Gift, 1991 (G9170)
Open for research. Two posters are restricted due to their fragile condition, and will not be paged.
Ancelyn Krivak, 2013
Gordon Conway was born in Cleburne, Texas, in December 1894, the daughter of Jack Conway, who had served as mayor of Cleburne, and Tommie Conway. She was raised in Dallas and attended the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C. After her graduation in 1912, Conway enrolled at finishing schools in Lausanne, Switzerland and Rome, and travelled around Europe. After seeing some of Conway’s impromptu sketches at a London dinner party, an acquaintance recommended her to Heyworth Campbell, art editor for Condé Nast’s publications. Conway returned to the United States and met with Campbell in New York in 1916, and within a year he was publishing her illustrations in
In the 1920s, Conway continued to illustrate for fashion magazines, primarily
By the late 1920s, Conway had divorced Blake Ozias and transitioned from theatrical costume design to designing for the new medium of talking pictures. Beginning with
Information in the biographical sketch is derived from the exhibition booklet
The Gordon Conway Papers, 1864-1986, document the personal and professional activities of Gordon Conway, American fashion illustrator and costume designer, with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1910s to the 1930s. Personal and business correspondence, diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks, photographs and photograph albums, clippings, and programs illuminate Conway’s frequent travels and her career in Paris, New York, and London; production materials including photographs, programs, and clippings record Conway’s design work for theater and film. The papers also contain materials that belonged to Conway’s mother, Tommie Conway, and Raye Virginia Allen, who wrote a biography of Conway,
The papers are arranged in three series. Series I. Gordon Conway, 1891-1984, is divided into five subseries, beginning with Subseries A. Production Materials, 1918-1984. This subseries is comprised of photographs, programs, clippings, and posters related to theatrical and film productions that Conway contributed to in the form of advertising or costume designs. Materials are arranged alphabetically by production title. Subseries B. Correspondence, 1912-1956, includes personal letters from Conway’s friends and admirers, such as the artist Porter Woodruff and the playwright Guy Bolton, as well as business correspondence with Conway’s employers, including Condé Nast art director Heyworth Campbell and
Series II. Tommie Conway (Mrs. Jack Conway), 1892-1957, is a small series comprised of materials originating from Gordon Conway’s mother, Tommie Conway, also known as Mrs. Jack Conway. Subseries A contains correspondence sent to Tommie Conway, most of it associated with the death and funeral of Gordon Conway in 1956. Tommie Conway’s diaries and address books are filed in Subseries B, along with several scrapbooks and diaries created by Ollie-wood J. Leake, Tommie Conway’s niece. Some of these scrapbooks contain clippings about Gordon Conway and other Conway family members. Subseries C. contains clippings and other printed materials collected by Tommie Conway.
Series III. Raye Virginia Allen, 1864-1986, primarily contains Allen’s research materials on Gordon Conway and materials associated with the exhibit
Access Notes
Two billboard posters for the plays
The Harry Ransom Center’s Gordon Conway Design Collection contains Conway’s original illustrations and artworks, and the Costumes and Personal Effects Collection contains reproductions of costumes designed by Conway as well as personal items that belonged to Conway. Also at the Harry Ransom Center, the W. H. Crain Costume and Scenic Design Collection contains two original costume designs by Conway for the film