This collection of 24 drawings and paintings consists of women’s and men’s fashion illustrations created by Elizabeth Cornell, probably in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The illustrations mostly depict women’s and men’s wear, accessories, and fabric patterns. The illustrations usually depict full stories: the figures are on the beach, at a rowing race, at the racetrack, at a music club, or when single figures appear, they are finished, with stylized hair, jewelry, and other accessories. The illustrations are either mixed media, or were created with ink, pencil, or watercolor.

Some illustrations also have Cornell’s full address in Richmond Hill, New York, and a price on the recto, or on a separate sheet. It is not clear whether these designs were commissioned, purchased, or Cornell hoped to sell them. The brands that appear in the collection are retail stores Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor, and B. Altman and Co, and fabric manufacturer Darbrook Silks. Cornell also created a cover design proposal for Charm magazine, published by L. Bamberger and Co. Publishing Company of the Bamberger Department Store in Newark, New Jersey, between 1924-1932. It is unclear whether this was a commission and whether it was published. In the case of an earring advertisement for Saks Fifth Avenue, a clipping from an unidentified newspaper featuring an illustration in the same style as Cornell’s drawing is also attached to the illustration, indicating that Cornell’s illustrations were successfully published.

It is not clear whether some of the drawings in the collection are Cornell’s own original dress designs. Some drawings demonstrate Cornell’s experiments in brand typography as well. In one example, Cornell incorporated the name, “Altman,” into a series of figures engaged in leisure activities for the department store, B. Altman.

The illustrations are undated, and are signed “Cornell.” Some of the illustrations are numbered.