Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Vassos, John, 1898-1989
Title:	John Vassos Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1928-1981
Quantity:	7.5 linear ft., incl. 232 oversize items
Abstract:	The collection consists of the artwork and professional papers of John Vassos. Arranged in four categories (Correspondence-Subject File, Artwork, Writings, and Memorabilia), the collection focuses on Vassos' creative efforts as an arts administrator (Silvermine Guild of Artists), an innovative illustrator (The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Phobia), and an industrial designer. The collection includes correspondence, designs, drawings, photographs, paintings, essays, books, memorabilia and printed material.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Greek-American industrial designer, painter, illustrator, author, Vassos worked to establish industrial design as a profession with a strong academic foundation. A founding member of the American Designers Institute (ADI) and the Industrial Designers' Institute (IDI), Vassos played a major role in the 1965 merger of the Industrial Designers' Institute (IDI), the American Society of Industrial Designers (ASID), and the Industrial Design Education Association (IDEA) to form the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Spanning the years 1928-1981, the collection consists of the artwork and professional papers of the Greek-American artist, author, industrial designer, and illustrator John Vassos (1898-1985). Arranged in four categories (Correspondence-Subject File, Artwork, Writings, and Memorabilia),the collection focuses on Vassos' creative efforts as an arts administrator (Silvermine Guild of Artists), an innovative illustrator (Salome, The Ballad of Reading Gaol , The Harlot's House, Contempo, Ultimo, Gray's Elegy, Kubla Khan, Phobia, Humanities, ), and an industrial designer (accordians for Hohner; computers, an electron microscope, radios, and televisions for RCA; as well as corporate logos, shotguns, and turnstyles).

The collection also reflects Vassos' work in establishing Industrial Design as a profession with a strong academic foundation. Collection materials testify to Vassos' efforts to educate businessmen with the help of other designers and to speak with design students at Syracuse University, the University of Bridgeport, and the University of Cincinnati. A founding member of the American Designers Institute (ADI) and the Industrial Designers' Institute (IDI), Vassos played a major role in the 1965 merger of the Industrial Designers' Institute (IDI), the American Society of Industrial Designers (ASID), and the Industrial Design Education Association (IDEA) to form the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

The Correspondence-Subject File contains correspondence and related material from clients, colleagues and friends, and organizations. Among Vassos' clients were Kuljian, Prudential Lines, Inc., and the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and material includes correspondence, designs, publications, and memorabilia relating to these companies. Colleagues and friends whose correspondence is represented include Constantinos Doxiadis, Martin Kamin, Tucker Madawick, Joseph Parriott, Arthur Pulos, and Rex Rand. Organizational material, consisting of correspondence, publications, and memorabilia, relates to the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and the Silvermine Guild of Artists. The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) materials pertain to the early organizational structure of the Society and also feature designs by Vassos.

Artwork includes designs (Bendix, "The Bible," M. Hohner, Inc., and Italian Lines Steamship Agency, Inc.) and drawings as well asoriginal and published illustrations. There are also photographs of some of Vassos' paintings and reproductions of some of his other work.

Books which Vassos wrote and illustrated as well as drafts and published versions of essays constitute Writings. Essays, many of which concern the contributions of industrial design to society, appeared in various design and corporate journals, regional magazines, and newspapers.

Memorabilia comprises calendars, financial and legal material, documents pertaining to Vassos' military career, and assorted printed material.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

John Vassos Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Finding Aid Information

Created by: JoD
Date: Oct 1991
Revision history: 13 Jul 2005 - EAD file created (MRR); 12 Jun 2013 - map-case locations updated (MRC)

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Inventory

	Biographical material
Box 1		Biographical and Family material 1938, 1963-1974, undated

	Correspondence-Subject File
Box 1		A (1 folder)
Box 1		Allcom Company, Inc. 1964, 1966
		American Designers Institute (ADI)
			See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 1		American Society for Neo-Hellenic Studies, Inc. 1964, 1973
		American Society of Industrial Designers (ASID)
			See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 1		The Argonaut 1972, 1974
Box 1		Atlantis 1972, undated
Box 1		B (1 folder)
Box 1		Baer, Albert M. 1964-1974
Box 1		Baldwin, Faith undated
Box 1		Buttitta, Tony 1968
Box 1		C (1 folder)
		Chapman, David
			See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 1		Cherepov, George 1968
Box 1		Christian, John undated
Box 1		Columbia University 1963-1974
Box 1		D (1 folder)
Box 1		Doxiadis, Constantinos A. 1965-1971
Box 1		E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc. 1968-1975
Box 1		E-F (1 folder)
Box 1		Felix, Mary 1973-1974
			See also American Society for Neo-Hellenic Studies, Inc.
Box 1		Field trial clubs 1949-1962, undated (2 folders)
Box 1		Finch College Museum of Art 1970
Box 1		French, Benjamin I. 1975-1977
			See also Radio Corporation of America (RCA)
Box 1		G (1 folder)
Box 1		Guilfoyle, Roger 1971, undated
Box 1		H-I (1 folder)
Box 1		Industrial Design Education Association (IDEA)
			See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 1		Industrial Designers' Institute (IDI)
			See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
		Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) 1941-1981, undated
Box 1			Correspondence (General) 1948-1978, undated (11 folders)
Box 1			Bylaws (2 folders)
			Committees
Box 1				Bicentennial of American Design
Box 1				Education (2 folders)
Box 1				Grievance Inter-Society Licensing (2 folders)
Box 1				Nominating
Box 1				Safety
Box 1			Designs
Map-Case 50			Designs, oversize
			Meetings
Box 2				Board of Directors (4 folders)
				Design awards
					See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA): Meetings: National
Box 2				National (2 folders)
Box 2				Regional
Box 2			Membership directories (3 folders)
			Publications
Box 2				News releases (various) 1965, undated
Box 2				News releases about Vassos ca. 1955 (2 folders)
Box 2				Periodicals - ms drafts, production records (4 folders)
Box 2				Periodicals (various issues) 1941-1972 (4 folders)
Box 2			Reports
			Memorabilia
Box 2				Printed material about IDSA
Box 2				Clippings 1965
Box 2				Promotional material
Box 2			Miscellaneous
Box 2		Irwin, Donald 1972, undated
			See also Norwalk, CT
Box 2		J-K (1 folder)
Box 2		Kamin, Martin 1967-1971, undated
		Kaufmann, Edgar
			See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 2		Kiwanis Club 1971
		Kuljian
Box 2			Correspondence 1968-1970, undated
Box 2			Designs
				Projects, Standards
Box 2			Promotional material (4 folders)
				Projects, Standards
Box 2		L (1 folder)
Box 2		Lilly, Elisabeth 1966-1973, undated
Box 2		Lord, Clifford Lee 1965
			See also Columbia University
Box 2		M (1 folder)
Box 2		Madawick, Tucker P. 1968-1975
			See also Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and Radio Corporation of America (RCA)
		Miller, Leon Gordon
			See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 2		N (1 folder)
Box 2		National Art Museum of Sport 1962-1973, undated
Box 2		New York University 1950, 1952
Box 2		Norwalk, CT 1968-1975, undated (1 folder)
Box 3		O (1 folder)
Box 3		Onassis, Aristotle Socrates 1968
Box 3		P (1 folder)
Box 3		Parriott, Joseph 1965, 1971
			See also Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 3		Parsons School of Design 1964-1966
Box 3		Pavilions 1954-1957, 1964, undated (2 folders)
			See also Radio Corporation of America (RCA): Designs and Artwork: Designs: Pavilions
Box 3		Perry, Helen Swick 1964
Box 3		Philadelphia Art Alliance 1964-1965, 1971, undated
Box 3		Pratt Institute 1954, 1971-1973, undated
		Prudential Lines, Inc. 1965-1974, undated
Box 3			Correspondence
			Designs
Box 3				Projects (2 folders)
Map-Case 50				Projects, oversize
Box 3				Standards
Box 3				Promotional material (drafts)
Box 3				Promotional material
Box 3				Memorabilia
Box 3				Clippings 1967-1970
Box 3		Pulos, Arthur
			See also Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and Syracuse University
Box 3		Q-R (1 folder)
		Radio Corporation of America (RCA) 1934-1976, undated
Box 3			Correspondence (General) 1945-1975, undated (4 folders)
Box 3			Committees - Advanced Design and Styling Center Advisory Board
			Designs
Box 3				The American Style
Box 3				International sketches 1947
Box 3				Magictron
Box 3				Pavilions
Box 3				Projects (miscellaneous) (3 folders)
Map-Case 50				Projects, oversize (2 folders)
Box 3				Standards (3 folders)
Box 3				Trademark
			Publications
Box 3				Annual reports 1959-1974 (4 folders)
				Broadcast News 1948, 1960-1961, 1968, 1969
Box 4					Miscellaneous issues (3 folders)
Box 4					News releases 1960, 1972, undated
Box 4					Periodicals - miscellaneous issues
Box 4					Promotional material (4 folders)
Box 4					RCA Art Collection undated
				Reports
Box 4					By Vassos
Box 4					Miscellaneous
				Memorabilia
Box 4					Clippings 1952, 1968-1969, 1976, undated
Box 4					Vassos tribute
Box 4					Miscellaneous
Box 4		Rand, Rex 1954-1973, undated
Box 4		Risom, Jens 1958, 1959
Box 4		Rockefeller, Nelson A. 1970
Box 4		Russian Dollar Bondholders Committee of the U.S.A. 1964-1973, undated
Box 4		S (1 folder)
Box 4		Silvermine Guild of Artists 1950-1973, undated (2 folders)
Box 4		Skouras, George 1955
Box 4		Society of Industrial Designers (SID)
			See also Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 4		Spilman, Raymond
			See also Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
Box 4		Stanford University 1961
Box 4		Syracuse University 1973-1974, undated
Box 4		T (1 folder)
		Trade fairs
			See Pavilions
Box 4		U (1 folder)
		United States Department of Commerce
			See Pavilions
		United States Foreign Service
			See Pavilions
		United States Information Agency (USIA)
			See Pavilions
Box 4		University of Bridgeport 1967-1973, undated
Box 4		University of Cincinnati 1974
Box 4		V (1 folder)
Box 4		Veterans of the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) 1965-1973 (1 folder)
Box 4		W-Z, unidentified (1 folder)

	Artwork
		Designs
Map-Case 50			Architectural drawings (miscellaneous)
Box 4			Bendix
Box 4			"The Bible" A-Z 1928-1952, undated (5 folders)
Map-Case 50			Chromespun House of Color
Box 5			French, Narti 1974, undated
Box 5			M. Hohner, Inc. 1974, undated
Map-Case 50			M. Hohner, Inc. - oversize items
			Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
				See Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA): Designs
Box 5			Italian Lines Steamship Agency, Inc. 1974
			Kuljian
				See Kuljian: Designs
Map-Case 50			Pavilions
			Prudential Lines, Inc.
				See Prudential Lines, Inc.: Designs
			Radio Corporation of America (RCA)
				See Radio Corporation of America (RCA): Designs
Map-Case 50			Shotgun
Box 5			Miscellaneous projects 1948-1972, undated
Box 5		Drawings, misc (11 items)
		Illustrations (original)
Map-Case 47			"The Abduction of Helen of Troy" 1935 (1 item)
Box 5			The Courier 1968 (1 item)
Map-Case 47			Humanities 1935 - pp. 101 - Waste (numbers refer to page numbers in Contempo, Phobia and Other Graphic Interpretations, Dover Publications, 1976) (1 item)
Map-Case 47			Kubla Khan 1934 (8 items)
				Arabic numerals refer to "stanzas" as numbered by Vassos, Roman numerals to "page number"
				1 - xxiii - In Xanadu... 2 - xxvii - Where Alph... 4 - xxxv - And Here Were Gardens... 7 - xdvii - And From This Chasm... 8 - di - Amid Whose Swift Half-intermitted Burst... 10 - dix - And 'Mid This Tumult 11 - dxiii - The Shadow Of The Dome Of Pleasure... 13 - dxxi - And All Who Heard...
Map-Case 47			Phobia, #49-54 1931
				Numbers refer to page numbers in Contempo, Phobia and Other Graphic Interpretations, Dover Publications, 1976
				49 - Frontispiece 50 - Nyctophobia 51 - Astrophobia 52 - Zoophobia 53 - Potamophobia 54 - Hylophobia
Map-Case 48			Phobia, #55-71 1931
				Numbers refer to page numbers in Contempo, Phobia and Other Graphic Interpretations, Dover Publications, 1976
				55 - Necrophobia 56 - Acrophobia 57 - Climacophobia 58 - Batophobia 59 - Dromophobia 60 - Aichmophobia 61 - Agrophobia 62 - Claustrophobia 63 - Monophobia 64 - Topophobia 65 - Kleptophobia 66 - Mysophobia 67 - Anthropophobia 68 - Phagophobia 69 - Syphilophobia 70 - Hypnophobia 71 - Pantophobia
Map-Case 49			Ship
Map-Case 47			Subway, "The First Subway Drawing in Charcoal" 1926
		Illustrations (published)
			Coleridge, Samuel Taylor - Kubla Khan 1933, 1934 Rare Books Collections (transferred from Manuscripts)
Box 5			The Courier no. 29 1968
			Wilde, Oscar - The Ballad of Reading Gaol 1928, 1930 Rare Books Collections (transferred from Manuscripts)
			Wilde, Oscar - The Harlot's House and Other Poems 1929 Rare Books Collections (transferred from Manuscripts)
Box 5		Paintings (photographs)
Box 5		Miscellaneous (reproductions)

	Writings
		Books
			Contempo, Phobia, and Other Graphic Interpretations 1976 Rare Books Collections (transferred from Manuscripts)
			Phobia 1931 Rare Books Collections (transferred from Manuscripts)
		Essays
Box 5			"The Artist's Foreword" 1934
				ms. draft - Kubla Khan
Box 5			"As the Walls Come Tumbling Down"
				ms. draft
Box 5			"Challenge and Opportunity" undated
Box 5			"The Chromespun House of Color for the Young in Heart," John Vassos / Thomas H. Yardley 1959
Box 5			"Controlled Light" - Interiors Feb. 1948
Box 5			"Design for Selling" - Sales Executives Club Weekly News Bulletin 24 May 1935
Box 5			"Designing in Depth - Reflections" - IDSA American Designer Dec 1966
Box 5			"Designing Today's Living Room" - Upholstering Jun 1946
Box 5			"Future Designers Tackle Gas Stations" - County Oct 1967
Box 5			"Imagination is Not Enough" - County Jan 1968
Box 5			"Industrial Design - Quo Vadis?"
				ms. drafts
Box 5			"Islander's Design"
				ms. drafts
Box 5			"The Real Jamaica"- County Oct 1967
Box 5			"The Rivoli Murals" - brochure undated
Box 5			"Shaping a New World Through Design" - County Jan 1967
Box 5			"This is Norwalk" - Fairfield County Magazine Feb 1975
Box 5			"Tribute to Malcarney: Executive, Sportsman"
				(working title: "A Tribute to a Sportsman") ms. draft
Box 5			"Tribute to Malcarney: Executive, Sportsman" (working title: "A Tribute to a Sportsman") (clipping) undated
Box 5			"Tribute to Pert Prince"
				ms. drafts
Box 5			"Why Not All-Electric Living-Units?" - Electrical Manufacturing Oct 1940
Box 5			Miscellaneous

	Memorabilia
Box 5		Calendars 1963 , 1964
Box 5		Financial 1950, 1964-1974
Box 5		Legal - wills
Box 5		Military
Box 5		Photographs (personal) 1928, 1930, 1941, undated
		Printed material
Box 5			Brochures (3 folders)
			Clippings
Box 5				Articles about 1928, 1952-1973, undated
Box 5				Articles about (peripheral mention) 1949, 1960-1974, undated
Box 5				Miscellaneous 1961-1975, undated (3 folders)
Box 5			Design competitions
Box 5			Exhibition catalogs and announcements
Box 5			Miscellaneous (3 folders)
Box 5		Publicity
Box 5		Real estate
Box 5		Miscellaneous
Map-Case 50		Miscellaneous, oversize

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