Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution
Record Unit 442
National Museum of American Art, Office of Research Support,
Departmental Records, circa 1973-1986
By R. Shawn Johnstone
Historical Note
Descriptive Entry
HISTORICAL NOTE
The administrative history of the Office of Research Support dates from 1973
when it was first established as the Office of Slides and Photography. Eleanor
E. Fink served as Slide and Photograph Librarian, 1973-1976, reporting to the
Library. In 1977, her title was Chief of the Office. Later in 1977 the Office
became independent and was renamed the Office of Visual Resources with Fink as
Chief until 1982. In 1983 the title changed to the Office of Research Support,
with Fink as Chief, 1983- .
Throughout this period the Office had
charge of the Slide and Photograph Archives, the Peter Juley and Son
Collection, and the Photography Laboratory; and Fink served as the chair of a
committee on the computer indexing of visual materials. The Smithsonian Art
Index, established in 1976 to document art works in other Smithsonian
collections, became the responsibility of the Office of Visual Resources in
1978.
DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY
These records consist of administrative subject files that document the
administration of Eleanor E. Fink in the Office of Research Support and its
predecessors.
Box 1 of 5
- Art Index, 1979-1981
- Budget:
Fiscal Year 1982
Fiscal Year 1983
Fiscal Year 1984; 5-year projection
Fiscal Year 1985; 5-year projection
- Dunlap society/Correspondence, 1978-1979
- Policy, 1983-1986
- ARLIS: Documenting Public Art
- Budget:
Five-Year Report, 1973-1979
Zero Bases Budget, 1979
Fiscal Year 1980
- Daniel Chester French: An American Sculptor
- Fine Arts in America: correspondence, 1976-1980
Box 2 of 5
- Office of Printing and Photographic Services (OPPS): Wallace, 1975-1982
- Art Exhibition Catalogue Index: correspondence, 1982-1986. Pertains to completion and status of project, publication of Gerdt's essay and honorarium, Smithsonian Society, and contracts.
- Art Exhibition Catalogue Index: correspondence, 1984-1986. Concerns fundraising activities and publication.
- Art Exhibition Catalogue Index: correspondence, 1979-1983
- Smithsonian Background Material: subject index, 1981-1982
- Computer Information Systems, 1974
- Eldredge, Charles C.: Fiscal Years 1982-1984
- Robertson, Charles J.: Fiscal Year 1983
Box 3 of 5
- Robertson, Charles J.: Fiscal Year 1984
- Slide & Photographic Archives (SAPA): Book I, 1973-1976
- Activities, 1983-1984:
Research Support Accomplishments
AAM/NEH Art Colloquium
American Association of Museums (AAM)
Kellogg Project
Museum Administration
- Activities, 1985-1986:
Comite International d'Histore de l'Art (CIHA)
(Peter A.) Juley Staff Lecture
Smithsonian National Associate Program (SNAP)
NMAA Commission Meeting
- Statistics, Plans and Reports, 1977-1982
- Wang Laboratories, Inc.: correspondence, 1982-1986
- Art Exhibition Catalogue Index: correspondence, 1978-1984. Pertains to contracts and background information.
- Smithsonian Art Index: correspondence, 1979-1981
Box 4 of 5
- Memoranda, 1978-1979
- Memoranda, 1976-1977
- Yarnell, James L.: memoranda, 1983-1985
- Art Exhibition Catalogue Index: Published Examples (1981)
- Art Exhibition Catalogue Index: Standards (1981-1982)
- G.K. Hall Library Catalogs: "Descriptive Catalog of Painting and Sculpture in the National Museum of American Art."
Final publications
Correspondence, 1982-1983
- Memoranda, 1980-1982
- Taylor, Joshua C.: Director of the National Museum of American Art, 1970-1981:
Obituaries
Minutes of meetings
Memoranda, 1977-1981
- Memoranda and Correspondence, 1973-1976:
Eleanor E. Fink, Slide and Photograph Librarian, NCFA/NPG Library
Slide Librarian Seminar, New York City, 1975
- Center for Iconographic Documentation, Museo Historico Nacional Santiago, Chile:
Establishment of Center for Iconographic Documentation: Museo Historico Nacional Santiago, Chile" by Eleanor E. Fink (1980).
"Visual Resources Center, Inter-American Development Bank: Subject List for Cataloging Pictures of IDB Loan Projects in Latin America" (1980).
Photographs (19th Century Albumen Photo from Chile Enclosed)
"The Problems of Handling Historical Photograph Negatives on Cellulose Nitrate Film: Peter A. Juley and Son Collection" by Eleanor E. Fink
- International Conference on Art History: correspondence, 1976-1984
- Vienna Paper: ComitInternational d'Historire de l'Art
Box 5 of 5
- College Art Association (CAA): New York City Computer Cataloguing Conference, 1978
National Collection of Fine Arts Lecture. Includes information on the following artists:
- Cecilia Beaux (1863-1943)
- George Bellows (1882-1925)
- Ralph Blakelock (1847-1919)
- Charles Burchfield
- George Loring Brown (1814-1889)
- Samuel Colman (1832-1920)
- Frederic Church
- Jasper Cropsey (1832-1900)
- Stuart Davis (1894-1964)
- Thomas Dewing (1851-1938)
- Thomas Doughty (1793-1856)
- Frank Duveneck (1848-1919)
- Thomas Eakins (1844-1916)
- Ralph Earl (1751-1801)
- Francis Edmonds (1806-1863)
- John Whetten Ehninger
- Alvan Fisher
- John F. Francis (1808-1886)
- Richard La Barre Goodwin (1840-1910)
- James Hamilton (1819-1878)
- Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935)
- Robert Henri (1865-1929)
- Gustavas and John Hesselius
- Winslow Homer (1836-1910)
- Harriet Hosmer (1830-1908)
- Daniel Huntington (1816-1906)
- George Inness (1825-1894)
- Homer Martin (1836-1897)
- Frank B. Mayer (1827-1899)
- Gari Melchers (1860-1932)
- Thomas Moran (1837-1925)
- Samuel F. B. Morse (1791-1872)
- William Sidney Mount
- Raphaelle Peale (1774-1825)
- Ferdinand Pettrich (1798-1872)
- Hiram Powers
- Maurice Prendergast (1859-1924)
- William Trost Richards (1833-1905)
- Theodore Robinson (1852-1896)
- John Rogers
- John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
- Millard Sheets
- William L. Sonntag (1822-1900)
- Moses Soyer
- Lily Martin Spencer (1822-1902)
- John Mix Stanley
- Gilbert Stuart (1735-1826)
- George Tooker
- Abbott Thayer (1849-1921)
- John Twachtman (1853-1902)
- Elihu Vedder
- Benjamin West (1738-1820)
- James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
- Theodore Wores (1859-1939)
- EEF Darmouth Conference, 1979:
"Subject Access to Reproductions of American Works of Art"
Picture Division Thesaurus of Iconographic Terms: Public Archives of Canada
Notes on subject access systems and vocabulary
NCFA Slide and Photograph Archives: Subject Classification Guide
- Ann Arbor Paper, 1982
- ARLIS Paper (includes photographs)
- University of Syracuse Lecture, 1979
- Special Libraries Association (SLA) Presentation, 1980:
"Automated Indexing of Art Documentation"
"Computer Assisted Retrieval of Slides and Photographs at the National Collection of Fine Arts"
- Maryland Paper, 1980
- Subject Access Group, 1980-1984
- Belmont Conference, 1980
Return to Top of Page
Contact us at osiaref@si.edu
Finding Aids Main Menu ||
Official Records Finding Aids ||
Collections ||
Hours & Directions ||
Archives Division Home ||
SIA Home
Revised: August 5, 2002