The Jerome Mellquist papers contain correspondence, writings, and personal papers documenting the life and work of art historian and critic Jerome Mellquist.
Correspondence includes original incoming letters and carbons of outgoing letters between Jerome Mellquist and family, friends, writers, artists, musicians, and cultural critics in the United States and Europe from 1918 to 1962, with the bulk dating from the early 1930s to early 1960s. Correspondence dating from 1946 to 1948 relates chiefly to the journalist and music critic Paul Rosenfeld (1890-1946), for whom, along with Lucie Wiese, Mellquest compiled a memorial volume entitled Paul Rosenfeld: Voyager in the Arts (1948). Mellquist solicited contributions to the volume, and some correspondence files include drafts of tributes. Correspondence is chiefly in English, but letters can also be found in French, Spanish, and German. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically, with unsorted material at the end.
Writings contains drafts of numerous short articles and essays, materials relating to published and unpublished book projects, and unsorted writings. Articles and essays relate chiefly to art criticism. Book projects include research materials, plans, and drafts for the following: Mellquist's memorial volume to his friend Paul Rosenfeld, Paul Rosenfeld: Voyager in the Arts (1948); a book relating to French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, entitled "The Pilot of Impressionism"; another relating to a 1962 colloquim, "Liaison des Arts"; and one on heroism in pictures, entitled "World Art in War". Unsorted writings and materials appear to include short works, plays, and a novel.
Personal Papers, arranged alphebtically by material type, include address books, agenda books, diaries, journals, and notebooks, photographs, printed ephemera, and scrapbooks. Materials date from 1928 to 1963, though the runs of agenda books and journals, dating from 1954 to 1963, provide a rich and detailed account of Mellquist's activities during the last decade of his life.