Nickolas Muray papers
name: label: Creator
content: Muray, Nickolas, 1892-1965
label: Names
content: New York University -- Faculty
label: Names
content: Kahlo, Frida
topic: label: Topic
content: Photography -- Study and teaching
label: Topic
content: Photographers -- United States
label: Topic
content: Portrait photography
label: Topic
content: Latino and Latin American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated in 1988 and 2019 by Muray's daughter, Mimi Murray.
creator: label: Creator
content: Muray, Nickolas, 1892-1965
setName: label: See more items in
content: Nickolas Muray papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of photographer Nickolas Muray measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1978. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, including a handful of letters from Frida Kahlo; writings; teaching files, primarily of photography courses taught at New York University; printed material; artwork; and photographic materials of Muray, his family and friends, and his work.

There is a 0.6 linear feet Unprocessed Addition  which includes biographical material, correspondence, photographs, research notes and a diary about Africa, and a subject file on the book The Revealing Eye, Personalities of the 1920s, written by Paul Gallico with photographs taken by Muray, 1967.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Photographer Nickolas Muray (1892-1965) lived and worked in New York, New York and was known for his portrait, fashion, and advertising photography and for his mastery of the carbro color printing process.

Born in Szeged, Hungary, Muray spent time in Budapest as an engraver's apprentice and moved to Germany at the age of 16 to expand his technical knowledge of photo-engraving and photography. In 1913, Muray immigrated to America where he worked as a photo engraver at Stockinger Engraving Co. and eventually opened his own photography studio in 1920. After successfully completing a commission to photograph Broadway star Florence Reed, Muray continued to build his portfolio with regular commissions for Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair to photograph movie stars, artists, musicians, artists, and models. In the 1930s, Muray mastered the carbro printing process and established one of the first color labs in America.  His color fashion and advertising work continued to appear regularly in Vogue, Ladies' Home Journal, Woman's Home Companion, McCall's and other periodicals.

In addition to his professional work, Muray wrote reviews for Dance magazine and represented the United States in 1928 and 1932 as a member of the Olympic fencing team. He maintained a long distance affair with artist Frida Kahlo throughout the 1930s, eventually ending the relationship but remaining friends until her death in 1954. In 1942, Muray married his fourth wife, Margaret (Peggy) Schwab, with whom he had a daughter, Mimi. Muray died of a heart attack in 1965.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.5 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1910-1992
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.muranick
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 2 series.

Series 1: Nickolas Muray papers, 1910-1978 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, OV 3)

Series 2: Unprocessed Addition, 1927-1992 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Materials received a preliminary level of arrangement after donation and the collection was microfilmed onto reels 4392-4393. The collection was prepared for digitization and described by Judy Ng in 2016, with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2016 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, published books and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
otherfindaid: label: Other Finding Aids
content: Finding aid available at Archives of American Art offices.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of photographer Nickolas Muray measure 1.5 linear feet and date from 1910 to 1992. Found within the papers are biographical materials; business and personal correspondence, including a handful of letters from Frida Kahlo; writings; teaching files, primarily of photography courses taught at New York University; printed material; artwork; and photographic materials of Muray, his family and friends, and his work.

There is a 0.6 linear feet Unprocessed Addition  which includes biographical material, correspondence, photographs, research notes and a diary about Africa, and a subject file on the book The Revealing Eye, Personalities of the 1920s, written by Paul Gallico with photographs taken by Muray, 1967.