Collections
home | Stanley Kubrick Archive | Comic Book Collection | Edward Bawden Collection | Tom Eckersley Collection | Thorold Dickinson Collection | London College of Communication Collection | John Westwood Collection | Charles Pickering Collection | Robert Fenton Archive | C & A Collection | John Schlesinger Library | Jocelyn Herbert Archive | Her Noise Archive
The collections support learning across a wide range of subjects; the Centre is especially strong in film production material and all aspects of graphic design. To enquire about our collections please contact us via archive-enquiries@arts.ac.uk. If you are interested in using any of the collections as part of your research please see our visiting information page.
Collection descriptions are posted on the Archives Hub, where you can also view our online Stanley Kubrick highlights exhibition and Tom Eckersley highlights exhibition.
Collection descriptions:
The archive spans the entire of Kubrick's career fom his time as a photographer for Look Magazine to his final film Eyes Wide Shut. The main concentration is of records created during the making of his films. The archive also includes records created posthumously by the Kubrick Estate relating to projects such as the creation of boxed sets of Kubrick's films, dvd and video rereleases, and documentaries and books about Kubrick and his work.
The film production material includes records created during the Development, Pre-production, Production, Post-production, Distribution and Marketing of all Kubrick's feature films. There is also material relating to the development and pre-production of the unfinished projects Aryan Papers, Napoleon and AI Artificial Intelligence among other prospective projects. There are photographs and magazines from his Look Magazine days and items such as fan letters, correspondence, memos and equipment. There are items and film stock relating to the two making-of documentaries produced by Vivian Kubrick for The Shining (released) and Full Metal Jacket (never released).
The archive includes draft and completed scripts, research materials such as books, magazines and location photographs; set plans, production documents such as call sheets, shooting schedules, continuity reports and continuity polaroids; correspondence, props, costumes, poster designs, posters, film and video material, sound tapes and records, publicity such as press cuttings and magazines; awards and nominations, drawings and artwork and many photographs documenting the making and marketing of the films.
By maintaining a high degree of control in the film making process, Kubrick was able to retain material generated by his pioneering techniques, research and production work, arguably making this collection one of the most complete examples of film making practice world wide. The Archive is integral to the history of the cinema and film, but perhaps more poignantly demonstrates articulately the process of artistic creation, creating a portrait of an individual who had a rigorous attention for detail in all aspects of his work. The Archive is being catalogued.
To read more about Kubrick and his life please visit the BFI webpage on Kubrick.
Comic Book Collection (c1950-2003):
The collection includes a wide range of titles from the second half of the 20th century covering UK and the US mainstream and underground comics, and other specialist and international publications. There are also graphic novels, a number of strips and related comic book ephemera such as posters and free gifts. The collection is an invaluable resource for researchers interested not only in comic graphics but also graphic design and illustration, alternative communication and social trends.
Bawden (1903-1989) was a British painter, illustrator and graphic artist. He was also famous for his prints, book covers, posters and gardn metalwork furniture. The collection contains examples of his design work for commercial companies, many commissioned through The Curwen Press for example, Transport for London. The largest section contains works for Fortnum & Mason department store, Piccadilly, London. The Collection is catalogued, please click here to view it.
The collection contains posters produced by Tom Eckersley (1914-1997), reflecting the range of his work from propaganda posters to his post-war posters. Eckersley used bold simple designs, often resembling collage. The collection shows the development of his style and poster art more generally. Eckersley was also a teacher of poster arts and established the first graphic design course in Britain at College of Printing (now College of Communication, part of University of the Arts London). The collection was formed by Eckersley and as well as printed posters it includes other work, such as magazine covers, and original artwork that shows his work processes. Eckersley designed for a wide range of companies, the collection features commissions from: London Transport; the Ministry of Information (also named the Central Office of Information); the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA); Austin Reed; the General Post Office; Gillette; The United Nations Children's Fund; the World Wide Fund for Nature; the National Business Calendar Design Awards; Cooks; British Leprosy Relief Association; National Bus Company; London College of Printing; the International Wildlife Film and Television Festival; the Inner London Education Authority; City and Guilds; Imperial War Museum; and advertising agency, WS Crawford. He also designed posters for events and seasons for example, one for a seminar Eckersley gave at the Grafiska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, in 1960. Exhibitions of his work have been held at the London College of Communication, to read an exhibition essay on Eckersley please click here. The Collection is catalogued, please click here to view it.
To view the online poster collection please click here.
The London Transport Museum has a collection of his works that are viewable online, please click here for more information.
Examples of his London based work can also be viewed, click here.
The collection covers various aspects of Dickinson's (1903-1984) work both as a film director and his film work for the United Nations and Ministry of Information. The papers cover aspects of film production, scripts, correspondence, reports of visits made, items relating to the Association of Cine-Technicians, accounts, press cuttings and Dickinson's library. The library includes books and journals dating from the late 1920s until his death in 1984 and includes some rare items relating to film.
Of particular interest are papers relating to his work as Chief of the United Nations Film Services Office comprising papers and correspondence relating to his appointment, 1956; accounts of the Film Services Department and personal expenses, 1958; correspondence, programs, press cuttings and invitations relating to film screenings and festivals, lectures, committees and film societies, 1956-1960; correspondence and papers, including film script, concerning 'Blue Vanguard', Dickinson's production on the first United Nations emergency force in Egypt, 1958; script, synopsis, publicity material and papers concerning Out, United Nations film on refugees from Hungary, 1956-1957; papers concerning United Nations film budgets, 1957-1958; employment papers, 1958-1959; correspondence with friends in the film world, 1956; press cuttings relating to film, 1956-1960; publicity material and press cuttings for Power Among Men, 1959; correspondence to Dickinson concerning investigative trips to Pakistan for making United Nations films, [1956-1960]. The Collection is being catalogued. Related material can be found at the British Film Institute.
To read more about Dickinson and his life please click here.
London College of Communication Collection (1893- ):
The collection contains material relating to the activities of the College and its predecessor bodies, including St Bride Foundation Printing School, Bolt Court Technical School, College for Distributive Trades and the Printing Department of the North Western Polytechnic. It contains prospectuses, student work, yearbooks, photographs and some administrative records. A section of the collection features ephemera representing printing techniques and design trends for example, illustration plates, 19th century Christmas cards and posters. There are also materials relating to printing educatin and apprenticeships generated by the College, its precedessor bodies and external organisations for example, war time correspondence courses.
The collection contains items collected by Westwood, a former head of design at Her Majesties Stationary Office. There are items exampling typography, design and printing such as programmes, invites and menus. It includes posters for European travel, Transport for London, Post Office and the Ministry of Information. There are also maps and materials relating to Zurich.
The collection contains material collected by Pickering covering the history of printing, typography and the book trade from the 16th to 20th centuries and includes some interesting early bindings and a collection of posters. It also includes memorabilia of the Double Crown Club. Charles Pickering was an Inspector of Education [HMI] and the collection also includes items relating to this work.
The collection contains papers and information relating to composition and printing. Fenton (1891-1989) worked at the London College of Communication from 1920-1961 and the materials relate to his time there, prior to this he was a successful commercial printer working for people such as the National Institute for the Blind as deputy head of letterpress, 1918-1920. Included are examples of his work, typesetting sheets, composing tools and working notebooks.
The collection contains materials relating to C&A marketing activities such as slides, photographs of store fronts and fashion displays, and volumes about the history of the company in the UK. The London College of Fashion Special Collections holds a collection of clothing and fashion adverts designed by Margrit Seck, dating from the 1950s.
John Schlesinger Library and Archive:
John Schlesinger (1926-2003) was an English film and stage director, and actor. His Archive contains storyboards, contact sheets and photographs, posters, press cuttings and equipment. There is a second part of the Archive which is uncatalogued Please ask staff for more information. There is also an extensive library accessible through the UAL Library catalogue. Related material can be found at the British Film Institute Archive.
Hubert Foss Archive:
Hubert Foss (1899-1953) was an English pianist and composer, the first Musical Editor (1923-1941) for Oxford University Press. His Archive contains material relating to printing of music, personal letters and booklets, and menus of the Double Crown Club which Foss was a founding member.
The Centre is working with Wimbledon College of Art to catalogue and make available the Jocelyn Herbert Archive. Jocelyn Herbert was a theatre and film designer and the collection consists of material relating to her training at the London Theatre Studio (1937-39) and her long career. There are over 5,000 set and costume drawings along with production photographs, masks and puppets, research material, sketchbooks and diaries, correspondence and paperwork relating to her roles on the Board of the English Stage Company and for The George Devine Award. There are also many items relating to the running of the Royal Court Theatre and some on The National Theatre, in particular to its development on London's South Bank.
Her Noise was an exhibition that took place at South London Gallery in London in 2005 with additional events spread across other London venues such as Tate Modern and Goethe Institut. The ambition of the project was to investigate music histories in relation to gender and to bring together a wide network of women artists who use sound as a medium. Throughout the development of Her Noise, the curators conducted dozens of interviews with artists, while also compiling sound recordings and printed materials which would eventually form the Her Noise Archive. Material gathered includes books, catalogues, magazines, zines, records, CDs, tapes and video pertaining to women in experimental and avant garde music and sound culture. The archive is a collection of over 60 videos, 300 audio recordings, 40 books and catalogues and 250 fanzines compiled throughout the development of the project. A catalogue for the archive is available onsite.
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