Pratt, Lillian Thomas, 1876?

Abstract The collection documents the formation of the Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Fabergé decorative artworks at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Bequeathed to the museum upon her death in 1947, Pratt’s Fabergé collection consistently remains one of the highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. Pratt purchased most of her Fabergé collection from the Schaffer Collection and Hammer Galleries, both of New York City, in the 1930s and 1940s. Comprised of correspondence, invoices, price...

Scope and Contents Transcription: [Handwritten letter]CopyDec. 4th ‘45My dear Mrs. Schaffer – Herewith my check for two hundred eighty-five dollars in full payment of account. When you acknowledge please mention the amount, and that it is in full payment for my files. Thank you and Mr. Schaffer for your kindness. A great weight is off my shoulders.Tell Mr. Schaffer I will pay for the Globe Flower and paper-cutter as soon as I can. My Income Tax...

Scope and Contents This series is comprised of correspondence, invoices, price tags, and item descriptions that detail the purchases Pratt made from the Schaffer collection in the 1930s and 1940s. Correspondence between Alexander S. Schaffer, his wife Ray Schaffer, and Pratt discuss sales, payments, display cabinets, family matters, and books and articles he sent to Pratt about Russian history, war, and family matters. After 1944, some of the correspondence, invoices and item descriptions came from A La...

Scope and Contents This series is comprised of invoices, price tags, item descriptions, exhibition labels and correspondence that document the purchases Pratt made from the Hammer Galleries in the 1930s and 1940s. The Lord and Taylor invoices are undated, but the item numbers match up with Hammer Galleries price tags, and the Galleries did present and sell their collection at Lord and Taylor in the early 1930s (probably 1934 based upon letterhead from the item descriptions).Price tags were often...

Scope and Contents This series is comprised of information about Pratt’s estate after her death on July 21, 1947. The estate tax return outlines the extent of her entire estate, including the varied philanthropic bequests and funds she had arranged. Detailed inventories of the estate list her belongings by category. One of the paintings lists was annotated by a local appraiser, Virginia Clarke Taylor, denoting which paintings were “antiques” or not. Finally, there are many price tags from other non-Faberge...

Scope and Contents

This series is comprised of items related to the Pratt collection that were transferred from the Curatorial department. Items found in the object records include early photographs of items from both Hammer Galleries and the Schaffer Collection, photographs of the Russian imperial family, as well as a statement of account from Hammer and the first complete list of the collection after its arrival at the museum in 1947.