Ralph Mayer papers

Collection

Call Number: MS 1710

Scope and Contents

The papers consist of correspondence, writings, research and professional files, and photographs documenting the life and career of Ralph Mayer, particularly his work on paint technology.

Dates

1870 - 1991

Creator

Mayer, Ralph, 1895-1979

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

The computer files are unprocessed and may contain sensitive information or be in a physical state that would prohibit use. Researchers wishing to request access should email mssa.assist@yale.edu . The request should outline the scope and purpose of the research project, why the researcher believes the material is relevant to their project, and contact information. If possible the request should also include a list of specific material of interest including collection, box, and folder numbers (or folder descriptions if folders are not numbered). The review may take several weeks.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred from the Yale University School of Art, 1996.

Arrangement

The material is arranged in seven groupings: research and professional files; teaching and lecturing files; Artists' Technical Research Institute files; writings; correspondence; personal papers; and photographs.

Extent

16.5 Linear Feet (36 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.1710

Additional Description

Overview

The papers consist of correspondence, writings, research and professional files, and photographs documenting the life and career of Ralph Mayer, particularly his work on paint technology.

Biographical / Historical

Ralph Mayer, artist and authority on paint technology, was born in 1896 in New York. He was educated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a chemical engineer and subsequently became a painter. He studied materials used by artists and in 1940 published The Artist‘s Handbook of Materials and Techniques. He taught courses in painting materials and techniques at Columbia, the New School for Social Research, and the Art Students League. Mayer exhibited his work and was a consultant in the conservation of paintings to museums and private collectors. Along with his wife, artist Bena Frank Mayer, he founded the Artists Technical Research Institute in 1959. The Institute provided artists with technical information on materials and methods. After his death, his wife reestablished the institute at Yale University as the Ralph Mayer Learning Center. Mayer and his wife were married in 1927. He died on August 3, 1979.

Separated Materials

Seven disks containing drafts of the Artists Handbook (formerly in Box 31) were determined to duplicate content in the published volume and and discarded. Box 31 was decommissioned.