Collection primarily documents American folk art collected by Frederick Fried (1908-1994) and his wife Mary McKensie Hill Fried (1914-1988). It includes photographic materials, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, research files, lecture notes, unpublished manuscripts, brochures, drawings, printed advertisements, blueprints, books, patents, correspondence, trade literature, sheet music, auction catalogs, oral history interviews, and commercially recorded music. Of particular interest is the material relating to carousels. There is a substantial amount of material relating to New York architecture, wood carvings, show figures, weathervanes, mechanical and coin operated machines, amusement parks, the circus, tattoos and lesser-known folk arts. The collection is arranged by subject or genre in the order maintained by Frederick and Mary Fried.
Arrangement:
Series 1, Professional Materials, 1930-1995, undated
Subseries 1.1, Lectures, 1968-1989, undated
Subseries 1.2, Research Notes, 1962-1975, undated
Subseries 1.3, Published and Unpublished Materials, 1960-1990, undated
Subseries 1.4, Exhibitions, 1966-1985, undated
Subseries 1.5, Correspondence, 1945-1995, undated
Subseries 1.6, Office Files, 1930-1991, undated
Series 2, Sculptors and Ship Carvers, 1855-1987, undated
Series 3, Ship Carving Reference Files, 1875-1990, undated
Subseries 16.2.1, Lectures and Performances, 1969-1973, undated
Subseries 16.2.2, Interviews, 1940-1976, undated
Subseries 16.2.3, Conferences and Meetings, 1973-1977
Subseries 16.2.4, Music, 1956, undated
Subseries 16.2.5, Other, undated
Subseries 16.3, Videotapes, 1982-1991, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Frederick P. Fried was born December 11, 1908 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn where his father owned a clock business across the street from Charles Carmel, a carousel carver. Fried acquired a fine-arts education in the 1930s with an emphasis on sculpture. He served with the Air Force during the Second World War. After a successful military career, Fried worked as art director in several fashion agencies. He met Mary McKenzie Hill, an academically trained artist in one of the studios.
Mary McKenzie Hill was born in 1914 in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from the Maryland Institute of Fine Arts. After graduation, she spent a year abroad studying before she returned to the United States to work as a fashion illustrator in Baltimore and New York. During World War Two Hill was a draftsman for a firm of architects.
Fried and Mary Hill married in 1949. The couple had two children Robert Hazen and Rachel. Around 1953 Fried began to collect architectural ornaments in New York. Fried served as the art director for Bonwit Teller in New York City from 1955-1962. He left the fashion world in 1962 to pursue his passion for collecting and writing full time. Fried published his first book, Pictorial History of Carousels in 1964. In 1967, Fred and Mary Fried purchased a forty-acre farm in Bristol, Vermont where the family spent their summers.
In 1968, Fried led a national campaign to preserve the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse (Seamen's Church Institute at South Street). He also became active in politics and served as the campaign manager for a New York State senator. His interest in Indian cigar store figures resulted in his publication Artists in Wood: American Carvers of Cigar Store Indians, Show Figures and Circus published in 1970. The focus of the book was Samuel Anderson Robb a New York wood carver. Fried co-founded the National Carousel Association in 1973. In 1978, Fried wrote America's Forgotten Folk Art with his wife Mary. This publication covered subjects such as carousels, banner painting, scarecrows, beach sand sculpture, tattoos, cast iron toys, amusement park architecture and trade signs.
Fried's collecting goal was to first preserve artifacts and to then make them available through his writings and exhibitions. His most treasured relics were the items he salvaged from the ruins of Coney Island. Fried referred to such artifacts as the uncelebrated arts. He became one of the founders of the Anonymous Arts Recovery Society a group of individuals who saved architectural ornaments from the wreckers' balls. In addition, he was one of the founders of the National Carousel Round Table which was created to preserve hand-carved merry-go-rounds. As a result of his collecting, research and writing Fried became recognized as the authority on carousels, coin-operated machines, and cigar store figures. He served as a consultant to many Museums; in particular as chief consultant on American Folk Art for the Smithsonian Institution.
Frederick and Mary Hill worked together in many ways to document, collect, preserve and increase the awareness about primarily the folk arts. Mary McKenzie Hill Fried passed away in 1988 at the age of seventy-four. Frederick P. Fried died July 1994 at the age of eighty-six.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History
E. Howard Clock Company Records (NMAH.AC.00776)
M. Francis Misklea Carousel Collection (NMAH.AC.0665)
Archives Center Carousel Collection (NMAH.AC.0675)
Messmore and Damon, Incorporated Company Records (NMAH.AC.0846)
Anthony W. Pendergast Collection (NMAH.AC.0882)
Frank Paulin Photoprints (NMAH.AC.1373)
Wurlitzer Company Records (NMAH.AC.0469)
Industry on Parade (NMAH.AC.0507)
Reel #191, Craftsmen of the Carousel, 1954. Manufacturing merry-go-rounds for amusement reports. Arrow Development Co., Mountain View, California.
Provenance:
Collection a bequest of the Frederick Fried Estate.
Rights:
Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark. Fees for commercial reproduction.
General correspondence files contain all communications that do not pertain to a specific project. Because Friedman's personal life and business were so interconnected, many of his business associates also shared personal correspondence with the designer.,Materials in this collection document Friedman's work from 1967, as a student, until his death in 1995.
Files that document his affiliations with Yale University and the State University of New York at Purchase include administrative memos, proposals, lecture outlines, syllabi, bibliographies, examples of students' work, and design projects Friedman did for each school. A copy of the goals and objectives of the Division of Visual Arts within the School of the Arts at SUNY Purchase written by Friedman is included.
Project files include business correspondence, invoices, sketches, contracts, clippings, photographs, and slides. In the case of his graphic projects, some samples of stationery and brochures are included. Extensive documentation exists for Friedman's projects for Citibank, WilliWear, National Public Radio, and Bonwit Teller. Some correspondence is in German. Friedman's lecture notes, proposals for articles and books, and drafts of many articles are included. Clippings of articles on the designer and his work are arranged chronologically.
Research files consist of articles and Friedman's notes on topics of interest to him, such as typography, structure, simultaneity, and information theory. Photographs, slides, and transparencies of many of Friedman's projects, his sources of inspiration, and the work of his students are included.
Arrangement:
Record Groups include:
1: General Correspondence
2: University Affiliations
3: Project Files
4: Lectures and Writings
5: Clippings
6: Research Materials
7: Photographs and Slides
Biographical / Historical:
Educator, graphic and furniture designer. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1945. Friedman recieved a BFA from Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburg, PA. He studied graphic design at Hochschule fur Gestaltung, Ulm, and studied with Armin Hofmann and Wolfgang Weingart at Allgemeine Gewerbeschule, Basel. Friedman returned to America in 1969 and began his career as graphic designer for large corporations.
He worked with the firm Anspach Grossman Portugal as a senior designer from 1975 to 1977. Friedman contributed significantly to what came to be known as "post-modern" or "new wave" typography in the 1970s. He taught graphic design at Yale University, 1970-73. He became Assistant Professor and Chairman of the Board of Study in Design at the State University of New York at Purchase, 1972-1975. Friedman designed catalogs and brochures for both universities. Friedman worked with Pentagram Design in New York City from 1979 to 1984. He designed corporate identity programs, posters, publications, packaging, letterheads, and logos, for clients such as Citibank, and Williwear.
Friedman was a long-time friend of artist Keith Haring, and designed the book, "Keith Haring", 1982. He was the author of "Dan Friedman: Radical Modernism", 1994, and co-authored with Jeffrey Deitch, "Cultural Geometry", 1988, and "Artificial Nature", 1990. He designed the books "New Italian Design", 1990, and "Post Human", 1992. He also designed furniture, lighting, screens, wall elements, and interiors. Many of his furniture designs were done especially for Galerie Noetu in Paris. Among his best known furniture designs are the 1989 Virgin Screen, 1989 Zoid sofa and chair, and the Three Mile Island lamps.
Friedman served as the Frank Stanton Professor of Graphic Design at the Cooper Union in New York city, from 1994 until his death in 1995.
Related Materials:
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Drawings and Prints Department
Hundreds of designs for letterheads, logos, business cards, invitations, greeting cards, furniture, lighting, screens, office interiors, shoppings bags and gift boxes, calendars, packaging, weather pattern diagrams and maps, book covers, and posters
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Applied Arts Department
"U.S.A." table and dome-shaped floor lamp.,.
Friedman's work can be found in the collections of the following museums: Museum of Modern Art, New York City; Museum of Decorative Arts, Montreal, Canada; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Seibu, Tokyo; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA; and Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the museum by the designer's brother, Ken Friedman in 1995.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Mel Casas papers, 1963-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing and digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Additional funding for the digitization of the papers was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 1 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 14.
Slide No. H 2 FON 1 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 1.1 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 15.
Slide No. H 2 FON 1.1 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 1.1.2 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 20.
Slide No. H 2 FON 1.1.2 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 1.2 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 13.
Slide No. H 2 FON 1.2 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 3 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 2.
Slide No. H 2 FON 3 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 3.1 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 3.
Slide No. H 2 FON 3.1 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 3.2 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 18.
Slide No. H 2 FON 3.2 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
"Appliqué workers are Fon men and boys living in the city of Abomey who belong to a family guild that transmits patterns for design from one generation to the next. Bright colored designs depicting animals, objects and humans are cut of plain weave cotton and sewn to a cotton fabric background. They depict particular kings, chiefs and warriors and their great achievements, historical events or moral teachings. Design and technique remain traditional. The figure resemble bas-relief done on palace walls and the entrances to the quarters of important men." [Graham R., 1992: Textures: The Spirit of West African Textiles, Hofstra Museum]. During his trip to Dahomey (now Benin), Elisofon visited the town of Abomey, in the Fon people region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Local Numbers:
H 2 FON 3.3 EE 71
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
33
Frame value is 17.
Slide No. H 2 FON 3.3 EE 71
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
