Osma Gallinger Tod papers
name: label: Creator
content: Tod, Osma Gallinger, 1895-
label: Names
content: National Conference of American Handweavers
label: Names
content: Del Deo, Josephine Couch
topic: label: Occupation
content: Weavers -- Florida -- Coral Gables
label: Occupation
content: Teachers -- Florida -- Coral Gables
label: Occupation
content: Authors -- Florida -- Coral Gables
label: Occupation
content: Weavers -- Michigan
label: Occupation
content: Weavers -- Pennsylvania
label: Occupation
content: Authors -- Michigan
label: Occupation
content: Authors -- Pennsylvania
label: Topic
content: Arts and crafts movement
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women authors
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Osma Gallinger Tod papers were donated in 1993 and 1995 by Josephine Couch Del Deo, daughter of Osma Gallinger Tod, and in 2020 by Romolo Del Deo, Tod's grandson.
creator: label: Creator
content: Tod, Osma Gallinger, 1895-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Osma Gallinger Tod papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of weaver, author, and teacher Osma Gallinger Tod measure 3.7 linear feet and date from circa 1925 to 1993. The collection comprises biographical materials including photographs of Tod and writings about her by her daughter Josephine Couch Del Deo; files on Tod's numerous writing projects including typescripts, drawings, and samples; records documenting Tod's role as organizer and director of the National Conference of American Handweavers; and printed materials including a scrapbook of clippings, documenting Tod's career.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Osma Gallinger Tod (1895-1983) was a weaver, teacher, and author  active in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Tod was at the forefront of the reawakened American craft movement of the 1930s, and was the author of Basket Pioneering, Joys of Handweaving, The Shuttle Service, and numerous other instructional guides in the field of decorative art. 

Tod was born Lucy Osma Palmer in Newark, New Jersey. She graduated from Wellesley College and married artist Frank Byron Couch with whom she had a daughter, Josephine Couch Del Deo. She developed a craft project known as Cromaine Crafts in Hartland, Michigan, which became a model for efforts in teaching residents of rural communities how to earn money at home. Couch died in 1928 and Tod married cabinet maker and craftsman Milo Oliver Gallinger. They owned a studio and loom factory in Guernsey, Pennsylvania, and established their own business, Creative Crafts. Oliver died in 1956. 

After moving to Coral Gables, Florida, Tod established a studio in 1962 from which she taught weaving. The Coral Gables Library and the Weavers Guild of South Florida held a retrospective of her work in 1981. Along with writing and teaching, Tod organized and directed the National Conference of American Handweavers for over 20 years.  

Tod died in 1983 in Centerville, Massachussetts.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3.7 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1925-1993
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.todosmag
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as four series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1927-1993 (3 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Writing Projects, circa 1925-1992 (2.8 linear feet; Boxes 1.3, 5)

Series 3: National Conference of American Handweavers, 1938-1957 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 3-4)

Series 4: Printed Materials, 1927-1981 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 4-5)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2022.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of weaver, author, and teacher Osma Gallinger Tod measure 3.7 linear feet and date from circa 1925 to 1993. The collection comprises biographical materials including photographs of Tod and writings about her by her daughter Josephine Couch Del Deo; files on Tod's numerous writing projects including typescripts, drawings, and samples; records documenting Tod's role as organizer and director of the National Conference of American Handweavers; and printed materials including a scrapbook of clippings, documenting Tod's career.