Identity Statement
| Title | Elizabeth Friedlander Collection |
| Archive Reference | IE BL/VC/EF |
| Web Link to this Entry | https://iar.ie/archive/elizabeth-friedlander-collection |
| Creation Dates | 1920s-1980s |
| Level of Description | Fonds (The whole of the records, regardless of form or medium, organically created and/or accumulated and used by a particular person, family, or corporate body in the course of that creator's activities and functions). (Often, but not always, contiguous with an archives ‘collection’ )., Sub Fonds (subdivision of a fonds containing a body of related records corresponding to administrative subdivisions in the originating agency or organization or, when that is not possible, to geographical, chronological, functional, or similar groupings of the material itself. When the creating body has a complex hierarchical structure, each sub-fonds has as many subordinate sub-fonds as are necessary to reflect the levels of the hierarchical structure of the primary subordinate administrative unit. (Sometimes contiguous with an archives ‘collection’ )., Series (Documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because they result from the same accumulation or filing process, or the same activity; have a particular form; or because of some other relationship arising out of their creation, receipt, or use. A series is also known as a records series)., File (An organized unit of documents grouped together either for current use by the creator or in the process of archival arrangement, because they relate to the same subject, activity, or transaction. A file is usually the basic unit within a record series). |
| Extent Medium | 12 boxes |
Context
Creator(s): Elizabeth Friedlander
-
Administrative History ↴
Born Elisabeth Betty Friedländer on the 10th October 1903 in Berlin-Charlottenburg, to German- Jewish parents, Friedlander began her foray into the world of graphic design by studying art at the Berlin Academy, specialising in typography and calligraphy, under Emil Rudolf Weiss. She then worked for the Jewish publishing house of Ullstein Verlag, Berlin, designing headings for its fashion journal Die Dame. In 1927-8 Friedlander was invited to design a typeface for the Bauer Typefoundry; which was completed in 1938. Normal practice would have named the typeface by the designer’s surname, but ‘Friedländer’ was considered too Jewish for the time and it was instead issued as ‘Elizabeth’. October 1936: because of the Nazi regulations she moved to Milan and worked for the publisher Mondadori (1936-8) and for Editoriale Domus (from February 1937). She also designed bookjackets and publicity materials. February 1939: unsuccessful in her attempts to emigrate to the USA, she arrived in London with a Domestic Service permit (obtained through the Society of Friends Emergency Committee) which allowed her to work as a maid. With the help of Francis Meynell she secured work at the advertising agency Mather & Crowther, later also working in ‘black propaganda’ for the Political Intelligence Department, Central Office of Information. She decided to remain in the UK after the war was over, foregoing her previous plans to emigrate to the United States. She worked freelance for publishers, and designed over 20 patterned papers for the Curwen Press. In June 1948 Friedlander was commissioned by Jan Tschichold, the new art director at Penguin Books, to do some title lettering and, most significantly, to design patterned papers for covers of the Penguin Music Scores (issued 1949-61; EF’s covers: early 1950s) and Penguin Poets. During the following decade she drew roundels for the Penguin Classics series (her later Penguin work was commissioned by Hans Schmoller), worked for the Folio Society, and lettered presentation scrolls and rolls of honor. From 1951 she was the calligrapher to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, lettering Rolls of honor. Her ornamental borders were issued by Linotype (1952) and Monotype (‘The Friedlander borders’, 1958). In 1961 Friedlander moved to Kinsale, Ireland, from where she continued to design bookplates, bookjackets, catalogues, and calligraphic maps, as well as lettering Irish proverbs on parchment. She died there in 1984 -
Archival History ↴
Acquired by UCC Library in 2005. -
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Purchase
Content & Structure
-
Scope & Content: Elizabeth Friedlander ↴
Contains the working papers of Elizabeth Friedlander (Graphic Designer) famed for her intricate boarder designs, and her custom designed font ‘Elizabeth’.
-
Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention -
Accruals ↴
No Further Additions Expected -
Arrangement ↴
Where possible the collection has been arranged by material type. But in the interests of maintaining Ms Friedlander’s original system of arrangement, some material types are intermixed – monotype designs with book cover designs for example. A detailed description of the contents if each folder is listed, and the list is fully searchable for key words.
Conditions of Access & Use
| Access Conditions | Available by appointment with the Archives Service to holders of UCC Readers tickets. |
| Conditions Governing Reproduction | Subject to University College Cork Special Collections and Archives’ Reading Room terms of membership and in accordance with copyright legislation. |
| Creation Dates | 1920s-1980s |
| Level of Description | Fonds (The whole of the records, regardless of form or medium, organically created and/or accumulated and used by a particular person, family, or corporate body in the course of that creator's activities and functions). (Often, but not always, contiguous with an archives ‘collection’ )., Sub Fonds (subdivision of a fonds containing a body of related records corresponding to administrative subdivisions in the originating agency or organization or, when that is not possible, to geographical, chronological, functional, or similar groupings of the material itself. When the creating body has a complex hierarchical structure, each sub-fonds has as many subordinate sub-fonds as are necessary to reflect the levels of the hierarchical structure of the primary subordinate administrative unit. (Sometimes contiguous with an archives ‘collection’ )., Series (Documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because they result from the same accumulation or filing process, or the same activity; have a particular form; or because of some other relationship arising out of their creation, receipt, or use. A series is also known as a records series)., File (An organized unit of documents grouped together either for current use by the creator or in the process of archival arrangement, because they relate to the same subject, activity, or transaction. A file is usually the basic unit within a record series). |
| Extent Medium | 12 boxes |
| Material Language Script | English |
| Finding Aids | Collection List Archive Web Link → |
Allied Materials
There are no Allied Materials
Descriptive Control Area
| Archivist Note | Emma Horgan |
| Rules/Conventions | ISADG |
| Date of Descriptions | 2017 |