WELCOME TO THE CENTURY ASSOCIATION ARCHIVES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is in the collection?

The institutional archives of the Century include records of its 19th-century precursor clubs (The Bread and Cheese Club, The Sketch Club, and The Column); officer, event, committee, and other administrative files; meeting minutes; house art collection and exhibition records; correspondence; audiovisual recordings of events dating from 1954; visitor registers; Century yearbooks and monthly bulletins; building records; photographs; ephemera and special collections; original artwork; member files of clippings, support letters, portraits, and more.

The Century Association Archives Foundation also administers the Charles A. Platt Working Library of Architecture and Landscape Design.

How do I use this site?

To search the collection, type a keyword into the search bar. The drop-down boxes and data fields allow you to customize your search. Search results can be narrowed by material type, subject, or name, by clicking on any of the "Additional filters" appearing to the right of the search results list. Click any of the tabs at the top of this page to browse headings by collection, subjects, or names.

Search tip: add an asterisk (*) to the end of a word to return results with possible variations of the search term's ending (e.g. photograph* will search for both singular and plural forms of the word.)

How can I access the archives?

In most cases, the Archivist is available to answer research inquiries and provide digital surrogates as appropriate.

For extensive requests, researchers may make an appointment to visit the Archives at the Century Association in midtown Manhattan, New York.

Please direct all research inquiries, including the subject and purpose of the request, to the Archivist at archives@thecentury.org

Are any records digitized?

The CAAF is pleased to make digitally available 38 historic Century Association publications that constitute a veritable “reference shelf” of Centuriana for use by anyone researching the Association’s history.

Digital Library titles include the club’s earliest narrative histories, exhibition catalogues, ledgers documenting displays in the art galleries, and numerous book-length tributes to prominent Century members including William Cullen Bryant, John Bigelow, Theodore Roosevelt, and Asher B. Durant. These can be found on the CAAF website: www.centuryarchives.org

The Member Directory (1847-1922) is a searchable online database designed to make available the Century’s archival documentation related to the club’s founders and early members. From club founders in 1847 through members elected in 1922, a total of 3,383 individuals are currently represented. Each member profile constitutes its own webpage, which typically displays the member’s life dates and places of birth, death, and burial; proposers for membership; date of election and tenure of membership; a portrait from the club’s photo albums; and a memorial tribute. Archivist’s Notes provide additional context and information. This Member Directory database may be accessed at archives@thecentury.org

Other archival materials have been digitized on a select basis and may be uploaded to the CAAF website as image galleries and curated digital exhibitions.

Are there access restrictions?

All research inquiries are subject to Archivist discretion in order to protect the privacy of current and recent members and staff. For similar reasons, not all collection contents are made public in this database.

In general, records prior to 1960 are open without restrictions. Art collection and exhibition records are fully open for research; some inquiries may be directed to the Century curator.

ABOUT THE CENTURY ASSOCIATION ARCHIVES FOUNDATION

The Century Association Archives Foundation (CAAF) was established in 1997 to preserve, organize, and administer the historical records of the Century Association, the New York arts and letters club founded in 1847. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization operating in the public interest, the Foundation seeks to make these records available to researchers including art scholars, biographers, historians, genealogists, collectors, journalists, descendants of Centurions, and more.

Just as the Century is part of the history of New York City and the nation, so are its archives, which shed light on major events outside the club. Its members have made significant civic and cultural contributions to municipal, state, and national life. “The Century Archives are, in effect, the biography of the club,” writes CAAF co-founder Arthur Schlesinger, Jr, “and the Club’s papers provide a unique look at American literary and artistic developments and personalities... The value of the Archives beyond the Club’s walls, together with the need to conserve them for future generations of Centurions, New Yorkers, and Americans, make them a worthy cause for a 501(c)(3) designation.

Over 25 years later, the CAAF continues to add to its holdings, including the establishment of an oral history program with members and staff to make sure today’s stories are available to researchers of the future. It is also executing initiatives to digitize its holdings and create digital tools for researchers to explore its records and the information therein, including the recent debut of a new website to better showcase these efforts. The CAAF Archivist answers approximately 200 reference inquiries a year, in addition to organizing events and exhibitions, and may be contacted at archives@thecentury.org