Ira and William Glackens papers
name: label: Creator
content: Glackens, Ira, 1907-1990
label: Names
content: Delaware Art Museum
label: Names
content: Kraushaar Galleries
label: Names
content: National Gallery of Art (U.S.)
label: Names
content: National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian Institution)
label: Names
content: Williams College. Museum of Art.
label: Names
content: Barnes, Albert C. (Albert Coombs), 1872-1951
label: Names
content: Barnes, Laura L., 1875-1966
label: Names
content: Buckley, Charles E.
label: Names
content: Bullard, E. John (Edgar John), 1942-
label: Names
content: Dimock, Ira
label: Names
content: Fitzgerald, Irene Dimock
label: Names
content: Glackens, Edith
label: Names
content: Glackens, William J., 1870-1938
label: Names
content: Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949
label: Names
content: Liff, Vivian
label: Names
content: Luks, George Benjamin, 1867-1933
label: Names
content: Morse, Stearns
label: Names
content: Perlman, Bennard B.
label: Names
content: Prendergast, Eugénie
label: Names
content: Prendergast, Maurice Brazil, 1858-1924
label: Names
content: Schwab, Arnold T.
label: Names
content: Shinn, Everett, 1876-1953
label: Names
content: Sloan, Helen Farr, 1911-2005
topic: label: Topic
content: Illustrators -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
label: Topic
content: Authors -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
label: Topic
content: Painting, American
label: Topic
content: Eight (Group of American artists)
label: Topic
content: Art -- Collectors and collecting
label: Topic
content: Painting, Modern -- 20th century -- United States
label: Topic
content: Painters -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Ira and William Glackens papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Ira Glackens in 1987, and by his estate in 1991. In 2007 a small cache of papers found in the Glackens home was donated by Susan Corn Conway, who had purchased the Glackens' house.
creator: label: Creator
content: Glackens, Ira, 1907-1990
setName: label: See more items in
content: Ira and William Glackens papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Ira and William Glackens papers, circa 1900-1990, measure 2.3 linear feet. The collection consists primarily of the papers of Ira Glackens relating to the artwork of his father, William Glackens, but also contains scattered correspondence of William and his wife Edith, including letters from Albert Barnes. Ira Glackens' papers include books written by Ira; exhibition catalogs and clippings about William and others; photographs of the Glackens family and friends, of Ira, and of the Glackens residence; and an audio recording of William Glackens' remarks upon accepting an award at the Carnegie International Exhibition in 1936. There are also records of the Sansom Foundation, which was set up by Ira Glackens and his wife Nancy.
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Ira Dimock Glackens (1907-1990), the first child of painter and illustrator William Glackens and Edith Dimock Glackens, was born in New York City. Raised in the art world, he was well acquainted with his father's friends and colleagues. Upon his father's death in 1938, Ira became responsible for managing and administering the art remaining in William Glackens's estate.

Educated at the Choate School, Ira Glackens became a writer. He published two books about his father: William Glackens and the Ashcan Group: The Emergence of Realism in American Art (1957) and William Glackens and the Eight: The Artists who Freed American Art (1984). An opera expert, Ira Glackens was also the author of Yankee Diva: Lillian Nordica and the Golden Days of Opera (1963) and an authority on apples.

William Glackens (1870-1938) was born in Philadelphia and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts with Robert Henri while working as an illustrator for local newspapers, including the Philadelphia Press. In 1895, he departed for a year in Paris and then moved to New York City where he continued to work as an illustrator for various newspapers and periodicals. Before long, Glackens began to focus on scenes of city life and street crowds and, in 1908, he participated in the groundbreaking exhibition of The Eight at the Macbeth Gallery in New York City.

Between 1925 and 1932 William Glackens lived and worked in France and his painting was strongly influenced by Renoir. He spent the remainder of his life in New York City, exhibiting widely from 1894 on. Glackens was named an Associate of the National Academy of Design and was the recipient of several awards including those of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition (gold), the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition, the 1933 Society of Independent Artists Exhibition, and the 1936 Carnegie International Exhibition.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2.3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1900-1990
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.glacwill
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Writings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 8 series.

Series 1: Biographical Information, circa 1900-1990 (Box 1; 2 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1902-1989 (Box 1; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings, 1963-1982 (Boxes 1, 3; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 4: Sansom Foundation, Inc., 1957-1973 (Box 2; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1903-1989 (Boxes 2-3; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 6: Scrapbook, 1956-1980 (Box 3; 0.1 linear feet)

Series 7: Photographs, circa 1900-1986 (Box 2; 0.3 linear feet)

Series 8: Card Index of William Glackens' Paintings, circa 1940-1949 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed in 1992 and subsequently microfilmed on reels 4708-4710. The 2007 addition was merged and a finding aid prepared by Catherine Gaines in 2007.  The collection was digitized in 2015 with funding provided by the the Sansom Foundation.
altformavail: label: Alternative Forms Available
content: The bulk of this collection was digitized in 2015 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website.  Materials which have not been scanned include photographs of works of art; duplicates; routine banking records; blank pages in bound volumes; blank versos of photographs; and exhibition catalogs of other artists.  In some cases, exhibition catalogs and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.  

The sound recording in this collection was digitized for research access in 2009 and is available at the Archives of American Art offices.  Researchers may view the original recording for the archival notations on it, but the original sound disc is not available for playback due to fragility.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Writings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The Ira and William Glackens papers, circa 1900-1990, measure 2.3 linear feet. The collection consists primarily of the papers of Ira Glackens relating to the artwork of his father, William Glackens, but also contains scattered correspondence of William and his wife Edith, including letters from Albert Barnes. Ira Glackens' papers include books written by Ira; exhibition catalogs and clippings about William and others; photographs of the Glackens family and friends, of Ira, and of the Glackens residence; and an audio recording of William Glackens' remarks upon accepting an award at the Carnegie International Exhibition in 1936. There are also records of the Sansom Foundation, which was set up by Ira Glackens and his wife Nancy. 

Biographical information consists of genealogical research on the Glackens family and a copy of Ira Glackens birth certificate.

Correspondence of the artist William Glackens includes letters to his wife, Edith, written while on a trip to Paris in 1912 to purchase paintings for collector Albert C. Barnes. Barnes' letters to William and Edith Glackens are about paintings in the Barnes Collection, the educational plans of his Foundation, and Glackens' work and exhibitions. Letters to Edith Dimock Glackens are from relatives and friends including her father, Ira Dimock, her sister, Irene Dimock FitzGerald, author James L. Ford, and painter Maurice Prendergast. There is also a copy of a letter concerning the estate of Lenna G. Borton, the Glackens' daughter.

Ira Glackens' correspondence largely concerns exhibitions, sales, loans, donations and the authentication of artwork by William Glackens. Correspondents include museums, galleries and artists, in addition to personal correspondence with family and friends. Names of significant correspondents in Ira Glackens' correspondence include Laura (Mrs. Albert C.) Barnes, Charles Buckley, Delaware Art Museum, Kraushaar Gallery, Walt Kuhn, Vivian Liff, George Luks, Stearns Morse, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Bennard Perlman, Eugenie Prendergast, Arnold T. Schwab, Helen (Mrs. John) Sloan, and Williams College Museum of Art.

Noteworthy writings include speeches, a memoir, and a short play by Ira Glackens, and family recollections of Edith Glackens.  A 1936 audio recording is of remarks made by William Glackens upon being presented with an award for his entry in the Carnegie Institute's International Exhibition. Writings by others include essays by John Bullard and Everett Shinn about Glackens. 

Printed material includes Ira Glackens' books, catalogs of group and solo exhibitions featuring the work of William Glackens, clippings concerning William Glackens, and reviews of Ira Glackens' books.

Records of the Sansom Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1950 by Ira and Nancy Glackens to oversee their art interests, consist of annual reports, a charitable trust registration form, and financial and tax records.

Photographs are of the Glackens family, travel scenes and artwork by William Glackens, The Eight, and other artists.

A card index of William Glackens' paintings, prepared by Ira Glackens, provides details of artwork in William Glackens' estate.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives also holds several collections related to Ira and William Glackens, including the Ira Glackens letters to Jane Wasey; the Illustrations by William Glackens and letter from Ira Glackens; the Lillian E. Travis papers relating to William Glackens and Charles Prendergast; and the Thomas Hart Benton and Ira Glackens letters.  Substantial correspondence between William Glackens and the Kraushaar Gallery can also be found in the Kraushaar Galleries records.
separatedmaterial: label: Separated Material
content: Published books not authored by Glackens family members or related to Glackens' family members were transferred to the Smithsonian's American Art Museum Library in 2007. A few pieces of artwork were given to Williams College, also in 2007.