Alexander Z. Kruse Papers

The Alexander Z. Kruse Papers contain documents relating to Kruse's career as an artist, art critic, and author. The time frame covered is 1890 to 1975 with the bulk of the material originating from the 1930s through 1960s. The material is arranged by functional series and includes: literary manuscripts and notebooks; correspondence; photographic materials—photographs and slides; ephemera—clippings, catalogs, and biographical material; and books.

The majority of the collection is in its original format with a few being photocopies. The photographic materials are in good condition. However, much of the ephemera is extremely fragile, especially the newspaper clippings. Many of the newspaper clippings have been glued into scrapbooks and are now becoming brittle. Most of the clippings are from Kruse's columns with the Brooklyn Eagle and the New York Post.

The literary manuscripts and notebooks include the original mock-ups and handwritten notes for Kruse's published works. Some of Kruse's other projects included in the collection are: a staple machine invention; an idea for a television show; and some literary projects, which did not achieve fruition.

The correspondence includes letters received by Kruse between the early 1900s until his death in 1972. Some were from personal friends; and others were from other artists, students, and business-related entities such as galleries or publishers.

Photographic materials include negatives, photographs, slides, and transparencies, including approximately 2000 slides and photographs, mainly of Kruse's paintings and other works of art. Ephemera includes: catalogs, clippings, family documents, memorabilia, pamphlets, periodicals, projects, publicity display materials, and reproductions. Most of the catalogs also depict Kruse's artwork at various shows and galleries from 1917 to 1972.