Collection Summary (Jacobson Gift)

Title: George Mann Niedecken Interior Design Collection, ca. 1900–ca. 1945
Creator: George Mann Niedecken (1878–1945)

Extent

ca. 3,500 drawings, ca. 250 photographs
ca. 150 documents, 4 ledger books
ca. 45 pieces of personal artwork
ca. 20 furniture catalogs

Repository

Cudahy Archives, Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

Acquisition Information

The bulk of the collection was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Jacobson, ca. 1978. About 25 items were added to the collection in 2006 and 2007. These items were gifts from John Eastberg and from Barbara and Henry Fuldner. A gift of three drawings was included in this collection, given by the Prairie Archives Fund, Decorative Arts Fund, and gifts from Frederick Schweitzer and Dorothy Schweitzer in memory of their parents.

Summary Description of the Collection

This collection consists primarily of design drawings for interior furnishings by G. M. Niedecken executed between 1903 and 1940, and includes vintage photographs of home and business interiors. Some of the earliest items in the collection are photographs of art and architecture in Europe and Asia collected by Niedecken, as well as photographs of Niedecken family members. The collection also contains business records of the Niedecken-Walbridge Company, furniture catalogs, and miscellaneous office items.

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Organization

These items are organized into the following series and subseries:

Series I Student and Personal Artwork
Series II Photographs of Art and Architecture in Europe and Asia
Series III Family Photographs, Travel Photographs
Series IV Business Records
Series V Commission Design Drawings and Related Material
Series VI Furniture Catalogs
Series VII Miscellaneous Office Items and Drawing Supplies