Caroline L. Whiting student notebooks

Collection — Box: Mixed k_24 (R), Folder: 5-6

Identifier: KA-0185-01

Abstract

Caroline L. Whiting received a diploma in Illustrative Advertising from the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later, Parsons School of Design) in 1925. The collection consists of two notebooks of hand-written lecture notes, tracings, drawing exercises, and visual research Whiting maintained during her studies.

Dates

1922-1925

Creator

Fellows, Caroline Whiting (January 2, 1905-July 4, 1989) (Person)
New York School of Fine and Applied Art (Degree grantor, Organization)

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (2 folders)

Additional Description

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of Caroline Loretz Whiting's (later, Caroline Whiting Fellows) notebooks from her studies at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later, Parsons School of Design), which spanned 1922-1925. The notebooks are hand-written in a distinctive, looping script that researchers may experience difficulty deciphering. Media present in the notebooks consists of pencil, ink, and watercolor.

The earliest notebook appears to cover Whiting's first academic year and includes notes from Frank Alvah Parsons's book, The Art Appeal in Display Advertising, hand lettering exercises, visual research on traditional Peruvian design and folk art motifs, tracings of European historical costume, notes on perspective and color, and copies of classical portraits in watercolor. This notebook also contains notes from a Frank Alvah Parsons lecture, likely from January 1923.

The second notebook, the more voluminous of the two, focuses on French history and culture. William M. Odom is identified as a lecturer on several pages. The notebook begins with a list titled, "Rulers of France," followed by an outline of historical periods in French history, and a series of photographic reproductions of churches and cathedrals affixed to the notebook paper and identified by location. The remainder of the notebook is organized by historical periods (Medieval, Renaissance, Louis XIV and XV, etc.) with notes on historical costume, furniture and architectural styles of each period. The notebook has an illustrated section featuring different chateaux (castles), and ends with pencil tracings of historical costume and architectural elements. It is unclear in which year of her studies Whiting kept this notebook. As William M. Odom held the title, "Director of European Schools," for the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, it is possible but unconfirmed that this notebook dates from Whiting's time in Paris in early 1925.

Language of Materials

Handwritten notes are in English. Clippings pasted on to the notes from William Odom's lecture contain captions in French.

Conditions Governing Access

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

Biographical note

Caroline Whiting Fellows (born January 2, 1905, Asheville, North Carolina–died July 4, 1989, Colorado) was a commercial color photographer and alumna of the New York School of Fine & Applied Art. In this collection she may also be referred to by her unmarried name “Caroline Lorentz Whiting” or “Caroline L. Whiting.”

Caroline pursued a career in art and in 1922 she enrolled at the New York School of Fine & Applied Art, predecessor to the Parsons School of Design. As demonstrated by her class notes in this collection, she was a student of William Odom and Frank Alvah Parsons between 1922-1924.

In 1925, she attended classes at the Paris Ateliers in what might have been a post-graduate capacity. She received a diploma on July 10, 1925. Shortly after finishing her studies, Caroline was an apprentice to a photographer before opening her own studio in New York. She began working with fellow photographer and her future husband, Walter Fellows, in 1928. The duo experimented in commercial color photography and their clients in the 1930’s included Harper's Bazaar, House Beautiful, and McCall's, among others.

The couple’s studio closed in 1940 due to Walter’s health issues and they went on to live in several states. Walter eventually died in 1985, eight years after their divorce. It is unclear what role they had in the professional field of photography after the closure of the New York studio, although the donor of the collection advises that they never returned to the commercial photography business. Caroline died in 1989 while living in Colorado. Caroline’s photography was posthumously exhibited in The New Woman Behind The Camera, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While her photography is not represented in this collection, her prints are part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery. See the Related Materials note for more information. References “Caroline Whiting Fellows,” Isabellvanmerlin.com, accessed 2025 April 24, https://www.isabellvanmerlin.com/caroline-whiting-fellows.html

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated to The New School Archives by Isabell VanMerlin, niece of Caroline L. Whiting, 2025.

Subjects

Castles (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Cathedrals (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Clothing and dress -- France (Subject) (Places) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Design -- History -- Study and teaching (Subject) Subject Source: Local sources
France -- Description and travel (Places) (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Lecture notes (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Notebooks (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Tracings (drawings) (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus