In 2017 on our news site PhotoArchiveNews.com we posted a search for photographer Paul Cordes (1893-1979).
This info and photo just in from a curator at the Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA looking for information on the photographer.
Gene Loring from Ballet Caravan, ca. 1936 ©Paul Cordes/Smith College Museum of Art
“I saw that you were looking for information on clearing permissions to reproduce works by Paul Cordes–did you find any information? The Museum I work for has many photographs by Cordes in our collection and it would be helpful information for us.”
After an email or two I asked for any info the Smith College has, and an example of Paul’s photography which they supplied above and here’s the info below Thanks!
Dear Will:
Thank you! That would be great. Our museum owns 92 photographs by Cordes, 30 of which were given to the museum by the artist (in 1939) after his exhibition here in 1936; many are of figures in the dance world, portraits, or images of Greece; some are portraits of people connected to Smith College, and some of the gifts are from Lincoln Kirstien, who’s sister, Minna Curtis, was a graduate of Smith and lived locally. The Museum’s director in the 1930s, Jere Abbott, had been an Associate Director at MOMA before arriving at Smith in the early 1930s–I presume that he was friends with Cordes from New York. I have been unable to find much information on Cordes, and would be grateful for any leads.
Please send any info to [email protected]
