Richard Kressler and Laylen Sweet collection of American art posters
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The collection includes 23 art posters, dating principally from 1891-1899, representing covers of publications including Harper's, Lippincott's, Scribner's, and The Century magazine.
Biographical/Historical Note
Richard N. Kressler (1930-2016) was, for most of his career, an advertising manager for New York's Magee Carpet Company and, later, marketing manager for Revlon, Inc. In the 1970s, Kressler, along with his brother Dan and friend Laylen H. (Lee) Sweet (1926-2012), bought a classic Brooklyn brownstone, at 233 Baltic Street, which led to his long involvement with the Heights and Hill Community Council and the Brooklyn Historical Society. Kressler and Sweet collected art and antiques, with works on paper of particular interest to the two, especially given Sweet's professional background as a graphic designer. The works donated to N-YHS were part of a collection that had been displayed in the dining room of their Cobble Hill home.
(Source: From Richard Kressler's obituary in the on-line Brooklyn Daily and information provided by the donor.)
Arrangement Note
The container list below is arranged first by title and then chronologically. The posters themselves are all encapsulated, with most enclosures holding more than one poster, though not in the order of the container list.
Scope and Contents
The collection includes 23 art posters. All but one are of covers of publications from 1891-1899, including Harper's, Lippincott's, Scribner's, and The Century magazine. The lone exception is a reproduction of an 1848 lithograph of Broadway, published by Valentine's Manual in 1919. Most of the posters are signed by the artist, especially Edward Penfield for Harper's. The container list includes a detailed inventory.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers by appointment only.
Use Restrictions
Permission to reproduce any Print Room holdings through publication must be obtained from: Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 270. Fax: (212) 579-8794.
Preferred Citation Note
The collection should be cited as: Richard Kressler and Laylen Sweet collection of American art posters, PR 334, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Credit line: Gift of Susan Phillips and Thomas Kenny in Memory of Richard Kressler and Laylen Sweet.
Immediate Source of Acquisition Note
Gift of Susan Phillips and Thomas Kenny in memory of Richard Kressler and Laylen Sweet, July 2017.
About this Guide
Processing Information Note
Conservation work (unframing and encapsulation) performed by conservator Alan Balicki in August, 2017. Processing done by archivist Larry Weimer in August 2017.
Repository
View Inventory
Harper's., 1893 May
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: May Day girl, not signed.
Harper's., 1894 July
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Woman with firecrackers, signed Edward Penfield.
Harper's., 1894 October
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Man with pipe bicycling, signed by Edward Penfield.
Harper's., 1894 November
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Man/woman, Yale/Harvard; signed Edward Penfield.
Harper's., 1895 August
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Woman reaching for magazine from end of rope, not signed.
Harper's., 1896 June
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Woman reading in rocking chair, signed by Edward Penfield.
Harper's. "Tom Sawyer, Detective", 1896 August
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: male in swimsuit with cigarette/woman in full dress outfit, signed by Edward Penfield and with symbol.
Harper's., 1896 September
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Woman holding book, signed with symbol (Edward Penfield?)
Harper's., 1896 November
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: passenger carriage, horse, driver; signed by Edward Penfield in two places, and with symbol.
Harper's., 1897 March
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: winter promenade, signed by Edward Penfield.
Harper's. Christmas, 1897
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Man reading on high-backed bench, signed by Edward Penfield.
Harper's., 1898 May
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Roosters, signed wth symbol (Edward Penfield?).
Harper's., 1899 January
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: Horse-drawn sleigh, not signed.
Harper's., 1899 March
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork: farmer, horse, plow; not signed.
Lippincott's. "'A Tame Surrender, A History of the Chicago Strike,' by Capt. Chas. King, U.S.A.", 1895 March
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork by Will Caroueville.
Lippincott's. "'Flotsam' by Owen Hall"; "'The Washingtons in Virginia' by Anne H. Wharton", 1896 April
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork by J.J. Gould, Jr.
Lippincott's. "'Jason Hildreth's Identity' by Virna Wood", 1897 May
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork by J.J. Gould.
Scribner's. "R.H. Davis's War Articles; Mahan's Paul Jones; Manila Etc.", 1891 July
Scribner's. "'The Chinese Must Go': Andrews' History", 1895 October
Scope and Contents Note
Artwork by George M. Reeves.
The Olympian Games Depicted by Correspondent and Artist of Scribner's, 1896
The Century. "A New Life of Napoleon", 1894
Scope and Contents Note
Designed by E. Grasset.
The Century. "Napoleon in Egypt", 1895 June
Scope and Contents Note
Designed and artwork by E. Grasset.
"Broadway, Both Sides, From Battery Place to Tin Pot Alley, (Now Exchange Alley,) in 1848", Circa 1919
Scope and Contents Note
Reproduction of an 1848 lithograph by Jones & Newman, published for Valentine's Manual Vol. III, 1919.