- unitid
-
{"value"=>"21733", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*T-Vim 1999-001", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1925-1999", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1925/1999"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Patricia Zipprodt papers and designs"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"126 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"85 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Billy Rose Theatre Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Patricia Zipprodt won three Tony Awards throughout her long career as a costume designer (and was nominated for eleven). She is best remembered for her most famous productions: <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> (1964), <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966), <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span> (1968), <span class=\"title\">Chicago</span> (1975), <span class=\"title\">Sweet Charity</span> (1987) and the film <span class=\"title\">The Graduate</span> (1967). The collection includes many original designs and sketches, as well as costume bibles, costume research, photographs, and productions materials."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
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{"value"=>"Zipprodt, Patricia, 1925-1999", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
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{"value"=>"<p>Patricia Zipprodt won three Tony Awards (she was nominated for eleven) as a Costume Designer for her work on <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>(1964), <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span>(1966), and <span class=\"title\">Sweet Charity</span> (1987). She is remembered for her technique of painting fabrics, her extraordinarily thorough research, her exuberant personality and her most famous productions: <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>(1964), <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966), <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span> (1968), <span class=\"title\">Chicago</span> (1975), <span class=\"title\">Sweet Charity</span>(1987), and the film <span class=\"title\">The Graduate</span>(1967).</p> <p>Zipprodt was born on February 24, 1925 and raised in suburban Illinois. As a child, she used to draw paper dolls and costumes for them. Though she had always been interested in art, attending classes at the Art Institute of Chicago throughout her childhood and adolescence, she studied Sociology at Wellesley. After graduation she soon moved to New York City to live the bohemian lifestyle. She wore black turtlenecks and studied painting at the New School University, but it was a trip to the ballet that pointed her towards her destiny as a designer. The ballet was Ballanchine's <span class=\"title\">La Valse</span>and Zipprodt was enraptured by the layers of silk, net, and beads that Barbara Karinska had draped on the dancers. In her own career Zipprodt would often design for ballets, operas, and musicals.</p> <p>Zipprodt won a design scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Technology (1951-1953) and an internship with Charles James. Both contributed to Zipprodt's talents as a cutter, draper and sewer. While preparing for her entrance exam to the United Scenic Artists Union, Zipprodt taught herself all of costume history by studying materials at the New York Public Library. She passed the exam and became a card-carrying Costume Designer before she had ever professionally designed a costume.</p> <p>Zipprodt began her career by assisting the legendary <span class=\"persname\">Irene Sharaff</span>, and by 1957 had designed her first solo Broadway show, <span class=\"title\">The Potting Shed</span>. She first worked with <span class=\"persname\">Harold Prince</span> on <span class=\"title\">The Matchmaker</span> in 1962, and together they created some of the sixties most memorable shows: <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>(1964), <span class=\"title\">Zorba</span>(1968), and <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966). <span class=\"persname\">Hal Prince</span> also put Zipprodt in contact with <span class=\"persname\">Jerome Robbins</span>, another of her longtime collaborators.</p> <p>She had a comprehensive work method that included thorough research. For example, she had a series of dinners with a Brooklyn rabbi to research 1964's <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span>, and during 1989-1990 she spent six months in Japan studying weaving methods to make <span class=\"title\">Shogun</span> absolutely authentic. She would sketch first on tracing paper, so she could turn the figure over and over as she worked to keep it balanced. Then the image would be photocopied numerous times and Zipprodt would begin to experiment with color. In her collection of fabric swatches she claimed to have 500 different shades of red (and that none of them were ever quite right).</p> <p>As her career progressed, Zipprodt in turn took on her own interns (like <span class=\"persname\">Ann Hould-Ward</span> who would go on to <span class=\"title\">Beauty and the Beast</span> fame) and taught as an adjunct professor at Brandeis 1985-1992. She also lectured and/or taught master classes at many other universities including Harvard, Yale, New York University, Wellesley, Smith and Pratt. In 1981 <span class=\"title\">The Village Voice</span> named her one of New York City's 10 best-dressed women. Zipprodt was a 1992 inductee into the Theater Hall of Fame, and in 1997 received the Theatre Development Fund's Irene Sharaff Award for Lifetime Achievement.</p> <p>In 1993 Zipprodt married a man whose proposal she had refused some 43 years earlier. After graduating from college, Zipprodt dated Lieutenant Colonel Robert O'Brien Jr., who wanted to marry her. She declined his proposal and instead moved to New York. In the early 90s, O'Brien came across Zipprodt's name in a Playbill and learned she taught at Brandeis University. According to The New York Times, O'Brien called the university, and asked them to deliver the following message - \"Bob O'Brien called, and I want to marry her.\" The university obliged, as did Zipprodt. Her wedding gown was designed after a gown she created for Eliza in <span class=\"title\">My Fair Lady</span> (1993), and incorporated the sleeves of her mother's wedding gown. For the next several years Zipprodt would split her time between New York City and O'Brien's Virginia home. She died in her Greenwich Village apartment in July 1999.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>Designs make up the better portion of this collection. From initial pencil sketches to large-scale watercolors, original designs are not only beautiful but show Zipprodt's evolution as a designer. The costume bibles contain a wealth of information about how the designs were executed and the day-to-day realities of translating a concept into an actor's garment. Thorough script readings and research provide a launching pad for each production's designs, and photographs (both prints and slides) show its fruition. Zipprodt's correspondence and professional papers (awards, biographies, contracts & invoices, teaching materials, and theses/student papers about Zipprodt) give an impression of her career outside the costume shop. Clippings and programs provide production information beyond Zipprodt's contributions. There is very little of a personal nature in the collection outside of appointment books, school papers, and vital records.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Patricia Zipprodt papers and designs are arranged in eleven series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c439680'>Series I: Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1943-1999, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Patricia Zipprodt's correspondence covers a fairly large time span, but consists of very few items in total. Among her correspondents, notables include <span class=\"persname\">Joel Grey</span>, <span class=\"persname\">Harold Prince</span> and <span class=\"persname\">Jerome Robbins</span>. There are also four folders of letters from Zipprodt.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c439724'>Series II: Personal Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1925-1995</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>2 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series includes appointment books from 1985 to 1995, and papers from Zipprodt's childhood and college career. It also contains vital records such as birth certificates and passports.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c439749'>Series III: Professional Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1925-1999, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>5 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Professional Papers contain documents not directly related to Zipprodt's creative work on specific productions. Both the Biographies and Theses series provide helpful summaries and analyses of Zipprodt's career. Teaching Materials includes Zipprodt's notes as well as photographs of her and other's designs that were used as classroom examples. Contracts and Invoices illuminate the financial side of her work, while Awards and Professional Recognitions includes a variety of honors from throughout her career.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c439888'>Series IV: Scripts</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1951-1994, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Roughly half the scripts in this series were never produced. Of special not is an early version of a <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> script with its original name, <span class=\"title\">Tevye</span>.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c439911'>Series V: Clippings</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1949-1999, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series includes clippings about specific shows, and about Zipprodt herself including her career and her style.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c439985'>Series VI: Programs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1957-1998, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The programs span productions throughout Zipprodt's extensive career, though very few are inscribed or annotated in any way.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c440065'>Series VII: Photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1954-1999, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>20 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Photographs are in both print and slide formats. Most photographs are of either the performances themselves or of costume sketches. Also included are photographs of Zipprodt herself, images used for research and images of costume fittings.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c440273'>Series VIII: Research</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1966-1995, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>17 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Zipprodt was known for her thorough research. The research itself was color-coded, specifying whether it was research for a particular show, time period, or subject area. Research includes color and black and white photocopies, photographs, notes and a few rough sketches.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c440388'>Series IX: Costume Bibles, ;</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1965-1997, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>24 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>In general, the costume bibles are wonderfully complete and well organized. They include photographs, sketches, swatches, schedules, and notes. When Zipprodt sent a bible on to international companies, or worked on a revival of a show she'd previously designed, she would often renumber or annotate her original bible. <span class=\"title\">The Leaves Are Fading</span> (1975) bible is of special interest as it exemplifies and explains her fabric painting techniques. Particularly thorough bibles include: <span class=\"title\">Fiddler on the Roof</span> (1964), <span class=\"title\">My Fair Lady</span> (1994), <span class=\"title\">Pippin</span> (1972), <span class=\"title\">Sunday in the Park With George</span> (1984), and <span class=\"title\">Sweet Charity</span>(1987).</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c440501'>Series X: Designs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1959-1997, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>50 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Designs series is the heart of the collection. It includes initial pencil sketches and painted designs. There is some overlap with the costume bible series in that some designs have swatches attached or other notes. Broadly, if it is an individual piece and large format, it is in the design series. This series includes two versions of <span class=\"title\">The Crucible</span>, designed over 30 years apart (1959 and 1991). Also of interest are the original designs for <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966),<span class=\"title\"> Fiddler on the Roof</span>(1964), <span class=\"title\">The Leaves are Fading</span> (1975), and <span class=\"title\">Shogun</span> (1990).</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/the/21733#c440666'>Series XI: Oversized Materials</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1957-1988, undated</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>6 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The oversized materials are arranged to mirror the organization of the rest of the collection, the only difference is the larger format. It includes two complete costume bibles from the productions <span class=\"title\">Alice in Wonderland</span> (1982) and <span class=\"title\">Cabaret</span> (1966; 1987-1988).</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
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{"value"=>"<p>The Patricia Zipprodt Papers and Designs were donated to the Billy Rose Theatre Division in 1999 by the estate of Patricia Zipprodt.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
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{"value"=>"<p>Audiovisual materials separated from archival collections are cataloged individually and can be found in the Library catalog.</p> Productions Ain't Broadway Grand, 1988 (AKA Mike.) Chrysler Skating, '92, 1992 (Two cassettes. With Brian Boitano and Katarina Witt.) Tom Sawyer, ca.1990 Twist, 1992 Interviews Discussions JS, MH and JP at Lincoln Center (Unplayable?) Patricia Zipprodt and Ming Cho Lee in China for Anna Christie, ca.1984 (Informal discussion of production. In English and Chinese.) Productions Cabaret, ca.1987 Ballet Hispanico, 1988 (Inez de Castro and Cada Noche.) Ballet Hispanico, undated (Excerpts from Café America, When Dreams Explode, and Idol Obsession.) Barber of Seville, 1989 (2 cassettes.) Broadway: Then Now: Broadway Dress Parade, 1990 Flying High with the Phoenix, 1996 (The Theatrical Adventures of Hambleton and Houghton.) June Moon, 1973 The Last of the Mobile Hotshots, 1970 Shogun, 1980 (Television miniseries.) Shogun research, ca.1990 (Two cassettes.) Shogun research, ca.1990 (Includes ninjas.) Shogun research, ca.1990 (Ninagawa.) The Sleeping Beauty, 1978 (Two cassettes.) Sondheim Suite, 1989 (Pacific Northwest Ballet.) Sweet Charity, undated Tannhäuser, 1982 Watermill, 1972 Interviews Discussions American Theatre Wing Seminars, Fall 1990 American Theatre Wing Seminars, Fall 1991 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards, 1986 (Zipprodt won for Sweet Charity.) Fashion is Theatre, 1987 (A tribute and musical revue of Zipprodt's work.) Pippin, undated (Two reels.)"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Jennifer L. Winters; Machine-readable finding aid created by Jennifer L. Winters.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Division.</p>"}
- date_start
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1925
- keydate
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1925
- date_end
-
1999
- date_inclusive_start
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1925
- date_inclusive_end
-
1999
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Patricia Zipprodt papers and designs, *T-Vim 1999-001. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}