]> pe1000-165 Guide to the Robert Edmond Jones Papers, 1916-1963 Processed by: Andrea Benefiel; machine-readable finding aid created by: Andrea Benefiel &hdrsca;

© 2008 Wesleyan University. All Rights Reserved.

 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: November 2008 Description is in English Finding aid was prepared using DACS Guide to the Robert Edmond Jones Papers, 1916 - 1963 Special Collections & ArchivesWesleyan University Middletown, CT, USA

© 2008 Wesleyan University. All Rights Reserved.

 Descriptive Summary Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University Jones, Robert Edmond, 1887-1954. Robert Edmond Jones Papers1916 - 1963 1000-165 Material in English 7.5 8, 1 oversize drawer For current information on the location of these materials, please consult Special Collections & Archives staff. Robert Edmond Jones was born in 1887, and spent his career as a theater set designer. He also worked on the production of early Technicolor films as a color consultant. As a stage designer, Jones is best known for his simplified sets that complemented the action of a production and his dramatic use of color in costuming and lighting. Contains correspondence, manuscript writings, drawings and design materials, photographs, and printed materials. The papers document Jones's work in theater as a set designer in the United States during the early twentieth century and his involvement in motion picture-making during the 1930s. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

 Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Robert Edmond Jones Papers, Collection #1000-165, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA.

 Acquisitions Information

Given by Ralph G. Pendleton to the Wesleyan Theatre Department in the 1970s. Transferred to Special Collections & Archives in 1999.

 Processing Information

Processed by Andrea Benefiel, November 2008

Encoded by Andrea Benefiel, November 2008

 Biographical Note

Born in Milton, New Hampshire in 1887, Robert Edmond Jones graduated from Harvard University in 1910. Jones spent his career as a stage designer and rose to national prominence working with the Washington Square Players, Kenneth Macgowan and the Greenwich Village Theatre, Eugene O'Neill and the Provincetown Players, and the Theatre Guild, Inc. As a stage designer, Jones is best known for his simplified sets that complemented the action of a production and his dramatic use of color in costuming and lighting. In the 1930s, Jones was hired as a color consultant and designer by RKO studios, and worked on some of the first films to use the three-strip Technicolor process, Becky Sharp, La Cucaracha, and The Dancing Pirate. Jones published a number of articles on stagecraft, and authored Drawings for the Theatre (1925), The Dramatic Imagination (1941), and, with Kenneth Macgowan, Continental Stagecraft (1922).

 Collection Overview

The Robert Edmond Jones Papers contains Jones's correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, his manuscript writings, drawings and design materials, photographs, and printed materials including clippings related to the many plays and films on which he worked during his long career as a stage designer and color consultant. The papers document Jones's work in theater as a set designer in the United States during the early twentieth century and his involvement in motion picture making during the 1930s.

Correspondence - Contains incoming and outgoing correspondence from 1934 to 1950.

Writings - Contains manuscript writings by Robert Edmond Jones on topics related to theater and stagecraft, acting and actors, and motion pictures. Included in the manuscript writings are four folders of Jones's recorded dreams from 1944 to 1945. Also contains writings of others about Robert Edmond Jones from 1916 to 1954.

Design - Contains materials used and created by Robert Edmond Jones in his stage design work. Includes sketches and drawings, printed material, and photographs.

Printed Materials - Contains clippings of reviews and articles relating to Jones's work in theater and film from 1916 to 1950, programs from 1919-1957. Within the Printed Materials series, a note from Jones to his mother, dated 1930 is included in the clippings for Symphony Hall. Also within Printed Materials is a note by Kenneth Macgowan, which is located in the folder of programs for Three Plays by Ridgley Torrence. Series also includes a scrapbook containing clippings related to Jones's work as a color consultant from 1933 to 1935.

Audio Recordings - Contains audio recordings of Robert Edmond Jones's lectures, dated 1955 and 1963.

Oversize Material - Contains photographs of set designs, materials related to costume design, and large drawings for set design.

Collection Arrangement

The collection is organized into six series: Correspondence, Writings, Design, Printed Materials, Audio Recordings, and Oversize Materials. Correspondence is further divided into two categories, incoming and outgoing, and is arranged alphabetically. Writings are arranged alphabetically by title or subject. Many of the writings remain unidentified, and have been kept with the materials with which they were originally filed. These unidentified manuscripts may be parts or fragments of other manuscript drafts or notes written by Jones. The Design series contains materials created or used by Jones in his design work. The materials are arranged by form. Additional drawings and design materials are located in the Oversize Materials series. Printed Materials consist of clippings, programs, and ephemera related to Jones's work in theater and film. Oversize materials consist mainly of large drawings and other design related materials and are arranged in alphabetical order by title of the play and drawing number.

 Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Jones, Robert Edmond, 1887-1954. Theater. Theater --United States. Theaters--Stage-setting and scenery--United States. Motion pictures and theater. Motion pictures--History. Motion pictures--Setting and scenery. Set designers--United States. Set design--History--20th century. Color cinematography--History. Color motion pictures--History. Scenography. Design, stage. Design, theater. Design, set. Architectural drawings (visual works) Related Material

Jones, Robert Edmond, 1887-1954. Papers. Houghton Library, Harvard College Library. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Related Material

Jones, Robert Edmond, 1887-1954. Additional papers, 1911-1946. Houghton Library, Harvard College Library. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

 Related Material

Jones, Robert Edmond, 1887-1954. Additional papers, 1933-1952. Houghton Library, Harvard College Library. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

 Related Material

Jones, Robert Edmond, 1887-1954. Costume and set designs, 1932. Houghton Library, Harvard College Library. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

 Related Material

Robert Edmond Jones (1887-1954) Photographs. University of New Hampshire Library, 18 Library Way, Durham, NH 03824.

Related Material

Ralph Pendleton Papers, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University.

 Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1: Correspondence Incoming 1 1 Aherne, Brian, undated 1 2 American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1950 March 1 3 Atkinson, Brooks, undated 1 4 Carey, Eleanor, undated 1 5 Cohen, Mark M., 1934 July 5

Includes clippings about La Cucaracha.

 1 6 Edwin Booth Dramatic Club, 1949 May 9 1 7Houghton, Norris, 1941 May 6 1 8 Jeliffe, Belinda, undated 1 9 Jones, Fred P., Mrs., undated 1 10 Lovejoy, A., undated 1 11 The Players, Roy Day, 1941 May 20 1 12 Reed, Joseph Verner, 1941 May 28 1 13 Seldes, Gilbert, 1941 July 8 1 14 Sisk, Robert, undated 1 15 Sloan, Samuel, 1941 1 16 Vanity Fair, 1934-1941 1 17 Wickes, Frances, undated 1 18 Wurzburg, Francis L., 1941 September 1 19 Young, Stark, undated 1 20 Unidentified, 1935-1949 Outgoing 1 21 Bing, Rudolf, 1950 June 8 1 22 Jones, F. P. (Mrs.), 1936 May 19 1 23 New York Tribune, undated 1 24 Unidentified, undated Series II: Writings 1 25 "About Ignorant Criticism," holograph and typescript drafts, undated 1 26 "Around the Dawn," typescript fragment, undated 1 27-28 Color, holograph and typescript notes, undated 1 29 "Curious and Profitable," pamphlet, undated 1 30 "The Drama of the Future," typescript draft, undated 1 31-34 Dreams, holograph and typescript drafts, 1944-1945 1 35 Epigrams, holograph and typescript drafts, undated 1 36 "Full-Color Motion Pictures to Revolutionize Industry," typescript draft, corrected, undated 1 37 "Illumination, Some Thoughts on Stage Lighting," holograph and typescript draft, undated 1 38 Lecture notes, holograph and typescript, undated 1 39 Lectures, holograph and typescript drafts, undated 2 1 "Les Roses de la Vie," holograph and typescript drafts and notes, undated 2 2 "Lines to a Critic," typescript draft, undated 2 3 "Mid the Cool Olives of the Academe Fair Harvard," holograph draft, undated 2 4 Motion pictures, typescript notes, undated 2 5 "Motion Pictures and the Theatre," typescript draft, undated 2 6 "Movies and the Theatre," typescript draft, undated 2 7 "My Hollywood," typescript of published article from Vanity Fair, 1934 2 8 "Note on Isadora Duncan", undated 2 9 "Notes about Playwrights," holograph and typescript drafts and notes, undated 2 10 "Notes and Lectures Regarding the Theatre," holograph and typescript notes, undated 2 11 "Notes for a Talk about Stage Settings," typescript notes, undated 2 12 "Notes for the New Ed." holograph and typescript notes, undated 2 13 "Notes on John Barrymore," holograph and typescript notes, undated 2 14 "Notes on Vaslav Nijinsky," holograph and typescript notes, undated 2 15 On Reference Point, by Arthur Hopkins, typescript and holograph drafts, undated 2 16 "Reminiscences," holograph and typescript notes, undated 2 17 Review of Father Brown, by Chesterton, holograph draft, undated 2 18 Review of Scene, by Gordon Craig, holograph and typescript draft, corrected, undated 2 19 Review of Vogues of 1938, by Walter Wanger, holograph draft, undated 2 20 Sarah Bernhardt, holograph and typescript notes, undated 2 21 Setting, holograph and typescript notes, undated 2 22 "Some Thoughts on Stage Design," typescript draft, undated 2 23 "Stage Settings," typescript draft, undated 2 24 "The Question of Color," typescript drafts, undated 2 25 "Toward a New Theatre in America," typescript draft, 1950 December 31 2 26-27 Working notes, holograph and typescript notes, undated 3 1-17 Unidentified manuscripts, notes, drafts and fragments, undated Writings of Others 3 18 "Memorial Meeting for Robert Edmond Jones," transcript of event, 1954 December 12 3 19 Moderwell, Hiram Kelly. "The Art of Robert Edmond Jones," transcribed from Theatre Arts Magazine, 1917 February 3 20 Moderwell, Hiram Kelly. "Robert Edmond Jones: Young Leader of American Decorators for the Theatre," transcribed from Boston Evening Transcript, 1916 October 7 3 21 Rodriquez, Jose. "Color at Last," typescript, undated 3 22 Seldes, George. "Robert Edmond Jones Profile," transcribed from The New Yorker, 1931 May 9 3 23 Young, Stark. "Note on Nijinsky and Robert Edmond Jones," typescript, undated Series III: Design Drawings and Designs

Additional designs and drawings located in Oversize

 4 1 [Medea?]. Small sketches, printed material, etc. undated 4 2 Opera, sketches, notes, and printed material, undated 4 3 Original "Famous Artist Print" by Robert Edmond Jones. Fabric sample, undated 4 4 Drawings, Redemption, undated Oversize Printed Material 4 6 Exhibition Catalogs, undated 4 7 Redemption, undated 4 8-9 Richard III, undated Photographs 4 10 Jones, Robert Edmond. Inscribed to "Mother" and autographed, 1934 4 11-13 Egyptian art and architecture, undated Series IV: Printed Materials Clippings 4 14-16 Becky Sharp (film), 1935 4 17 Becky Sharp (play), undated 4 18 The Birthday of the Infanta, 1919 4 19 Biographical, 1916-1955 5 1 Caliban, by the Yellow Sands, 1916 5 2 Cherokee Night, 1930 5 3 Color filmmaking, 1935-1936 5 4 La Cucaracha, 1936 5 5 Daddy's Gone A-Hunting, undated 5 6-8 The Dancing Pirate, 1936 5 9 The Dramatic Imagination, 1941 5 10 The Enchanted, 1950 5 11 Exhibitions, undated 5 12 Faust, undated 5 13 Garden of Paradise, undated 5 14 Die Glueckliche Hand, 1930 5 15 Green Pastures, 1930 5 16 The Hairy Ape, 1922 5 17 Hamlet, 1923 5 18 Helen Goes to Troy, 1944 5 19 Holiday, 1928 5 20 Hopkins, Arthur, 1950 5 21 The Jest, 1919 5 22 Ladies Leave, 1929 5 23 The Living Mask, 1924 5 24 Lucrece, 1932 5 25 Lute Songs, 1946-1947 5 26 Macbeth, 1930 5 27 Machinal, undated 5 28 Martine, 1928 5 29 Mary of Scotland, 1933 5 30 A Moon for the Misbegotten, undated 5 31 Mr. Moneypenny, 1928 5 32 The Mountain Man, undated 5 33 Obituaries, undated, 5 34 O'Neill, Eugene, 1953, undated 5 35 Othello, 1943 6 1 The Philadelphia Story, 1939 6 2 Pierrot Lunaire, 1933 6 3 Radio City Music Hall, 1932 6 4 Redemption, 1918 6 5 The Rescuing Angel, 1917 6 6 Richard III, 1920 6 7 The Saint, 1924 6 8 Serena Blandish, 1929 6 9 Skyscrapers, 1926 6 10 Symphony Hall. Includes note from REJ to Mother., 1930 6 11 These Days, undated 6 12 Tyl Eulenspiegel, 1916 6 13 Wozzeck, 1931 6 14 Yolanda of Cyprus, 1929-1930 Programs 6 15-16 Central City, 1932-1941 6 17 Die Glueckliche Hand, 1930 6 18 Hamlet, 1923 6 19 Helen Goes to Troy, 1944 6 20 Out of Dust, 1949 6 21 Three Plays by Ridgley Torrence. Includes note by Kenneth Macgowan., circa 1919, 1957 Other Printed Material 6 21 Chrysalis: Robert Edmond Jones, pamphlet, 1955 6 22 Miscellaneous material, undated 6 23 Scrapbook, 1933-1935

Contains clippings related to Jones's work as a color consultant in early Technicolor filmmaking.

 Series V: Audio Recordings 7 Jones, Robert Edmond, and Frederick C. Packard. Towards a New Theatre [Sound Recording] / Robert Edmond Jones. (2 LP disks), 1955 7 Jones, Robert Edmond. Towards a New Theatre, Also Curious and Profitable Lectures to Drama Students. Brunswick, Me: Vocarium Records, Inc. Reel-to-reel, 1963 Series VI: Oversize Material 8 1 Various large photographs of scene designs undated 8 2 Green Pastures. Costume design boards, photographs, and printed material 8 3 The Jew of Malta, costume design. Paintings and printed material undated 8 Scrapbook containing photographs of Jones's stage designs, undated Oversize Drawings and Designs Oversize Drawer A Touch of the Poet, 1946 Oversize Drawer [69-C11] Side Elevation of Beams Oversize Drawer [69-C13] Corner Cabinet Oversize Drawer [69-C17] Plan Oversize Drawer [69-C20] 4 Sliding Shutters Oversize Drawer Enchanted, 1949 Oversize Drawer Act I, Act II: Detail of Trees Oversize Drawer Act I, Act II: Revised Plan Oversize Drawer Act III Ground Plan Oversize Drawer Green Pastures, 1949 Oversize Drawer Act II, Scene VII: Outside a Temple Oversize Drawer Ark Oversize Drawer Throne Room Oversize Drawer Woodwings and Foliage Borders Oversize Drawer Fish-fry Tree Trunk Oversize Drawer Office Oversize Drawer Sunday School Oversize Drawer The Joyous Season, Curtains for Bay Window, undated Oversize Drawer Lute Song, 1945 Oversize Drawer Rock in Pavillion Oversize Drawer Scene I Oversize Drawer Sliding Screens Oversize Drawer A Place of Light and Flowers Oversize Drawer Front Curtain 1 Oversize Drawer Front Curtain 2 Oversize Drawer Shrine Oversize Drawer Temple: Buddha and Pedestal Oversize Drawer Untitled (4 designs) Oversize Drawer Othello, 1943 Oversize Drawer [64-C2] First Inner Proscenium - Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C2] Second Inner Proscenium - Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C3] Set #1 Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C4] Set #1 Elevation Oversize Drawer [64-C5] Act I, Scene I: A Street - Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C6] Act I, Scene II: Senate Chamber - Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C8] Act I, Sc. II: Plaque to cover window opening Oversize Drawer [64-C9] Act ---, Scene ---: Arrival in Cyprus - Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C10] Act II, Scene ---: A Wharf - Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C11] Act ---, Scene ---: Courtyard - Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C13] Set # 2 Ground Plan Oversize Drawer [64-C14] Set #2 Elevation Oversize Drawer [64-C16] Set #3 Backings Oversize Drawer [64-C17] Final Scene - Bed, Headboard, Backing Oversize Drawer [64-C18] Final Scene - Detail of Headboard of Bed Oversize Drawer [64-C19] 2 Transparent Muslin Drops Oversize Drawer [64-C21] Permanent Ground Row Oversize Drawer Out of Dust, 1949 Oversize Drawer Act I, Scene I (2 sheets) Oversize Drawer Act I, Scene II Oversize Drawer Act I, Scene III Oversize Drawer Act II, Scene I (2 sheets) Oversize Drawer Act II, Scene II (2 sheets) Oversize Drawer Covered Wagon Oversize Drawer Frame for Drops Oversize Drawer Method of Hanging Drops for "Out of Dust" Oversize Drawer Portal (1 drawing, 3 blueprint copies) Oversize Drawer Working Drawings for Deserted Shack for "Out of Dust" Oversize Drawer Unidentified drawings, undated