We often share pieces from the FIDM Museum Special Collections, but did you know our holdings include several design archives? Today we’re giving you an overview of the archives in our collection, featuring personal papers, photographs, clippings, business records, sketches, and assorted ephemera from prominent 20th century fashion figures.
Mid-20th century sketch and fabric swatches in the Tina Leser Archive
Tina Leser
The Tina Leser (1910 – 1986) Archive, donated by the designer’s husband, contains sketches, fabric swatches, and scrapbooks from this mid-century American designer known for her elegant global-inspired aesthetic. Her vibrant painted sketches show several colorway fabric options, and are often accompanied with beautiful fabric swatches. Read about how this overflowing archive was processed here.
Photo from the Betsy Bloomingdale Archive; Mrs. Bloomingdale is pictured at the opening of the LA Music Center in January 1965, wearing a Marc Bohan for Dior gown in the FIDM Museum collection
Betsy Bloomingdale
Betsy Bloomingdale (1922 – 2016) became a founding donor to our institution in 1977, giving a selection of haute couture from her wardrobe. Over the years, she donated over 180 ensembles and hundreds of croquis, culminating in the 2009 exhibition High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture. Associate Curator Christina Johnson is currently processing her personal archive, consisting of papers, calendars, scrapbooks, photos, invitations, and more. From Air Force One to the Battle of Versailles, Betsy’s papers provide invaluable documentation of late-20th century fashion. Watch Christina Johnson examine one of the donated gowns and matching croquis in our Unboxing series.
Lightbox with slides from the Michel Arnaud Fashion Photography Archive, featured in the 2018 FIDM Museum exhibition Capturing the Catwalk
Michel Arnaud
Renowned photographer Michel Arnaud (b. 1944) spent over twenty years of his career (1974 – 1997) capturing international runway shows. In 2000, he donated his vast collection of slides – more than 180,000 in total – to the FIDM Museum. The Michel Arnaud Fashion Photography Archive is in the process of being digitized, with several images available on our Google Arts & Culture platform. The archive was the subject of the 2018 exhibition Capturing the Catwalk: Runway Photography from the Michel Arnaud Archive, curated by Meghan Hansen.
Professional papers from the Nancy Dinsmore Archive: hand-written notes on a 1980s Jane Fonda fashion shoot for a Harper's Bazaar editorial feature
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