Scope and Content Note
The papers of Thomas Maitland Cleland (1880-1964), illuminating multiple facets of his life as a printer, typographer, type designer, artist and illustrator, span the years 1880-1964, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1920-1963. The collection is organized into Family Correspondence , General Correspondence , Speeches and Writings , and Miscellany series.
The collection is almost entirely made up of Cleland's correspondence , 1920-1963, with publishers, clients, and fellow artists and printers. The most extensive exchange is with Daniel Berkeley Updike, founder of the Merrymount Press. There are also letters relating to Cleland's typographic plans for the magazines Fortune and Newsweek and the newspaper PM . Among the correspondents are Merle Armitage, Boris Artzybasheff, George Biddle, Fritz Eichenberg, Rockwell Kent, Fritz Kredel, George Macy, Joseph Pennell (1857-1926), Bruce Rogers (1870-1957), Rudolph Ruzicka, and Edward A. Wilson. Others include Frank Altschul, Fred Anthoensen, Peter Beilenson, Paul A. Bennett,Will Bradley, Abraham Colish, Joseph Cotton, Arthur Sinclair Covey, Robert Dothard, Montague Glass, Alfred E. Hamill, Alger Hiss, Ralph Ingersoll, Francis Meynell, and Oliver Simon.
Attached to many of the letters are Cleland's original drawings, designs, typographical arrangements, specifications, and corrected proofs for books. There are examples of his designs for insignia, emblems, and bookplates that he designed for such clients as the Century Club, the Grolier Club, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Most of the Family Correspondence consists of letters Cleland received from his wife, Elinor Woodruff Cleland.
Dates
- Creation: 1880-1964
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1920-1963
Language of Materials
Collection material in English, Swedish, and French
Access and Restrictions
The papers of T. M. Cleland are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of T. M. Cleland is dedicated to the public.
Biographical Note
Biographical Note
- 1880, Aug. 18
- Born, Brooklyn, New York
- 1895 - 1896
- Attended Artist Artisan Institute, New York City
- 1905
- Married Elinor Woodruff
- 1906 - 1908
- Designer and art editor, McClure's Magazine
- 1915 - 1930
- Proprieter of his own design and print shop
- Painter and illustrator, most notably for the Limited Editions Club
- 1921
- Gold, silver, and bronze medals, American Institute of Graphic Arts Exhibition of Printing
- 1930
- Designed typography for Fortune Magazine
- 1940
- Awarded gold medal, American institute of Graphic Arts
- 1964, Nov. 9
- Died, Danbury, Conn.
Extent
6,750 items
27 containers
11 linear feet
Abstract
Book designer and illustrator. Correspondence, drawings, and title pages and designs for books and advertisements.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in four series:
Catalog Record
Acquisition Information
The papers of T. M. Cleland, book designer and illustrator, were given to the Library of Congress by Cleland in 1959. Additions were received by gift or purchase from the estate of Cleland and from others, 1962-1967.
Processing History
The papers of T. M. Cleland were arranged and described by Grover Batts with the assistance of Thelma Queen in 1968 and in 1982. The finding aid was revised in 2011 by Joseph K. Brooks. The finding aid was updated in 2024 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Source
- Cleland, T. M. (Thomas Maitland), 1880-1964 (Creator, Person)
Subject
- Altschul, Frank, 1887-1981--Correspondence. (Person)
- Anthoensen, Fred, 1882-1969--Correspondence. (Person)
- Armitage, Merle, 1893-1975--Correspondence. (Person)
- Artzybasheff, Boris, 1899-1965--Correspondence. (Person)
- Beilenson, Peter, 1905-1962--Correspondence. (Person)
- Bennett, Paul A., 1897-1966--Correspondence. (Person)
- Biddle, George, 1885-1973--Correspondence. (Person)
- Bradley, Will, 1868-1962--Correspondence. (Person)
- Cleland family--Correspondence. (Family)
- Cleland family. (Family)
- Cleland, Elinor Woodruff, 1871- --Correspondence. (Person)
- Cleland, T. M. (Thomas Maitland), 1880-1964. (Person)
- Colish, Abraham, 1882-1963--Correspondence. (Person)
- Cotten, Joseph, 1905-1994--Correspondence. (Person)
- Covey, Arthur Sinclair, 1877-1960--Correspondence. (Person)
- Dothard, Robert L.--Correspondence. (Person)
- Eichenberg, Fritz, 1901-1990--Correspondence. (Person)
- Glass, Montague, 1877-1934--Correspondence. (Person)
- Hamill, Alfred E. (Alfred Ernest), 1884-1953--Correspondence. (Person)
- Hiss, Alger--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ingersoll, Ralph, 1900-1985--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ingersoll, Ralph, 1900-1985--Correspondence. (Person)
- Kredel, Fritz, 1900-1973--Correspondence. (Person)
- Macy, George--Correspondence. (Person)
- Meynell, Francis, 1891-1975--Correspondence. (Person)
- Pennell, Joseph, 1857-1926--Correspondence. (Person)
- Rogers, Bruce, 1870-1957--Correspondence. (Person)
- Ruzicka, Rudolph, 1883-1978--Correspondence. (Person)
- Simon, Oliver, 1895-1956--Correspondence. (Person)
- Updike, Daniel Berkeley, 1860-1941--Correspondence. (Person)
- Wilson, Edward A. (Edward Arthur), 1886-1970--Correspondence. (Person)
- Century Club (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- Grolier Club. (Organization)
- Merrymount Press. (Organization)
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- Title
- T. M. Cleland Papers
- Subtitle
- A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
- Author
- Prepared by Manuscript Division staff
- Date
- 2024
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Part of the Manuscript Division Repository
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