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Sarah Mundy
Scope and Contents
The papers of designer, silversmith, and educator Hans Christensen measure 12.3 linear feet and date from 1924 to 1989 with the bulk of the collection dating from 1955 to 1983. The collection includes biographical materials, correspondence, writings and notes, personal business records, teaching files for the Rochester Institute of Technology, printed and broadcast materials, artwork, photographic materials, and sound and video recordings.
Biographical materials include address books, card files, 27 appointment books, awards and certificates, official documents from Denmark, interviews, legal records, and records of his memorial service. Correspondence is with Christensen's mother and wife, colleagues, the International Institute of Arts and Letters, the National Rochester Society, and others. Writings consist of Christensen's essays on hollow ware and RIT; lectures at the Memorial Art Galleries, Women's Council, and the American Craft Council; and notes and a notebook on an array of subjects. Writings by others are by Eileen Quinn and a student paper.
Personal business records are divided into general, activities, and commission files that pertain to Christensen's career outside of teaching. Teaching files include alumni files, contracts, correspondence, course outlines, records for the International Trade Fair of Rennes, grievance committee files, a financial ledger, meeting records, program information, reports, studio floor plan, and student files.
Printed materials include a broadcast recording, a scrapbook, booklets, business cards, clippings, and exhibition material that mainly feature Christensen and his work. Artwork consists of one sketchbook, a portfolio, and numerous sketches and templates. Photographic materials include photographs, negatives, and slides of Christensen, his first and second wives, Betten and Els, and home life, his family in Denmark, travel, students and colleagues, and works of art. Unidentified sound recordings consist of 17 sound cassettes.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Hans Christensen papers were donated in 1982 by Christensen and in 1984, 1988-1992 by his widow, Elisabeth Christensen.
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview and slide presentation with Hans Christensen conducted by Robert Brown for the Archives of American Art from December 11, 1981 to December 3, 1982.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2018.