The Hispanic Society of America was founded in 1904 by the tycoon and philanthropist, Archer Milton Huntington, who in his travels throughout Spain had come into contact with the ILE and had formed a fast friendship with some its members. In 1908 the doors opened to the society’s headquarters in New York, with Huntington contributing heavily to the already rich collections of Spanish art and literature.
The society would organise remarkable exhibitions featuring the likes of Sorolla and Zuloaga, whilst also editing numerous publications relating to His panic culture. Sorolla was even commissioned to paint the library, decorating the room’s fourteen panels with representations of Spain’s individually diverse regions, along with various eminent Spanish figures.
Huntington funded a number of varying projects undertaken by Menéndez Pidal and his disciples at the Centro de Estudios Históricos. He was a collaborator in the creation of a Chair at the University of Columbia that, from 1916 onwards, was occupied by Federico de Onis. He was also a seminal character in the promotion, study, and dissemination of Spanish culture within the United States.
Portada del catálogo de la exposición de Ignacio Zuloaga en la Hispanic Society of America, del 21 de marzo al 11 de abril de 1909. Residencia de Estudiantes, Madrid.