Series 2: Hammer Galleries

Creator:
Hammer Galleries
Extent:
220 items Box 1 (5 Folders, 1 Oversize Item and 1 Binder)
Scope and content:

This series is comprised of invoices, price tags, item descriptions, exhibition labels and correspondence that document the purchases Pratt made from the Hammer Galleries in the 1930s and 1940s. The Lord and Taylor invoices are undated, but the item numbers match up with Hammer Galleries price tags, and the Galleries did present and sell their collection at Lord and Taylor in the early 1930s (probably 1934 based upon letterhead from the item descriptions).

Price tags were often annotated with price reductions or alterations in the item's description. Item descriptions are extremely detailed, and include the item number and the date purchased. Most of the item descriptions were annotated by museum staff at some point with VMFA accession numbers. A note in Pratt's hand is written on the item description for a traveling clock (item number 5253, purchased June 16, 1933) and says "Given to H.R.H. Princess Margaret Rose of England May 1939." She received a letter of acknowledgment and appreciation back from Lady Constance Harriet Stuart Gaskell, a Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Mary.

Finally, the few exhibition labels were used in the Hammer Collection's "Russian Imperial Exhibit" at Lord and Taylor. Four are still mounted on the original gold colored panels.

The series is divided into five subseries: Series 2.1: Lord and Taylor Invoices, [1933]; Series 2.2: Price Tags, undated; Series 2.3: Item Descriptions, 1933-1945, undated; Series 2.4: Exhibition Labels, 1933-1934, undated; Series 2.5: Correspondence, 1939.

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
VMFA Archives
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Margaret R. and Robert M. Freeman Library
200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220-4007
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Roxanne Winfield
Phone: (804) 340-1497
Phone: (804) 340-1495
Parent restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Digitization of the collection has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The digital collection can be accessed through the VMFA Collections Search website.

Parent terms of access:
The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Digitized content is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License. The only exception are the letters written by Alexander and Ray Schaffer, in which the Schaffer family retains copyright ownership. Transmission or reproduction of other materials protected by copyright, beyond that allowed by fair use, requires the researcher to obtain permission of copyright holders.

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