Archives
The Archives at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art acquires, preserves, and makes accessible collections of private papers, artists’ archives, primary-source research collections, and institutional records of enduring value.
The collection was founded in 1991 with a two-year grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. It contains institutional, historic, and research records, as well as deep monographic holdings on 19th- and 20th-century artists that are often complemented by the Museum's library and art collections, providing opportunities for interrelated and cross-collection research.
In 2019 the Gentling Study Center was established to promote public research and enjoyment of the art and writing of Fort Worth artists Scott and Stuart Gentling, whose archive is held at the Museum. The center provides staffing and fellowship opportunities to encourage scholars and the general public to research, experience, and enjoy the art and writing of the Gentlings.
Institutional Records
Within these series some restrictions may apply, and the files are not always complete, so contact us to find out more about material you’re interested in.
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Records, photographs, and research related to both in-house and traveling exhibitions appearing at the Carter since 1961.
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Photographs that document the museum’s building, including images of the site prior to construction, the original building opening in 1961, the additions in 1964 and 1977, and the 2001 expansion. Also includes events held at the museum.
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Forty-four scrapbooks containing clippings and press releases dating from 1961 through 1993 that include information on the Carter as well as other local institutions.
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Audiotapes of many of the museum’s public programs since December 1977.
Artists’ Archives
Unless otherwise noted, these collections are open to researchers. When they exist, Finding Aids are included.
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Contains 2.4 linear feet of records from the British brothers’ two-year journey into the interior of North America, from 1806 to 1808.
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Contains records from the years after Corpron retired from teaching when she worked to publicize her photographs through exhibitions and sales.
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Contains correspondence, photographs, clippings, poems written by Dorr, handwritten and typed drafts of her books, and ephemera.
About the archive & Finding aid
Additional material, especially related to her book projects, can be found in the Barbara Tenery Collection of Nell Dorr Papers.
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Contains personal and business papers, encompassing the Fort Worth brothers’ careers and interests from the 1960s through their deaths in the 2000s. Includes extensive manuscripts and preparatory sketches that correspond to finished artworks in the Museum’s library and art collections.
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Contains material from the estate of Gilpin including correspondence, clippings, journals, address books, scrapbooks, drafts of her books and articles, notes on processes and materials, exhibition announcements, and ephemera. Spans from 1907 to 1979 with the bulk of material in the 1940s through the 1970s.
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The personal scrapbook of Griffith; contains clippings and ephemera on his art and career.
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Contains correspondence, legal documents, maps, and newspaper clippings of Hardinge’s time in Texas (1846–56), providing insight into early Texas immigration and settler life.
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The sketchbook of Fort Worth Circle artist Marjorie Johnson Lee.
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Contains correspondence, prints, exhibition catalogues, and clippings relating to the career of Fort Worth artist Blanche McVeigh.
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Contains a range of materials between 1866 and 1993 but focuses on his photographic work from the 1950s to the 1980s.
About the archive & Finding Aid
Additional material can be found in the Porter Family Collection of Eliot Porter Papers (restricted access); the Stephen Porter Collection of Eliot Porter Papers (restricted access); the Patrick E. Porter Collection of Eliot Porter Papers (restricted access); the Dr. W. Powell Cottrille Collection of Eliot Porter Papers; and the Eliot Porter/Ansel Adams Correspondence.
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Contains correspondence, typescripts, research notes and materials, newspaper articles, and photographs documenting Post’s work with Native American groups and commercial assignments.
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Contains 2.8 linear feet of documents primarily relating to the Reeders’ work in Fort Worth children’s theatre designing costumes and sets.
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Contains mainly clippings but also correspondence, published materials including articles and reproductions, albums, and ephemera.
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Contains correspondence, prints, sketches, and clippings relating to Smith’s career documenting ranch life and cowboys in the early 20th century.
About the archive & Finding Aid
Additional material can be found in the Mary Alice White Pettis Collection of Erwin E. Smith Papers.
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The Karl Struss Papers at the Carter are made up of three collections that cover his personal and professional life as a photographer and cinematographer:
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Contains exhibition catalogues, photographs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and correspondence, offering insight into the lives of Fort Worth artists, especially those of the Fort Worth Circle.
Historical Archives
Unless otherwise noted, these collections are open to researchers. When they exist, Finding Aids are included.
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Contains manuscripts and photographs that document aspects of the American West in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Contains materials from the life and career of the early 19th-century British military officer, covering his service in the War of 1812 and subsequent governorship of portions of the U.S. and Canada.
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Contains .4 linear feet of photographs taken by the Mineral Wells Daily Index publisher W.P. Cameron during his service in the U.S. Cavalry during the early 1900s. Includes training in Fort Worth and Marathon, service in Mexico hunting for Pancho Villa, and service during WWI.
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Contains records about the acquisitions of Mr. Carter and the Amon G. Carter Foundation and the daily business operations of the museum through 1983. Additional Amon G. Carter Sr. papers are housed in the Special Collections at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.
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Contains .6 linear feet of photographs from the late-nineteenth through early twentieth centuries of the Mexical Rural Police force.
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Contains the documents of the Roman Bronze Works, one of the most important bronze foundries in America in the first half of the 20th century, including records on sculptures by almost every important American figurative sculptor of that time.
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Contains documents related to Stevenson’s work in the arts, education, and civic planning, the bulk of the material dating from the 1960s to the 1990s. Restricted access.
Research Collections
Unless otherwise noted, these collections are open to researchers. When they exist, Finding Aids are included.
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Contains research files gathered by Willard B. Robinson in preparation for his 1977 book American Forts: Architectural Form and Function, including copies of early manuscripts, cartography, and published materials.
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Contains 4.6 linear feet of research files gathered by Ron C. Tyler during his decades as curator, director of publications, and museum director at the Carter. The encyclopedic photo files document the people, places, and events in the history of the city of Fort Worth.
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Contains 8.25 linear feet of research material gathered by Jane Myers during her decades as curator at the museum on the lifetime exhibitions and prints of George Bellows, of which the Carter has a complete set.
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Contains 6.7 linear feet of research material gathered by Rick Stewart during his decades as curator and director at the Carter on the life and art of Frederic Remington.
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Contains 82.5 linear feet of research material gathered by Rick Stewart during his decades as curator and museum director at the Carter on the life and art of Charles Russell, including clippings and photocopies of archival material. Documents organized into object files, bio files, and subject files.