Object Details
- Creator
- O'Brien Galleries (Chicago, Ill.)
- Names
- House of O'Brien
- M. O'Brien & Son
- O'Brien Art Galleries
- O'Brien's Art Emporium
- O'Brien, Martin, 1834-1917
- O'Brien, William Vincent, 1859-1952
- O'Brien, William Vincent, 1902-1972
- Provenance
- The collection was loaned to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1986 by the current owners of the gallery, Stephanie Roberts and her husband, Bill Dickerson, and was returned after filming.
- Creator
- O'Brien Galleries (Chicago, Ill.)
- See more items in
- O'Brien Galleries records
- Sponsor
- Funding for the digitization of the microfilm of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
- Summary
- The O'Brien Galleries records measure 3 microfilm reels and date from 1811-1970. The collection charts the gallery's history through biographical material about William V. O'Brien, Jr., personal and business correspondence, business records, notes and writings, printed material, photographs of artwork and the O'Brien family, and a scrapbook.
- Biographical / Historical
- Located first in Chicago, Illinois, and later in Scottsdale, Arizona, O'Brien's was Chicago's first art gallery and one of the oldest family owned and operated galleries in the United States. Opening as a frame shop in 1855, O'Brien's offered a variety of services to both artists and collectors. It was called by several names including O'Brien's Art Emporium, O'Brien Art Galleries, O'Brien Galleries, House of O'Brien, and M. O'Brien & Sons. The gallery remained in Chicago until 1941, closed during the war, and resumed operation in Scottsdale, Arizona in the 1950s. Three generations of O'Briens (Martin, William, and William Jr.) ran the gallery before it moved to Arizona; all were committed to bringing culture and the visual arts to Chicago and supported and sold work by conservative academic painters. The business developed and reflected the tastes of many Chicagoans and was an important influence in shaping art collections and attitudes to art in the city.
- Function
- Art galleries, Commercial -- Arizona
- Art galleries, Commercial -- Illinois
- Extent
- 3 Microfilm reels
- Date
- 1811-1970
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Art
- Identifier
- AAA.obrigall
- Type
- Collection descriptions
- Archival materials
- Microfilm reels
- Drawings
- Scrapbooks
- Citation
- O'Brien Galleries records, 1811-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
- Arrangement
- The collection is arranged as one series.
- Processing Information
- The collection was microfilmed on Reels 4180-4181, and 4193. The microfilm was described in a finding aid by Stephanie Ashley in 2024 and was digitized in 2024 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
- Existence and Location of Copies
- The collection has been microfilmed on reels 4180-4181, and 4193. The microfilm has been digitized and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
- Genre/Form
- Drawings
- Scrapbooks
- Existence and Location of Originals
- Originals returned to the lenders, Stephanie Roberts and Bill Dickerson, after microfilming.
- Scope and Contents
- The O'Brien Galleries records measure 3 microfilm reels and date from 1811-1970. The collection charts the gallery's history through biographical material about William V. O'Brien, Jr., personal and business correspondence, business records, notes and writings, printed material, photographs of artwork and the O'Brien family, and a scrapbook. Correspondence is from artists, patrons, and others (1811-1952) and includes 8 letters from Winslow Homer (1898-1902). Business records include financial and legal documents (1857-1941), name lists and lists of paintings sold, painting and print registers (1898-1954), and minutes from corporation meetings (1901-1941). Writings are by Howard O'Brien and include poems (1909-1944), some illustrated with photographs a script "Cherchez La Femme," and a typescript "The Long Trail". Printed material includes advertisements, clippings (1900-1970), exhibition catalogs (1921-1924), a sale catalog, and a booklet (1927) on landscape painters of America. Photographs include an album of portraits painted by Louis Betts, an artist promoted by the gallery. Other photographs (1885-1936) show O'Brien family members, Winslow Homer, and Irene Dunne (in one autographed publicity photograph). Also found is a scrapbook containing exhibition announcements, clippings, and brochures from Chicago (1873-1941) and Arizona (1953-1958).
- Restrictions
- The Archives of American art does not own the original records. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
- Record ID
- ebl-1596283241563-1596283241565-0
In the Collection
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