Smithsonian Institution Archives

Records, 1890, 1943-1984

Summary

Collection ID:: SIA.FARU0547
Creators:: Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Public Information Office
Dates:: 1890, 1943-1984
Languages:: English
Physical Description:: 2 cu. ft. (2 record storage boxes)
Repository:: Smithsonian Institution Archives

Descriptive Entry

Many of these records predate Silverman's arrival at the Museum, and consist of subject files that were apparently assembled by Mary Noon and others to document the history and activities of the Museum under the Cooper Union. They contain curatorial correspondence; press releases; fact sheets; information leaflets; news clippings; and photographs of activities at the Museum. Also included are information files about important figures in the Museum's history.

These records also describe the work of the Public Information Office on the Museum's first exhibitions under Smithsonian auspices. The exhibitions Immovable Objects/Lower Manhattan from Battery Park to the Brooklyn Bridge, 1975, and MAN transFORMS/Aspects of Design, 1976, are documented through press releases, news clippings, and files on the opening receptions.

Historical Note

While under the auspices of the Cooper Union, the Museum had no staff or offices devoted exclusively to publicity, and it relied upon the Public Relations Office of the parent organization to issue press releases about its exhibitions and activities. In 1943 responsibility for publicity was included in the duties of D. Graeme Keith, Assistant to the Curator in charge of Services. He was replaced in 1944 by Allison Delarue. Mary A. Noon assumed responsibility for maintaining records on the Museum's history and publicity when she became Recorder in 1946. When the Museum was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1968, Noon continued in this function as Museum Specialist.

An independent Public Relations Office was not established until 1977, one year after the Cooper-Hewitt Museum reopened to the public in the Carnegie Mansion. Isabelle Silverman was the Museum's first Public Relations Officer, and in 1979 she became Public Relations Manager. She was named Public Information Manager in 1983.

Administration

Author

Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 547, Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Public Information Office, Records

More Information

Notes

SI Records

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms	Keyword Types
Silverman, Isabelle	Personal Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Noon, Mary A.	Personal Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Keith, D. Graeme (David Graeme), 1934-	Personal Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Delarue, Allison	Personal Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art	Corporate Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Carnegie Mansion (New York, N.Y.)	Corporate Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Immovable Objects: Lower Manhattan from Battery Park to the Brooklyn Bridge (Exhibition) (1975: New York, N.Y.)	Corporate Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
MANtransFORMS: An International Exhibition on Aspects of Design (1976-1977: New York, N.Y.)	Corporate Name	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Museum exhibits	Topic	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Art museums	Topic	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Museums -- Public relations	Topic	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts	Genre/Form	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings	Genre/Form	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white photographs	Genre/Form	Search Smithsonian Collections	Search ArchiveGrid

Smithsonian Institution Archives

Washington, D.C.