"Memorabilia to 1925." Correspondence, 1919-1922

Based on the title he assigned to most of these files, Kimball apparently considered the material in this sub-subseries as documentation of the more memorable moments in his life. Based on the topics covered, those moments most often related to his writings as a scholar and his achievements as a museum director. As such, Kimball could have intended to use these documents, originally processed as a subsection of his personal papers, as reference material for a memoir. Correspondence from numerous professional colleagues in this country and Europe as well as with some family members makes up the bulk of material. Most of the letters carry praise for a certain book or article written by Kimball and which he previously sent to the correspondent. Correspondents include some of Kimball's university associates, as well as the architects Paul Cret and Frank Lloyd Wrigtht, the art historians Arthur Upham Pope and Bernard Berenson, and museum professionals, such as William H. Goodyear, co-founding curator of the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Kimball's tenure as director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is documented in letters of congratulations on receiving the appointment and in various clippings noting the positive impact of his efforts. Letters of commendation and personal appreciation from museum officers R. Sturgis Ingersoll and J. Stogdell Stokes are also included. Other letters underscoring a longstanding mutual respect and friendship are those sent by art historians Erwin Panofksy (1943-1944) and Walter Friedlander (1943). Although Kimball did not identify the last two files in this sub-subseries as "Memorabilia," both offer a sampling of eventful moments culled from Kimball's desk calendar and clippings.