1. Can I find out about past exhibitions at the Museums?

The HUAM Archives contains files on most exhibitions from the Harvard University Art Museums from about 1900 to the present. For more recent exhibitions, there may be additional files in other HUAM departments; Archives staff will be happy to assist you in locating records relevant to your research topic.

2. What does the Fogg label on the back of my picture mean?

Works of art enter the Fogg for a number of reasons, including conservation treatment, examination, photography, exhibition, or acquisition. When they come in, they are registered and given a unique loan number, which may appear on a Fogg label. By tracing the number, we can tell you why and when the work of art was here, but we will not divulge the name of the owner. Note that objects are registered using the owner's description of the object, and that information does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Fogg Art Museum. For more information about a specific Fogg label and/or number, please contact the Registrar's Office (617-495-2379).

3. Where can I have my art object repaired?

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works maintains a web page outlining how to go about selecting a conservator.

4. Where can I find an image of a person or event associated with HUAM?

Contact the HUAM Archives, which maintains a collection of images of events, individuals, and exhibitions related to the Museums. You may also want to search Harvard's Visual Information Access (VIA) database for related images held by other repositories at Harvard.

5. Do I have an original Picasso drawing (Mother and Child and Four Studies of Her Right Hand)?

Pablo Picasso Spanish, 1881-1973 Mother and Child and Four Studies of Her Right Hand, 1904. Black crayon on tan wove paper; 33.8 x 26.7 cm (13 ¼ x 10 ½ inches). Bequest of Meta and Paul J. Sachs 1965.318	Verso: Self-portrait standing, 1903. Black ink

The original Picasso drawing Mother and Child and Four Studies of Her Right Hand has been in the Fogg collection since 1929. Many years ago several very good facsimile reproductions of the drawing were made, and these have often been confused with the original drawing. There is a nude self-portrait on the verso (back) of the drawing that does not appear on the facsimile. Because the facsimile is a photographic reproduction, like a poster, it has little commercial value. The reproductions were originally printed with a white or off-white margin around the image (although this has often been cut down to show just the image). The margin includes a printed description of the original drawing, including the artist, title, and the name of the Fogg Art Museum.

We receive many inquiries about this image every year. Although we can't be sure without looking at the work itself, we can say that if your picture looks just like this, it is almost certainly a reproduction.

Under 15X magnification, the surface of the reproduction has this reticulated appearance.

Mother and Child and Four Studies of Her Right Hand is related to a gouache (opaque watercolor) drawing, Maternité, 1905, which is in a private collection.

6. How do I order images of Museum holdings?

For information regarding images for study or publication, please contact the Digital Imaging and Visual Resources Department. Click here for Order Form.
call: (617) 495-2389 or e-mail: Visual Resources

7. How can I determine the value of my work of art?

The Smithsonian American Art Museum provides information about appraising your object.

8. How can I research the work of art that I just bought?

For tips on how to get started researching a work of art, explore the introductory Web site hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

9. Are the records of the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis available for research?

Some Sardis records are available for research; contact the Sardis office for more information. The office also holds some records of the Butler Expedition to Sardis (1910-1914; 1922). There are additional records related to the expedition and to George Hanfmann in a number of collections housed in the Harvard University Archives. They can be searched in HOLLIS (Harvard's online catalog).