George Leslie Stout papers, 1855, 1897-1978

Object Details

Creator

Stout, George L. (George Leslie), 1897-1978

Subject

Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph)

Gardner, G. Peabody (George Peabody)

Ivins, William Mills

Marceau, Henri

Hall, Ardelia Ripley

Howe, Thomas Carr

Sizer, Theodore

Buck, Richard D.

Warner, Langdon (1881-1955)

Constable, W. G. (William George)

Moore, Lamont

Worcester Art Museum

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Allied Forces

Fogg Art Museum

Place of publication, production, or execution

United States

Physical Description

6.4 Linear feet

Arrangement

This collection is arranged as 9 series. Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1919-1977 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-1978 (2.5 linear feet; Box 1-3, OV 8) Series 3: Writings, 1927-1978 (0.5 linear feet; Box 3-4) Series 4: Subject Files, 1918, 1943-1978 (1 linear feet; Box 4, OV 8-9) Series 5: Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives Section Files, 1918, 1942-1955, 1972-1975 (0.5 linear feet; Box 5, 10) Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1938-1978 (0.1 linear feet; Box 5) Series 7: Printed Materials, 1926-1977 (0.8 linear feet; Box 5-6, OV 9) Series 8: Sketchbooks, circa 1924-circa 1938, 1970-1977 (0.1 linear feet; Box 6) Series 9: Photographic Materials, circa 1855, 1897-1978 (0.2 linear feet; Box 6-7)

Access Note / Rights

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

The Stout diaries are currently closed for conservation.

Summary

The papers of conservator and museum director George Leslie Stout measure 6.4 linear feet and date from 1855, 1897-1978. Stout was head of the conservation department at Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum, director of the Worcester Art Museum and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Massachusetts, and a member of the Monuments, Fine Art and Archives (MFAA) Section of the U.S. Army during World War II. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence with family, friends, colleagues and professional associations. There are letters from fellow Monuments Men who served in the MFAA section such as Thomas Carr Howe, Ardelia Hall, Lamont Moore, Theodore Sizer, Langdon Warner and several other prominent arts administrators. The papers also contain biographical materials, writings, sketches and one sketchbook, military records, printed materials, and photographs. There is a 0.2 linear foot addition to this collection acquired in 2020 that includes four diaries, 1944-1946, kept by George Stout as a member of the Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives Section (MFAA) of the U.S. Army (known as the Monuments Men). The diaries describe Stout's experiences surveying war-caused damages in France, Germany, and Japan, and the recovery of Nazi impounded art works. Also included is a hand-made booklet that includes a "Glossary of Cha-no-yu Terms," which consists of quotes about Japanese art and tea drinking.

Citation

George Leslie Stout papers, 1855, 1897-1978. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Additional Forms

Portions of this collection and material lent for microfilming are available on 35 mm microfilm reels 1378, 1420-1425, and 1427 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the microfilmed order does not reflect the current arrangement of the papers.

Funding

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Use Note

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Related Materials

Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with George Stout conducted by Paul Karlstrom in 1978.

Biography Note

George Leslie Stout (1897-1978) was a museum director and prominent art conservator in Massachusetts. Stout was head of the conservation department at Harvard University's Fogg Art Museum, and director of the Worcester Art Museum and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Massachusetts. During World War II, Stout served in the U.S. Army Monuments, Fine Art and Archives (MFAA) and played a leading role in the protection, location, and recovery of art work stolen by the Nazis.

Language Note

The collection is in English, with a few materials in French, Japanese, Italian, and Thai.

Provenance

George Leslie Stout donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1978. In that same year, Robert Stout, son of George Leslie Stout, loaned four diaries to the Archives of American Art for microfilming. The four diaries were acquired at auction by the Archives in 2020 with generous donations from Paul Neely, David Copperfield in memory of Kelly Asbury, Deborah Lehr and John Rogers, Ambassador Nicholas F. Taubman, The Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan Foundation, Jeffrey P. Cunard and Mariko Ikehara, The Elbrun and Peter Kimmelman Family Foundation, Inc., Peter and Paula Lunder, William and Christine Ragland in memory of William McKenzie Ragland Lt. JG, U.S. Navy, Pacific Theater, WWII, The Kurin Family in honor of WWII Veteran Saul Kurin, Paul and Corine Wegener, and Judy and Bob Huret.

Location Note

Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Record number

(DSI-AAA_CollID)13421

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211684

AAA_collcode_stougeor

Type

Photographs

Sketches

Sketchbooks

Theme

Diaries

Art Materials, Techniques, and Studio Art Education

Diaries

Archives of American Art

Topic

Museum directors -- United States

World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war

Art -- Conservation and restoration

Record ID

AAADCD_coll_211684

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Usage conditions apply