The Winterthur Library
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur
Museum
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
DE 19735
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Keck, Caroline K. (Caroline
Kohn)
Title: Papers
Dates: 1934-2005
Call No.: Col. 664
Acc. No.: 98x29; 08x153; 12x64;
15x109; 15x110
Quantity: 95 boxes, 68 film reels, 4
audio tapes (33 cu. ft.)
Location: 507 A-D 1-4
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
Caroline Martin Kohn Keck and her husband Sheldon
Waugh Keck were art conservators. Caroline
was the daughter of Albert and Laura Underhill Kohn. She was educated at Vassar College, Radcliffe
College, where she earned a master’s degree in art history, and the University
of Berlin. Sheldon was the son of Fred
R. and Myra Waugh Keck, born on May 30, 1910, in Utica, New York. He graduated from Harvard University in 1932,
where he had majored in art history, and apprenticed as an art conservator at
the Fogg Museum of Art. The Kecks met
while both were taking classes at the Fogg.
They married on October 31, 1933, and had two sons, Lawrence (also a
conservator) and Albert.
The Kecks were painting conservators for the
Brooklyn Museum (they went there in 1934), the Museum of Modern Art, the
Guggenheim Museum, and the New York State Historical Association in
Cooperstown, as well as doing work for other museums and private owners. They taught conservation courses at the
Brooklyn Museum, which became the basis of the curriculum at the New York
University Conservation Center. The
Kecks also founded the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Conservation, and they served
as advisors when the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art
Conservation was begun.
During World War II, Sheldon Keck served in the
American army. Because of his art
conservation background, he was assigned to Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives
Section (“Monuments Men”), which handled the art treasures which had been
stolen by the Germans during the war. At
the end of the war, he worked at the art collecting point established in
Marburg, Germany. Sheldon Keck was awarded
Fulbright and Guggenheim fellowships. He
was noted for his research into the works of the artists William Harnett, John
Frederick Peto, and Albert Pinkham Ryder.
The Kecks worked together as a team, each with his
and her own strengths. They published
numerous articles, several books, and produced six films about painting
conservation. Caroline Keck was the
first woman to deliver the IIC Forbes Prize lecture. They were members of the International
Institute for Conservation (IIC; Sheldon served two terms as president; both
were honorary fellows), American Institute for Conservation (AIC, of which
Sheldon was president), the American Association of Museums (AAM), and other
professional organizations. The AIC named
its award for excellence in teaching conservation the Sheldon and Caroline Keck
Award. The IIC presents a Keck Award to
honor public outreach in the conservation field. An obituary of Sheldon Keck appears in the AIC News, volume 18, number 5 (September
1993). Caroline Keck died on December
17, 2007, at the age of 99.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
The papers reflect the careers of Sheldon and
Caroline Keck. Of especial interest is
the summary of the conservation treatments which they performed from 1934-circa
2000. More than this, however, are the
logs in which they recorded their work (1934-1999), and more detailed treatment
reports, some in numerical order and others filed by client name. Also included are the photographs which they
took before, during, and after conservation treatments. As well, there are files relating to the
conservation programs in which the Kecks were involved, especially that located
in Cooperstown, New York; the conservation organizations of which they were
members; articles written by them; articles and notes gathered as part of their
work; and files on several artists, especially the American artist Albert Pinkham
Ryder. A number of 16 mm films pertain
to treatments which the Kecks performed or to the Exposition of Painting
Conservation, held in 1962. The papers
also include correspondence with other conservators, a number of whom trained
under the Kecks. Caroline Keck was known
for her strong opinions, but she had great affection for many of her trainees,
many of whom called her “Ma.”
A small part of the collection relates to Sheldon
Keck’s World War II army service as part of the Monuments, Fine Arts and
Archives Section (“Monuments Men”). In
addition to copies of military orders and lists of monuments, there will be
found Keck’s notes or diaries about his activities. As well, there are a few photographs taken
during or just after the war. This
series also includes post-war correspondence with Keck about his military service. As well, the lab coats he wore in his
post-war conservation career are filed with this series.
ORGANIZATION
The papers are divided into
six series:
I.
General files (arranged
alphabetically by folder title);
II.
Artists files
(especially A. P. Ryder);
III.
Treatment
records, including photographs (the summaries of the conservation treatments
are in Boxes 1-2 of this series);
IV.
Publications,
including publications of the Kecks;
V.
Films and audio
tapes; and
VI.
Sheldon Keck’s
World War II files.
The papers came in several
groups; unmarked folders are part of accession 98x29; folders from other
accessions are so marked.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
Most of the materials are in English. Some journal publications and letters are in
other languages.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply. Some restrictions pertain to the treatment
reports; information on these restrictions is available at this repository.
PROVENANCE
Accession 98x29: gift of Caroline Keck, Cooperstown,
New York.
Accession 08x153: gift of Keck estate.
Accession 12x64: gift of Sarah Fisher.
Accession 15x109:
gift of the estate of Caroline Keck, through Joyce Hill Stoner. (This was mostly correspondence, with a few
treatment reports. The treatment reports
were interfiled with the reports already in the collection, and are so noted on
the folders in which they are filed.)
Accession
15x110: gift of Judith Childs; in a folder with her name.
RELATED
MATERIALS
Caroline Keck was Georgia O’Keeffe’s art
conservator, and they had a long professional relationship. Correspondence between Caroline Keck and
Georgia O’Keeffe is held by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico. A book based on the letters and work done by
Keck for O’Keeffe is Georgia O’Keeffe:
Color and Conservation, by René Paul Barilleaux and Sarah Whitaker Peters
(Jackson: Mississippi Museum of Art, 2006).
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Ryder, Albert Pinkham,
1847-1917.
Vermeer, Johannes, 1632-1675.
Topics:
Art – Conservation and
restoration.
Paintings – Conservation and restoration.
Museum conservation methods.
World War, 1939-1945 - Art and the war.
Art restorers.
Additional author:
Keck, S. (Sheldon).
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 507 A-D 1-4
Series I:
General files
Box 1:
Folder 1: Adhesives
Folder 2: Aesthetics; artists’ audiences
Folder 3: Aiken, Carol
Folder 4: American Association for State and
Local History (AASLH)
Folder 5: AASLH: permissions for photographs in
handbook
Folder 6: American Association of Museums
Folder 7: American Federation of Arts
Folder 8: American Institute for Conservation
(AIC): associated communications and correspondence
Folder 9: American Institute for Conservation
(AIC): Committee on National Institute for Conservation, 1975
Folders 10-11: American Institute for Conservation (AIC): FAIC
Folder 12: American Institute for Conservation
(AIC): FAIC financial reports, 1984-1985
Folder 13: American Institute for Conservation
(AIC): FAIC refresher courses
[continues in next box]
Box 2:
Folder 1: American Institute for Conservation
(AIC): FAIC refresher courses
[continued from previous
box]
Folders 2-3: American Institute for Conservation (AIC):
FAIC refresher course, 1983 (acc. 12x64)
Folder 4: American
Institute for Conservation (AIC): FAIC refresher course, 1983: handouts (acc. 12x64)
Folder 5: American
Institute for Conservation (AIC): FAIC refresher course, 1983: photographs (acc. 12x64)
Folder 6: American Institute for Conservation
(AIC): FAIC refresher course, 1983: post-course business (acc. 12x64)
Folders 7-8: American
Institute for Conservation (AIC): FAIC refresher course, 1984 (acc. 12x64)
Folder 9: American
Institute for Conservation (AIC): FAIC refresher course, 1984: participants (acc. 12x64)
Box 3:
Folder 1: American
Institute for Conservation (AIC): FAIC refresher course, 1984: post-course
business (acc. 12x64)
Folder 2: American painting technology: research
bibliography
Folder 3: Angst, Walter and Inge
Folder 4: Annie S. Kemerer Museum (Bethlehem,
Penn.)
Folder 5: Art in wood treatment
Folder 6: Atlanta Cyclorama
Folder 7: Bailey, Forrest
Folder 8: Berger, Gustav
Folder 9: Bewer, Francesca
Folder 10: Black, James (University of London, Institute
of Archaelogy)
Folder 11: Book draft(?): first part, chapter I
Folder 12: book draft(?): chapters II and IV
Box 4:
Folder 1: Bosshard, Emil and Veroncia
Folder 2: Brinkley, Joe: packing pictures, 1969
(photos)
Folder 3: Bronzes, cement, ivory, colors (tests
for), stone, tools, 1930-1977
Folder 4: Brooklyn Museum, including Keck
memorial service
Folder 5: Broun, Betsy (National Museum of
American Art)
Folder 6: Buchholz & Homann (Ralf Buchholz
and Hannes Homann)
Folder 7: Buck,
Richard D.
Folder 8: Cannon,
Deborah J.
Folder 9: Cartoons
and drawings
Folder 10: Cellulose:
papers on deterioration, 1950-1965
Folder 11: Cellulose mixed ether
Folder 12: Century Association (N.Y.)
Folder 13: Century Association (N.Y.): paintings
[includes treatment reports
of Daniel Huntington’s portrait of Asher B. Durand]
Box 5:
Folder 1: Century Association (N.Y.): portrait
of Asher B. Durand
Folder 2: Chapman, Joseph
Folder 3: Childs, Judith: correspondence from
her files pertaining to the Kecks (acc. 15x110)
Folder 4: Coatings technology
Folder 5: Cohn, Jerry (Marjorie B.)
Folder 6: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Folder 7: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: new
conservation facility (1990s)
Folder 8: Color notation: Munsell system
Folder 9: Conference: American Association of
Museums (AAM) (1971, 1982)
Folder 10: Conference on Emergency Protection,
Works of Art, Harvard [no date, possibly 1940s]
Folder 11: Conference: Gilding Conservation
Symposium, 1988
Folder 12: Conference: “Preservation and
Conservation, Principles and Practices” (1972)
Folder 13: Conferences and congresses
Folder 14: Conservation classes: outlines and notes
Folder 15: Conservation ethics in Brazil
Folder 16: Conservation
of paintings
Folder 17: Conservators at “Exploratory Conference
on Conservation,” funded by Rockefeller Foundation and held at Brooklyn Museum,
hosted by the Kecks, 1958 (photos) (acc. 08x153)
[see also the folder:
Rockefeller Conference: exploratory conference on conservation]
Folder 18: Conservators,
restorers
Box 6:
Folder 1: Cooperstown
graduate program: class in curatorial practice (HM 391)
Folder 2: Cooperstown
graduate program: exams
Folder 3: Cooperstown
graduate program: greeting cards
Folder 4: Cooperstown
graduate program: Guldbeck course
Folder 5: Cooperstown
graduate program: lecture notes
Folder 6: Cooperstown
graduate program: photo of museum studies students, 1970
Folder 7: Cooperstown
graduate program: reference data for classes
Folder 8: Cooperstown
graduate program: reports and publicity
Folder 9: Cooperstown
graduate program: resignations of Kecks
Folder 10: Coremans,
Paul
Box 7:
Correspondence
Folders 1-9: Correspondence,
A-Z, 1930s-2000s
Folder 5: Correspondence:
surname unknown or illegible
Box 8:
Folder 1: Correspondence:
Keck, Sheldon
Folder 2: Correspondence: letters to Kecks about
their resignation from Cooperstown training program
Folder 3: Cowley,
Ed
Folder 4: Critical
temperature of paint
Folder 5: Curran,
Ona
[see
also treatment reports for Curran]
Folder 6: Dennis,
Roger
Folder 7: Deterioration of fabric supported
paint films (paper by J. Colville and M.F. Mecklenburg), 1978
Folder 8: Digital thermometer system
Folder 9: Duncluce, Lord and Lady (Alexander
MacDonnell or McDonnell, Earl of Antrim)
Folder 10: Early American painting – bibliography
and notes, 1941
Folder 11: Eastern National Park and Monument
Association
Folders 12-13: Education
and training of conservators
Folder 14: Educational
standards for conservation, 1970
Box 9:
Folder 1: Educational standards for professional
practice, 1966
Folder 2: Eisendrath, David B.
Folder 3: Elliott,
Bo (Dorothy Baden)
Folder 4: Elvax, 1961
Folder 5: Equipment (photos)
Folder 6: Essex Institute (photos)
Folder 7: Examination worksheets [from various
institutions and conservators]
Folders 8-11: Exposition of Painting Conservation, Brooklyn
Museum, 1962
Folder 12: “Extracts from Charles Jervas’s ‘Sales Catalogues’
(1739): An Account of Eighteenth-century Painting Materials and Equipment,”
article by M. Kirby Talley, from The
Burlington Magazine, 1978
Folder 13: “Extracts from the Executors Account-book
of Sir Peter Lely, 1679-1691: An Account of the Contents of Sir Peter’s
Studio,” article by M. Kirby Talley, from The
Burlington Magazine, 1978
Folder 14: Faries, Molly (Iindiana University)
Folder 15: Feller, Robert L.
Box 10:
Folder 1: Feller, Robert L.: “History and
Genesis”
Folder 2: Feller, Robert L. and Keck, Sheldon:
paper, 1959-1963, about fake Zuburan
Folder 3: Film
cracks: mechanical alteration, (includes paper by S. Keck), 1967
Folder 4: Film
scripts, written by Kecks
Folder 5: Films
on conservation, by Kecks and others
Folder 6: Fine
arts insurance forms
Folder 7: Finke,
Hans-Joachim: “Basic Tender Loving Care for Paintings”
Folder 8: Fishburne,
S. J.
Folder 9: Fisher, Sarah; two rubber stamps given
by Caroline Keck to Sarah Fisher; the stamps read “Approved by Ma” and “Not
Approved by Ma” [“Ma” being Caroline Keck]
(acc. 12x64)
Folder 10: Floods
Folder 11: Fong,
Sammy
Folder 12: Ford,
Alice
Folder 13: Franco,
Barbara
Folder 14: Frankenstein,
Alfred: correspondence and articles
Folder 15: Frick
Art Reference Library
Folder 16: “Fundamentals of Painting Conservation”:
course given by Kecks at Brooklyn Museum
Folder 17: Gallery
Association of New York State
Folder 18: General plan of introduction to the
study of conservation, 1963 (in Spanish) (acc. 98x29)
[see
also the folder: Mexico report, 1966]
Folder 19: Gettens,
Rutherford John
Box 11:
Folder 1: Glass, 1962
Folder 2: Goltz, Michael van der
Folder 3: Göteborgs University (Sweden)
[mostly
correspondence with Jan Rosvall]
Folder 4: Guldbeck, Per and Janni
Folder 5: Ham, Dick (Dick Ham Productions)
Folder 6: Hamilton College
[includes some treatment
reports]
Folder 7: Hardness and flexibility of natural
and synthetic resin varnishes
Folder 8: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (Newton Pincus)
Folder 9: Held, Julius
Folder 10: Henderson, David English (1832-1887):
conservation of paintings by Henderson
Folder 11: Hiram H. Hoelzer, Inc.: testimonials
against
Folder 12: Holden, Donald
Folder 13: Holographic methods for painting
diagnostics
Folder 14: Horizon
Folder 15: Hot table
Folder 16: Hotton, Julia
Folder 17: Huston, Perry
Box 12:
Folder 1: Inpainting lectures, 1981
Folder 2: International Council of Museums
(ICOM), Committee for Museum Laboratories, 1960
Folder 3: International
Council of Museums: papers, 1963-1965
Folder 4: International
Institute for Conservation (IIC): correspondence
Folder 5: International
Institute for Conservation (IIC): Keck Award
Folder 6: International Institute for
Conservation (IIC)-American Group: public relations and show
Folder 7: International Institute for
Conservation (IIC)-NFK: joint international congress with NKF (Nordiska
Konservatorforbundets), 1975
Folder 8: IIC-NFK Forbes Prize Lecture: “Preserving
the Wasa,” by Lars Barkman, 1975
Folder 9: Japanese conservation techniques
Folder 10: Jedrzejewska, Hanna
Box 13:
Folder 1: Jenssen, Victoria
Folder 2: Katz, Kenny and Anne
Folder 3: Keck,
Caroline and Sheldon: talk: “Elementary Insight,” 1968
Folders 4-7: Keck, Caroline: papers, talks, and lectures
Box 14:
Folder 1: Keck, Sheldon: International Centre
Committee
Folder 2: Keck,
Sheldon: notebook, 1950
Folder 3: Keck, Sheldon: notebook: “Florence,
1937,” and notes on pigments
Folder 4: Keck, Sheldon: notebook: “Hand Book of
Restoration”
Folder 5: Keck, Sheldon: notebook: “Methods and
Processes of Painting,” and miscellaneous notes
Folder 6: Keck, Sheldon: notebook: notes on
students’ work; equipment to be ordered; experiments research testing project;
bibliography
Folders 7-8: Keck, Sheldon: papers, talks, and lectures
[continues
in next box]
Box 15:
Folder 1: Keck, Sheldon: papers, talks, and
lectures
[continued
from previous box]
Folder 2: Kecks: Christmas cards, 1962, 1976
Folder 3: Kecks: honors
Folder 4: Kecks: library, list of films, photo
equipment list, etc.
Folder 5: Kecks: miscellaneous notes
Folder 6: Kecks: personal and biographical
Folder 7: Kecks: photos of
Folder 8: Kelly, Lavern
Folder 9: Kerschner, Rich and Sally
Folder 10: Keyes, Keiko
Folder 11: Kiehart, Paul P.
Folder 12: Konrad, Anton
Folder 13: Koszewnik, Fred
Folder 14: Lawton, Mark (New York State Historic
Trust)
Folder 15: Lebron, Jim: orders for stretchers
Box 16:
Folder 1: Lighting
Folder 2: Liste
du Personnel, Belgium [unknown organization]
Folder 3: Little,
David
Folder 4: Lockfoam, made by NOPCo Chemical Co.
(catalog, 1953)
Folder 5: Martin, A. B.
[chiefly
about the artist A.P. Ryder]
Folder 6: Materials
and techniques of paintings, Upper Hudson Valley, 1700-1750
Folder 7: Materials of art and archaeology:
solid state crystallography, 1962
Folder 8: Materials of conservation, 1961
Folder 9: McGiffen, Robert F.
Folder 10: Mellon Institute of Industrial Research:
reports for National Gallery of Art, 1956
Folder 11: Metals, 1963
Folder 12: Metals:
non-mechanical treatments, 1973
Folder 13: Methocel
Folder 14: Metropolitan Museum of Art (including Kueffner,
Nancy)
Folder 15: Mexico report, 1966 (acc. 98x29)
[see also the folder:
General plan: introduction to the study of conservation, 1963]
Folder 16: Microcrystalline
waxes and Acryloid A-11
Box 17:
Folder 1: Mid-West
Regional Conservation Guild and David Miller
Folder 2: Moving
art works (photos)
Folder 3: Muller,
Norman
Folder 4: Museum
of Modern Art (MoMA) (including photos)
Folder 5: Nathans, Jerome
Folder 6: National Conservation Advisory Council
(NCAC):
Folder 7: National Conservation Advisory Council
(NCAC): Committee on National Institute for Conservation, 1977
Folder 8: National Gallery of Art (Washington,
D.C.)
Folder 9: National Gallery of Art (Washington,
D.C.): Conservation of its collections, 1978
Folder 9: National Gallery of Canada
Folder 11: National Institute for the Conservation
of Cultural Property: a draft report, 1977
Folder 12: National Portrait Gallery (Washington,
D.C.)
Folder 13: Nelson-Whitehead Paper Corp. (formerly
Stevens-Nelson Paper Corp.)
Includes
some paper samples
Folder 14: New York directory listings for artists’
supplies [19th century]
Folder 15: New York State Council on the Arts
Folder 16: New York State Historical Association
Folder 17: New York State Historical Association:
Seminars on American Culture
[continues
in next box]
Box 18:
Folder 1: New York State Historical Association:
Seminars on American Culture
[continued
from previous box]
Folder 2: Nishio, Yoshi
Folder 3: Nkrumah, Joe D. K.
Folder 4: Oil
paints and color, 1935-1962
Folder 5: O’Keeffe,
Georgia: correspondence about her (no letters to or from her)
Folder 6: Olana
[Frederic Edwin Church home, New York]
Folder 7: Organ,
Robert
Folder 8: Organic chemicals
Folder 9: Organization of slides
Folder 10: Orosco, James
Folder 11: Orraca, Jose and Sadako [also includes a
letter from Georgia O’Keeffe about Orraca]
Folder 12: Pace, Lawrence
Folder 13: Packard, Elisabeth
Folder 14: Page, Arthur and Debbie
Folder 15: Page Conservation, Inc.
Folder 16: Paintings: examination and recording
(radiography and microspectroscopy), 1969-1972
Box 19:
Folders 1-3: Paper, 1965-1967; 1969; 1970
Folder 4: Paper cleaning: thesis by Katherine Giles
Eirk, 1972: “An Experimental Evaluation of Accepted Methods of Removing Spots
and Stains from Works of Art on Paper” (George Washington University)
Folder 5: Paper: deterioration and treatment,
1961-1962
Folder 6: Paper making: commentary on slides, by
R. D. Buck, 1969
Folder 7: Paul, Robert
Folder 8: Phillimore, Elizabeth
Folder 9: Photography: infrared, ultraviolet,
and fluorescence
Box 20:
Folder 1: Pigments and dyes, 1941-1965
Folder 2: Podany, Jerry
Folder 3: Polyethylene
Folder 4: Pomerantz, Louis
Folder 5: Porter, Mary Kay
Folder 6: Portell, Jean D.
Folder 7: Primer on museum security
Folder 8: Rabin,
Bernard
Folder 9: Rabin,
Bernard: Goya
Folder 10: Radiography
of paintings, 1963
Folder 11: “Report regarding tests upon aged
samples of methacrylate polymers,” 1957
Folder 12: Resins
Box 21:
Folder 1: Restoration of paintings
Folder 2: Robertson, Clement
Folder 3: Rockefeller Conference: Exploratory
Conference on Conservation
[see also the folder:
Conservators: exploratory conference on conservation, 1958 (photos)]
Folder 4: Rockwell, Thornton (Tony)
Folders 5-6: Rocky Mountain Regional Conservation
Center: ethics dispute
Folder 7: Rome Centre
Folder 8: Roth, James
Folder 9: Ruhemann, Helmut
Folder 10: Saltonstall, David
Folder 11: Santowax R technical bulletin
Folder 12: Schrock, Nancy
Folder 13: Sealed framing, current project, 1985
[includes
treatment report for D. Rice]
Folder 14: Sebera, Mary, and Swiklick [or
Swicklick], Michael
Folder 15: Shelburne Museum
Folder 16: Sistine Chapel ceiling: controversy
about cleaning
Box 22:
Folder 1: Smith, William A., and Jones, Sian
Folder 2: Snow, Lee (Nancy Lee)
[includes
treatment reports: see note on folder]
Folder 3: Solvents
Folder 4: Source material for articles
Folder 5: Spectrographs and spectrometers
Folder 6: Stone, 1965
Folders 7-8: Stoner, Joyce Hill
Folder 9: Stow, Cynthia
Folder 10: Structural treatment of paintings, 1968
Folder 11: Supply and equipment orders and
information
Folder 12: Surface active agents
Box 23:
Folder 1: Sweeney, J. Grey
Folder 2: Tables to determine age of examined
paintings, 1968
Folder 3 “The techniques of chromatography,”
by S. Z. Levin,1962
Folder 4: Time-Life Books (including Jane
Scholl, Susan Rayfield, George P. Hunt)
Folder 5: Trela, Rick and Ellen Terry
Folder 6: Transfer of paintings to new supports
Folder 7: Tribolet, Harold (of R.R. Donnelley
& Sons Co.)
Folder 8: Tucker, Linda: letters from Florence,
1975-1976
Folder 9: UNESCO
Folder 10: United States Information Agency (USIA)
Folder 11: University of Delaware: doctoral degree
battle, 2000
Folder 12: University of Delaware: Coremans
Fellowship
Folder 13: van Gogh, Vincent Willem
Folder 14: van Schendel, Arthur
Folder 15: Varnishes
Folder 16: Vassar College
Folder 17: Victoria and Albert Museum conservation
suppliers, 1965
Folder 18: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Folder 19: Volzenburg (Library, Hermitage,
Leningrad, USSR)
Folder 20: Vose Galleries
Box 24:
Folder 1: Waller, Sydney L.
Folder 2: Watson-Guptill Publications
Folder 3: Wax-resin
adhesives, 1975
Folder 4: Weil,
Phoebe Paxton Dent
Folder 5: Western Association for Art
Conservation (WAAC)
Folder 6: Winsor & Newton color charts, 1980
Folder 7: Winterthur Library
Folder 8: Witham, Mrs. Karl: Director, The Hammond
Museum, 1971
Folder 9: Wolanin, Barbara
Folder 10: Wolbers, Richard
Folder 11: Wood, 1958-1961
Folder 12: Wood: anatomy and structure, 1963
Folder 13: Wood: deterioration, 1963
Folder 14: Wood preservatives and creosote
Folder 15: Woolworth, Mireille (“Wonder Child”)
Folder 16: Workshop: Cleaning of Paintings
(Wolbers, 1988)
Folder 17: Wright & Gardner canvas stretchers
Folder 18: X-ray machines and x-rays
Folder 19: Xylamon – Hardening
Box 25: legal
size files
Folder 1: Blanching, 1968
Folder 2: International Institute for the
Conservation of Museum Objects: articles of association (1950)
Folder 3: “Light
and the Optical Properties of Paint,” lecture or paper
Folder 4: Metals, NYU, 1971
Folder 5: Microchemistry, 1958
Folder 6: National Gallery of Canada, “The
toilet of Venus,” 1962
Folder 7: New York University: Institute of Fine Arts News
Folder 8: Paper, 1965
Folder 9: Stone, bibliography, 1969-1973
Folder 10: Vanishing art, 1989
Folder 11: Wood: conservation of, N.S. Brommelle, 1963
Folder 12: Wood,
leather, 1949-1969
Series II: Artist files [all acc. 90x29]
Box 1: Artist
files
Folder 1: Botticelli (attributed to): “The
Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci,” research report [most of text is in Japanese,
but some has been translated into English]
Folder 2: Cole, Thomas: “Hunter’s Return,”
examination report, 1983
Folder 3: Cranach, Lucas: “The Crucifixion”
Folder 4: Cranach,
Lucas: Martin Luther and Wife, 1965
Folder 5: Harnett,
William, and Peto, John Frederick
Folder 6: Ryder, Albert Pinkham, 1890-1990
Folder 7: Ryder: Baskin, Leonard: report on his
Ryder, 1976
Folder 8: Ryder: Brooklyn Museum, 1991
Folder 9: Ryder: Centenary exhibition, 1947
Folder 10: Ryder: “Constance,” report on, 1969
Folder 11: Ryder: at the Corcoran, and American
paintings at the Corcoran Gallery, 1947, 1961
Folder 12: Ryder: correspondence about, 1976-1989
Folder 13: Ryder: correspondence about, 1990
Folder 14: Ryder: fakes and possible fakes
Folder 15: Ryder: Goodrich, Lloyd, correspondence, 1959,
1987
Folder 16: Ryder: Goossen article, 1970
Folder 17: Ryder: Homer, William, on Ryder,
1987-1989
Box 2: Artist files
Folder 1: Ryder: Homer’s and Betsy Brown’s
books, publicity on, 1989-1990
Folder 2: Ryder: Keck chronology
Folder 3: Ryder: Keck-Odds chronology, 1969-1990
Folder 4: Ryder: Keck manuscript, final version,
1988
Folder 5: Ryder: Keck manuscript: C. Keck’s
copy, 1988
Folder 6: Ryder: Life article, 1951
Folder 7: Ryder: MOMA, 1930
Folder 8: Ryder: negatives, 1918-1988
Folder 9: Ryder: “Newman, Ryder, Couture, and
Hero-Worship in Art History,” by Albert Boime, 1971
Folder 10: Ryder: “The Old Mill by Moonlight,”
1948-1986
Folder 11: Ryder: Photographs of Ryder paintings,
1890s
Box 3: Artist
files
Note cards about
Ryder’s paintings
Box 4: Artist
files
Folder 1: Ryder: photographs
Folder 2: Ryder: photographs from National
Museum of American Art, National Collection of Fine Art
Folder 3: Ryder: publications about and notes on
Folder 4: Ryder: reports, NCFA, 1965-1967
Folder 5: Ryder: reports, private or other 1959
Folder 6: Ryder: Sea Tragedy, 1972
Folder 7: Ryder: Simmons article, 1990 [note:
oversize folder, on shelf, not in box]
Folder 8: Ryder: “A Study in Appreciation,” by
Price
Folders 9-12: Ryder: slides of Ryder’s works
Box 5: Artist
files
Folders 1-10: Ryder: slides of Ryder’s works
Folder 11: Ryder: Smithsonian Institution on Ryder,
1987-1989
Folder 12: Leonardo da Vinci: La Belle Ferronniere,
1985
Folder 13: Van Gogh, 1990
Folder 14: Van
Meegeren (attributed to): Annunciation, style of Van Eyck, 1964
Folder 15: Van
Meegeren (attributed to): Annunciation, style of Van Eyck, 1965
Folder 16: Vermeer, 1981
Box 6: Artist files
Folder 1: Vermeer:
Girl with Blue Bow, 1965
Folder 2: Vermeer: National Gallery of Art
Observations on the Vermeer paintings
Folder 3: Vermeer:
paintings examination report, 1964
Series III: Treatment records and photographs
Note: the restoration notebooks in Box 3 list
treatments for which there are not
more comprehensive treatment reports, which are found in Boxes 1 and 2. Furthermore, treatment reports in Boxes 3-5
may contain information not found in the reports found in Boxes 1 and 2.
Box 1: (acc. 98x29)
Folder 1: guide to conservation/treatment
records
[includes
letters to institutions which were given copy of disks with treatment reports]
Folders 2-23: Conservation/treatment records, 1934-1955
[see also
reports from accession 08x153]
Box 2: (acc. 98x29)
Folders 1-23: Conservation/treatment records, 1956-1979
[see also
reports from accession 08x153]
Box 3: (acc. 08x153)
Folders 1-6: Restoration records, Books 1-8, 1934-1999
These
records list all the work done by the Kecks; there are not comprehensive reports for all the work they did.
[note: for Book 1, there is the original notebook and a
copy; the copy should be used first]
Folders 7-9: Treatment reports, numbers 03539, 42272-491118
[note: there
is not a report for every number]
Box 4: (acc. 08x153)
Folders 1-7: Treatment reports, numbers 491121-703473
[note: there is not a report
for every number]
Box 5: (acc. 08x153)
Folders 1-5: Treatment reports, numbers 703474-054287
[note: there
is not a report for every number]
Box 6: Treatment
reports (folders 7-9: by client name)
Folder 1: Treatment photograph album, with
partial index
Folder 2: Copley portrait of Mrs. Humphrey
Devereux, 1964
Folder 3: Greek icon
Folder 4: “Lady Jane” [portrait of a lady]
Folder 5: Seurat paintings
Folder 6: various clients (“Current work”)
Folder 7: Abbe
Folder 7: Adirondack Museum
Folder 8: Albany Academy for Girls; Albany
Institute of History and Art; Albany Medical College
Folder 9: Allen; Alport; Amory; Arakelian;
Armstrong
Box 7: Treatment
reports: by client name
Folder 1: Arnot Art Gallery
Folder 2: Arquin; Aquavella; Ashley, C.; Ashley,
Mrs. S.D.
Folder 3: Bach; Ball State University Art
Gallery; Baltimore Museum of Art; Bar Harbor Historical Society; Bartholomew; Basloe;
Baum; Baxter House Museum; Bayes
Folder 4: Beck, W.C.
Folder 5: Bender; Bernas; Bishop Museum; Blatz;
Blazier; Bolger; Bordley; Bowers; Bradley-Smith; Brewster; Brooklyn Museum;
Brooks; Bruns
Folder 6: Buffalo and Erie County Historical
Society; Burden; Burghardt
Folder 7: Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery (N.Y.)
Folder 8: Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery
(N.Y.): Homer paitning
Box 8: Treatment
reports: by client name
Folder 1: Cannon; Carpenter; Carr; Carter; Cary;
Catal; Centuray Association; Church of St. James (Delhi, N.Y.)
Folder 2: Clark Art Institute
Folder 3: Clark, Jane; Clark, Janet
Folder 4: Cleveland Museum of Art
Folder 5: Clough; Coates; Cogswell; Collins;
Cook; Cooper, D.; Cooper, H.; Cooper, W.M.; Coppenrath; Coppens
Folder 6: Corning Museum of Glass
Folder 7: Corning; Cortland County Historical
Society (N.Y.); Creech & Brush; Crowell; Crummey; Cunningham
Folder 8: Curran, Peter and Ona
[see also
correspondence]
Folder 9: Darling; Dean; De Haas; Dembinski;
Demeritt; Detroit Institute of Arts; De Troy; Dewey
Folder 10: DeWitt Historical Society of Tompkins
County, Inc.
Folder 11: Dickinson; Dietrich; Doane Stuart
School; Doliber
Folder 12: Eaton; Eberle; Edmunds, R.C.; Edmunds,
R.T.; Ellithorp; Erskine; Etnier; Evans, D.; Evans, G. & A., Evans, W.;
Evans, W.B.
Box 9: Treatment reports: by client name
Folder 1: Falck; Fava; Felton; Flanagan;
Fletcher; Fleury; Friery; Folds
Folder 2: Fort Orange Club (Albany, N.Y.)
Folder 3: Fowler; Fox; Frankenstein; Frey; Gelbsman
Folder 4: Gerry
Folder 5: Goff (and Brewster); Gonzalez; Goodyear;
Gronewalt; Gwynn (for Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, N.Y.)
Folder 6: Haas, Walter A. (Mrs.)
Folder 7: Hall; Halverson; Hamalian;
Haney/Albert; Hanson; Hargrove; Heffenreffer/Marshall; Henriques; Herkimer
County Historical Society (N.Y.); Hickey
Folder 8: Historic Charleston Foundation; Holley
Folder 9: Hoes; Hoheb; Homer Central School
(Homer, N.Y.)
Folder 10: Houston Museum of Fine Arts (and
correspondence with James Johnson Sweeney)
Folder 11: Hoyt; Hunt
Folder 12: Hyde Collection
Box 10: Treatment reports: by client name
Folder 1: Jackson; Jefferson County Historical
Society (N.Y.); Johnson; Kandel
Folder 2: Keck
Folder 3: Keene; Kennedy; King; Klinger; Knoedler
& Co.; Knox Gelatine, Inc. (Graham); Kolle; Koolakian; Kopp
Folder 4: Kreager; Lamont; Lancaster; Lass;
Lindsay; Luhrs
Folder 5: MacMahon; Maine Maritime Museum;
Martin; Mary I. Bassett Hospital; McGlynn; McGowan; McMurray
Folder 6: Menil; Miller; Miss Hall’s School;
Montclair Art Museum;
[Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute – see separate folder]; Murray; [Museum of Modern Art – see separate
folder]; Myers
Folder 7: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
Folder 8: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): Monet
painting
Box 11: Treatment reports: by client name
Folder 1: Nelson; New York, State of; New York
Public Library
Folder 2: New York State Historical Association
Folder 3: Newman; Newton; Nichols; Nolan; Noldan;
Oliver; Onondaga Historical Society (N.Y.); Osborne; Ott
Folder 4: Paley, William S.
Folder 5: Parker; Parkhill; Payne; Pearlman;
Petheridge; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Phillips Gallery; Pitcairn; Platt
(Blodgett); Pruyn House (N.Y.);
Folder 6: Ramsey; Rath; Reid; Rexford (or
Refford)
Folder 7: Rice, Norman
Folder 8: Richman; Roberson Memorial Center
(N.Y.); Roberts; Rubin; Rutan; Ryder; St. John; Salvatore; Samuels; Sargent
Folder 9: Schenectady County Historical Society
(N.Y.)
Folder 10: Schmidt; Schultz; Seneca Falls
Historical Society (N.Y.); Severen; Shea; Shearman; Shoemaker; Slingerland;
Sloan
Box 12: Treatment reports: by client name
Folder 1: Smith, B.G.; Smith, L.; Smith, R.;
Smith, S.; Soccorso; Solberg; Sorge; Sprague; State University of New York
(SUNY) – Binghamton; Stokes (Watson-Stokes); Stoltenborg; Sutherland;
Folder 2: Tagliaferri; Tipper; Thompson; Tower; Turner;
Tuska; Underhill
Folder 2: University of Kentucky Art Gallery
Folder 3: Van Horne, William (Mrs.)
Folder 4: Van Laar; Vayo; Vincent/Reiss
Folder 5: Wadsworth Atheneum
Folder 6: Wadsworth; Waller; Warwick
Folder 7: Webb; Weil, H.; Weil, S.;
Wertenbacker; White; Wildenstein & Co.; Williams, E.; Williams, M.;
Williams, W.
Folder 8: Wright; Wyckoff; Yager; Yates;
Yonuschot
Box 13: note
cards
Note cards about
treatments (in order by treatment number, 39122-48910)
Box 14: Photographs
Folders 1-4: Art
Folder 5: Art,
English
Box 15:
Photographs
Folder 1: Art,
French and modern
Folder 2: Artists
and their studios
Folders 3-4: Deterioration
Folder 5: Deterioration
(color photos)
Folder 6: Examination
photos
Folder 7: Fakes
Box 16:
Photographs
Folder 1: Fraud:
examination
Folder 2: Leonardo
da Vinci: Mona Lisa drawing photos
Folder 3: Odds
and ends
Folder 4: Rembrandt
Folders 5-6: Rubens
Folder 7: St.
James Church: Italian Madonna, Child, Saints
Folder 8: Thorne, Victor: Impannata (Raphael) [note: oversize folder, on shelf, not in box]
Folder 9: Treatment
photos
Box 17:
Photographs
Folders 1-6: Treatment
photos and negatives, 1982-1995
[prints
of some of the negatives are found in Box 40]
Folder 7: Treatment
photos and negatives, no numbers (many of Ryder paintings)
Folder 8: Treatment
reports: negatives for works in progress
Folders 9-10: negatives
and color negatives
Folder 11: Caroline’s
negatives (color) (Bob Knoll)
Folder 12: Slides
Boxes 18-39
Photographs and negatives of paintings conserved and
treated by Sheldon and Caroline Keck, filed by number, 03403-783626; the
numbers on the envelopes correspond with the numbers on the conservation/treatment
records in boxes 1-2.
Box 40:
Prints for treatments 783627-873784. (There are not prints for all those
numbers. Strip negatives for prints
843690-873784 may be found in Box 17.)
As well, the box includes some treatment photos
which lack numbers, and photos and negatives which are numbered, but the
numbers do not fit into the main sequence of treatment report numbers.
Boxes 41-46
Prints and negatives which are filed by artist’s
name. Some of these are marked with
treatment numbers, but were nevertheless found filed by name, not by
number. Box 46 also contains negatives
for works by unknown artists, and these continue into Box 47.
Box 47
Negatives and prints for works by unknown artists
(continued from Box 47).
Negatives and prints for paintings owned by the
Kecks.
Negatives and prints illustrating structure and
materials of paintings, techniques, and deterioration; examination and infrared
photos; photos of equipment, etc.
Box 48
Miscellaneous photographs and negatives; glass
slides of watermarks.
Box 49: Slides
“Technical Assistance: Where to find it and what to
expect”: slides for lecture and script for slide show [script in separate
folder, filed with box of slides];
glass mounted slides
Box 50: Slides
Slides illustrating paints and pigments, paper,
examinations, counterfeits, deterioration, etc.
Box 51: Slides
American paintings
Icon: Nativity
Arkell Hall
Miscellaneous slides
Box 52: Slides
Still lifes,
genre paintings, history paintings, etc.
Conservators at
work
Miscellaneous
slides
Boxes 53-54:
Two boxes containing canisters of rolled negatives,
plus samples taken from a painting by Vermeer, and a varnish sample from
treatment 843694
Series IV: Publications and articles
Box 1: articles by or about the Kecks
Folder 1: articles co-written by Caroline and
Sheldon Keck
Folder 2: articles by Caroline Keck
Folder 3: articles by Caroline Keck: typescripts
and some correspondence
Folder 4: Caroline Keck’s conservation column in
History News
Folders 5-6: articles by Sheldon Keck
Folder 7: articles which mention the Kecks
Box 2:
Folder 1: books by Caroline Keck: Safeguarding Your Collection in Travel
and A Handbook on the Care of Paintings
Folders 2-4: IIC
Bulletin of the American Group, vol. 2, no. 1-2; vol. 3, no. 2; vol. 5-11,
no. 1-2; vol. 12, no. 1; v. 11, (1961-1963, 1964-1971)
Folder 5: Ochrona
Zabytrow, r. 2, nr. 1 (1949) and r. 6, nr. 4 (1953) (Polish journals)
Folder 6: 5 issues of a Russian journal,
1957-1960
Box 3:
Folder 1: Exhibit catalog: “American Historical
Prints,” 1965
Folder 2: Exhibit catalog: “Hudson Valley
Paintings, 1700-1750,” 1959
Folder 3: Exhibit catalog: “James E. Johnson:
Rural Artist,” 1975
Folder 4: Exhibit catalogs: Ralph Earl (exhibit
1945-1946) and William Harnett (exhibit 1948)
Folder 5: “Caring for Your Collections”
technical leaflets
Folder 6: Alexander, Shirley: “Notes on the Use
of Gold-Leaf in Egyptian Papyri,” 1965
Folder 7: Buck, R. D.: “Some applications of
mechanics to the treatment of panel paintings,” 1961
Folder 8: Farnsworth, Marie: “Greek Pottery: A
Mineralogical Study,” 1964
Folder 9: Harrison, Laurence S.: “Report on the
Deteriorating Effects of Modern Light Sources,” no date
Folder 10: Horner, Helmut: “Röntgenuntersuchung von
Gemälden,” 1963
Folder 11: Marijnissen, R. H.: “What’s Cooking in
Modern Painting?”
Folder 12: Packard, Elisabeth C. G.: “A Bellini
painting from the Procuratia di Ultra Venice,” 1970-1971
Folder 13: Pomerantz, Louis: “Preventative Care of
Paintings: What to Do about It,” 1971 (also articles about him)
Folder 14: Ross, S.: “Faraday Consults the
Scholars: the Origins of the Terms of Electrochemistry,” 1961
Folder 15: Stolow, Nathan: articles by him
Folder 16: Terada, Shun-Ichi: “Traitement
protective de la peinture a l’huile,” 1961
Folder 17: Wassen, Henry: “A Forged Maya Codex on
Parchment: a Warning,” 1941
Folder 18: Weiss, Harry B., and Carruthers, Ralph
H.: Insect Enemies of Books, 1945
Folders 19-20: Articles and publications of interest to the
Kecks
Box 4:
Folders 1-2: Foreign brochures and articles
Folder 3: Printed pictures: “Assumption of the
Virgin” by Titian, and photos from an archaeological expedition in Egypt,
1921-1922
Series V: Films
Note: all films are 16 mm unless otherwise
specified. All films are accession
08x153.
Films are divided into 3 groups: small films in
acid-free boxes, numbered metal film cans, and unnumbered metal film cans. Films of the same subjects can be found in
more than one group.
Small films, in acid-free boxes:
Box 1:
Albany painting,
boxes 1-2, 1953;
Brooklyn Museum,
extra footage, boxes 1-8;
Copley;
Dana and Copley
– cuts
[see also film in metal film can];
Details;
EPC discards,
box 1 (not on spools)
[continues in next box]
Box 2:
EPC discards,
boxes 2-5 (not on spools)
[continued from previous box];
Fragonard,
Ochtervelt, 1955;
Future for the
Past (film no. 14);
Governor New
York state, decay of support, 1953;
Hicks, boxes 1-8
(includes cuts and footage of moving before treatment);
Box 3:
Hubert, boxes
1-2
[see also original film in metal
film can];
Leader;
Legar – abstraction
with Larry Keck, 1953;
Morse – copy –
cuts;
Paris cuts;
Renoir, boxes
1-6;
Sky from van
[torn];
Tacking, cutting
cork, retouching, 1953
Boxes 4-5:
Wertmuller,
boxes 1-3
[see also metal film can]
Unidentified
films, boxes 1-31
Films in metal film canisters:
Numbered films [note: list of these is in a folder
in series I; list gives more details; often these films show treatments):
Unnumbered
films in metal film canisters:
Cooperstown, but
film canister also marked van Gough – “Mill” – treatment
Dana by Copley
(orig.)
[see also film no. 5]
Exposition of
Painting Conservation, held at the Brooklyn Museum, 1962
[note: the film can is also labeled
Life of Painting, but the reel inside the can is marked EPC];
EPC cuts: 2 reels, one in a can marked Bermuda 1955;
EPC original, from which EPC film was cut;
EPC original and cuts (2 reels in one can, with the
can labeled “Future for Past”);
EPC reel # 4
“Future for Past”: Frank Bear film production (2
film cans)
Hubert original
[see
also small film canister in Box 3]
Keck – Brooklyn
Museum – extra footage to go behind film titles and W.P.
Wertmuller
[see also small film canister in Box
4]
Two unidentified
canisters: the title on one of them is too blurry to read; the other is in a
box addressed to the Connecticut Historical Society
Audio tapes:
IIC-AG meeting,
Detroit, 1961, AAM Art Tech Section, boxes 1-2 (Wright recording);
Short 840
classic ed. No. 1, Mother’s March [title from label on box];
unidentified
audio tape
Series VI: Sheldon Keck’s World War II files
Box 1:
Folder 1: Address books
Folder 2: Articles about missing and stolen art
Folder 3: Coats of arms (with letters on the
back of the drawings)
Folder 4: Directives (U.S. Army)
Folder 5: German documents
Folder 6: Italy
Folder 7: Letters and notes about service,
1987-1991
Folder 8: List of places where Germans stored
art and libraries
Folder 9: miscellaneous papers
Folder 10: Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives (M,
FA & A) papers, and cover of folder which held the papers
Folder 11: notebooks [diaries] about M, FA & A
work
Folder 12: Official list of protected monuments
Folder 13: photographs (and negatives) of Europe,
and aboard ship
[not all negatives have a
corresponding print]
Folder 14: negatives
of Europe, aboard ship, and New York City[?] (acc. 15x109)
Folder 14: Portfolio, canvas and leather
[contents in next
folder]
Folder 15: contents of portfolio
Box 2:
Folder 1: Post cards of places in 9th
Army route
Folder 2: Separation [discharge] papers
Folder 3: Service records
Folder 4: Service records jacket [now empty]
Folder 5: Technical Notes [instructions] for use
of M, FA & A (October 1944)
Folder 6: Exhibition catalogs
Folder 7: Foreign language publications
Folder 8: “Official History of the 2d Military
Government Regiment”
Folder 9: publications about protection of art
during war
Folder 10: “Report of the American Commission for
the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas”
(Washington, D.C.: U.S. G.P.O., 1946)
Folder 11: War Department publications
Box 3:
Folder 1: Smyth, Craig Hugh, “The Return of Art
to the Netherlands after the Second World War,”
and “Repatriation of Art from the Collecting Point in Munich after World
War II”
Folder 2: ceramic tile from Marburg, Germany,
decorated with town seal
Box 4:
Sheldon Keck’s
lab coats (not from World War II, but from his work after the war)