PIC02. Manuscript Collections

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The Alice Fitts Papers document Miss Fitts’ time as the Director of the Department of Kindergartens at Pratt Institute through personal notes, correspondences and teaching materials dating from 1896 to 1916.

Abstract Amy Brook Snider was an artist and pioneering educator whose commitment and innovation made a deep impact in the art education and pedagogy field where she worked for over fifty years. An art education professor, Snider served as the chair of the Pratt Institute Arts and Design Education department from 1982 to 2012 where she had a significant influence upon the instruction of art education students as well as the programming, partnerships, and projects undertaken by her department. ...

Abstract Anne Carroll Moore was an important pioneer of children’s librarianship. A graduate of Pratt Institute, she developed the children’s room at the Pratt Institute Library and later set up services for the children’s rooms of the main library and branches of the New York Public Library. Moore introduced numerous innovations into library services for children, including exhibits, special events, and storytelling, and she emphasized the love of reading for its own sake. She also regularly...

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Arthur Wesley Dow (1857-1922) was an artist and educator who was influenced by Japanese art and who in turn exerted a strong influence on American art in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, especially in the development of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He taught at Pratt Institute from 1895 until 1903. The collection consists of several articles about or relevant to him, and a small amount of business correspondence by and about him.

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The Barbara Ann Levy Papers consist of materials developed in preparation for and following submission of her thesis for the Master of Professional Studies, Art Therapy and Creativity Development degree at Pratt Institute in 1990, a project in which she researched dolphin painting behavior.

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The Charles Goslin Papers consist of the personal and commercial illustration and graphic design work of Charles Laforest Goslin from 1958 to 1969, who was a professor of graphic design and illustration at Pratt Institute from 1966-2007.

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Earle Rollin Brace Scrapbook documents his time at Pratt as an architectural design student, as well as momentos from his social life from 1913 to 1916. Contents include class tickets, playbills, event programs, dance cards, photographs, wedding invitations, and other items such as a flattened metal horn.

Abstract Edward F. Stevens was Librarian of the Pratt Institute Free Library and director of the Library School. He was influential not only in librarianship but also in typography and graphic arts, served as president or vice president for various professional organizations, and wrote articles and pamphlets about librarianship, Pratt Institute, and book arts. The collection consists of biographical information, business correspondence, mainly of business letters to Frederic Bayley Pratt, and include...

Abstract Ernest Francisco Fenollosa (1853-1908) was an American historian, educator, and curator, who furthered an appreciation of Oriental art and poetry in the United States and revived interest in Japanese art and architecture in Japan itself. He built several important collections of Oriental art and disseminated his ideas on art and art education through his curatorship at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and his career as a professor, writer, and lecturer. The collection consists of...

Abstract The Eva Zeisel Papers were donated to Pratt Institute in several accessions in 2016 and 2018 by Zeisel's daughter, Jean Richards. This collection documents Eva Zeisel's experience as a professor of Industrial Design in the School of Art and Design from 1934-1959, as well as her career as a ceramic artist and designer before and after this period. Her role as a mentor and major influence on her students is evident in her correspondence with former students and her collection of student work....

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The Isabel Ely Lord Papers document the experiences of Lord while she worked at Pratt Institute from 1904 to 1920. From 1904 to 1910, Lord was the Director of the Library. From 1910 to 1920, she directed the School of Household Science and Arts and shaped the curriculum so that it became an emerging standard for the field. The Papers consist of biographical materials like newspaper clippings and publications, as well as letters to and from Lord between 1903 and 1920.

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Within this collection are papers and artifacts belonging to Jessie Griffith Stone, later known as Jessie G. Rockefeller. Mrs. Rockefeller attended Pratt Institute’s School of Household Science and Arts from 1913 to 1915, where she earned a certificate in Trade Dressmaking. The collection includes samples of in-class work, such an embroidery workbook, notebooks, and artifacts related to sewing such as pincubes and spools. The materials date from 1885 to 1915.

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The Joan Anderson Papers consist of the coursework and personal artwork of Joan D. (Anderson) Jones, who was a student in the School of Fine and Applied Arts in 1943 and 1944. Her coursework books demonstrate her education and reflect the foundation curriculum of the art school during the 1940s.

Abstract The John F. Pile Papers consist of the drawings and designs, photography, teaching materials, and writing created by the furniture and interior designer John F. Pile between 1947 and 1998. Pile taught architectural and design history at Pratt Institute for over 50 years and was a frequent lecturer at regional schools. Beginning in 1947, Pile designed furniture and interiors for significant design firms led by individuals like Donald Deskey, Paul McCobb, and George Nelson. In 1963 he started...

Abstract Josephine Adams Rathbone was one of the pioneers of American library science education and spent her career as instructor, vice-director, and director of the Library School at Pratt Institute. She was also heavily involved with professional organizations such as the Association of American Library Schools, the American Library Association, the New York Library Association, and the New York Library Club. Her papers consist of professional and personal correspondence, published and unpublished...

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Julia Pettee was a student of the Pratt Institute Library School from 1894-1895. From 1909 to 1939, she was the Chief Cataloger in the Union Theological Seminary Library where she devised a unique classification system for theological works. Her papers date primarily from 1895 to 1905 and include incoming and outgoing correspondence, writings by and about Pettee, class notes, and ephemera related to her time as a library student.

Abstract The Julia Ruhfel Collection consists of classwork, drawings and notes compiled by Mrs. Julia Ruhfel from 1894-1940, who not only earned two certificates from Pratt Institute, but also taught at the school from the years 1916-1926. Mrs. Ruhfel earned her first certificate in 1895 in Professional Household Arts, and her second in 1910 for Trade Dressmaking. It was the latter subject that Mrs. Ruhfel went on to teach at Pratt, as well as to local students in the various cities in which she...

Abstract The Lisa Ann Carl Papers documents academic and extracurricular activities related to writing at Pratt and date from 1992 to 2003. The collection includes course materials, student work, correspondence, and research related to her role as a Visiting Professor of English and Humanities and Fine Arts at Pratt from 1996-1999 and as director of the Writing the Arts conference in 1996. The collection also includes a copy of her doctoral dissertation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel...

Abstract Mary Wright Plummer (1856-1916) stands as an important figure in early American librarianship, both because of the way she helped shape the profession and because she held positions of leadership and authority at a time when it was unusual for women to do so. A graduate of Columbia’s library school, she headed Pratt Institute’s library and became director of the library school. She was also a writer and a poet, and was active in a number of professional organizations such as the American...

Abstract Maryette Charlton was a behind-the-scenes figure in the lives of many artists, actors, and writers. Charlton was a supporter of the downtown New York City arts, working with and donating to galleries and venues throughout her life. As a student at Pratt Institute, Charlton left an impression in the art education program through her work with the Saturday Morning Art School and her thorough report on the art curriculum at Scarsdale Public Schools. Throughout the art education program at Pratt...

Abstract The New York School of Applied Design for Women was a significant educational institution and proponent of the arts and crafts movement that sought to provide women with the practical education needed to be self-sufficient. Founded in 1892 by Ellen Dunlap Hopkins, the school went through several significant changes beginning with the new building at 160 Lexington Avenue in 1909, then the reincorporation as a co-educational school and merger with the Phoenix Arts Institute in 1944, and...

Abstract Walter Scott Perry (1855-1934) was the first head of the Institute’s School of Fine and Applied Arts. His vision and views as an art educator provided direction for the growth of the art programs at Pratt during the school’s formative years. In addition to his work at the Institute, Perry lectured frequently on art, architecture, and sculpture, served as an associate editor at the Prang Educational Company, and wrote numerous articles and books on Egyptian art, art education in public...

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Two scrapbooks created by Pratt alumnus and professor William Longyear documenting the history, campus, and student life of the Pratt Institute.