The Jules Fisher collection of Jo Mielziner designs includes original drawings and renderings for theater, opera, and ballet productions from the 1920s through the 1960s, primarily in New York City.
Biographical/historical: Jo Mielziner, set and lighting designer, theater architect and consultant was born in Paris to American parents, but spent most of his life in New York City. Highly successful, he designed scenes for approximately 270 plays, musicals, revues and an occasional opera, movie and ballet, spanning the 1920s through the 1960s. Memorable successes include Carousel; Death of a Salesman; Guys and Dolls; Gypsy; The King and I; Look Homeward, Angel; Picnic; South Pacific; Strange Interlude; A Streetcar Named Desire; and the opera, The Emperor Jones
Jules Fisher, award-winning lighting designer, found early inspiration in Mielziner's designs and worked for Mielziner during the technical rehearsals of The Most Happy Fella in Philadelphia (1956). Fisher began assembling this collection in 1976, after Mielziner's death. Aiming to document the full range of Mielziner's artistry and career, he acquired items at auction and through private purchase from Mielziner's family, friends, and other collectors.
Content: The Jules Fisher collection of Jo Mielziner designs includes original drawings and renderings for theater, opera, and ballet productions from the 1920s through the 1960s, primarily in New York City. All are works on paper, with the exception of a three-dimensional model. Most images are set designs, with a few costume designs also represented. The bulk of the collection is finished renderings, although there are some preliminary sketches, and a 3-dimensional illuminated set design.
Among Mielziner's best-known works here are Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Death of a Salesman, The Emperor Jones, Guys and Dolls, Gypsy, and Look Homeward, Angel. Other notable titles include Mr. Gilhooley, Romeo and Juliet, Silk Stockings, That Summer, That Fall, The Lark, The Red General, and Yellow Jack. There is also a design for the AT&T Pavilion's Controlled Ride at the New York World's Fair, 1964-65.
Physical Description
Extent: 3.6 linear feet 5 boxes, 36 oversized folders