The Adventures of Miriam Davenport, 1940-1946, Part II

Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In 1944, Miriam Davenport Treo was employed by the Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies for the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas to prepare maps and lists of cultural treasures for the Armed Forces … Continue reading The Adventures of Miriam Davenport, 1940-1946, Part II

Gordon Gilkey: A Man for All Seasons

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. At the beginning of my freshman year at Oregon State University, I went to see the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (now Liberal Arts) to discuss with him the courses I should be … Continue reading Gordon Gilkey: A Man for All Seasons

Letter from ACLS Chairman William Dinsmoor to AOTUS Solon Buck

Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas

Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. The idea of establishing an American commission to assist in protecting and restituting cultural property in war areas grew out of discussions among American educators and museum officials about the potentially dangerous impact of the European war on historic … Continue reading Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas

Monuments Man Charles H. Sawyer, part II: Double Duty for the Roberts Commission and the OSS

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, senior archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD. The movie, The Monuments Men, has focused great attention on the Monuments Men (and women) and their work during and after World War II.  Of course the movie cannot tell the story of the over 300 individuals involved … Continue reading Monuments Man Charles H. Sawyer, part II: Double Duty for the Roberts Commission and the OSS

Before She Became The Ardelia Hall of the Department of State, Part I: Miss Hall and the Office of Strategic Services

Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD. Anyone studying World War II and postwar issues regarding cultural property knows the name Ardelia Hall, either because they know of her work as Monuments and Fine Arts adviser at the Department of State from 1946 to 1962 and/or … Continue reading Before She Became The Ardelia Hall of the Department of State, Part I: Miss Hall and the Office of Strategic Services

A British Art Historian and Collector Monuments Man: Douglas Cooper

This is the tenth in a series of posts on real-life Monuments Men. Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher. See related posts on Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, Walter J. Huchthausen, Seymour J. Pomrenze, Mason Hammond, Edith Standen, Karol Estreicher, S. Lane Faison, Sir Hilary Jenkinson, and Walter Horn. The forthcoming movie, The Monuments Men, has focused great attention on the Monuments Men … Continue reading A British Art Historian and Collector Monuments Man: Douglas Cooper

Karol Estreicher: The Polish Monuments Man

This is the sixth in an ongoing series of posts on real-life Monuments Men. Today’s post is by Dr. Sylvia Naylor. See related posts on Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, Walter J. Huchthausen, Seymour J. Pomrenze, Mason Hammond, and Edith A. Standen. The forthcoming movie, The Monuments Men, has focused great attention on the Monuments Men … Continue reading Karol Estreicher: The Polish Monuments Man

The National Gallery of Art, the National Archives, and Art Provenance Research

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. Nancy Yeide, head of the Department of Curatorial Records at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C., in December 1997, began doing provenance research on the NGA’s holdings to ascertain whether any of the works of art had provenance problems.  In the wake of the revelations … Continue reading The National Gallery of Art, the National Archives, and Art Provenance Research