Josef Franz Maria Hoffmann papers, ca. 1895-ca. 1950.

ArchivalResource

Hoffmann, Josef Franz Maria, 1870-1956. Josef Franz Maria Hoffmann papers, ca. 1895-ca. 1950.

Josef Franz Maria Hoffmann papers, ca. 1895-ca. 1950.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/84922700

A broad range of manuscript writings drawn from Hoffmann's personal papers, 1898-1938 but especially strong in his writings for public presentations, 1924-1932. The material documents the concepts Hoffmann developed in dealing with the ". . . conflicting impulses of his time: tradition and innovation, conservatism and progress, the countryside and the city, craftsmanship and industrialization, decoration and functionalism" (Jane Kallir, 1986). Furthermore it shows Hoffmann's intense involvement in the fate of the Wiener Werkstätte and the Kunstgewerbeschule, Vienna, his interest in art and architectural education and his involvement in the arts and crafts movement. The collection also includes a minor portion of the architect's correspondence and about 195 photographs of objects designed by Hoffmann and other members of the Wiener Werkstätte after 1919, some printed material and ephemera and a single set of architectural drawings. After Hoffmann's death these papers passed to his friend and biographer, Leopold Wolfgang Rochowanski. The rare book dealer Oscar Schreyer wrote English summaries for many of the letters and manuscripts in this archive; these are filed with the originals. Series I. Letters from Hoffman, 1925-1938, arranged chronologically. A minor portion of the letters written by Hoffmann, mostly undated and of an official nature. The letters reflect Hoffmann's fundamental differences with the Administration of the Wiener Werkstätte after 1928. They also offer information about Hoffmann's role in the Oesterreische Werkbund and his reasons for leaving. Series II. Letters received, 1902-1940, arranged in chronological order. Twenty-four postcards and letters from friends, collegues, students and unknown correspondents, all personal and informal in nature. Notable is a letter from Jozsef Vago, 1929 Nov. 16, discussing the Genfer Voelkerbundpalais project. Among the other correspondents are Dagobert Peche, Ernesto De Fiori, Alfred Roller, Adolph Vetter, and Martin Dülfer. Series III. Manuscripts by Hoffmann, 1895-1938, arranged chronologically by subject. Sixty-six manuscripts, mostly unpublished, some annotated, are drafts of lectures, memoranda and articles. English synopses prepared by Oscar Schreyer accompany most of them. Subjects include furniture and interior design, architecture, including individual projects, art education and the applied arts, the evolution of the Wiener Werkstätte and its roots in the English arts and crafts movement, the Kunstgewerbeschule, the Akademie in Vienna and the Oesterreichische Werkbund. Series IV. Printed matter, 1919-1945, includes newspaper clippings of Hoffmann's articles, 1931- ca. 1945, and eight items about Hoffmann, ca. 1919-1934. Series V. Architectural drawings, photographs and graphic arts comprise four architectural drawings, with the Wiener Werkstätte stamp, for a casino with adjacent house in Kapfenburg, Austria; ca. 195 photographs of functional and decorative objects designed by Werkstätte students, including Gudrun Baudisch, Mathilde Flögl, Dagobert Peche, Michael Powolny, Vally Wieselthier, and others. Also, portraits of Hoffmann and other Wiener Werkstätte artists; three photographs of architectural drawings, and one color lithograph by an unknown artist. Series VI. Ephemera, 1909-1950, consists of 12 items which refer to Hoffmann, objects produced at the Wiener Werkstätte, and the role of the Werkstätte in Viennese cultural life. Also includes invoices and receipts, 1928-1930, which document the business relationship between the Wiener Werkstätte and the firm of Franz Untergerger.

ca. 450 items.

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