FLORENCE NELSON KENNEDY:
An Inventory of Her Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Kennedy, Florence Nelson, 1902-1987, creator. | |
| Title: | Florence Kennedy papers, | |
| Dates: | [circa 1915]-1983, 1992. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, photographs (1919-1930), school records (1920), stories, poetry (undated and 1920-1972), yearbooks (1924-1929), newsletters, a diary (1967-1975), school workbooks, original drawings, and photocopied newspaper proofs and tear sheets documenting the personal life, education, and career of a Minneapolis commercial artist who specialized in fashion illustration. | |
| Quantity: | 2.65 cubic feet (3 boxes and 1 oversize folder, unboxed). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Florence Nelson Kennedy, the daughter of Carl and Amanda Nelson, was born in Big Stone County, Minnesota in 1902 and moved with her family to Clinton, Minnesota in 1906. After graduating from Clinton High School (1920) she attended one term at Moorhead Teachers College and taught in rural schools for two years (1920-1922). After leaving teaching she returned to Clinton and completed an art course through the Federal School of Commercial Designing.
In mid-1923 Kennedy moved to Minneapolis to pursue a career as a fashion illustrator. She did free-lance work and held a position in the painting department of the Buzza Company (1924-[1929?]). In 1929 Kennedy was hired by the L.S. Donaldson Company as a fashion illustrator in its advertising department. After leaving the Donaldson Company (1937) Kennedy continued to free-lance as a fashion illustrator.
Florence married Gordon D. Kennedy on January 12, 1930 and they had three children: Bruce Daniel, Patricia Ann, and Janet Ruth. Florence Kennedy died in 1987.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
Topics include Kennedy's family, a correspondence course in commercial design that Kennedy completed (1919-1925); her membership in the Minneapolis Municipal Hiking Club (1924-1930); a job she held hand-coloring greeting cards for the Buzza Company (ca. 1924-1928); her artwork as a fashion illustrator for the L. S. Donaldson Company, the Dayton Company, and other department stores; and the art she produced during her post-career years (ca. 1945-1977).
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Florence Nelson Kennedy Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples
Accession Information:
Accession number: 14,889
Processing Information:
Processed by: Frank Hennessy, March 1994
Catalog ID number: 990017305000104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
| Box | |||||||||||||
| P2016 | 1 | Collection inventory, 1992. | |||||||||||
| A detailed description of each item in the collection, along with some biographical information, is contained in an inventory compiled by Florence Kennedy's daughter, Patricia Kennedy Crump. | |||||||||||||
PERSONAL PAPERS
Includes correspondence, photographs, school records, a graduation announcement (1920), stories, poetry (undated and 1920-1972), yearbooks (1924-1929), newsletters, a wedding announcement (1930), a travel diary, and miscellaneous printed matter. The papers document Kennedy's personal life and career beginning with her senior year at Clinton high school (1920) and running through her last trip to Clinton (1983).
Topics include Kennedy's high school courses and graduation, a home study course she completed through the Federal School of Commercial Designing (1919-1924), Kennedy's membership in the Minneapolis Municipal Hiking Club (1924-1930), her wedding (Jan. 12, 1930), her work at the L. S. Donaldson Company (1930-1932), trips she took to California (1967-1975), and ribbons she won at the Minnesota State Fair for knitting and crocheting (1969-1975).
There is also a photograph album Kennedy compiled (1919-1930) containing photographs of the Nelson family, scenes from Moorhead State Teaching College, friends and outings with the Minneapolis Municipal Hiking Club, and pictures Gordon Kennedy took while living in Sierra Madre, California (1927).
| Box | |||||||||||||
| P2016 | 1 | High school, 1918-1920. | |||||||||||
| Poetry, undated, 1920-1972. | |||||||||||||
| Minneapolis Municipal Hiking Club, 1924-1930. | |||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous correspondence and other papers, 1922-1958, 1966-1983. 2 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Photograph album, [circa 1919]-1930, [circa 1940]. 3 folders. | |||||||||||||
ARTWORK
The bulk of the collection consists of original art, proofs, and photocopied newspaper tearsheets that Kennedy produced from [ca.1915] to 1977. The work is arranged in groups that parallel Kennedy's education and career.
| Box | |||||||||||||
| 142.G.2.8F-1 | 2 | Early education and career preparation: | |||||||||||
| This section begins with a set of original drawings in pencil, ink, and watercolors that Kennedy drew while attending elementary and high school (ca. 1915-1920). A set of twelve workbooks (1919-1925) that were sent to Kennedy as part of a course through the Federal School of Commercial Designing follow. Original art works that she drew as part of the lessons accompany the workbooks. | |||||||||||||
| Childhood and early art, [circa 1915]-1926. | |||||||||||||
| Federal School of Commercial Designing: | |||||||||||||
| Lessons 1-12, 1919-1925. 12 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Workbooks and related art. | |||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous drawings. | |||||||||||||
| +224 | Minneapolis School of Art: Life drawing class sketches, 1928. 1 oversize folder, containing 27 items. | ||||||||||||
| Charcoal and pencil sketches (24) of female and male nudes and three pencil and watercolor sketches of female figures in various poses and dress. The sketches were drawn by Kennedy as part of a life drawing class at the Minneapolis School of Art (1928). | |||||||||||||
| Advertising Art: | |||||||||||||
| The next section represents Kennedy's employment as an artist in Minneapolis, beginning with a group of artwork and greeting cards that Kennedy and her sister Ruth hand-colored while working for the Buzza Company ([ca. 1924-1928). The art associated with Kennedy's work as a fashion illustrator (1927-1937) was primarily produced during her employment with the L.S. Donaldson Company (1929-1937) and consists of originals and photocopied proofs and newspaper tearsheets of advertisements that ran in the Minneapolis Journal or Minneapolis Tribune. There are also examples of free-lance work she produced during this period for Gerners's "Ready to Wear Fashions" and the Dayton Company. | |||||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||||
| 142.G.2.8F-1 | 2 | Buzza Company: Poetry and greeting cards, [circa 1924]-1928. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||||
| 142.E.7.5 | 3 | Fashion illustrations: | |||||||||||
| Original art, proofs, and tear sheets, undated, 1927-1937. 8 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Original art, [1927-1937]. 2 folders. | |||||||||||||
| Proofs, tear sheets, and miscellaneous advertisements and brochures, [1927-1937]. | |||||||||||||
| Post-Career Years: | |||||||||||||
| The last section consists of original art that Kennedy produced during her post-career years. It includes a notebook containing line drawings of figures in costumes done as a coloring book ([ca. 1945]); female fashion illustrations that were apparently done as free-lance work and as part of a course that Kennedy took at the Minneapolis School of Art ([ca. 1945]-1959); Japanese brush paintings that she drew as exercises for a television art class (1960s); and miscellaneous works that she presumably drew and painted for her own enjoyment (1962-1977). | |||||||||||||
| Coloring book, [circa 1945]. | |||||||||||||
| Female fashion illustrations, [circa 1945]-1959. 1 small box. | |||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous original art, 1962-1977. | |||||||||||||
| Japanese brush painting, [196-]. | |||||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Commercial art -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- Advertising -- Fashion -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- Correspondence schools and courses -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- Costume -- History -- 20th century.
- Clothing and dress.
- Fashion -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- Women artists -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- Persons:
- Nelson family.
- Organizations:
- Buzza Company.
- Dayton Company.
- Federal School of Commercial Designing (Minneapolis, Minn.).
- L.S. Donaldson Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).
- Minneapolis Municipal Hiking Club (Minneapolis, Minn.).
- Document Types:
- Fashion illustrations.
- Newspaper illustrations.
- Greeting cards.
- Occupations:
- Fashion illustrators.
- Commercial artists.
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