Margaret Hodge Company project files
Online Access
Available digital items: https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/collections/KA0049.
Summary
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.
Dates
- 1945 - 1980
- Majority of material found within 1962 - 1976
Creator
- Hodge, Margaret (Person)
Extent
1.6 Cubic Feet (4 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
Films include Funny Girl (1968), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Lord Jim (1964), The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Robin and Marian (1976), The Sunshine Boys (1975), The Way We Were (1973), and Young Winston (1972).
Timeline of Films
- 1962
- Lawrence of Arabia
- 1964
- Lord Jim
- 1968
- Funny Girl
- 1971
- Nicholas and Alexandra
- 1972
- Young Winston
- 1973
- The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing
- The Way We Were
- 1975
- Funny Lady
- The Man Who Would Be King
- The Sunshine Boys
- 1976
- Robin and Marian
The collection primarily consists of publicity and merchandising materials related to the release of feature films. Two project files not connected to films are those belonging to the fashion labels "Mr. Dino" (Max Cohen) and "POSH" (Jay Anderson). Both Cohen and Anderson were Florida-based designers. The collection also contains clippings about a Bonwit Teller-hosted event featuring the Irish designer Patrick Porter, who was designing for Dan Keller, Inc. Dan Keller is underlined in the clippings, possibly indicating the firm was an early client.
Project files for feature films typically contain black and white numbered film stills with corresponding captions, unnumbered film stills, production stills and costume test stills, and black and white reproductions of costume design drawings. Some project files also contain reproductions of set design drawings. Unless otherwise indicated, all film stills and reproductions of design drawings are black and white.
Many project files also contain a series of black and white photographs labeled "Fashions inspired by [name of film]." The photographs are accompanied by product and designer information, retailer information, and press releases on the Margaret Hodge Company stationery.
The merchandising kits compiled for each production typically include press releases created by the film studio and by the Margaret Hodge Company. While the studio-produced materials are designed to generate an interest in the film, the Margaret Hodge Company materials promote product tie-ins for clothing and accessories, cosmetics, and travel. These merchandising materials include lists of retailers, product information, and product display suggestions. The kits are generally housed in an oversized, glossy folder.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.
Use Restrictions
To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.
Biographical note
Margaret Hodge graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1945 with a degree in Costume Design and Illustration. According to the Parsons School of Design Alumni Association records, she worked with Retail Fashion Affiliates, and established a public relations firm in approximately 1951. The Margaret Hodge Company, located at 15 East 48th Street in New York, primarily handled fashion accounts for manufacturers and designers. Hodge later joined the staff of Vogue magazine and eventually became marketing director. She resigned from Vogue on February 1, 1967 with the stated intention of "re-activating" her public relations firm.
Source: Parsons School of Design Alumni Bulletin, Vol. XX, April 1951, p. 3.
Organization and Arrangement
Organized in 2 series: 1. Biographical, 1945, 1967; 2. Project files, 1960-1980. Arrangement of project files is chronological by project and alphabetical within each project.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Susan Hodge, 2000.
- Advertising -- Fashion (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Clippings (information artifacts) (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Costume design (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Drawings (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Fashion in motion pictures (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Fashion merchandising (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Fashion photographs (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Fashion shows (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Film stills (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Motion picture industry (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Motion pictures -- Marketing (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Posters (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Press kits (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Publicists (Occupation) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Publicity (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women-owned business enterprises (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Margaret Hodge Company project files
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- New School Archives and Special Collections Staff
- Date
- January 25, 2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin