Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Freda Diamond Collection, 1945-1984

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0616
Creators:
Diamond, Freda, 1905-
Dates:
1945-1998
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3 Cubic feet
3 boxes, 4 map folders
Repository:
Archival materials relating to Diamond's career as an industrial designer, including various client files (especially Libbey Glass) containing photographs, designs, sketches, and other papers; articles by and about Diamond; magazines; awards; and a scrapbook.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is divided into eight series.
Series 1: Client Files, 1945-1966
Series 2: Libbey Glass, 1946-1984
Series 3: Shaker Furniture and Clothing, undated
Series 4: Articles, 1945-1983
Series 5; Scrapbook, 1937-1946
Series 6: Presentations and Awards, 1951-1994
Series 7: Japan (1957 and 1968) and Israel (1973)
Series 8: Photographs, 1964-1967

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Freda Diamond's work shaped the tastes of many Americans in the middle of the twentieth century. Diamond was born in New York City in 1905. She graduated from Cooper Union, a renowned institution of design, and then studied in Europe. As an industrial designer, Diamond's area of expertise focused largely on the home, influencing the tastes of the average American housewife. Her ability to predict consumer demands through market research was an important factor in the success of her designs. In 1942, Libbey Glass, a division of Owens-Illinois, commissioned Diamond (at her own prompting) to make a survey of consumer tastes. The resulting award-winning designs sold many companies on the idea of researching consumer preferences before manufacturing a product. Her opinion was so respected that in 1945 she was appointed to a manufacturing rehabilitation committee sent to Italy. Diamond's role was to educate Italian craftsmen on what to manufacture for the American mass market. In 1957 and 1968 she made similar trips to Japan. She died in 1998.

Administration

Author
Julie Statz
Custodial History
Part of this collection was donated to the Division of Ceramics and Glass (now Division of Cultural and Community Life), NMAH, by Freda Diamond in June 1997, then transferred to the Archives Center in July 1998.
Processing Information
Processed by Julie Statz, December 1998.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to the division of Ceramics and Glass, NMAH by Freda Diamond in June of 1997.
Accruals
A second body of material was donated to the Archives Center in July 1998 from the Estate of Freda Diamond, through Irene Peveri.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Freda Diamond Collection, 1945-1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
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.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Glassware Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Furniture, Shaker Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Furniture Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Designers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Industrial design Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Design drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Awards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Articles Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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