Archives Mission Statement
The mission of the Barnes Foundation´s archives is to identify, preserve, organize,
and make available historical records that document the activities of the Barnes
Foundation, its collections, and its community, which includes staff, teachers,
students, and alumni. The archives also document the personal and professional
lives of Dr. Albert C. Barnes and Laura Leggett Barnes.
What is in the archives?
The Barnes Foundation´s archives comprise approximately two thousand linear feet
of records, which include the correspondence of Dr. Albert C. Barnes (1872–1951),
drafts of writings and essays by Dr. Barnes and others, blueprints and drawings
of Foundation buildings and the Arboretum, photographs, ephemera, Arboretum records,
and institutional records documenting the activities of the Foundation through
the present day.
The personal and professional papers of Dr. Barnes make up much of the earlier material
in the archives, while the later material includes papers of important educators and
administrators such as Barnes´s wife, noted horticulturalist, and Director of the
Arboretum and Foundation President Laura L. Barnes; Director of Education Violette
de Mazia; and University of Pennsylvania professor and Director of the Arboretum John Milton Fogg.
At present, only a small portion of the archives has been processed and catalogued.
Below is a list of many of the record groups found in the archives. Click on the name
of a record group below for a short description of the records and a list of any available
finding aids. Finding aids without hyperlinks are in progress–check back soon.
You may also see our index of finding aids.
Administrative Records of The Barnes Foundation
Manuscript and Artificial Collections
Administration
Records of the Administration Department include files of the board of trustees, presidents´
records, the records of the executive directors, and the Central File, which was the primary
correspondence file for all Foundation departments from 1952 to 1988.
The records of the president contain the papers of all presidents of the Foundation from 1922
to the present. The presidents´ records include the papers of Dr. Albert C. Barnes, founder
and first president of the Barnes Foundation. His papers include personal and professional
correspondence documenting his relationship with artists, art dealers, educators, social
activists, and philosophers, and providing evidence for the acquisition of his art collection
as well as the development of the educational programs at the Foundation.
Finding Aids Available:
Central File Correspondence 1952-1988
Presidents´ Files - Albert C. Barnes
Arboretum
Arboretum files include correspondence of the directors of the arboretum, records of plant purchases, landscape
drawings and plans, and bloom records.
Finding Aids Available:
Directors of the Arboretum - Joseph Lapsley Wilson
Directors of the Arboretum - John Milton Fogg
Directors of the Arboretum - Laura L. Barnes
Art Collection Records
Art collections records contain inventories and catalogue cards related to the
Foundation´s art collection, as well as records related to the Collections
Assessment Project, begun in 2001 to fully assess and catalogue both the art
and archives collections.
Finding Aids Available:
Collection Information Records
Development
Development Department files contain correspondence of the directors of development,
administrative files, fundraising and event planning records, and brochures and ephemera
related to fundraising events. Development records also include records of the Barnes
Society, the membership organization of the Barnes Foundation.
Education
Records of the Education Department contain student records, class lists, administrative
files, and writings of Foundation personnel, including numerous drafts for books written
by Albert C. Barnes and Violette de Mazia.
Finding Aids Available:
Writings
Art and Education Manuscripts
The Art in Painting Manuscripts
The Art of Cézanne Manuscripts
The Art of Henri–Matisse Manuscripts
The Art of Renior Manuscripts
The French Primitives and Their Forms from Their Origin to the End of the Fifteenth Century Manuscripts
Facilities
Records of the Facilities Department include correspondence, architectural records,
and other files related to the physical construction and maintenance of Foundation buildings.
Finance
Financial records include account books, invoices, financial reports, check stubs, and other
records documenting the finances of the Barnes Foundation, c. 1922 to present.
Finding Aids Available:
The Barnes Foundation Financial Records 1902-1972
Legal Records
Legal records include personal legal papers of Albert C. Barnes; the legal papers
of the Barnes Foundation; and the deeds and property histories for the Foundation's
sites in Merion, Philadelphia, and Chester County. Detailed inventories of these
records are not available online, and some of the records are closed to research.
Finding Aids Available:
Barnes Foundation Legal Papers
Photographs
The photograph collection consists of approximately 2,000 photographic prints, 1,400
film negatives, 800 lantern slides, and 350 glass plate negatives, and includes the
work of photographers such as Carl Van Vechten, Barbara Morgan, and Angelo Pinto.
The photograph collection spans over one hundred years and includes images of the
Foundation´s buildings and property, the Arboretum, Ker-Feal, the art collection,
study photographs of artwork and botanical specimens, and portraits and snapshots
of Dr. and Mrs. Barnes, John Dewey, and Foundation staff.
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