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Art Collecting Files of Henry Clay Frick, 1881-1925
Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), a Pittsburgh coke and steel industrialist, began forming his art collection in 1881, and continued to acquire works of art until his death in 1919. He bequeathed his New York City residence, furnishings, and art collection to be established as a public art gallery called The Frick Collection, which opened to the public in December 1935. This collection contains correspondence, invoices and financial records, catalogs, inventories, registers, notes, narrative descriptions, and printed material documenting the selection, purchase, exhibition, and disposition of art works in his collection from the years 1881 to 1925, with the bulk of the papers documenting purchases.
Online finding aid
Series I: Purchases - Digital images
Series II: Catalogs and Works Exhibited - Digital images
Series III: Inventories and Lists - Digital images
Series IV: Correspondence - Digital images
Series V: Art Not Purchased - Digital images
Series VI: Printed Material and Miscellanea - Digital images
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Henry Clay Frick Papers, 1881–1928
Contains correspondence, letterpress books, art files, diaries, financial and property records, subject files, and estate records documenting Henry Clay Frick's career as a businessman and art collector.
Series I: Art Files, 1881–1925 [see: Art Collecting Files of Henry Clay Frick, 1881-1925]
Series II: Correspondence, 1882–1929
Series III: Voucher Files, 1892–1929
Series IV: Receipts, 1900–26
Series V: Subject Files, 1848-1966, undated
Series VI: Accounts, 1880-1942
Series VII: Diaries, 1897-1933
Series VIII: Letterpress Copybooks, 1881-1923
Series IX: Secretary's Correspondence, 1902-1936, undated
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Adelaide H. C. Frick Papers, 1874–1931
Consists of correspondence, calendars, notes and notebooks, inventories, travel-related documents, stationery, and printed material documenting the life of Adelaide H. C. Frick, wife of Henry Clay Frick.
Adelaide H. C. Frick Papers, 1874–1931
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Childs Frick Papers, circa 1890s–1905
Chiefly contains correspondence and school-related materials (notebooks, yearbooks, report cards, etc.) documenting the youth and education of Henry Clay Frick's eldest son.
Series I: Correspondence, 1883-1901, undated
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Helen Clay Frick Papers, circa 1890s–1985
Consists of correspondence, diaries, notebooks, legal and financial papers, and printed matter pertaining to Helen Clay Frick's youth and education, personal interests, and philanthropic activities, notably her founding of the Frick Art Reference Library, the Frick Art Museum in Pittsburgh, and the Iron Rail Vacation Home.
Series I: Youth and Education, 1889-1924
Series II: Correspondence, 1894-1996
Series III: Iron Rail Vacation Home, 1912-1972
Series IV: Calendars and Diaries, 1904-1982
Series V: Art Files, 1900-1991, undated
Series VI: Research Files on Jean Antoine Houdon, 1802?-1976
Series VII: Frick Art Museum, 1929-1994
Series VIII: University of Pittsburgh Fine Arts Department Files, 1925-1985, undated
Series XI: Travel, 1887-1973, undated
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Clayton Papers, 1884–1982
Consists of correspondence, estimates, bills, receipts, contracts, printed material, inventories, and appraisals pertaining to the Frick family's Pittsburgh residence. These papers document two generations of ownership by the family, and include materials on alterations and improvements to the house, furnishings and redecoration, staff, and daily operation of the house and grounds.
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Eagle Rock Papers, 1882-1973 (bulk 1903-1969)
Contains correspondence, proposals, contracts, specifications, invoices, inventories, maps, photographs, and printed material documenting the construction and furnishing of the house, maintenance of the house and grounds, alterations, daily life, and the eventual demolition of the house.
Eagle Rock Papers, 1882-1973 (bulk 1903-1969)
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One East 70th Street Papers, 1907–1931
Consists of correspondence, estimates, contracts, construction specifications, bills, vouchers, and inventories chiefly detailing the construction and furnishing of the Frick residence at One East 70th Street in New York. Post-construction materials relate to daily life in the house, proposed alterations to the residence, and contents of the house on the death of Henry Clay Frick.
One East 70th Street Papers, 1907–1931
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Frick Family Photographs, circa 1850s-1989, undated
Includes prints and negatives depicting family members, friends and other acquaintances, travel, pets, residences, artwork, furnishings, and building projects in New York, Pittsburgh, and Massachusetts. Encompasses a range of photographic formats and processes, including cartes de visites, cabinet cards, tintypes, cyanotypes, and albumen prints, as well as the work of many prominent studio photographers.
Online finding aid
Digital images
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Frick Family Albums and Scrapbooks, 1882-1990
Contains albums and scrapbooks bearing images of family members, friends and other acquaintances, pets, and residences in New York, Pittsburgh, and Massachusetts. These volumes also document travel by family members throughout the United States and abroad. Selected albums have been digitized and can be accessed online via the links below.
Childs Frick and Martha Frick Album, 1885-1890
Clayton Album, circa 1900
Clayton Album, 1901
France, Switzerland, and Germany Album, 1905
France, Spain, and Italy Album, 1909
Georgia, France, and England Album, 1910
Italy and Switzerland Album, 1912
One East 70th Street Album, 1927
Album of Frick family members and friends, circa 1890s-1946
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Printed Books in the Frick Family Papers, 1621, 1881 to 1983
This collection consists of books acquired by Henry Clay Frick and by members of his family, especially his daughter, Helen Clay Frick, and wife, Adelaide H.C. Frick. Note that these books do not include those in the libraries of the Frick family's New York, Pittsburgh, or Massachusetts residences.
Printed Books in the Frick Family Papers, 1621, 1881 to 1983
