Raymond Waldron papers
Online Access
Available digital items: https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/collections/KA0044.
Summary
Raymond S. Waldron, Jr. (1913-2002) attended the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later, Parsons School of Design) from 1938-1941. After serving in World War II, Waldron worked for Lord & Taylor. In 1965, he established his own interior decoration firm. The collection includes his student work, a travel sketchbook, and professional files. Waldron's student work includes notebooks, instructor handouts, sketches and renderings, and tracings.
A travel sketchbook reflects Waldron's later design studies in New York, France and Italy. Materials from Waldron's professional career include project files, design research, stereo slides of the Blair House, among other projects, and publicity for his business.
Dates
- 1938 - 2003
- Majority of material found within 1938 - 1994
Creator
- Waldron, Raymond S. (Person)
Extent
0.9 Cubic Feet (2 boxes, 1 oversize box, 11 oversize folders, stereo slides)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
The Raymond Waldron papers include working notebooks and a sketchbook Waldron kept while a student at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art. The notebooks include graded assignments as well as instructor handouts, exercises, sketches and tracings for research projects. Other student work includes larger-format gouache renderings of European interiors and sites. A later sketchbook reflects Waldron's studies in New York, France and Italy (possibly as an advanced student in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in France). Also included are project files, design research and publicity for Waldron's interior decorating business, stereo slides of the Blair House and other projects.
Conditions Governing Access
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
Raymond S. Waldron (1913-2002) was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri, transferring in 1938 to Parsons (then the New York School of Fine and Applied Art). Part of his time in school was spent abroad studying at the school's Paris Ateliers (the Paris school closed in October 1939 due to the war, and remained inactive thereafter for nearly a decade). Waldron served in the U.S. Army during World War II, working as a cartographer, designing camouflage nets, and producing architectural drawings following the bombing of Nagasaki. After the war, Waldron went to work for the Interior Design Department of Lord & Taylor in New York City. His most prominent project for Lord & Taylor was designing the renovation of the Queen’s Bedroom in Blair House, the U.S. Presidential guest house in Washington, D.C. In 1965, Waldron left Lord & Taylor to establish his own business, Raymond Waldron, Inc., specializing in the decorative use of eighteenth and nineteenth century antiques. The firm remained active until Waldron’s death.
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Source:
This information is based upon a biographical sketch of Raymond Waldron furnished by Laird Rodet.
Organization and Arrangement
Organized in 4 series: 1. General, 1941-1987; 2. Raymond Waldron, Inc., 1971-1994; 3. Sketchbook, 1948-1953; 4. Student work, 1938-1940
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Laird Rodet, Peggy J. Roy Rodet, and Melissa Waldron in 2004.
- Interior decoration (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Interior decoration -- Study and teaching -- France -- 20th century (Subject) (Places) (Temporal) Subject Source: Local sources
- Interior decoration -- Study and teaching -- New York (State) -- New York (Subject) (Places) Subject Source: Local sources
- Interior decoration rendering (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Interior designers (Occupation) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Lord & Taylor
- New York School of Fine and Applied Art
- Notebooks (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Paris Ateliers
- Parsons School of Design. Interior Design Department
- Renderings (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Sketches (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Slides (photographs) (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Student projects (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Title
- Guide to the Raymond Waldron papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- New School Archives and Special Collections Staff
- Date
- 2008
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin