Samuel Henry Kress

Samuel Henry Kress
Born	Cherryville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	September 22, 1955(1955-09-22) (aged 92)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, philanthropist
Known for	Founder of S. H. Kress & Co., art collector and philanthropist

Samuel Henry Kress (July 23, 1863 – September 22, 1955) was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for founding the S. H. Kress & Co. chain of variety stores, commonly referred to as five and ten cent stores. Through his amassed wealth, Kress curated one of the most important collections of Italian Renaissance and European art during the twentieth century. In the decades following his death, the foundation he created donated 776 pieces from his collection to 18 regional art museums across the United States.

Early life and education

Born in Cherryville, Pennsylvania, near Allentown, Kress was the second child among seven siblings of John Franklin Kress and Margaret Dodson (née Conner) Kress. His father worked as a retail merchant. His brothers and sisters included Mary Conner Kress, Jennie Weston Kress, Palmer John Kress, Claude Washington Kress, and Rush Harrison Kress; another sibling, Elmer Kress, passed away shortly after birth. Samuel Kress never married nor had children and was a member of the Masons.

He received his early education in schools located in Slatington, Pennsylvania.

Career

Before entering retail, Kress spent some time working in stone quarries. By age 17, he had obtained teaching credentials and began a career as a schoolteacher in Emerald, Pennsylvania. His initial role involved instructing a class of 80 pupils for a monthly salary of $25, commuting three miles on foot each way to reach the schoolhouse.

In 1887, he launched a stationery and notions business in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. As this venture flourished, he reinvested earnings to establish additional outlets under the name S. H. Kress & Co., which later became widely recognized as the Kress Five and Dime stores. Distinct from many contemporaries who focused on major metropolitan areas, Kress strategically positioned his stores in smaller cities across 29 states that he identified as having growth potential. These establishments often became prominent fixtures within communities that previously only had general or dry goods stores. By the mid-1920s, Kress resided in a penthouse at 1020 Fifth Avenue in New York City, directly opposite the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which he frequently visited and supported through donations.

S. H. Kress & Co.

Main article: S. H. Kress & Co.

File:Kress building lubbock.jpg

A Kress store facade, exemplifying its distinctive architectural style

File:The Kress building -- Houston, Texas.jpg

The Kress building located in Houston, Texas

Founded in 1896 by Samuel H. Kress in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, S. H. Kress & Co. was a prominent chain of "five and dime" retail department stores. Over time, the company grew to encompass more than 200 outlets across the United States, becoming a recognizable presence in numerous urban and rural communities nationwide. The Kress stores were especially noted for their elegant architecture, with several branches gaining acclaim from architectural critics for their design excellence. Many former Kress locations, now repurposed, have been designated as historic landmarks. Among the most iconic stores were those situated on New York City's Fifth Avenue, Canal Street, New Orleans, and Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. In 1964, the chain was acquired by Genesco, Inc., which shifted focus away from downtown venues to suburban shopping centers. By 1980, Genesco commenced the gradual shutdown and liquidation of the Kress stores.

Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Samuel H. Kress established and served as president of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, named after himself. As a passionate enthusiast of art, he built an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures—primarily from the Italian Renaissance period—acquired through art dealers such as Alesandro Contini-Bonacossi and Joseph Duveen, often guided by art historian William Suida. In 1929, he contributed a significant financial donation to the Italian government aimed at restoring several important architectural monuments in Italy. Starting in the 1930s, Kress began distributing large portions of his art collection to museums throughout the United States during his lifetime. Many of these donations were directed to smaller cities where his stores had prospered, frequently serving as foundational collections for museums that otherwise lacked access to artworks of such caliber and significance.

On March 17, 1941, together with Paul Mellon, Kress made substantial art donations that led to the creation of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., with President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally accepting this gift.

Currently, the artworks donated by Kress are regarded as invaluable treasures, and since its inception, the Kress Foundation has awarded millions of dollars to support numerous deserving organizations and institutions.

Kress Collection of Historic Images, National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art houses the Kress Collection of Historic Images—a digital archive comprising over 18,300 high-resolution scans of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and decorative arts either purchased or considered for acquisition by Samuel H. Kress and his foundation founded in 1929. This digitization effort enhances global research access through the Gallery’s image collections department. The majority of these works were gifted by Kress to around 90 museums, universities, and other cultural institutions across 33 states, with a significant portion entrusted to the National Gallery itself.

This collection includes images documenting artworks in various conservation stages alongside x-ray, infrared, and ultraviolet photographs. Some files contain scholar annotations found on reverse sides of photographs. Additionally, photographs depicting Samuel Kress's New York apartment reveal an arrangement of 282 exquisite objects prior to their dispersal.

Researchers such as art historians, conservators, and students utilize these images to deepen their knowledge about these pieces. The photographs reveal details no longer visible on the original works; conservators study them to identify previous damages or restorations while art historians compare intricate details to assist in attribution debates. Students gain insight into an artwork’s evolution over time through diverse photographic reproductions.

The realization of the Kress Collection of Historic Images project was made possible through two generous grants awarded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Museums Receiving Major Contributions from the Kress Foundation

• Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania—50 Paintings, 3 Sculptures
• Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama—34 Paintings, 2 Sculptures, 13 Furniture pieces, 4 Decorative Arts items
• Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina—46 Paintings, 2 Sculptures, 11 Bronzes, 9 Furniture items, 10 Tapestries
• Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado—46 Paintings, 4 Sculptures
• El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas—56 Paintings, 2 Sculptures
• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, California—37 Paintings, 1 Sculpture
• High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia—29 Paintings, 3 Sculptures, 13 Furniture pieces
• Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawaii—14 Paintings
• Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, Florida—44 Paintings, 3 Sculptures
• Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, Tennessee—27 Paintings, 2 Sculptures
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, Texas—30 Paintings
• National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.
• National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.—376 Paintings, 94 Sculptures, 1307 Bronzes, 38 Drawings
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri—14 Paintings, 2 Sculptures
• New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana—29 Paintings
• North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina—73 Paintings, 2 Sculptures
• Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma—30 Paintings, 6 Sculptures
• Ponce Museum of Art, Ponce, Puerto Rico—15 Paintings
• Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon—30 Paintings, 2 Sculptures
• Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington—33 Paintings, 2 Sculptures
• Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois—16 Paintings, 3 Sculptures, 3 Decorative Arts pieces
• University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, Arizona—60 Paintings, 3 Sculptures
• Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee—12 Paintings

Death

Samuel H. Kress passed away on September 22, 1955. His final resting place is at Woodlawn Cemetery located in The Bronx, New York City.

External links

• Samuel H. Kress Foundation
• Samuel Henry Kress on the National Gallery of Art Website
• Kress Collection of Historic Images at the National Gallery of Art's Department of Image Collections
• Digitization Project for the Kress Historic Images Collection