Museums: San Francisco Museum of Art, 1966-1970

The series “Official correspondence and subject files” houses the bulk of the collection, and contains correspondence, interoffice memoranda, minutes and other administrative records from Turner’s tenure as Director of the museum.

The records were originally maintained in alphabetically arranged correspondence and subject files by calendar and/or fiscal year, resulting in nearly a dozen distinct but overlapping record groups. To improve access, during processing, a majority of the correspondence and subject files were collocated into two distinct alphabetically arranged systems of correspondence for date ranges of 1964-1971 and 1971-1978.

The sub-series “Official correspondence and subject files, 1964-1971” contains correspondence and interoffice memoranda, concerning Turner’s involvement in daily operations and long term planning of the museum during the first half of his directorship. Activities represented in this sub-series include fundraising (such as planning the “Crystal Ball”), planning for exhibitions (such as Marcel Duchamp’s “Étant donnés,” and exhibitions of Brancusi and Rodin sculpture), general collection development, donor relations, management of personnel, and participation in local and national museum organizations. The files are arranged in alphabetical order. There is also a large run of files regarding various national and international museums, which are first filed under “M” for museums and then alphabetically by institutional name or geographic location. Researchers should note that, though represented to some degree in this and/or the subsequent sub-series, Turner retained separate files for particularly large undertakings, which can be found in the “Special Projects” series.

The sub-series “Official correspondence and subject files, 1971-1978” documents the second half of Turner’s tenure as Director of the museum. Similar in nature and content to the previous sub-series, researchers will find correspondence, inter-office memoranda, minutes and other administrative records documenting day to day operations and long term planning of the museum. Topics and activities that are particularly well represented include: the museum’s Centennial celebration, the Duchamp retrospective, Thomas Eakins House (filed under Eakins), Fairmount Park Art Association, Fleisher Art Memorial, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the acquisition of the Kienbusch Collection, “Second Empire” exhibition, and Turner’s teaching career at the University of Pennsylvania. The files are arranged in alphabetical order. There is a large run of files regarding various national and international museums, which are first filed under “M” for museums and then alphabetically by institutional name or geographic location. Researchers should note that, though represented to some degree in this and/or the subsequent sub-series, Turner retained separate files for particularly large undertakings, which can be found in the “Special Projects” series.

The “Desk Copies” sub-series contains copies of Turner’s outgoing correspondence, memoranda, reports and other administrative records, as well as invitation replies. This material may or may not be duplicative of material elsewhere in the collection, and researchers should be aware that the bulk of the material is outgoing correspondence. The material is arranged chronologically by year, and alphabetically by name and/or subject within each year’s file.

The “Hobart Lyle Williams papers, Executive Assistant to the Director” sub-series consist of papers maintained by Hobart Williams, Executive Assistant to the Director. Williams’ files contain documentation regarding staff and personnel information, museum policy, and significant financial information related to the museum’s budget and operations. Williams’ papers evidence his professional relationship with Turner, and in some cases are direct copies of the material found in the earlier sub-series. The material dates from 1961 to 1974, and is arranged alphabetically.

The “Philadelphia Museum of Art subject files” sub-series houses documentation directly related to the administration and operations of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The material includes copies of the Museum Bulletin , budget information, Director’s reports, Board and committee meeting minutes, newsletters, staff and volunteer information, and records related to the Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There are files of memoranda and correspondence exchanged between Turner and Museum staff, including David Katzive, Director of the Department of Urban Outreach, curator Stella Kramrisch, and George M. Cheston, President of the Corporation. There are also records of a more anecdotal nature, including office Christmas party planning and museum dinner party guest lists. The materials date from 1961 to 1972, and are arranged alphabetically.