Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Lester Beall Collection

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1278
Creators:
Beall, Lester, 1903-
Dates:
1933-[circa 1967]
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Cubic foot
1 box
Repository:
Container:
1

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection documents the career of Lester Beall, graphic designer and commercial artist from approximately 1933-1967.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Record Groups include:
I. "Scope" Magazine
II. Modern Art 5,000 Years Ago
III. Red Cross Magazines
IV. Greeting Cards
V. Time Magazine ads
VI. Logo Designs
VII. Cone Automatic Machine Co., tear sheets
VIII. Miscellaneous Covers
IX. George Bijur, Inc.
X. Labatt's of Canada and Catch! Narragansett Ale design campaigns
XI. Exhibition, Art Center, California
XII. Abbott Laboratories, "What's New"
XIII. Marshall Field and Company
XIV. Miscellaneous Advertisements

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
American designer Lester Beall (1903-1969) was educated at Lane Technical School in Chicago and received a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of Chicago. Upon discovering the work of the European avant-garde, Beall was inspired to bring American design of the 1930s and 1940s to a higher level of effective visual communication. Self-taught, Lester Beall was one of the first Americans to have his work shown in a German monthly graphics periodical, Gebrauchsgraphik, and was one of the first Americans to incorporate the New Typography, using techniques such as photomontage, collage and the use of cut-out flat colored paper in combination with photography and economical line drawing, reworking the element of European modernism into distinctive American style. He produced solutions to graphic design problems that were unique among his American contemporaries.
Beall moved from Chicago to New York in 1935 and did work that was influential to the field of editorial design. Between 1938 and 1940, he redesigned twenty magazines for McGraw Hill, in 1946 he designed two covers for Fortune and in 1944, he began designing Scope magazine for UpJohn Pharmaceuticals which he did until 1951. In 1952, Beall opened a design office on Dumbarton Farm, his home in rural Connecticut. In 1973, four years after his death, Lester Beall was inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.
Philip B. Meggs credits Beall with "almost single-handedly launching the modern movement in American design". In 1973, four years after his death, the Art Directors Club of New York belatedly elected him to its prestigious Hall of Fame. Bob Plisken, who worked for Beall in the early 1940s, said on that occasion, "In my opinion, Beall did more than anyone to make graphic design in American a distinct and respected profession".

Administration

Author
NMAH Staff
Custodial History
The collection was transferred to the Archives Center in 2012.
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
All materials were donated to the museum by Mr. Lester Beall, Jr. in 1998.
Processing Information
Collection is unprocessed.

Using the Collection

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.
Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Lester Beall collection, 1933-circa 1967, Archives Center, National Museum of American HIstory.

More Information

Bibliographic References

Bibliographic References
Lester Beall
. Brookfield Center, Conn. : Lester Beall, Inc., [197-?].
Bibliographic References
Nine Pioneers in American Graphic Design
/ Roger R. Remington and Barbara J. Hodik. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1989.
Bibliographic References
Lester Beall : trailblazer of American graphic design
/ Roger R. Remington. New York : W.W. Norton, 1996.
Bibliographic References
Graphic Design History
/ Steven Heller and Georgette Balance. New York : Allworth Press, 2001.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Tear sheets Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertisements Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Exhibition catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Posters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graphic designers -- United States Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Announcements Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American printer (New York, N.Y.) Title Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Red Cross magazine Title Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Time Title Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Design drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graphic arts -- Sources -- History -- 20th century -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McCall's (Los Angeles, Calif. : 1921) Title Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fortune Title Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Commercial art -- Sources -- History -- 20th century -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dumbarton Farm (Brookfield, Conn.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Commercial artists -- United States Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Logos Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Greeting cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Heim Jeunes Filles Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Labatt's Canada Limited Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Directors Club (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Marshall Field & Company (Chicago, Ill.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
International Paper Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Upjohn Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cone Automatic Machine Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chicago Tribune (Firm) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Abbott Laboratories Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chance Vought Corporation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Narragansett Brewing Co. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
George Bijur, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Stanley Works Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hauck, Fred Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
House of Herbs, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu