Scope and content
Letters, circulars, minutes, memoranda etc from HM Treasury to the National Gallery
relating to financial and administrative matters, including the appointment, remuneration
and superannuation of staff, and moneys voted by Parliament for operational costs
in addition to the acquisition of paintings.
Some of the correspondence concerns the establishment, staffing and running of the
National Gallery of British Art, Millbank [Tate] founded in 1897.
Record creators history
The National Gallery was established by a Treasury Minute of 23 March 1824 [NG5/3/1].
In this the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool announced that successful negotiations had
taken place for the acquisition 'for the use of the public' of paintings from the
collection of the late banker John Julius Angerstein. The Minute defined the duties
of a Keeper who was to take charge of the new national collection, and 'to attend
in particular to the preservation of the pictures, to make arrangements for admission,
to be present occasionally, and be competent to value and negotiate the purchase of
any pictures to be added to the collection' and stipulated that the paintings were
initially to remain at Angerstein's residence in Pall Mall where they would go on
display to the public. The purchase vote was taken on 2 April 1824.
A Treasury Minute of 2 July 1824 appointed a 'committee of six gentlemen' henceforward
known as Trustees, to superintend the paintings and give orders to the Keeper, William
Seguier. The Lords of the Treasury were responsible for filling vacancies with their
nominees and all questions of money were referred to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The Gallery was voted a sum of money annually by Parliament for its operational costs
based on annual estimates approved by the Treasury [for example of funds required
for wages, travelling and incidental expenses etc], but these estimates did not include
a purchase grant. Where paintings came up for sale, the Gallery relied upon Parliament
and moreover the goodwill of the Chancellor to vote the exact sums required.
This loose framework remained in place for almost three decades, despite criticism
of the Gallery's management. For example, the Trustees did not meet at all for the
first three and a half years of the Gallery's existence, and failed to keep a proper
record of its administration and acquisitions. It was not until 1846 when the Chancellor
of the Exchequer and First Lord of the Treasury were appointed ex officio Trustees
that an attempt was made to hold more regular meetings [See Treasury Letter of 12
August 1846 in NG5/63/5].
With mounting public criticism a Select Committee of the House of Commons was established
in 1853 to inquire into the management of the National Gallery. Its report and recommendations
led to the issuance of a Treasury Minute of 27 March 1855 reconstituting the establishment
of the Gallery [see NG17/2 pp1-9] which for the first time clearly set out the responsibilities
of the Trustees and staff. The new post of Director was created, upon whom the final
decision with regard to pictures purchases rested. The Minute also allowed for the
insertion of �10,000 into the annual estimates specifically for the purchase of pictures.
These sums could accrue if unspent, however on occasions where the cost of potential
acquisitions outstripped the NG's unexpended balance, appeals for special Parliamentary
grants had to be made. The Gallery was fortunate to acquire the Peel collection in
1871 and the Blenheim pictures in 1885 in this way, however following both acquisitions
the annual purchase grant was suspended, to be reinstated at a later date. On several
occasions throughout its history the Gallery's purchase grant has also been reduced:
it was reduced to �6000 in 1860, later fully restored then reduced to �8000 in �1864,
fixed at �5000 from 1889 and due to economic necessity was removed entirely for the
duration of the Second World War.
From 1865 the Treasury ordered any unexpended balances to be surrendered to the Exchequer
at the close of the financial year, thereby removing the Gallery's ability to accrue
potential purchase funds. This regulation was retracted in 1889 when a Treasury Minute
[dated 2 August 1889, see NG17/5 p52] ruled that the purchase grant, now known as
the grant-in-aid could be drawn from the Exchequer, lodged with the Gallery's bankers
and spent at the Gallery's discretion as and when needed, provided full accounts were
later submitted to the Treasury.
Today the Gallery continues to receive an annual grant-in-aid from the Government,
but must supplement its income from a variety of sources including trading revenue
from the shop, catering facilities and reproduction rights, and a variety of trust
funds, in addition to sponsorship and benefactions.
Gifts and bequests, of paintings, continue to be an important means of enhancing the
Collection.
Archival history
The letters were sent from staff at HM Treasury to the Gallery between the years 1878-1900.
They have always remained in the Gallery's possession, however their exact date of
transfer to the Archive is not known
Processing information
Catalogue revised by Jessica Collins, Jun 2006
Accruals
None expected. Later correspondence from the Treasury can be found in NG16
System of arrangement
The letters are stored chronologically, in a separate file for each year of correspondence
Conditions governing access
Open
The papers are available to bona fide researchers by appointment with the Archivist
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is likely to have expired for much of this series of records. However,
it is still the responsibility of the reader to determine the exact copyright status
of a work.
Other finding aids
The most recent and complete list is held on CALM ALM
Related material
NG5 Letters to the Gallery, for letters from HM Treasury to the Gallery, 1828-1877
NG7 Letters read at Board Meetings, for letters from HM Treasury to the Gallery, 1878-1914
NG6 Letter books, for copies/transcripts of letters from the Gallery to HM Treasury,
1826-1921
NG16/223-232 Subject Files, for correspondence with HM Treasury, 1904-1983
NG1 Minutes of the Board of Trustees, for Board level discussion of Treasury correspondence
and administrative and financial matters, 1828-present
NG17 Annual Reports, for publication of relevant Treasury letters, resolutions, minutes
governing the management, administration and staffing of the Gallery, 1855-present
Extent
23 files
Keywords
Language of the material
English
Record creator
Content provider
