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Artists' Fund Society records

Call Number

MS 23

Date

1859-1937, inclusive

Creator

Artists' Fund Society of the City of New York

Extent

5.5 Linear feet (10 boxes and 13 bound volumes)

Language of Materials

The documents in this collection are in English.

Abstract

The collection documents the history of the Artists' Fund Society, a New York based organization founded in 1859 to assist members and their families in cases of illness, old age and death; and to provide aid to non-member artists in distress. It includes meeting minutes, reports, membership materials, financial records, and correspondence.

Historical Note

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, millions of Americans received life insurance and other social welfare benefits through fraternal and mutual aid societies. The Artists' Fund Society was one such society. It was founded on February 5th, 1859, and incorporated on April 13, 1861. The primary mission of the organization was to provide aid to members experiencing disablement, sickness and distress, and to provide assistance to the widows, children and families of deceased members. In 1862 the Society additionally created a benevolent fund to provide aid to artists who were not members.

The original constitution of 1859 simply stated that members were required to be "artists by profession." However, by the 1930s amendments stipulated that members must live in New York City or close enough to attend meetings, and that no person over the age of 45 could become a member.

The organization's leadership consisted of a "Board of Control" comprised of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and five other members. The Board of Control met monthly, and the Society sponsored an Annual Meeting for all members followed by an Annual Dinner for members and friends.

From 1860 through 1889, members were required to annually contribute a piece of art work to be exhibited and sold at auction. Money from the sales was deposited in a Special Investment Fund. Investments were made on first class bonds and mortgages and stocks of the United States and State of New York. Widows were paid annual interest on a sum of $1500, and then paid a lump sum of $1500 when their youngest child reached age 21. (The sum was raised over the years per amendments to the Constitution.)

In 1890, the system of selling art work was replaced with a system of "assessments." The Society required members to pay an assessment fee of $5 within 30 days of the death of a member; the beneficiary of the member received a percentage of the total amount collected.

Records indicate that in 1936 the Board of Control was considering re-organizing or dissolving the Society due to an increase in the number of members unable to pay their assessments, difficulty finding new young members and "a general lack of interest in the society." A decade later, in 1946, the Artists' Fund Society was formally consolidated with the Society of Illustrators, Inc.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in ten series:

Series I: Alexander C. Morgan Papers
Series II: Constitution and Amendments
Series III: Minutes
Series IV: Reports
Series V: Correspondence
Series VI: Membership
Series VII: Financial
Series VIII: Real Estate
Series IX: Art Exhibitions and Sales
Series X: Other Artists' Funds

Series I contains the papers of Alexander C. Morgan, a financier and amateur artist who served as president of the Artists' Fund Society from 1910-1932.

Series II through X contain Artists' Fund Society records (1859-1937) arranged by type.

Scope and Contents

The collection offers insight into the mission and operation of a New York based mutual aid society for artists. The records span from the Society's founding in 1859 through 1937, a decade before it consolidated with the Society of Illustrators.

The records document the organization's structure, decision making, and finances. Meeting minutes, reports, amendments to the constitution, correspondence, resignations, wills, and financial records all demonstrate how the organization operated and changed over time.

Much of the correspondence in the collection describes the conditions of artists in need of help, including struggles with illness, disability, and economic hardship.

Sales ledgers documenting annual art auctions from 1861 to 1889 include artist names, titles of paintings, names of purchasers, and purchase prices.

Series I of the collection consists of the papers of Alexander C. Morgan, a long time member of the Society who served as president from 1910 through 1933. Series II through X are made up of Society records arranged by type. Morgan's papers were acquired by the New-York Historical Society in 1941; the rest of the materials were donated by the Society of Illustrators in 2008.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the Artists' Fund Society Records, MS 23, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection is made up of two acquisitions:

1. The papers of Alexander C. Morgan, Series I, President of the Artists' Fund Society from 1910-1933, acquired in 1941.

2. Artists' Fund Society records, Series II through X, donated by the Society of Illustrators in 2008.

Related Materials

Quadriennial, Biennal and Annual Reports of the Artists' Fund Society can be found in the New-York Historical Society's Library.

The Princeton University Library, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, has a set of Artists' Fund Society sale catalogues, 1860-1889.

Collection processed by

Annie Tummino

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:57 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding Aid is written in English.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024