Smithsonian Libraries

Ladislav Sutnar collection, 1927-1976

Summary

Collection ID:
SIL-CH.2001-26-1
Creators:
Sutnar, Ladislav
Dates:
1927-1976
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
85 Cubic feet
Repository:
Material relates to Sutnar's career including exhibitions, designs for corporate clients, designs for books on packaging design and catalog information. Little office correspondence and personal information is provided.The major part of the collection consists of Sutnar's designs, including logos, letterheads, catalogs, and advertising campaigns for a large number of clients, notably Addo-X, Carr's Department Stores, JC Penney, RCA, and Vera, as well as product and catalog design for Sweet's Catalog Service. Also included are drafts of books, sketches, over 5,000 photographs, photoprints, and photonegatives. Other materials include clippings, page layouts, brochures and booklets about package design and magazine layouts.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
Arranged by client account and by material size. A picture reference file is boxed separately.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Graphic, display, and industrial designer. Born Pilsen, Austro- Hungary (now Plzen, Czech Republic), 9 November 1897. Sutnar immigrated to the United States in 1939. He was inspired by the Bauhaus and was an advocate for a constructivist and functional approach in graphic design stressing simplicity, order, and precision. He was the art editor of the Prague publishing house, "Druzstevni Prace." Sitmar was head designer for the Czech pavilion at 1939 New York World's Fair.
He served as art director for Sweet's Catalog Service from 1941 to 1960. Due to his belief that designers need to be capable of working in many fields of design, Sutnar established his own "full-service" firm in New York City in 1951. He developed a new typography called "information graphics". He was author of "Design for Point of Sale", 1952, "Package Design: The Force of Selling", 1953, and "Visual Design in Action", 1961. Sutnar also created corporate image products for McGraw-Hill and Printex. Died 1976.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition note
The Sutnar Papers were donated to Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, in 1977 by Radoslav L. Sutnar and Citislav Sutnar.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
Unrestricted research use onsite by appointment. Permission of staff required to photograph material.

Location of Other Archival Materials Note

Location of Other Archival Materials Note
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Drawings and Prints Department.Seven posters, one magazine cover, two designs for glassware, and some duplicates of the archival material.
Location of Other Archival Materials Note
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Applied Arts Department. One ceramic coffee service, one glass tea service.
Location of Other Archival Materials Note
Archives of American Art, Washington, D.C.Business and personal correspondence, biographical data, sketches, photographs, clippings, and other print miscellany, circa 1927-1976.
Location of Other Archival Materials Note
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.Approximately 215 items dating from 1940 to 1970 include printed samples of Sutnar's designs for periodical covers, advertisements, catalogs, books, displays, and posters.
Location of Other Archival Materials Note
Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities, Special Collections, Los Angeles, C.A.Papers relating to Sutnar's designs and exhibitions, 1928-1969.

More Information

Other Finding Aids note

Other Finding Aids note
54-page Research Guide.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Corporate image -- Design Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Letterheads -- Design Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graphic arts -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertisements Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Layouts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Design, Industrial -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Logos (Symbols) -- Design Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brochures Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Glassware -- Czech Republic -- Bohemia Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Porcelain -- Czech Republic Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Packaging -- Design Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Graphic arts -- Czech Republic Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Vera (Company) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bauhaus -- Influence Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sweet's Catalog Service Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
RCA Corporation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printex Corporation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sutnar, Ladislav Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Carr's Department Stores Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
J.C. Penny Co. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Addo-X Business Machines Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Smithsonian Libraries
P.O. Box 37012
NMAH 1041, MRC 672
Washington, DC 20013-7012
AskaLibrarian@si.edu