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Collection Data
- Description
- Nat Karson, producer and designer of costumes, sets, and lighting in theatrical and television productions in New York, was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1908, and moved to Chicago at an early age. He moved to New York in 1929, and worked in theatre productions at the Federal Theatre Project, including the all-black-cast production of Macbeth (1936), directed by Orson Welles. Karson also produced and created set, costume and lighting designs for theatrical productions on Broadway and elsewhere, such as the 1939 New York World's Fair. He served as the art director of Radio City Music Hall (1936-1943), and in 1948 he became consultant producer at the Columbia Broadcasting Company. His credits include The Hot Mikado (1939), Keep off the grass (1940), and Hamlet at the Kronberg Festival in Denmark (1949). Nat Karson died in New York City in 1954. Originals and copies of color costume and set designs; sketches and costume plots; technical drawings; and storyboards by Nat Karson for theatrical and television productions in New York during 1931-1949. The collection also includes 2 sketchbooks of set designs, several cut-outs of stage models, 1 caricature, 2 posters, and some black white photographs.
- Names
- Karson, Nat (Creator)
- Dates / Origin
- Date Created: 1931 - 1949
- Library locations
- Billy Rose Theatre Division
- Shelf locator: *T-Vim 2011-101
- Topics
- African Americans in the performing arts
- Genres
- Costume design drawings
- Set design drawings
- technical drawings
- Notes
- Biographical/historical: Nat Karson, producer and designer of costumes, sets, and lighting in theatrical and television productions in New York, was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1908, and moved to Chicago at an early age. He moved to New York in 1929, and worked in theatre productions at the Federal Theatre Project, including the all-black-cast production of Macbeth (1936), directed by Orson Welles. Karson also produced and created set, costume and lighting designs for theatrical productions on Broadway and elsewhere, such as the 1939 New York World's Fair. He served as the art director of Radio City Music Hall (1936-1943), and in 1948 he became consultant producer at the Columbia Broadcasting Company. His credits include The Hot Mikado (1939), Keep off the grass (1940), and Hamlet at the Kronberg Festival in Denmark (1949). Nat Karson died in New York City in 1954.
- Content: Many costume designs include swatches or notion samples, as well as notes with costume details on the margins or typed and attached to the design
- Content: Most of the set designs are unlabeled and unidentified
- Content: Many designs are signed
- Physical Description
- Extent: 6 boxes (ca. 600 drawings) : col ; 56 x 76 cm. or smaller
- Type of Resource
- Text
- Still image
- Identifiers
- Other local Identifier: *T-Vim 2011-101
- NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19322884
- MSS Unit ID: 22123
- Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 79a21f90-989e-013d-4cb3-0242ac110002
