Vintage Points

Chesterwood, an Historic Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has transferred its archival collections to the Chapin Library for preservation, digitization, and access. Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), America’s foremost twentieth-century public sculptor, lived at Chesterwood, his Stockbridge, Massachusetts country home, studio, and gardens, for more than thirty years, during which time he documented the creation of iconic pieces such as Minute Man (1875) in Concord, Massachusetts, and Abraham Lincoln (1922) for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

After decades of very limited public access to the collections, the National Trust decided to transfer the Chesterwood Archives to an institution that could properly preserve and manage them, while making them more readily available to the public. After considering various repositories, including the Library of Congress which has a major collection of Daniel Chester French papers, the National Trust selected the Chapin Library because of its close proximity to Chesterwood, its growing collection of archives on American artists, and a faculty willing and able to use the collections for research, teaching, and exhibition.

“The Chesterwood Archives are enormously valuable not only to America’s legacy in the arts, but to our understanding of pivotal events and historic figures,” said Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “We strongly value our partnership with Williams College, which will ensure these cherished pieces of history will be properly preserved, understood and appreciated for generations to come.”

Among rarely seen items in the collection is Daniel Chester French’s account book, made public for the first time and valuable for its wealth of information on his sculptural commissions and smaller works of art, all far less known than his public works. The Chesterwood Archives also include the most extensive collection of photographs depicting French and his studio, giving art enthusiasts a unique glimpse into the work environment that inspired this revered 20th-century artist. There are research photographs and postcard views for study purposes from ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, Italian Renaissance sculpture, modern French sculpture, and American works by French’s contemporaries. His scrapbooks, travel albums, correspondence, and guest books also shed light on his relations with the individuals who surrounded him.

A significant part of the collection consists of the personal papers, photographs, and ephemera of the individual largely responsible for keeping French’s memory alive: his daughter, Margaret French Cresson (1889–1973). Active in the arts as a sculptor herself, “Peggy’s” fascinating life growing up in New York and at Chesterwood is captured in audio recordings and transcripts of oral history interviews which paint an intimate portrait of her family. Among her papers also are records of the bronze reproductions she made of French’s plaster models, one of which, the standing figure of Lincoln located at the State Capital in Lincoln, Nebraska, can be seen on the grounds at Chesterwood.

“With this Williams College partnership, Daniel Chester French’s prolific body of work and personal advocacy of the arts will become better known through future exhibitions, programs, and publications in association with the Williams College Museum of Art and the Chapin Library,” said Donna Hassler, Director of Chesterwood. “The French family archives will be properly maintained at the Chapin Library by professional staff and made readily accessible to people interested in discovering more about the artistic career of Daniel Chester French, known in his time as the ‘Dean of American Sculpture’.”

“French deserves to be studied more extensively and intensively than has been the case in the past, and now the Chesterwood Archives can provide a constant source for study, exhibition, and inspiration,” said Robert L. Volz, Custodian of the Chapin Library. “The collaboration between Chesterwood and the Chapin Library will do much to encourage research and publication about Daniel Chester French and his sculptures.”

For more information on the complete Chesterwood Archives, visit this site. Descriptions and electronic records are being readied for mounting on the Chapin Library web site and in the Williams College online catalog.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization which brings people together to protect, enhance, and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving those places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development, and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., eight regional and field offices, twenty-nine historic sites, and partner organizations in fifty states, territories, and the District of Columbia, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to a national network of people, organizations, and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history, and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories. – WGH

Adapted from the press release issued on June 10 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Shown is one page from Daniel Chester French’s manuscript account book (all rights reserved).