The Records and Papers of David Brooke, Director, 1977-1996

The Records and Papers of David Brooke are comprised of a variety of museum concerns, including research and planning for exhibitions, grant applications, the museum’s acquisitions policy, budgets, annual reports, lists of artworks, and correspondence. The correspondence in this collection contains exchanges with Clark staff members, researchers, donors and lenders, and staff at other museums and foundations. Other types of records found in this series include accreditation material from the American Association of Museums, attendance and sales statistics from 1990-1994, planning material for band concerts, exhibitions and special events, and curatorial meeting records from 1980-1994.

The collection also contains Brooke’s research on Robert Sterling Clark and the Clark family, including copies of excerpts from RSC’s diaries; Brooke’s notes; articles; and other research on topics that particularly interested RSC, such as horses, books, military history, and food and wine; genealogical records; and folders of Brooke’s notes on RSC and his family members. There are photocopies, transcripts, and partial indices of RSC’s diaries and letters, and Brooke’s correspondence with people who knew RSC and other researchers. The sections related to Collectors and Dealers contain Brooke’s research about and correspondence with other prominent art collectors of Clark’s lifetime as well as art and book dealers familiar to Clark.

The additional materials transferred from the Director's Office in April and July 2011 include correspondence from individuals and art dealers concerning potential acquisitions. Other materials include files on Clark policies and events, the Clark library, Stone Hill Center, and the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. An additional accrual was completed in March, 2013, consisting of files relating to the Museum Shop.

The majority of these records came from David Brooke's office but a smaller group was found at a later date in the Director's Vault.

The records retrieved from Brooke's office are divided into categories of professional records and personal research. The professional records span a wide variety of museum concerns including research and planning for exhibitions, grant applications, the museum’s acquisitions policy, budgets, annual reports, inventories, lists of artworks, correspondence, and speeches Brooke gave to students and staff. There are particularly extensive files of research on William Bouguereau and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. The Bouguereau research pertains to Brooke's 1983 publication A Biography of Bouguereau's Nymphs and Satyr and a 1985 exhibit Bouguereau's Nymphs and Satyr: A Biography of a Painting. The files on Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema concern the acquisition of the Alma-Tadema painting, The Women of Amphissa, in 1978, which was the first major acquisition during Brooke's tenure. The correspondence in this series contains exchanges with Clark staff, researchers, donors and lenders, and staff at other museums and foundations. The professional records also contain eulogies for John Edward Sawyer, George Heard Hamilton, and Talcott Banks, and poetry by Daniel Perry, architect of the 1955 building. There is an outline and bibliography of materials in the Clark Archives detailing the papers and articles left by RSC and listing articles written about the Clark family. There are daily planners for the years 1977-1992. There are several audiotapes of interviews with David Brooke and a videotape labeled Portrait by Clemens.

The records from the Director's Vault contain planning materials and drafts of the 25th anniversary report, copies of director's reports, research about and correspondence with art dealers, photocopies of early institutional records such as the articles of incorporation and trustee meeting minutes from the 1950s, and photocopies of catalogue information for the RSC military library. Most of the materials added in March of 2020 contain correspondence and materials relating to the Museum Studies class taught by David Brooke at Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art in the Art History program. The materials relating to the class are within two folders and maintain original order. The remaining materials added in 2020 include records of Aquisition and Long-Term Loans of the Clark covering the years 1962-1990, news paper clippings regarding the Clark Art Institute, and photographs from the opening of the museum in May of 1955.