Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Belle Kogan Papers, 1920-circa 1990, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.kogabell
Creators:
Kogan, Belle, 1902-2000
Dates:
1920-circa 1990
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.6 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of industrial designer Belle Kogan measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1920 to circa 1990. The collection documents Kogan's career through correspondence, lecture typescripts, photographs, drawings and printed material documenting Kogan's designs for various companies, and six sketchbooks.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of industrial designer Belle Kogan measure 0.6 linear feet and date from 1920 to circa 1990. The collection contains correspondence, lecture typescripts and related materials, and drawings of designs and the body. Also found are photographs and photocopies of drawings by Kogan, photographs and printed materials featuring Kogan's designs for the companies Boontonware and Red Wing Potteries, two catalogs for the Belle Kogan Associates retrospective exhibition, and a copy of a thesis on Kogan by Helen Rice. One photographic print is of Kogan's studio art class at Winold Reiss Studio in New York City in 1928 and six sketchbooks are from Kogan's art classes in Germany and include her work with Quaker Silver.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
  • Series 1: Belle Kogan Papers, 1920-circa 1990 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1, OVs 2-3)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Belle Kogan (1902-2000) was an industrial designer in New York, New York, and was known as a pioneer in her field. She owned a design studio in New York City from 1930 to 1970 where she created houseware designs for prominent companies such as Quaker Silver, Red Wing Potteries, and many others.
Kogan was born in Russia in 1902 and immigrated to the United States in 1906 with her family. She was interested in art at an early age and studied to be a painter. Influenced by manufacturers she met at her father's jewelry store, she became aware of her design abilities. She worked briefly as a color consultant for a plastics company before joining Quaker Silver. The company sent her to Germany in 1930 to study the manufacturing of glass and silver in that region of Europe. After 40 years, Kogan closed her New York studio and spent time in Israel working for K.V. Design. She retired from designing professionally in 1972.

Administration

Author
Sarah Mundy
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Belle Kogan papers were donated in 1990 and 1993 by Belle Kogan.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2022.

Using the Collection

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.
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.
Preferred Citation
Belle Kogan papers, 1920-circa 1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Designers -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Industrial designers -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women designers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketchbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rice, Helen Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Quaker Silver Co. (Attleboro, Mass.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Red Wing Potteries Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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