The Rosalie Thorne McKenna Foundation Case Study

Rosalie “Rollie” Thorne McKenna (1918-2003) was one of the 20th century’s most prolific photographers, producing iconic images of poets, writers, artists, and other leading public figures. Among her portrait subjects were Sylvia Plath, Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote, Ezra Pound, Eudora Welty, Dylan Thomas, Alexander Calder, and Helen Keller.

In the course of her long career, Rollie kept meticulous records of her artistic process and business. The resulting archive upon her death filled three large storage rooms. Despite her inherited wealth and stated wish to establish a foundation to preserve her art and provide opportunities for young photographers, her estate plan proved inadequate to carry out her wishes. Two years after her death, her legacy remained neglected and uncatalogued in a warehouse outside of Boston.

Daniel “Dan” W. Jones, Rollie’s lifelong friend and artistic collaborator, turned to Hemenway & Barnes (H&B) for help. When the H&B team of attorneys, estate administrators, and philanthropic and art advisors met with Dan, there had been no progress on settling her estate or establishing of her foundation. Moreover, Dan was the only person who knew Rollie well enough to ensure that her vision was carried out — and he was in his mid-80s.