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Dora Mathieu portrait sketches

 Collection
Identifier: KA-0032-01

Abstract

Dora Mathieu (1909-1980) taught fashion drawing in the Parsons School of Design Fashion Illustration Department, 1964-1966. The Kellen Design Archives holds twenty-nine of Mathieu's sketches, depicting notable designers of the mid-twentieth century. Although the earliest dated portrait is from 1938, the bulk of the collection was created between 1965 and 1968.

Dates

  • 1938 - 1968
  • Majority of material found within 1965 - 1968

Creator

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (29 illustrations)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of 29 sketches executed in colored pencil on sketchbook paper. All are signed, "Dora." The sketches range in size from 10 x 15 inches to 18 x 24 inches. The subjects are notable designers of the mid-20th century, and include Stella Brooks, Sophie Gimbel, Anne Klein, Vera Maxwell, and Emilio Pucci.

Some sketches exhibit discoloration and adhesive residue from tape.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.

Use Restrictions

To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.

Biographical note

Dora Mathieu was born in Schenechtady, New York in 1909. She studied at the Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn, to which she later returned as an instructor from 1955 through 1957. From 1945 until 1952, Mathieu taught at the Art Students League in New York and exhibited with the Society of Illustrators. She later taught fashion illustration at Parsons School of Design during the 1964-1965 and 1965-1966 academic years.

Art Students League advertisements indicate that she used the name "Dora de Vries" until 1951, when she began using "Dora Mathieu."

Source: Byrnes, Gene and A. Thornton Bishope. A Complete Guide to Drawing, Illustration, Cartooning, and Painting. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1948, 288.

Organization and Arrangement

Portraits are arranged alphabetically by subject's last name.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Probably transferred to the archvies in 2000.

Related Materials

A letter from Dora Mathieu to Bonwit Teller display designer Dan Arje is present in the Dan Arje papers (KA.0001) in the New School Archives.

Title
Guide to the Dora Mathieu portrait sketches
Status
Completed
Author
New School Archives and Special Collections Staff
Date
August 6, 2010
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English