Finding Aid for the Craig Hugh Smyth Papers, 1938-1989

 

 

Summary Information

Repository National Gallery of Art Archives

Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20565 

archives@nga.gov

Title Craig Hugh Smyth Papers 

Identifier SC.019

Creator Smyth, Craig Hugh, 1915-2006

 

Date 1938-1989

Extent 3.75 cubic feet (8 boxes); approximately 175 digital files

Abstract This collection documents the activities of Craig Hugh Smyth, an officer 

with the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) Section of the United 

States Military Government in Germany immediately after World War II. 

Papers include art shipment receipts, activity logs, correspondence, diaries, 

exhibition catalogues, lecture notes, photographs, and reports. 

Biographical Note

 

July 28, 1915 Born, New York City, New York

1938 A.B., Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

1941 M.F.A., Princeton University

1941-1942 Research assistant and senior museum aide, National Gallery of Art,

Washington

1945-1946 Director and Officer-in-Charge, Central Collecting Point, Munich, Germany

1946-1950 Lecturer, Frick Collection, New York, New York

circa 1947 Awarded Chevalier, Légion d’honneur, France; United States Army 

Commendation Medal; Netherlands Medal for Service to the States

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1950-1973 Professor, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, New York

1956 Ph.D., Princeton University 

1959-1960 Art Historian in Residence, American Academy in Rome, Italy

1973-1985 Professor of Fine Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Director, Villa I Tatti, Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance 

Studies, Florence, Italy

1975 M.A. (honorary), Harvard University

Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

March 13, 1986 Presented third Gerson Lecture on his work on the repatriation of looted 

art, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

1987-1988 Samuel H. Kress Professor, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, 

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

1988 Repatriation of Art from the Collection Point in Munich after World War II. 

New York: Gary Schwartz/SDU

Scope and Content

 

The collection documents Craig Hugh Smyth's activities as an officer with the Monuments, Fine 

Arts and Archives (MFAA) Section of the United States Military Government in Germany 

immediately after World War II. Smyth was the director and officer-in-charge of the Central 

Collecting Point, Munich. After his discharge from the military, he returned to the United States 

and pursued an academic life at various institutions, including the Frick Collection, the Institute of 

Fine Arts, New York University, the American Academy in Rome, and Harvard University. In 1988, 

Smyth wrote Repatriation of Art from the Collection Point in Munich after World War II, a 

publication resulting from his 1986 Gerson Lecture at the University of Groningen, The 

Netherlands.

The collection includes documents created or collected by Smyth while stationed in Munich, 

including daily diaries and notes, monthly reports, administrative files, and art shipment receipts 

and lists. It also contains articles and newspaper clippings, exhibition catalogues, publications, 

and reports gathered by Smyth during and after the war. Of special note are photographs 

documenting activity at the Munich Collecting Point, and materials relating to Smyth's 1986 

Gerson Lecture, including correspondence with former MFAA colleagues, lecture notes and 

subject files.

Updated October 2023 National Gallery of Art Archives 2 of 15
Arrangement 

Materials are arranged in the following series: 

Series 1 Art Restitution Subject Files, 1940-1948

Series 2 Art Exhibition Catalogues, 1945-1948

Series 3 Other Publications, 1942-1986

Series 4 Gerson Lecture Research Materials, circa 1942-1989

Series 5 Photographs, 1938-1980s

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access This collection is open for research by appointment under 

the conditions of the National Gallery of Art Archives 

Access Policy. For all inquiries or to schedule an 

appointment, please contact archives@nga.gov.

Preferred Citation National Gallery of Art Archives. Craig Hugh Smyth Papers. 

Rights Status In copyright

Rights Holder National Gallery of Art

Language English; German; French

 

Acquisition Information Gift of Craig Hugh Smyth, 2001

Processing Information Initially organized by National Gallery of Art Library staff 

before transfer to the National Gallery of Art Archives, 1999. 

Arranged and described by archives staff, 2007.

Related Archival Materials Resources Relating to World War II describes other WWIIrelated archival materials available at the National Gallery 

of Art.

The National Archives and Records Administration of the 

United States (NARA) holds official government records 

relating to the work of the Monuments, Fine Arts and 

Archives officers and the American Commission for the 

Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments 

in War Areas (Roberts Commission). 

 

Updated October 2023 National Gallery of Art Archives 3 of 15
Monuments Men Foundation Archives available at the 

National WWII Museum. 

 

 

Series Descriptions

Series 1 Art Restitution Subject Files, 1940-1948 [boxes 1-4] 

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically. This series documents 

Smyth’s activities with the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) Section of the United 

States Military Government in Germany. Included in this series are art shipment lists, monthly 

reports from the Central Collecting Point in Munich, daily activity logs, and Smyth’s diaries and 

notes.

 

Series 2 Art Exhibition Catalogues, 1945-1948 [box 4] 

Arranged alphabetically by title. This series consists of catalogues for post-war exhibitions of art 

in Germany and of repatriated art in France and The Netherlands.

 

Series 3 Other Publications, 1942-1986 [box 4] 

Arranged alphabetically by author and title. This series includes publications and newspaper 

clippings collected by Smyth after the war and for the remainder of his career. Articles are in 

English and German, and primarily concern looted and repatriated art.

 

Series 4 Gerson Lecture Research Materials, circa 1942-1989 [boxes 4-5] 

Arranged alphabetically by subject. This series contains materials acquired by Smyth in 

preparation for his 1986 lecture at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. The lecture 

resulted in his publication titled Repatriation of Art from the Collection Point in Munich

after World War II. Materials in this series include lecture notes, correspondence, and draft 

manuscript.

 

Series 5 Photographs, 1938-1980s [boxes 6-8] 

Arranged alphabetically by subject. This series primarily documents Smyth and other 

Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) officers performing their duties, most notably at the 

Munich Central Collecting Point. For conservation purposes, negatives are stored separately from 

the photographic prints. 

Photographs in this series have been digitized and are available to researchers.

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Craig Hugh Smyth Papers

Series 1 Art Restitution Subject Files, 1940-1948

Box 1

1-1 Art shipment receipts and information lists - Austria, 1945

1-2 Art shipment receipts and information lists - Belgium, 1945-1946

1-3 Art shipment receipts and information lists - Czechoslovakia, 1945

1-4 Art shipment receipts and information lists - France, 1945-1946

1-5 Art shipment receipts and information lists - Germany, 1946

1-6 Art shipment receipts and information lists - The Netherlands, 1945-1946

1-7 Berlin Paintings controversy ("The 202"), 1945-1948

1-8 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, June 1945

1-9 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, July 1945

1-10 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, August 1945

1-11 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, September 1945

1-12 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, October 1945

1-13 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, November 1945

1-14 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, December 1945

1-15 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, January 1946

1-16 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, February 1946

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1-17 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, March 1946

1-18 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, April 1946

1-19 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, May 1946

1-20 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, June 1946

1-21 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, July 1946

1-22 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, August 1946

1-23 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, September 1946

1-24 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, October 1946

1-25 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, November 1946

1-26 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, December 1946

1-27 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, January 1947

1-28 Central Collecting Point, Munich - monthly reports, March 1947

1-29 Central Collecting Point, Munich - personnel information, 1945

1-30 Central Collecting Point, Munich - procedures, 1946

Box 2

2-1 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, July-September 1945

2-2 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, October-December 1945

2-3 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, January-February 1946

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Craig Hugh Smyth Papers

2-4 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, March-April 1946

2-5 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, May-June 1946

2-6 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, July-August 1946

2-7 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, September-October 1946

2-8 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, November-December 1946

2-9 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, January-February 1947

2-10 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, March-April 1947

2-11 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log, May-July 1947

2-12 Central Collecting Point, Munich - table of organization

2-13 Cultural activities of MFAA officers, 1947-1948

2-14 Disposition of photo archives to National Gallery of Art, 1946

2-15 Dutch representative, 1946

2-16 Expenditures for administration of the galleries, 1946

Box 3

3-1 Instructions for MFAA specialist officers in Germany, 1944-1945

3-2 Memoranda, 1940-1941, 1945-1946

3-3 Moore, Lamont, 1945

3-4 New Institute for Art History, Munich (Neu Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte), 1946-1947

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Craig Hugh Smyth Papers

3-5 Property card (Art)

3-6 Commendations, 1946-1947

3-7 Daily diaries and notes, set-up and procedures, May 1945

3-8 Daily diaries and notes, 4-6 June 1945

3-9 Daily diaries and notes, 7-25 June 1945

3-10 Daily diaries and notes, 8-30 June 1945

3-11 Daily diaries and notes, 26 June-18 July 1945

3-12 Daily diaries and notes, 2-31 July 1945

3-13 Daily diaries and notes, 19-27 July 1945

3-14 Daily diaries and notes, 27 July-31 August 1945

3-15 Daily diaries and notes, 1-31 August 1945

3-16 Daily diaries and notes, 1-29 September 1945 (folder 1 of 2)

3-17 Daily diaries and notes, 1-29 September 1945 (folder 2 of 2)

3-18 Daily diaries and notes, September 1945

3-19 Daily diaries and notes, 1-31 October 1945 (folder 1 of 2)

3-20 Daily diaries and notes, 1-31 October 1945 (folder 2 of 2)

3-21 Daily diaries and notes, 1-30 November 1945

3-22 Daily diaries and notes, 2-30 November 1945

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Craig Hugh Smyth Papers

3-23 Daily diaries and notes, 1-28 December 1945

3-24 Daily diaries and notes, 3-29 December 1945

3-25 Daily diaries and notes, for report, 1945

3-26 Daily diaries and notes, 2-31 January 1946

3-27 Daily diaries and notes, 2-29 January 1946

3-28 Daily diaries and notes, 1-28 February 1946

3-29 Daily diaries and notes, 2-28 February 1946

3-30 Daily diaries and notes, 1-27 March 1946

Box 4

4-1 Daily diaries and notes, 2 March-4 April 1946

4-2 Daily diaries and notes, miscellaneous

4-3 Miscellaneous notes

4-4 Naval orders (assignment to Munich and demobilization), 1945-1946

Series 2 Art Exhibition Catalogues, 1945-1948

Box 4

Les Chefs-d'Oeuvres des Collections Privées Françaises Retrouvés en Allemagne par la Commission

de Recupération Artistique et les Services Alliés. Orangerie des Tuileries, Juin-Aout 1946

4-5

Exhibition of Bavarian Paintings of the 15th and 16th Centuries. Haus der Kunst, Munich, beginning

17 January 1946

1 copy in English, 2 copies in German.

4-6

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Craig Hugh Smyth Papers

Masterpieces of South-German Gothic - Information Flyer for Exhibition and Christmas Exhibition at

the Bavarian National Museum, 1945

4-7

Paintings Looted from Holland Returned Through the Efforts of the United States Armed Forces. 7

December 1946-1 January 1948

4-8

4-9 Return of the Old Masters in the Rijksmuseum. 15 July-30 September 1945

Series 3 Other Publications, 1942-1986

Box 4

4-10 Articles and newspaper clippings, undated

4-11 Articles and newspaper clippings, 1945-1946

4-12 "10 July 1945/Loaded Bruges Madonna." Archives of American Art Journal (1982)

Bayerische Landeszeitung. München, 1 Juni 1945

Oversize publication stored separately.

4-13

4-14 "Emergency Protection of Works of Art." The Librarian (March 1942)

Hammond, Mason. "The War and Art Treasures in Germany." College Art Journal 5:3 (March 3,

1946)

4-15

4-16 Hancock, Walker. "Experiences of a Monuments Officer." College Art Journal (May 1946)

Herbst, Arnulf. "Zur Geschichte des Wiesbadener Collecting Point." Kunst in Hessen und am

Mittelrhein [undated]

4-17

4-18 Kirstein, Lincoln. "The Quest of the Golden Lamb." Town and Country (September 1945)

"Kunstroof." Vrij Nederland (22 maart 1986)

Oversize publication stored separately.

4-19

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Craig Hugh Smyth Papers

4-20 “Kunsthandel in Nederland, 1940-1950.” Vrij Nederland (22 maart 1986)

“Museum ohne Besucher.” Heute (1 April 1946)

2 copies. Oversize publication stored separately.

4-21

“Nederlandse staat werd beter van de kunstrovende nazi's.” Vrijdag (7 maart 1986)

Oversize publication stored separately.

4-22

4-23 “Quante ne aveva rubate, Hitler!” Nazione (9 giugno 1986)

Report of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of the Artistic and Historic

Monuments in War Areas. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946

4-24

4-25 "Revival of Munich Cultural Life Seen as Exhibit Opens." The Bavarian (24 January 1946)

Ross, Marvin C. "SHAEF and the Protection of Monuments in Northwest Europe." College Art

Journal (January 1946)

4-26

Woolley, Sir Leonard. A Record of the Work Done by the Military Authorities for the Protection of

the Treasures of Art & History in War Areas. London: H.M. Stationary Office, 1947

4-27

Series 4 Gerson Lecture Research Materials, circa 1942-1989

Box 4

American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War

Areas - Report of Francis Henry Taylor, 1944

4-28

American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas,

1943-1944, undated

4-29

4-30 Brown, John Nicholas, undated

4-31 Central Collecting Point, Munich (research notes)

4-32 Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff daily activity log (high points), undated

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4-33 Central collecting points - Wiesbaden, Marburg, Offenbach (reports and research notes)

Box 5

5-1 Central collecting points - establishment (reports and research notes)

5-2 Chronology, 1814-1945

5-3 Clay, General Lucius D. and "The 202"

5-4 Hammond, Mason - correspondence, 1987, 1989

5-5 Hammond, Mason - MFAA work in Italy, 1945, undated

5-6 Hammond, Mason - reports and correspondence, 1944-1946

5-7 Howe, Thomas Carr - correspondence, 1986

5-8 Keck, Sheldon - correspondence, 1988

5-9 Lecture - conclusion, undated

5-10 Lecture - footnote material, undated

5-11 Lecture - issues and topics, 1988

5-12 Lecture - "Regeneration of Cultural Life, New Institute and Exhibitions," undated

5-13 Lecture - "To Do," 1985-1988

5-14 Military government regulations - policy toward Germans

5-15 Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives - beginnings of, 1942-1943

5-16 Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives - establishment, 1942-1944

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5-17 Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives - field operations

Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives - monthly district summary report, OMG for Bavaria, January

1946

5-18

5-19 Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives - occupation and MFAA's role, undated

5-20 Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives - precedents

5-21 Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives - restitution of Dutch collections

National Archives and Records Administration, record group 239, records inventories and box lists,

1965

5-22

5-23 National Gallery of Art, use of curatorial records material, 1987

5-24 Restitution (general)

The Return of Art to the Netherlands after the Second World War: Its Beginnings and Background -

with notes on the Central Art Collecting Point at Munich - historical information on World War II

5-25

The Return of Art to the Netherlands after the Second World War: Its Beginnings and Background -

with notes on the Central Art Collecting Point at Munich - manuscript (draft)

5-26

The Return of Art to the Netherlands after the Second World War: Its Beginnings and Background -

with notes on the Central Art Collecting Point at Munich - "to do" regarding photos for publication,

undated

5-27

5-28 Rorimer, (Mrs.) James R. - correspondence, 1986

5-29 Skilton, John Davis, Jr. - correspondence, 1986

Series 5 Photographs, 1938-circa 1980 

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Box 6

Central Collecting Point, Munich - exterior

18 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

6-1

Central Collecting Point, Munich - exterior removing Third Reich eagles

4 images. Digitized version(s) available.

6-2

Central Collecting Point, Munich - interior

21 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

6-3

Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff

17 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

6-4

Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff in offices

40 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

6-5

Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff packing, shipping, and transporting works of art

15 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

6-6

Box 7

Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff with works of art

21 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

7-1

Central Collecting Point, Munich - staff with works of art - Herbert List photographs

3 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

7-2

Damaged buildings

5 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

7-3

Loading cargo plane

13 images. Digitized version(s) available. Negative(s) stored separately.

7-4

Merkers (includes General Dwight D. Eisenhower)

2 images. Digitized version(s) available.

7-5

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Munich Pact signing - Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain, Deladier, 1938

3 images. Digitized version(s) available.

7-6

Rembrandt self-portrait

1 image. Digitized version(s) available.

7-7

Smyth, Craig Hugh, 1980s

1 image. Digitized version(s) available.

7-8

Smyth, Craig Hugh - photo album

9 pages, 15 images. Negative(s) stored separately.

7-9

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