Thompson (Arline K.) Papers, 1895-2009

Arline Kenyon Thomson was born to parents Joseph A. Clough and Alice G. Hulford on September 10th, 1912, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. After high school, Arline attended Massachusetts College of Art, graduating in 1934 after a four year course of study in General Design. In her first years after graduating, Arline was engaged in apprenticeship work in advertising in Boston and New York City. From 1948-1951, Arline took up further courses in book design and printing, discovering a love for the work which later led to her long career in book cover work and illustration. Arline Thomson passed away at the age of 97 on September 8th, 2010. The papers of Arline Thomson span from her childhood to the end of her life, but also include some belongings from her family (cookbooks, photographs) that go back to 1895. In terms of artwork, there is childhood art and sketches from her teenage years, sketches and notes from college, many copies of linoleum block prints, and original work from her book cover designing years. Several boxes include clippings from dance and theatre magazines spanning from the 1920s to the 1990s, and some full magazines about the same topics. From her and her husband Robert Thomson's years at the University of Maine, there are cheques, bills, and brochures from the university. There is a large collection of correspondence, some between Arline and her husband, but mostly between Arline and authors or publishers that she was working with during her designing career. As Arline and Robert took frequent trips to the United Kingdom, there is a significant amount of travel memorabilia, including tickets to theatre shows, postcards, and travel guides. In summary, this collection's contents span the entirety of Arline's life, with each major point in her career and life included in some form.