Freda Diamond Collection
name: label: Creator
content: Diamond, Freda, 1905-
label: Names
content: Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass.
topic: label: Topic
content: Glassware
label: Topic
content: Furniture, Shaker
label: Topic
content: Furniture
label: Topic
content: Designers
label: Topic
content: Industrial design
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was donated to the division of Ceramics and Glass, NMAH by Freda Diamond in June of 1997.
creator: label: Creator
content: Diamond, Freda, 1905-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Freda Diamond Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Archival materials relating to Diamond's career as an industrial designer, including various client files (especially Libbey Glass) containing photographs, designs, sketches, and other papers; articles by and about Diamond; magazines; awards; and a scrapbook.
accruals: label: Accruals
content: A second body of material was donated to the Archives Center in July 1998 from the Estate of Freda Diamond, through Irene Peveri.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Freda Diamond's work shaped the tastes of many Americans in the middle of the twentieth century. Diamond was born in New York City in 1905. She graduated from Cooper Union, a renowned institution of design, and then studied in Europe. As an industrial designer, Diamond's area of expertise focused largely on the home, influencing the tastes of the average American housewife. Her ability to predict consumer demands through market research was an important factor in the success of her designs. In 1942, Libbey Glass, a division of Owens-Illinois, commissioned Diamond (at her own prompting) to make a survey of consumer tastes. The resulting award-winning designs sold many companies on the idea of researching consumer preferences before manufacturing a product. Her opinion was so respected that in 1945 she was appointed to a manufacturing rehabilitation committee sent to Italy. Diamond's role was to educate Italian craftsmen on what to manufacture for the American mass market. In 1957 and 1968 she made similar trips to Japan. She died in 1998.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3 Cubic feet (3 boxes, 4 map folders )
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1945-1998
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Part of this collection was donated to the Division of Ceramics and Glass (now Division of Cultural and Community Life), NMAH, by Freda Diamond in June 1997, then transferred to the Archives Center in July 1998.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0616
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Design drawings
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Awards
label: Type
content: Articles
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is divided into eight series. 

Series 1: Client Files, 1945-1966

Series 2: Libbey Glass, 1946-1984

Series 3: Shaker Furniture and Clothing, undated

Series 4: Articles, 1945-1983

Series 5; Scrapbook, 1937-1946

Series 6: Presentations and Awards, 1951-1994

Series 7: Japan (1957 and 1968) and Israel (1973)

Series 8: Photographs, 1964-1967
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Julie Statz, December 1998.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Design drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Awards
label: Genre/Form
content: Articles
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century