Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Tage Frid Papers, 1949-2003, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.fridtage
Creators:
Frid, Tage
Dates:
1949-2003
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
4.2 Linear feet
Repository:
The Tage Frid papers measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1949 to 2003. The papers document Frid's career as a woodworker, author, and educator through interviews and other biographical material; correspondence with friends, colleagues, and former students; writings including draft articles and book manuscripts; and records of other professional activities including lectures, exhibition material and sound and video recordings. Also found is printed material and photographic material including images of Frid, his family and friends, studio, and woodworking designs.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Tage Frid papers measure 4.2 linear feet and date from 1949 to 2003. The papers document Frid's career as a woodworker, author, and educator through interviews and other biographical material; correspondence with friends, colleagues, and former students; writings including draft articles and book manuscripts; and records of other professional activities including lectures, exhibition material and sound and video recordings. Also found is printed material and photographic material including images of Frid, his family and friends, studio, and woodworking designs.
Biographical material includes an audio interview with Frid conducted by C. Blandy, and a video recording of an interview with Frid by Rosanne Somerson for the Rhode Island School of Design Visual Archives project.
Correspondence documents Frid's commissioned work and subjects related to writings and video recordings done for Fine Woodworking. Also included is one oversized sketch with a note.
Writings include manuscripts of articles written by Frid for Fine Woodworking and manuscripts for his three books on woodworking which were a compilation of do-it-yourself projects written by Frid, including photographs and designs for constructing various pieces of furniture.
Records documenting Frid's professional activities include exhibition material, some personal business records concerning his commissioned work, material related to restoration projects, and a number of sound and video recordings of lectures and of Frid illustrating how to create pieces of furniture.
Photographic material includes self portraits of Frid, and photographs of Frid at work in his studio. Also documented is his time at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into six series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1960-2001 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1953-2003 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1, OV 5)
  • Series 3: Writings, 1976-1985 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 4: Professional Activity, 1957-2001 (0.8 linear feet; Box 2)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1960-2001 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, OV 5)
  • Series 6: Photographic Material, 1949-1996 (2.1 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, OV 5-6)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Danish-born woodworker, educator, and author Tage Frid (1915-2004) was known for his influence in the studio furniture movement and his classic series of three books, Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, published by The Taunton Press.
Born in Denmark in 1915, Frid immigrated to the United States in 1948 and served as head of the woodworking program at the School of American Craftsmen, which later became part of the Rochester Institute of Technology, through the 1950s. In 1962 Frid launched the first college level course in woodworking and furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design, which he taught until his retirement in 1985. Frid's most successful and iconic design was a three-legged stool which he designed in 1983.
In addition to teaching and woodworking, Frid was an editor of Fine Woodworking magazine from its inception in 1975 to his death. In 2001 Frid was honored by the Furniture Society with its Award of Distinction. His series, Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, remains a woodworking classic, and examples of his furniture can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Administration

Author
Ricky Gomez
Sponsor
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Tage Frid papers were donated by Emma Frid, Tage Frid's widow, in 2005. A 2014 addition was donated by Frid's son, Peter A. Frid.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2020.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Preferred Citation
Tage Frid papers, 1949-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Tage Frid conducted by Robert F. Brown between June 24, 1980 and February 22, 1982.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Video recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American studio craft movement Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- Rhode Island -- Providence Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Furniture designers -- Rhode Island Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Woodworkers -- Rhode Island Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Authors -- Rhode Island Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Penland School of Crafts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rhode Island School of Design Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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