Ericksen, Mary Alice

[Costume design academic archive with 150+ original drawings: University of Minnesota]

Minneapolis, Minnesota: [Mary Ericksen], [ca. 1970-1990]. Archive of St. Paul, Minnesota resident, Mary Alice Ericksen (1943-2025), including a collection of over 150 original costume designs and fashion drawings completed during her College of Home Economics degree from the University of Minnesota. 

Ericksen graduated from the University of Minnesota on June 6, 1980 and lived in St. Paul until her passing in 2025. She served in the Peace Corps and traveled extensively. While she continued on to pursue sewing and crafts, Ericksen found a love of mystery novels, which she collected. This archive is chiefly comprised of Ericksen's original art created during her post-secondary education. Also included are a series of personal letters, slides, and other ephemera, rounding out her interests outside of her budding costume design aspirations which were never quite realized. An obituary was not found for Ericksen and little additional information is available to further supplement her life. Item #2725

Archive consists of: 

43 original costume sketches dating 1977-1978 (2: 15" x 20" hand drawn with watercolor, 9: 14" x 18" pastel sketches with fabric swatches and description on verso, 2: 15" x 20" hand drawn with watercolor including fabric swatches and theatrical production descriptions, and a total of 39: 9" x 12" costume paintings with fabric swatches for the following productions: "Mother Courage and Her Children," "The Contrast," "Sweeney Todd," "The Octoroon," and "Poor Murderer").

75 pencil sketches and notes relating to character studies, including two sketches involving clowns, and two sketches relating to animal costumes.

33 fashion design sketches in pen (some with watercolor) and fabric swatches. 

An assortment of school binders, folders, and educational materials ca. 1969 through ca. 1980, including one three-ring binder containing 25 pages of various headshot cutouts for sketch references.

15 photographs (including two professional headshots of Mary Ericksen).

248 slides dating 1971-early 1990s (mostly travel slides, locations include: Yellowstone National Park, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Haiti, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. John, Miami, Dominican Republic, Historic Fort Snelling, Sierra Leone, Missouri, Arkansas, Senegal, Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, production slides from "Poor Murderer," and one loose slide depicting a woman handling medical vials). 

Miscellaneous correspondence, stickers, pins, photo negatives, sewing patterns, newspaper clippings, handouts relating to depression and women's mental health, and more clown content. 

.

Price: $600.00