16 Drawings, 2 p. accompanying notes, pen and ink, 11 x 8 in. +
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
Sixteen original drawings, many with text, that comprised the "Marcel Breuer Coloring Book" (ca. 1962). Included are notes by donor Lorry Roeder explaining the "in" humor and office personalities of the Breuer New York office of the early 1960s. The drawings and cryptic text make humorous reference to various Breuer projects, colors, materials, and working methods, such as the Unesco Building in Paris, Cesca and Isokon chairs, his use of stone and concrete, and "Breuer Blue." While the illustrator/author of the coloring book and the circumstances of its creation are unknown, the last page, stamped, December 20, 1962, provides a probable date of origin. The book may have been distributed as a year-end office folly (a mimeographed copy appears among the papers of Marcel Breuer that were donated by Breuer to the Archives of American Art).
Citation:
Original drawings for The Marcel Breuer Coloring Book, undated. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
Items have been digitized and are available on the Archives of American Art's website.
Biography Note:
Roeder is an architect; Lexington, Mass., and a former employee of Marcel Breuer Associates.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Donated 2003 by Lorry Roeder, a former employee of Marcel Breuer Associates. According to correspondence accompanying the donation, Roeder found the drawings this way: "I did not arrive at the office until April 1963. When the office moved from 201 E. 57th Street, Mr. Breuer had me clean out, and throw away, all of the contents of a 4-drawer file cabinet that stood next to my desk. He told me that I could take anything as long as it left the office. Which is how I received the Marcel Breuer Coloring Book."
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
