1,2	Account Ledger, 1894, 1907 1917.
				H.V Comptes Arts. 1907 a 1917 et 1894. [Henri Vever Art Accounts 1907 to 1917 and 1894. Items enclosed in ledger are housed in folder 2]. Handwritten, in French.

Series 3: Photographs, 1867-1932, n.d.
	This series comprises twenty black and white photographs. It is subdivided into two subseries. Subseries one comprises fourteen photographs of Henri Vever and his family and subseries two comprises sixteen photographs of the Vever family estate in Noyers. The estate was the Monthiers family estate and inherited by Henri Vever s wife, Jeanne, in 1892. Each subseries is arranged chronologically.
Subseries 3.1: Photographs of the Vever family, 1867-1932, n.d.
Box	Folder
2	3		Henri and Paul Vever, 1867[?]
					Studio portrait. Annotated on back, Paul (L) Henri (R) Vever 1867 (?) Henri looks much younger about 10 years old which would make it 1864.
2	3		Henri Vever, ca. 1875
					Henri Vever in military uniform. Annotated on back, Henri Vever circa 1875. 1854-1942 (military service). Studio: Photographie J. Caron, Nancy.
2	3		Henri Vever, ca. 1880
					Annotated on back, Henri Vever (1854.1942) circa 1880. Studio: A. Dietsche, Paris.
2	3		Henri Vever, ca. 1895
					Henri Vever. Portrait on cabinet card. Photographer, Léon Colson
2	3		Henri and Jeanne Vever, 1895-1900
					Henri and Jeanne Vever and bicycles. Annotated on back, Henri Vever (born 1854) and his wife Jeanne (née Monthiers) circa 1895 1900.
2	4		Marguerite Vever, 1903
					Studio portrait. Annotated on back, Marguerite Vever (H.V. only daughter) Then 27 years old Studio: Cautin & Berger, Paris.
2	4		Henri and Jeanne Vever, 1930
					2 copies. Annotated on back, Henri et Jeanne Vever. Noyers circa 1930.
2	4		[Henri Vever], 1931
					Annotated on back, 1931, 71 years old. Studio: Abel Photographe. Paris.
2	5		Henri Vever, 1931
					Annotated on back, Henri Vever 1931. 1854 1942. Studio: Abel Photographe, Paris.
2	5		Henri Vever , 1931
					Studio portrait. Annotated on back, Henri Vever 1931. 1854-1942.
2	5		Henri Vever, 1931
					Studio portrait. Annotated on back, Henri Vever (1854 1942), 1932. Studio: Walery, Paris.
2	5		Photograph of Henri Vever and envelope, n.d.
					Envelope addressed to Madame Andre in Rabat.
2	5		Henri Vever, [Marguerite Vever?], and two unidentified children, n.d.
					Envelope addressed to Madame Andre in Rabat.
2	5		1 photograph of a drawing, n.d.
					Modern print of an 1890 drawing by Henri Vever. Annotated on back, Exact size of the original. Jean Hilaire Monthiers. 1822 1892. Father of Jeanne Monthiers 1861 1948, wife of Henri Vever. Drawn by Henri Vever 1890.
Subseries 3.2: Photographs of the family estate in Noyers, France 1924, n.d.
2	6		Photograph, 1924
					Vever family estate in Noyers, France.
2	6		Photograph, n.d.
					Vever family estate in Noyers, France.
2	6		Photograph , n.d.
					Vever family estate in Noyers, France.
2	6		Photograph, n.d.
					Vever family estate in Noyers, France. Annotated on back.
2	6		Picture postcards, 1924
					2 picture postcards of the Vever family estate in Noyers, France.

Series 4: Miscellaneous, 1893, 1918[?]
	This series comprises two items and is subdivided into two subseries. Subseries 5.1 is guest list for an 1893 dinner gathering of the organization, Les Amis de l Art Japonais , of which Vever was a member. Among the many individuals listed is Claude Monet. Subseries 5.2 is a Henri Vever designed pommel. It is a reproduction of the pommel of a ceremonial sword given to Marshal Foch in 1918 by the city of Paris.
Subseries 4.1: Dinner Guest List 1893
Box	Folder
2	7		"Dîner des amis de l art Japonais", 1893
					Guest list and addresses for a dinner, guests include Claude Monet.
Subseries 4.2: Pommel, 1918
Box	Folder
3			Pommel, 1918
					Reproduction of pommel of ceremonial sword given to Marshal Foch in 1918 by city of Paris. Designed by H. Vever.

Series 5: Art works, 1914-1915
	This series comprises six oil paintings by Henri Vever. This series is subdivided into two subseries. Subseries one consists of Vever s depictions of Ste. Adresse in Le Havre, France. The second series comprises Vever s depictions of the Château de Noyers.
Subseries 5.1: Le Havre, France, 1914
Box	Folder
4	1		"Coucher de Soleil à Ste. Adresse (Le Havre)" by Henri Vever, 1914
					Oil on canvas mounted on paperboard.16.3 cm H x 22.7 cm W x 0.3 cm DS1988.2
4	2		"Coucher de Soleil à Ste. Adresse (Le Havre)" by Henri Vever, 1914
					Oil on canvas mounted on paperboard.16.3 cm H x 22.7 cm W x 0.3 cm DS1988.3
4	3		"Coucher de Soleil à Ste. Adresse (Le Havre)" by Henri Vever, 1914
					Oil on canvas mounted on paperboard.16.3 cm H x 22.7 cm W x 0.3 cm DS1988.4
4	4		"Coucher de Soleil à Ste. Adresse (Le Havre)" by Henri Vever, 1914
					Oil on canvas mounted on paperboard.16.3 cm H x 22.7 cm W x 0.3 cm DS1988.5
Subseries 5.2: Château de Noyers (Eure), 1914
4	5		Château de Noyers (Eure), by Henri Vever, 1914
					Oil on wood.20.9 cm H x 27.5 cm W x 0.3 cm. DS1998.6
4	6		Château de Noyers (Eure), by Henri Vever, 1914
					Oil on wood. 20.9 cm H x 27.5 cm W x 0.3 cm. DS1998.7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Henri Vever

A Finding Aid to His Papers at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

Restrictions on Access

Restrictions on Use