Frances Adler Elkins Collection

Title: Frances Adler Elkins Collection

Dates: ca. 1925-1990

Collection Number: MSS 001

Creator/Collector: Elkins, Frances Adler - 1888-1953 Fry, Nelle Currie - 1906-1986 Adler, David - 1882-1949 Casa Blanca

Extent: 15 record cartons, 2 oversize boxes, 100 oversize folders

Repository: Monterey Peninsula College Library, Archives and Special Collections Department

Abstract: The Frances Adler Elkins Collection consists of a broad range of materials created and accumulated by Frances Adler Elkins and Nelle Currie Fry throughout their professional lives as interior designers.

Language of Material: English

Collection open for research. Contact the library 48 hours in advance prior to visit.

[Identification of item]. Frances Adler Elkins Collection. Collection Number: MSS 001. Monterey Peninsula College Library, Archives and Special Collections Department

The Frances Adler Elkins Collection consists of a broad range of materials created and accumulated by Frances Adler Elkins and Nelle Currie Fry throughout their professional lives as interior designers. The collection was donated to Monterey Peninsula College at various times by Elkins and Fry family members. Frances Adler Elkins was born in Milwaukee on November 7, 1888. Her brother, David Adler (1882-1949), was a prominent Chicago architect. When David Adler studied architecture in Paris, from 1908 to 1911, Elkins joined him on many of his trips through Europe where her interest in design and art was cultivated. Following her divorce in the early 1920’s from Felton Broomall Elkins (1889-1944), a polo player, painter and playwright, Elkins turned her interest and knowledge of decorating into a business. She moved to Monterey, living in the adobe home she and her husband had purchased (Casa Amesti), and began to decorate the historic home, drawing attention to her work from many Pebble Beach and San Francisco socialites. Eventually she would establish her studio (Casa Blanca) in Monterey at Stevenson House and later on Old Fishermen’s Wharf. Elkins collaborated with David Adler on about 15 large houses in Illinois, New York, California, and elsewhere. She had numerous private commissions of her own, both for private homes and commercial buildings. Elkins died in San Francisco on August 26, 1953. Significance: Elkins was one of the most celebrated American interior designers of the early-to-mid twentieth century. She worked with the interior designer, Jean-Michel Frank and the sculptor, Alberto Giacometti, who produced fixtures for her commissions. Her first commissions were for residential designs for friends and social acquaintances, but she later obtained larger-scale commercial work including hotels and retail stores. Her bold and innovative style, combining traditional and contemporary styles, was her hallmark. Her work in California was far ahead of its time and influenced other decorators around the country. Dorothea Walker, a contributing editor to House & Garden magazine believed that Frances Elkins was “the first great California decorator.” Nelle Currie Fry worked in San Francisco for the city's leading designers prior to moving to Monterey in 1948. In Monterey she helped to run the design house of Frances Elkins, assisting her in many of her large commissions. In 1976 she was named Carmel's Woman of the Year. Administrative History: The collection was donated to Monterey Peninsula College at various times by Elkins and Fry family members. The Monterey Peninsula College Library Archives & Special Collections Department extends their appreciation to the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation and the Thomas Doud, Sr. and Anita M. Doud Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County for their generous support of this special project.

Group 1. Frances Adler Elkins Series 1. Client files consist mainly of correspondence and invoices. Series 2. Vendor files consist mainly of correspondence, orders, and invoices. Series 3. Personal & Financial files consist of banking, tax, buying trips regarding her business "Casa Blanca." Also includes correspondence and notes from David Adler. Series 4. Blueprints from many of the clients' homes and buildings Series 5. Drawings consist of sketches and formal drawings of furnishings and item placement. Series 6. Photographs consist mainly of example images sent by vendors. Also a collection from the California Centennial Celebration of 1946 highlighting Alvarado Street businesses. There are a few personal photographs. Series 7. Periodicals and loose articles, scrapbooks, ledgers Series 8. Textile Samples Group 2. Nelle Currie Fry Series 1. Client files consist mainly of correspondence and invoices. Series 2. Vendor files consist mainly of correspondence, orders, and invoices. Series 3. Personal & Financial files Series 4. Blueprints Series 5. Drawings Series 6. Photographs Series 7. Periodicals and loose articles, scrapbooks, ledgers Series 8. Textile Samples