Collection Guide
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Kevin L. Seligman CollectionDSC.Seligman
DSC.Seligman
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Doris Stein Research Center for Costume and Textiles
Title: Kevin L. Seligman Collection
Creator:
Seligman, Kevin L.
Identifier/Call Number: DSC.Seligman
Identifier/Call Number: 63
Physical Description:
607 boxes
252.92 linear feet
Date (inclusive): unknown
Language of Material:
English
.
Kevin L. Seligman was a costume designer, professor, and author. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and was
heavily influenced by his father and grandfather who were both manufacturers of women's sportswear in Los Angeles. From 1988
to 1991, Mr. Seligman served as Commissioner of the Costume Design and Technology Commision at The Association for Performing
Arts and Entertainment Professionals (USITT). In 1996, he wrote Cutting for All!, a guide book for pattern making. He taught
costume design and technology at The School of Theatre and Dance, Northern Illinois University for 32 years. Upon his retirement
from the school in 1998, he was awarded Professor Emeritus and donated his Library and Archive to The Doris Stein Research
Center for Costume and Textiles located at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Kevin Seligman passed away in 2015
in London, United Kingdom.
The Kevin L. Seligman Collection comprises 252.92 linear feet (607 document boxes) of material arranged into seven series
that all relate to the craft and technology of pattern drafting, tailoring, dressmaking, related crafts, and the commercial
paper pattern industry from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century. The collection is a significant source for materials
related to 19th and 20th fashion and the influential designers and dressmakers of the time. These materials include individual
patterns, journals, fabric and needlework samples, templates, drafting and tailoring equipment, and realia relating to the
fashion and pattern industry of the time. The major designers and companies included in the collection are Marian Martin,
Jim Foster Clothes, Saks and Co. Furs, Advance, Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity, Sears/ Roebuck and Co., Lebotys, and New
York Patterns. The journals include names such as Vogue, Tailor and Cutter, Der Bazaar, and Lady's Companion.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment only through the Balch Research Library, Los Angeles County Museum
of Art. Telephone 323-857-6118 or email library@lacma.org, or by using the Make an Appointment Link at https://www.lacma.org/learn/balch-research-library.
Some institutional records may be unavailable in order to protect the privacy and safety of museum staff, visitors, and collections,
and where prohibited by law.
Contact the Balch Research Library at 323-857-6535 or library@lacma.org for information on publishing or reproducing materials
included in these records. For materials not created by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, permission will be granted by
the Museum as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission for use from the copyright holder. It is
the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.
Upon the acquisition of the Kevin L. Seligman Collection, the original order was arranged, and described by nine different
series. This original order is believed to have been preserved. The description and organization of the material was administered
by DSC staff in 1999, during the process of moving the collection out of Kevin Seligman's archive and library. The library
material included books and catalogues that were separated from the archival material and were cataloged and are being integrated
into Research Library holdings. In the original order, the library material was labeled as Series III and there were multiple
instances of the overlapping of material in multiple series.
In 2023, the Kevin L. Seligman Collection finding aid was prepared by Tyler Haberkorn under the supervision of Jessica Gambling
and Julia Han. With the removal of Series III and overlapping of series, the archivists at the Balch Art Research Library
revised the labeling and titles of the arrangement of the collection to better describe its contents and improve the navigation
and findability of material in the collection. The Kevin L. Seligman Collection is now organized by seven series that are
all further arranged into subseries. The contents of each subseries are arranged alphabetically by creator or journal name,
or by date if known. The original order of the material has been retained. The arrangement of the series is as follows:
Series I, Patterns
Series II, Journals with Patterns
Series III, Advertising and Ephemera
Series IV, Caricatures and Cartoons
Series V, Samples
Series VI, Pattern and Drafting Equipment
Series VII, Realia
[Description of item], Kevin L. Seligman Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art Balch Art Research Library, DSC.Seligman.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Upon his retirement in 1998 from The School of Theatre and Dance at Northern Illinois University, Kevin L. Seligman donated
his Library and Archive to the Doris Stein Research Center for Costume and Textiles located at the Los Angeles County Museum
of Art (LACMA). This donation has come in multiple batches of acquisitions from Kevin L. Seligman, which began in 1998 and
ended in 2003.
The collection is housed in archival boxes that were originally packed and numbered by DSC staff and later placed on numbered
pallets. The locations of the pallet numbers have been updated in the finding aid in order to keep track of their locations.
It is recommended that multiple boxes be examined and potentially rehoused to make the contents more accessible to users.
DSC.Seligman.2
Upon aquisition of the Kevin L. Seligman Collection, the Balch Art Research Library also received separated materials that
consists of library books and periodicals, posters and items sorted into chronological and subject files. Library material
is being integrated into Research Library holdings.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Fashion design
Tailoring
Costume design
Textiles
Dressmaking -- Patterns
Design drawings
Advertisements
Journals (periodicals)
Magazines (periodicals)
Notes
Clippings (information artifacts)
Swatches