Archives of American Art
Margaret De Patta papers
De Patta, Margaret, 1903-1964
AAA.depamarg
Archival Resource Key
2.7 Linear feet
circa 1930-2012
The papers of California jewelry designer Margaret De Patta measure 2.7 linear feet and date from circa 1930 to 2012. The papers include correspondence, writings, teaching files, exhibition files, personal business records, printed material, artwork and sketchbooks, and photographs.
Collection is in English.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged as 8 series.
Missing Title
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1946-2011 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
- Series 2: Writings, circa 1935-1963 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
- Series 3: Teaching Files, 1944-1969 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
- Series 4: Exhibition Files, 1948-2012 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
- Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1943-2001 (0.9 linear feet; Box 2)
- Series 6: Printed Material, 1938-1981 (0.1 linear feet; Box 3)
- Series 7: Artwork and Sketchbook, circa 1930-circa 1960 (0.2 linear feet; Box 3)
- Series 8: Photographs, circa 1935-1967 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 3-4, OV 5)
Biographical / Historical
San Francisco contemporary jewelry designer Margaret De Patta, née Strong, was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1903 and raised in San Diego, California. She was among the first contemporary studio jewelers and a proponent of modernism. De Patta studied painting at the San Diego Academy of Fine Arts from 1921-1923, the California School of Fine Arts from 1923-1925, and the New York Art Students League from 1926-1929.
Margaret De Patta began to create jewelry when she designed her own modernist wedding ring for her marriage to Sam De Patta in 1929. By the mid-1930s, she had become an accomplished jeweler whose work was frequently shown in galleries and museums. Her jewelry was featured in the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. Around 1939, De Patta also started collaborating with Francis Sperisen, a noted San Francisco lapidary. De Patta designed the shapes of the jewelry using Lucite and wood, and Sperisen would use her models as a reference for the actual gem cutting.
From 1940-1941, De Patta attended the Chicago Bauhaus (now the Institute of Design) where she studied under Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. De Patta's time at the school was formative and Moholy-Nagy was tremendously impressed with her work. She also met her future second husband Gene Bielawski while she was a student in Chicago.
In 1941, De Patta returned to San Francisco, divorced Sam De Patta, and renovated her Laidley Street house in Glen Park. In 1946, she married Eugene Bielawski. The couple taught at the California Labor School. They also moved to Napa and founded Designs Contemporary, a business for producing jewelry that was as high quality as De Patta's handcrafted pieces at more affordable prices. Since all aspects of the business were conducted by the two of them, the workload became overwhelming and Designs Contemporary closed in 1957.
In 1951, Margaret De Patta was a founding member of the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild, established to promote the metal arts and specifically address the unique needs of studio jewelers. During her lifetime, she befriended many artists and continued to create jewelry, teach, and lecture. De Patta died by suicide in 1964. Her innovative jewelry designs continue to be influential today.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Rihoko Ueno in 2016.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Margaret De Patta papers were donated in two installments in 2003 and 2015 by Martha Bielawski, the second wife of Margaret De Patta's second husband, Eugene Bielawski. These papers were collected as part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.
Preferred Citation
Margaret De Patta papers, circa 1930-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Scope and Contents
The papers of California jewelry designer Margaret De Patta measure 2.7 linear feet and date from circa 1930 to 2012. The papers include correspondence, writings, teaching files, exhibition files, personal business records, printed material, artwork and sketchbooks, and photographs.
Personal and professional correspondence is with family, friends, artists, galleries, museums, and universities. Notable correspondents include Fred Barson, Adelle Davis, Janet Fleisher, Alice Flory, Janet McHendrie, Victor Ries, Oppi Untracht, and Nanny's Design Gallery.
Writings include essays, personal statements, and notes. There is also an outline for a book on design and an annotated calendar.
Teaching files consist of course materials, administrative records, meeting minutes, and limited correspondence from the California Labor School. There are also a few folders from the California College of Arts and Crafts and the Oregon State System of Higher Education.
Exhibition files include announcements, correspondence, inventories, price lists, loan forms, and other material for Margaret De Patta shows at museums and galleries.
Personal business records consist of financial, legal, and administrative records on Margaret De Patta's jewelry designs and sales, as well as material related to Designs Contemporary, the jewelry production business created and managed by De Patta and her husband Eugene Bielawski. There is also material on large gifts and loans to museums and universities, and files relating to the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild.
Printed materials are mostly clippings about Margaret De Patta and other subjects, along with a few magazines and periodicals, including the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild newsletters, 1952-1964.
There is one sketchbook and several folders of drawings, jewelry designs, and flatware designs.
The bulk of the photographs are of jewelry and other objects designed by Margaret De Patta. There are a few photographs of Margaret De Patta working on jewelry and other subjects, such as a trip to Japan and her house on Laidley Street in California.
Jewelers -- California -- San Diego
Educators -- California -- San Diego
Women artists
Women designers
Women educators
Photographs
Sketchbooks
Designs
Drawings
Davis, Adelle
Barson, Fred
Bielawski, Eugene
Oregon State System of Higher Education
Fleisher, Janet
Nanny's Design Gallery
Flory, Alice
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
San Francisco Metal Arts Guild
McHendrie, Janet
Ries, Victor, 1907-
Untracht, Oppi
California College of Arts and Crafts (San Francisco, Calif.)
California Labor School
Designs Contemporary
Correspondence
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
0.4 Linear feet
Box 1
1946-2011
Scope and Contents
This series includes personal and professional correspondence with family, friends, artists, galleries, museums, universities, and arts organizations on the subject of exhibitions, loans, travels, jewelry designs, and business inquiries. Notable correspondents include Adelle Davis, Alice Flory, Victor Ries, and Oppi Untracht.
Arrangement
Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent or subject. There is one folder of miscellaneous correspondence at the end of the series for letters with just one or two letters each from various individuals.
Aloi, Robert
Archival Resource Key
1949-1955
1
1
American Craft Museum
Archival Resource Key
1996
1
2
American Craftsmen's Council
Archival Resource Key
1956-1961
1
3
American Craftsmen's Educational Council
Archival Resource Key
1953-1957
1
4
American Federation of Arts
Archival Resource Key
1956-1960
1
5
Architectural League of New York
Archival Resource Key
1951
1
6
Archives of American Art
Archival Resource Key
2003-2011
1
7
Arts & Architecture Magazine
Archival Resource Key
1947-1950
1
8
Atlanta Art Association
Archival Resource Key
1956
1
9
Bielawski, Eugene and Martha
Archival Resource Key
1976-2001
1
10
Ceramic Studio
Archival Resource Key
1946-1947
1
11
Correspondence with Artists about Trading Work
Archival Resource Key
1951-1963
1
12
Correspondence with Customers about Jewelry Designs
Archival Resource Key
1952-1963
1
13
Correspondence with Customers about "Jewelry on Order"
Archival Resource Key
1960-1965
1
14
Craft Horizons
Archival Resource Key
1963
1
15
Crawford, Ruth
Archival Resource Key
1956
1
16
Davis, Adelle
Archival Resource Key
1956-1966
1
17
Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego
Archival Resource Key
1951
1
18
Flory, Alice
Archival Resource Key
1959
1
19
Hanada, Teruko
Archival Resource Key
1961-1962
1
20
Letters of Inquiry and Prospects
Archival Resource Key
1948-1961
1
21
Scope and Contents
Correspondence with stores interested in seeing jewelry samples based on ads and brochures.
Letters to Family from Japan Trip
Archival Resource Key
1960 October-December
1
22
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Archival Resource Key
2000
1
23
Ries, Victor
Archival Resource Key
1956
1
24
San Francisco Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1952-1956
1
25
Smithsonian National Collection of Fine Arts
Archival Resource Key
1969
1
26
Sperisen, Francis
Archival Resource Key
1964
1
27
Turner, Ralph
Archival Resource Key
1994-1998
1
28
Untracht, Oppi
Archival Resource Key
1961
1
29
Walker Art Center
Archival Resource Key
1948-1959
1
30
Miscellaneous Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1946-1975
1
31
Writings
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
0.1 Linear feet
Box 1
circa 1935-1963
Scope and Contents
This series includes Margaret De Patta's essays on jewelry design and craftsmanship, personal statements, and notes on materials, designs, and gem cutting. There is also an outline for a book on design and one annotated appointment calendar. There is some writing by Eugene Bielawski.
Arrangement
The material in this series is grouped by document type.
Essays on Jewelry, Craftsmanship, and Design
Archival Resource Key
circa 1935-circa 1960
1
32
Personal Statements and Biographical Chronology
Archival Resource Key
circa 1945-circa 1955
1
33
Outline of Book on Design by Margaret De Patta and Eugene Bielawski
Archival Resource Key
circa 1949
1
34
Annotated Appointment Calendar
Archival Resource Key
1963
1
35
Notes on Gem Cutting for Francis Sperisen
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-circa 1955
1
36
Notes on Jewelry "Concepts and Designs"
Archival Resource Key
circa 1945-circa 1960
1
37
Notes on Materials by Margaret De Patta and Eugene Bielawski
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-1954
1
38
Miscellaneous Notes
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-circa 1960
1
39
Teaching Files
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
0.2 Linear feet
Box 1
1944-1969
Scope and Contents
The bulk of this series consists of material from the California Labor School where Margaret De Patta and her husband Eugene Bielawski taught. The files include class outlines, course materials, administrative records, staff meeting minutes, and limited correspondence. There are also two folders from the California College of Arts and Crafts and the Oregon State System of Higher Education.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the educational institution. California Labor School folders are further broken down into document type.
California College of Arts and Crafts
Archival Resource Key
1956
1
40
California Labor School
Archival Resource Key
1
Administrative Records
Archival Resource Key
circa 1946-circa 1960
1
41
Budget and Expenses
Archival Resource Key
1946
1
42
Class Outlines
Archival Resource Key
1944-1969
1
43
Course Materials and Reading Lists
Archival Resource Key
circa 1945-circa 1960
1
44
Notes
Archival Resource Key
circa 1946-circa 1960
1
45
Staff Meeting Minutes
Archival Resource Key
1946
1
46
Summaries of Student Feedback
Archival Resource Key
circa 1946-circa 1960
1
47
Oregon State System of Higher Education
Archival Resource Key
1947
1
48
Exhibition Files
Series 4
Archival Resource Key
0.4 Linear feet
Boxes 1-2
1948-2012
Scope and Contents
This series includes announcements, correspondence, jewelry inventories, price lists, loan and shipping forms, invoices, and other material for exhibitions at museums and galleries.
Arrangement
The series is arranged chronologically by exhibition date. A few folders related to recurring exhibition series, not dedicated to one specific exhibition, are grouped together in loose chronological arrangement at the end of the series.
For Modern Living (1949)
Archival Resource Key
1949
1
49
University of Minnesota - Useful Objects (1951)
Archival Resource Key
1950-1963
1
50
Designer-Craftsman U.S.A. (1953)
Archival Resource Key
1953-1955
1
51
American Craftsman (1955)
Archival Resource Key
1953-1956
1
52
American Jewelry and Related Objects (1955)
Archival Resource Key
1955-1958
1
53
California Designed (1955)
Archival Resource Key
1955
1
54
California State Fair and Exposition (1955)
Archival Resource Key
1955-1960
1
55
Ohio Union - Jewelry by Margaret De Patta (1956)
Archival Resource Key
1955-1956
1
56
Brussel's World Fair (1958)
Archival Resource Key
1957-1959
1
57
International Exhibition of Modern Jewellry 1890-1961 (1961)
Archival Resource Key
1961-1963
1
58
Margaret De Patta Memorial Exhibition (1964)
Archival Resource Key
1964-1967
1
59
Masters of Modern Design, 1935-1960 (1990)
Archival Resource Key
1986-1991
1
60
Loom and Lathe: The Art of Kay Sekimachi and Bob Stocksdale (2008)
Archival Resource Key
2007-2012
1
61
California Design, 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way" (2011-2012)
Archival Resource Key
2010-2012
1
62
Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta (2012)
Archival Resource Key
2008-2012
1
63
Assorted University Exhibitions
Archival Resource Key
1948-1966
1
64
Los Angeles County Fair Association Exhibitions
Archival Resource Key
1951-1957
2
1
Fiber, Clay & Metal Exhibitions
Archival Resource Key
1952-1963
2
2
Miscellaneous Exhibition Applications and Invitations
Archival Resource Key
1950-1963
2
3
Personal Business Records
Series 5
Archival Resource Key
0.9 Linear feet
Box 2
1943-2001
Scope and Contents
This series consists of financial, legal, and administrative records related to Margaret De Patta's jewelry designs and sales. There are several folders on Designs Contemporary, the jewelry production company created and managed by De Patta and Eugene Bielawski. There are numerous folders tracking sales and inventory of Margaret De Patta jewelry at retailers and stores. Receipts and invoices, inventories, special orders, production bills, and other material related to budget and expenses are also included herein. Information on large gifts, donations, and loans of De Patta jewelry to museums and universities and records relating to the Metal Arts Guild are in this series as well.
Arrangement
Materials in this series are grouped alphabetically by document type.
21 Laidley Street Property
Archival Resource Key
1956
2
4
Bielawski vs. Palmer Legal Case
Archival Resource Key
1949-1951
2
5
Budget and Expenses Notes
Archival Resource Key
1948
2
6
Business Cards and Contacts
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-circa 1960
2
7
Designs Contemporary
Archival Resource Key
2
Billing Ledger
Archival Resource Key
1951-1963
2
8
Business Name Filing and Business Plan
Archival Resource Key
circa 1956
2
9
Invoices
Archival Resource Key
1943-1959
2
10
Promotional Letter and Retailers List
Archival Resource Key
1949-1952
2
11
Stationary
Archival Resource Key
circa 1949-circa 1957
2
12
Donation of Moholy-Nagy Artwork to Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Archival Resource Key
1989-1996
2
13
Eugene Bielawski Legal Document
Archival Resource Key
1966
2
14
Gifts and Loans to the Oakland Museum of California
Archival Resource Key
1967-2001
2
15
Gifts to the Museum of Contemporary Crafts
Archival Resource Key
1956-1976
2
16
Invoices and Records
Archival Resource Key
circa 1944-1959
2
17-18
Information on Special Orders
Archival Resource Key
1957-1964
2
19
Inventory and Price List
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950-circa 1960
2
20
Jewelry Appraisals by Eugene Bielawski
Archival Resource Key
1963-1991
2
21
Lapidary - Francis Sperison Receipts and Invoices
Archival Resource Key
1947-1973
2
22
Margaret De Patta Jewelry Brochure
Archival Resource Key
circa 1945-circa 1960
2
23
Metal Arts Guild
Archival Resource Key
1952-1980
2
24
Scope and Contents
Includes newsletters, by-laws, reports, membership lists, jewelry orders, and correspondence.
Production Bills
Archival Resource Key
1946-1947
2
25
Retailers
Archival Resource Key
2
Amberg-Hirth Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1943
2
26
Arts and Crafts Design Unit of Tibbals, Crumley, Musson Architects
Archival Resource Key
1951-1953
2
27
Black, Starr & Gorham, Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1948-1950
2
28
Boyd Britton Associates
Archival Resource Key
1948-1949
2
29
Cabaniss
Archival Resource Key
1948
2
30
Cele Peterson Store
Archival Resource Key
1951-1952
2
31
Contemporary House
Archival Resource Key
1950
2
32
Crossroads Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1947-1949
2
33
Design Today Incorporated
Archival Resource Key
1952
2
34
Elm Shop
Archival Resource Key
1958-1961
2
35
Fifty-50 Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1989
2
36
Fresno Art Center
Archival Resource Key
1961
2
37
Georg Jensen Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1960
2
38
The Guild
Archival Resource Key
1950-1953
2
39
Harry Koepke
Archival Resource Key
1949-1953
2
40
Hughes Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1948-1949
2
41
I.F.A. Galleries
Archival Resource Key
1951
2
42
Leonard Linn Inc.
Archival Resource Key
1949-1953
2
43
Modern Center
Archival Resource Key
1949
2
44
Nanny's Design Gallery
Archival Resource Key
1953-1963
2
45
Pacific Shop
Archival Resource Key
1947-1951
2
46
Ted Herried
Archival Resource Key
1949-1951
2
47
Treasure Chest
Archival Resource Key
1950-1951
2
48
Sterling Silver Flatware Design Competition
Archival Resource Key
1959-1960
2
49
Suppliers - Wildberg Brothers
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950-1961
2
50
Printed Material
Series 6
Archival Resource Key
0.1 Linear feet
Box 3
1938-1981
Scope and Contents
This series includes clippings and articles on Margaret De Patta and other subjects, along with a few magazines and periodicals.
Arrangement
Clippings about Margaret De Patta are at the beginning on the series. The rest of the material is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Articles about Margaret De Patta
Archival Resource Key
1940-1969
3
1
Architecture, Art, Sculpture
Archival Resource Key
1948-1959
3
2
Crafts
Archival Resource Key
1953-1957
3
3
Falkenstein, Claire
Archival Resource Key
1938
3
4
Modern Jewelry
Archival Resource Key
1952-1960
3
5
Renk, Merry
Archival Resource Key
1981
3
6
Miscellaneous Clippings
Archival Resource Key
circa 1962
3
7
Magazines and Catalogs
Archival Resource Key
1944-1964
3
8
Artwork and Sketchbook
Series 7
Archival Resource Key
0.2 Linear feet
Box 3
circa 1930-circa 1960
Scope and Contents
This series includes one untitled sketchbook of abstract line drawings, loose "transparencies" drawings, jewelry designs, and flatware designs.
Arrangement
The sketchbook is at the start of the series, followed by drawings and designs in loose chronological order since the bulk of material is undated.
Sketchbook
Archival Resource Key
circa 1935-circa 1940
3
9
"Transparency" Drawings
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-circa 1950
3
10
Jewelry Designs
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-circa 1960
3
11
Jewelry Designs for Custom Orders
Archival Resource Key
circa 1930-circa 1960
3
12
Designs for Flatware
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-circa 1955
3
13
Photographs
Series 8
Archival Resource Key
0.4 Linear feet
Boxes 3-4, OV 5
circa 1935-1967
Scope and Contents
The bulk of the series consists of black and white photographs of Margaret De Patta's jewelry. There are 4 photographs of Margaret De Patta working on jewelry and a few photographs of other subjects, such as a trip to Japan, and the house on Laidley Street in California which she extensively renovated.
Arrangement
The photographs of Margaret De Patta come first, followed by the rest of the photographs which are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Margaret De Patta Making Jewelry
Archival Resource Key
circa 1948
3
14
Margaret De Patta Making Jewelry
Archival Resource Key
circa 1960
3
15
Brooches
Archival Resource Key
circa 1935-1964
3
16
Chicago Institute of Design Photographs of Artwork
Archival Resource Key
1939-1940
3
17
Chicago Institute of Design Photographs of Artwork
Copper Ashtray
Archival Resource Key
circa 1935
3
18
Earrings
Archival Resource Key
circa 1937-circa 1960
3
19
Flatware
Archival Resource Key
1936
3
20
Jewelry for "The Production Line" Brochure
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950-circa 1955
4
1
Scope and Contents
Oversized material housed in OV 5.
Kyoto, Japan Trip
Archival Resource Key
1960
4
2
Laidley Street House
Archival Resource Key
circa 1939
4
3
Laidley Street House
Pendants
Archival Resource Key
circa 1940-1967
4
4
Rings
Archival Resource Key
circa 1935-circa 1960
4
5
Oversized Photographs of Jewelry for "The Production Line" Brochure from Box 4, Folder 1
Archival Resource Key
circa 1950-circa 1955
OV 5