These files relate to all aspects of the National Gallery's activities and the management of its Collection. The series includes correspondence, reports and memoranda addressed to the Director, Keeper, Trustees and other staff of the Gallery. Some of these papers were discussed at meetings of the Board of Trustees, whereas others appear to be of a more mundane or operational nature.
Letters to the National Gallery, 1878-1914
This material is held atNational Gallery Research Centre
- Reference
- GB 345 NG7
- Dates of Creation
- 1878-1914
- Name of Creator
- Physical Description
- 462 files
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
These records were generated in the course of the National Gallery's daily activities. Correspondence, reports and memoranda relating to strategic as well as mundane issues were filed into this one large series.
Arrangement
The records are arranged chronologically and have been grouped together according to the envelope from which they were taken.
Access Information
Open
The papers are available to researchers by appointment with the Archivist.
Other Finding Aids
The most recent and complete list is held on CALM ALM. A paper list is also available at the National Gallery Archive.
Alternative Form Available
The NG7 letters have not been microfilmed.
Archivist's Note
Catalogue revised by Alan Crookham, August 2006.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright is likely to have expired for part of this series of records. However, it is still the responsibility of the reader to determine the exact copyright status of a work.
Appraisal Information
Early correspondence about the Gallery is kept permanently.
Custodial History
These records were transferred to the Archive from the Library, where they had been held for many years. They were originally contained in envelopes which were inscribed with content lists and these have been retained in the series. The papers are stamped 'National Gallery Trustees Meeting' together with the date of the meeting. Some papers have not been stamped and have been added to the series over time. These were probably documents which were removed from the archive to be placed in the art historical dossiers. When they were returned to the archive, they were incorrectly added to the NG7 series. No attempt has been made to rectify this error as it is now impossible to identify the original series from which the documents were taken.
Accruals
There are unlikely to be any accruals to this series. Any letters found in the dossiers which need to be returned to the archives will be placed in a series of documents which have not been stamped with 'National Gallery Trustees Meeting'.