Margaretta (Happy) Fitler Rockefeller papers, Art Files, 1974-2014
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Rockefeller, Margaretta Fitler, Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich) (1908-1979), Altman, Cynthia, Curator, and Uht, Carol Kinzel
- Extent:
- 3.40 Cubic Feet 7 card file boxes (4 x 6) and 5 letter document boxes
- Language:
- English .
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The art files of Margaretta (Happy) Rockefeller document the works of art originally collected by her husband, Nelson A. Rockefeller, and inherited by Happy after his death in 1979. These files are a combination of records on the acquisition, maintenance, display, loan, and (in some cases) disposition of the artworks. The most significant type of record in this collection is the cohort of art index cards that were created as a catalog of each object or set of objects. They originate from the early 1940s through the 1990s, although the vast bulk predate Governor Rockefeller's death. They were originally incorporated within the set of index cards that are found in the Nelson A. Rockefeller Art Files in FA340. Used as a tool for tracking the collection, the cards were updated either in type or handwriting as the disposition of a piece changed—through sale, gift, or other removal from the collection.
Carol K. Uht and later Cynthia B. Altman were the Rockefellers' curators. They created the cards to record vital information about each artwork for quick access: artist, title, medium, year of creation, dimensions, source of acquisition, year of acquisition, and usually the price paid.
The cards are grouped by cataloguing number, which denotes categories of fine art and objects. The categories include modern art, nonmodern art (which is further broken down by country or region of origin), porcelain, silver, furniture, and decorative art. Each object or set of objects has a two-part number, the first of which refers to the category while the second is a unique identifier. For example, #25-588 is item number 588 of the modern art pieces. Likewise, #11-234 is item number 234 of the nonmodern pieces from Japan. This collection also includes negatives of both modern and nonmodern pieces, usually organized in the same manner as the card index. Other records in the collection are sparse and only refer to selected individual works, typically ones that were lent or sold. These files contain inventories, appraisals, insurance valuations, catalogues, loan requests, and some correspondence. Please note that the documentation is not comprehensive in that only a handful of works of art are discussed. Lastly, the collections ends with general content related to properties owned by Happy Rockefeller.
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Art, Modern
Indigenous art
Folk art
Access and use
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