759. Herman Dudley Murphy, 1914-1924

This is the largest series of records documenting Whiting's tenure as director of The Cleveland Museum of Art. Most of the series dates from 1913 to 1930, the years that Whiting was director, although a small percentage predates his arrival in Cleveland (see, for example, Henry Kent's correspondence with the building committee from 1912-1913, located in box 1).

These records reflect a time when museum functions and departments were not yet fully delineated. Together, they constitute the original central correspondence file not only for the director but for all curatorial staff. Records are arranged numerically according to the system that was instituted when Whiting was director, although some gaps do exist in the numbering sequence as files were removed by staff in the director's or curatorial offices. Files with the same titles were also retrospectively combined by archives staff to facilitate access. File titles tend to be proper names of institutions, business organizations, or persons, although they also include a small number of subjects terms. Materials in each file are usually arranged chronologically, although general correspondence files such as those pertaining to loans are arranged alphabetically by correspondents' names, as indicated in the file list below.

Although this series consists almost entirely of incoming and outgoing correspondence, it also contains internal memoranda, minutes from meetings, transcripts of speeches and lectures, newspaper and magazine clippings, financial statements and invoices, photographs, and blueprints. Whiting's correspondents included art dealers, insurers, handlers, collectors, and purchasing agents, as well as artists, building architects and contractors, prominent members of the Cleveland community, and representatives from other cultural and educational institutions. Some of the outgoing correspondence was written by museum employees who were appointed acting director during Whiting's absence from the museum.

Whiting's numbered administrative correspondence is especially valuable for researching the establishment and formative years of The Cleveland Museum of Art. Of particular interest are files pertaining to the armor collection, Inaugural Exhibition, Fine Arts Garden, and Whiting's cultivation of prominent Cleveland families. Files in boxes 1 and 2, which contain correspondence with various staff members of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, are especially valuable for documenting the exchange of information between established art institutions and the new museum in Cleveland. This section is not particularly useful, however, for researching Whiting's personal life and family relationships.

To be as comprehensive as possible in locating information in this series, researchers are advised to consult the card index (series IV) in addition to the file list provided below.