Design Sketches
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Bellefleur-Burbidge, Cile
label: Collection Creator
content: Priscilla of Boston.
label: Collection Creator
content: Burbidge, John (costume designer)
setName: label: See more items in
content: John Burbidge and Cile Bellefleur-Burbidge Wedding Design Collection
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0562, Series 1
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Series 1, consists almost entirely of design sketches John Burbidge made for wedding gowns manufactured by Priscilla of Boston between the years 1968 and 1985. The sketches are in pencil or color pencil, and occasionally, ink.  Following the sketches, there are packets of photographs of dolls in historic costume which Burbidge designed and created.  

Also included are tapes and a transcript of a 1998 oral history interview of the Burbidges conducted by Claudia Kidwell, Priscilla Wood and Catherine Keen.  

The design sketches have been arranged, as much as possible; in chronological order, but for several reasons this was difficult or impossible to do with certainty.  John Burbidge did not date his designs, though most have design numbers on the sketches.  Some sketches have two numbers on them, and to add further complication, many design numbers were re-used in later years.  Further complicating the organization, the company did not consistently use certain numbered "series" for the same design lines.  

For example, during one year the 1500 series would be used for gowns in the Priscilla Boutique line, another year series 1600 might be used.   Dating was done by comparison with advertising tear sheets and publicity photographs found in the Priscilla of Boston Collection, (ACNMAH #557) and with the illustrated seasonal style books which also are found in the Priscilla of Boston Collection.  After lengthy research, only a portion of the designs were dated.  These are indicated in this finding aid by italics and/or bold lettering for design numbers.  Numbers which are italicized indicate designs which were dated by comparison with tear sheets or publicity photographs in the Priscilla of Boston Collection.  Numbers which are in bold lettering indicate designs which were dated by comparison with illustrations in the style books located in the Priscilla of Boston Collection.  

Those which are italicized and in bold lettering indicate designs which were dated by comparison with design descriptions in the style books located in the Priscilla of Boston Collection.  Those which appear in neither bold lettering nor italics, but which were put into folders with specific dates were put there because they had been clipped or stapled together by Burbidge and were assumed to be from the same time period as those they were attached to.  Design lines are specified, when possible, after 1976, when the style books first appear in the Priscilla of Boston Collection.  Order that is not numerical was used in cases in which Burbidge had some sketches stapled together.  As much as possible, sketches were kept in his order.