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Collection Overview

Creator:
Princeton university. Department of art and archaeology
Title:
Department of Art and Archaeology Records
Repository:
Princeton University Archives
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/hq37vn577
Dates:
1882-2017 (mostly 1925-1981)
Size:
14 boxes, 2 items, and 1 websites
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-14
Language:
English

Abstract

The Art and Archaeology Department is one of the University's most distinguished academic departments, responsible for the education of students on the graduate and undergraduate level as well as the administration of the Princeton Art Museum. This collection consists of the records of the Department of Art and Archaeology, which include advisory council minutes; faculty files; gift records; correspondence; recommendations; project files; course lists; historical documents; and lists of images used in classes.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of the records of the Department of Art and Archaeology. Included are advisory council minutes; faculty files; records of gifts and endowments to the Department; correspondence; copies of recommendations written for graduates and undergraduates; files pertaining to renovation and expansion projects at the Art Museum and Marquand library; course lists; files on art-related organizations and museums; and published and unpublished materials documenting the Department's history. Also in the collection is a photo album documenting the archaeological excavation of the Syrian city of Antioch in the 1930s.

Collection Creator Biography:

Princeton university. Department of art and archaeology

From its modest origins as a series of lectures on architecture given in 1832, the Department of Art and Archaeology has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the University's most distinguised academic departments, responsible for the education of students on the graduate and undergraduate level as well as the administration of the Princeton Art Museum. Though the subjects of art and architecture had periodically been taught since 1832, it was not until the arrival of Professor Allan Marquand in 1882 that they were made a consistent part of the curriculum at Princeton. As the department's first chairman, Marquand oversaw the assembly of a faculty consisting of many world-renowned scholars as well as the creation of a museum to house a collection of art for study (much of which was donated by Marquand himself). In the early 20th century Princeton University's Department of Art and Archaeology found itself at the forefront of the emerging field of Art History, largely due to Marquand's efforts. In the scholarly community the Department stood alone in its early focus on medieval and classical art, two areas of expertise for which it is still known today. Following Marquand's retirement in 1922, subsequent department chairs such as Charles Rufus Morey and Baldwin Smith carried on the expansion of the curriculum, faculty, and museum; as well as undertook new projects such as a series of archaeological digs and the Index of Christian Art.


Morey, Charles Rufus, 1877-1955

Charles Rufus Morey (1877-1955) was an American art historian and chairman of the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University from 1924 to 1945. Born in Hastings, Michigan in 1877, Morey later went on to earn a BA from the University of Michigan in 1899. The following year, he received his MA from the University of Michigan studying classical languages and literature and spent three years at the American School of Classical Studies in Rome. In 1903, Morey came to Princeton as a fellow in Classics. Three years later, he accepted from Allan Marquand the position of Wilson-appointed preceptor in art history at Princeton until 1918 when he was appointed the rank of full professor. Morey taught renaissance and modern art as well as his specialties in early Christian and medieval art, practicing his own belief that his faculty should be knowledgeable in all fields. In 1917, Morey founded the Index of Christian Art, which was the first thematic and iconographic index of Early Christian and medieval art objects.

While at Princeton, Morey worked tirelessly in educating students, faculty, and countless members of the academic community. Morey had a prolific publishing career, his first essay, "The Christian Sarcophagus in S. Maria Antiqua" was published in 1905 and his celebrated volumes Early Christian Art and Medieval Art were both published in 1942. Among countless other articles, reviews, chapters and contributions over his professorship, Morey also directed the Vatican's Museo Sacro catalogue of Christian art, which first appeared in 1936. For seven years he guided a group of five institutions (including Princeton) in a joint excavation of Antioch, and he supervised the ensuing publications. He helped found and cultivate the College Art Association and its publication, The Art Bulletin. In addition to teaching at Princeton, Morey similarly helped develop the art history curriculum at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts and the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Humanities.

Throughout his professional career, not limited to the time he was at Princeton, Morey helped establish the budding art history discipline as a respected field of learning. He has been partly credited with making the profession one which students would be encouraged to follow. At the end of his tenure at Princeton, there were the five years (1945-1950) that Morey spent as Cultural Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy in Rome. Morey died in 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey.

Collection History

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Christie Peterson with assistance from Eleanor Wright '14 in 2011. Finding aid updated by Christie Peterson in June 2011.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Materials older than 30 years that do not pertain to student academic performance or discipline, trustee issues, or faculty personnel matters are open. Some files in Series 1: Department of Art and Archaeology Records, 1882-1991 (bulk 1925-1981) contain student records that are restricted for 75 years from date of creation or for the lifetime of the student. Some files in Series 1: Department of Art and Archaeology Records, 1882-1991 (bulk 1925-1981) contain faculty and/or staff personnel records that are restricted for 75 years from date of creation.

Restrictions beyond 30 years are noted in the relevant series or subseries descriptions and in the folder list.

Series 3 is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.

For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Department of Art and Archaeology Records; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/hq37vn577
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-14