Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the Association of American Painters and Sculptors
name: label: Creator
content: MacRae, Elmer Livingston, 1875-1953
label: Names
content: Armory Show (1913: New York, N.Y.)
label: Names
content: Association of American Painters and Sculptors (New York, N.Y.)
label: Names
content: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
label: Names
content: Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen), 1862-1928
label: Names
content: Kuhn, Walt, 1877-1949
label: Names
content: Pach, Walter, 1883-1958
topic: label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Connecticut
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State)
label: Topic
content: Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Exhibitions
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Elmer Livingston MacRae papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2016 by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
creator: label: Creator
content: MacRae, Elmer Livingston, 1875-1953
setName: label: See more items in
content: Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the Association of American Painters and Sculptors
abstract: label: Summary
content: The Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Inc., (AAPS) measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1899 to circa 2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1912-1916. Elmer Livingston MacRae served as Treasurer of the AAPS when the association organized the International Exhibition of Modern Art, also known as the Armory Show of 1913.  The bulk of this collection concerns MacRae's involvement with the AAPS and the Armory Show and includes administrative files, correspondence, exhibition files, financial records, printed materials, and artifacts.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Elmer MacRae (1875-1953) was a New York and Connecticut-based painter and served as treasurer of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors when the association organized the 1913 Armory Show.

Elmer Livingston MacRae was born in New York City in 1875.  In the late 1890s, MacRae summered in an artist's community in Cos Cob, Connecticut, where he met his wife Emma Constant Holley. He moved full time to Cos Cob in 1899. MacRae became active in the Pastellists group. He was affiliated with the Macbeth and Madison Galleries in New York, where he was on friendly terms with fellow painters Jerome Myers and Walt Kuhn. In 1911, MacRae became a member of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS), Inc. From 1912 to 1916, MacRae served as Treasurer of the AAPS, the organization which organized the seminal 1913 Armory Show exhibition of modern American and European art.  Formally titled the International Exhibition of Modern Art, the exhibition introduced many Americans to modern art for the first time.  The Armory Show began at New York City's 69th Street Armory, then continued on to the Art Institute of Chicago, and Boston's Copley Society of Art.  The latter venue did not include the American art due to space constraints.
function: label: Function
content: Arts organizations
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.8 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1899-circa 2013
label: Date
content: bulk 1912-1916
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.macrelme
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 7 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1899-1913, circa 1988 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1911-1915, 1958 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Administration Records, circa 1911-circa 1916 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 4: Armory Show Tour Files, 1913 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 5: Financial Records, 1912-1916 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 6: Printed Material, 1911-1959 (0.6 linear feet; Box 2, OV 4-5)

Series 7: Artifacts, 1913, circa 2013 (0.2 linear feet; Box 3)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: This collection was arranged at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden prior to receipt at the Archives of American Art. The collection was loaned for microfilming onto reels 4131-4132 and later donated. The collection was fully processed and prepared for digitization by Rihoko Ueno in 2017 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2017 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website. Materials which have not been scanned include blank pages, blank versos of photographs, and duplicates. In some cases, newspapers and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Elmer Livingston MacRae papers related to the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Inc., (AAPS) measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1899 to circa 2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1912-1916. Elmer Livingston MacRae served as Treasurer of the AAPS when the association organized the International Exhibition of Modern Art, also known as the Armory Show of 1913.  The bulk of this collection concerns MacRae's involvement with the AAPS and the Armory Show and includes administrative files, correspondence, exhibition files, financial records, printed materials, and artifacts.

Biographical material includes an old collection inventory from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, two annotated appointment books, and a small handbook with notes.

Correspondence consists of letters addressed to Elmer MacRae from AAPS members such as Arthur B. Davies, Walt Kuhn, and Walter Pach, as well as other various artists, dealers, lenders, and buyers.  Most letters concern AAPS business and organizing the Armory Show.  

AAPS administration records include the organization's constitution, letterhead, meeting minutes, a report, and a membership list. 

The Armory Show exhibition tour files consist of materials related to openings in Chicago and Boston.  Materials include lists that track sales of tickets and pamphlets, insurance lists, a contract, an art inventory, and other items.

Financial records consist of AAPS and exhibition expenses in the form of sales lists of artwork, payroll information, shipping and transportation invoices, bills, rescinded dues, cashiers' journals, ledgers, a receipt book, and a checkbook.

Printed material includes copies of Armory Show exhibition catalogs, AAPS pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, clippings, postcards, and a poster.

Artifacts consist of AAPS memorabilia from the exhibition.  There are button pins, calling cards, event invitations, mailing cards, signs, tickets, and other miscellany.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also holds the Walt Kuhn, Walt Kuhn family papers and Armory Show records as well as the Joseph Hirshhorn papers regarding the Elmer MacRae papers.