French-born Joset Walker (1902-1999) graduated from the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later, Parsons School of Design) in 1928, and became a leading designer of ready-to-wear clothing for Saks Fifth Avenue's Theatrical Department. In 1932, Walker served briefly as head costume designer for RKO Pictures. After returning to New York and designing for manufacturer David M. Goodstein, Walker left to found Joset Walker Designs. Often incorporating Mexican and Guatemalan textiles, colors and styles into her designs for the American market, Walker reached the pinnacle of her career in the 1940s and '50s as a designer of casual, feminine clothing for women. The Joset Walker collection includes pages from Walker's scrapbooks, largely comprised of clippings of advertisements for her designs, but also including publicity, photographs of department store window displays, and ephemera documenting Walker's career.

The collection consists primarily of Underwood's pen-and-ink designs for these articles, with manuscript captions and notes to the printer; and illustrations for children's stories which appeared in THE SUN, ca. 1905-1910, together with typescripts, proofs, and printed copies of the stories, several of which are by Underwood. The collection also includes correspondence relating to a projected series of costume designs for THE LADIES' HOME JOURNAL, a manuscript of a work on geography, and scrapbooks and clippings relating to these projects.

Correspondence, documents, memorabilia, photographs, original drawings, sketches and studies, and printed materials of Thompson. Correspondence, mostly uncataloged, relating to purchases made in Spain, France, and Italy during 1928; documents; memorabilia; photographs; printed material including publicity, books, engravings, and reproductions; an illustration file containing source illustrations for architectural details, costumes -- subdivided by century, country, societal role, sex, age, and by countries, crafts, painting, styles, etc., and including some original Thompson drawings; a production file containing related correspondence and documents; miscellaneous commissioned projects; and Thompson Studies, including studies done by Thompson, his work as a student, and materials pertaining to his activities as a teacher.

Correspondence regarding the production of the plays INTIMATE STRANGERS and MAGNOLIA by Tarkington. There are twelve holograph letters, one detail sketch for a costume, and one page of manuscript and one page of typescript notes by Tarkington as well as thirteen telegrams sent by him. The letters and telegrams are all addressed to Mr. Ira A. Hards, director of the plays. In addition, there are copies of seven telegrams by Hards and one by the producer, A.L. Erlanger, all but one of which are addressed to Tarkington. Also, carbon copies of four letters from Hards and Erlanger to Tarkington, two items concerned with book production and dramatic rights of THE INTIMATE STRANGERS and one theatre program.

Correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, commonplace books, drawings, photographs, and printed materials. The collection is a comprehensive documentation of the dramatist's career and includes manuscripts, typescripts, notes, and costume and scenic design for more than seventy of his plays and related writings; 31 diaries, commonplace books, and scrapbooks containing manuscript and typescript notes, travel sketches, original drawings, and photographs; and correspondence files including letters from Harley Granville-Barker, Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree, John Galsworthy, Booth Tarkington, and Thornton Wilder. Austin Strong's mother, Isobel Field, was the step-daughter of Robert Louis Stevenson. Consequently, the collection contains much Stevensoniana, including photographs and Isobel Field's letters from Western Samoa, where she was known as "Teuila." Also, correspondence and photographs relating to Cornwall Park, Auckland, New Zealand, which was designed by Austin Strong.

Mildred Orrick (1906-1994) graduated from the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later, Parsons School for Design) in 1928 and went on to a career as a fashion and costume designer and illustrator, and designed part of the Futurama exhibition at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Orrick was a visiting critic at Parsons from 1947 to 1962. The collection consists of Orrick's fashion and theater costume sketches, 1920s-1950s.

Mary Frances Gettrust graduated from the New York School of Art (later, Parsons School of Design) in 1939 with a diploma in Costume Design and Illustration, and served as an instructor of Costume Illustration at Parsons in the 1940s. The collection consists of a partial student notebook of costume sketches, printed samples of Gettrust's work as a fashion illustrator, correspondence from Parsons Alumni Association, and Parsons-related ephemera.

Robert Mackintosh (1925-1998) was a costume and fashion designer whose design career spanned forty years and twenty Broadway productions. He made his Broadway debut designing costumes for the 1952 musical Wish You Were Here. In the 1960s, Mackintosh branched out into womenswear design with Musette, a juniors label, which was sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. He went on to design various other womens and menswear lines in the 1970s. The bulk of the collection consists of costume sketches, technical sheets, and swatches from theatrical productions, including The Last Minstrel Show, and Mame. Also included are clippings, fashion publicity, and promotional photographs, as well as approximately 150 women's fashion sketches, and nine menswear sketches.

Charles Le Maire (1897-1985) began his costume design career in vaudeville shows of the 1920s. He later served as executive designer at Twentieth Century-Fox. In the 1950s, Le Maire formed his own business from private commissions and film work, earning thirteen Oscar nominations and three Oscars for Best Costume Design. The collection contains seventeen Le Maire sketches, including work for the Earl Carroll Vanities (1924-1930).

After graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1945, Margaret Hodge became director of fashion marketing at Vogue, and in 1967 formed her own fashion publicity firm. Hodge led various marketing campaigns integrating the fashion of Hollywood films. The collection mainly consists of Hollywood promotional material, including publicity photographs, press kits, announcements and tear sheets. Most of the material was produced from 1962 to 1976.