Guide to the Gerald K. Geerlings Prints
1975-1976
PR 390
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
(212) 873-3400
New-York Historical Society
Collection processed by Larry Weimer
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on March 29, 2019
Finding aid written in English using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Descriptive Summary
| Creator: | Geerlings, Gerald K. (Gerald Kenneth), 1897- |
|---|---|
| Title: | Gerald K. Geerlings prints |
| Dates [inclusive]: | 1975-1976 |
| Abstract: | Eleven prints of New York City scenes of the 1970s, drawn, printed and signed by Gerald K. Geerlings (1897-1998). |
| Quantity: | 1.5 Linear feet in one flat file |
| Call Phrase: | PR 390 |
Biographical / Historical
Printmaker, architect and author Gerald Kenneth Geerlings was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 18 April 1897. After serving in the military during World War I, he studied in England at St. John's College, Cambridge University. The next year he enrolled at the School of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania. After graduation he worked as an architect for several firms before starting his own. His printmaking career began when he was working as an architect. By 1928 he traveled to London to study etching at the Royal College of Art. He won his first award for a print in 1931, awarded by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for "Jeweled City." In 1933 the Depression and a move to Connecticut caused him to interrupt his printmaking career. He returned to printmaking in the 1970s, producing a group of lithographs on Paris and New York City, including a series inspired by the American Bicentennial in 1976. Geerlings died in Connecticut at 101 years old in 1998.
(The above note was based on the biographical note found on the website of Kiechel Fine Art Gallery.)
Scope and Contents
Eleven prints of New York City scenes, drawn and printed by Gerald K. Geerlings (one print has two copies). All prints are signed in pencil by Geerlings.
The container list includes the title of all prints in the collection. The title shown is that noted in pencil by Geerlings on the print. The scope note beneath each title includes in quotation marks the more literal description of the scene depicted as included in the original print by Geerlings. Additional description of the scene that was added by the processing archivist is shown in the note outside of quotation marks.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year, and alphabetical by title within year.
Access Points
Document Type
- Prints (visual works).
Subject Places
- Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access
Open to qualified researchers by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to reproduce any Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections holdings through publication must be obtained from: Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 270. Fax: (212) 579-8794.
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as Gerald K. Geerlings Prints, PR 390, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Credit line: Gift of Jeannette Flamm Brockman in memory of Bella Trachtenberg, a native New Yorker who loved and appreciated New York City and visited many of its locales.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jeannette Flamm Brockman, 2019.
Processing Information
Processed by Larry Weimer, March 2019.
Container List
| Container 1 | Title | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folder: FF-1 | Acropolis Americana
Scope and Contents"Lincoln Center, New York" |
1975 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Aspirations Unlimited (2 prints)
Scope and Contents"Nieuw Amsterdam, 1656 - New York, 1975". View of colonial New York, with modern lower Manhattan skyline behind in mist (with World Trade Center towers). |
1975 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Hail Utopia!
Scope and Contents"Central Park South, New York". Park interior with city buildings rising in the distance. |
1975 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Old Fort, New Fortresses
Scope and Contents"The Battery, New York" with a "Phantom Warship, circa 1730" in harbor at bottom right. Includes view of Fort Clinton, with lower Manhattan buildings behind. |
1975 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Sing Hallelujah!
Scope and Contents"Central Park, New York". Park interior with city buildings rising in the distance. |
1975 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Bicentennial Neighbors
Scope and Contents"Water and Broad Streets, Lower Manhattan" |
1976 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Bicentennial Oasis
Scope and Contents"Hanover Square, Lower Manhattan" |
1976 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Dawn of a New Era
Scope and Contents"Gen. Washington Bade Farewell to His Officers Here at Fraunces Tavern, Lower Manhattan, 4th December 1783" |
1976 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Midtown Oasis
Scope and Contents"Avenue of the Americas, North of West 49th Street, New York" |
1976 | ||
| Folder: FF-1 | Old Spire, New Towers
Scope and Contents"St. Paul's, Trinity Parish, Erected 1766. Broadway at Fulton Street, New York." World Trade Center towers rise behind St. Paul's. |
1976 | ||