The Ward M. Canaday Center

for Special Collections

The University of Toledo

Finding Aid

Edith Franklin Papers, 1950s-2011

MSS-254

Size: 1.5 linear feet

Provenance:  Edith Franklin

Access: Open

Related Collections:

Processing Note: 

Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns.  Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code.  The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.

Completed by: Tamara Jones, September 2011

 

 Biographical Sketch

Edith Franklin was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1922.  She attended Ohio State University from 1940-1942 before moving to Boston to study occupational therapy, first at Simmons College, then at the Boston School of Occupational Therapy.  She also took classes at the Boston Museum of Fine Art School, where she discovered her love of pottery.  From 1945-1986, she studied at The Toledo Museum of Art School of Design, taking classes in such varied arts as painting, sculpture, and papermaking.  From 1950-1951, she studied ceramic arts under Harvey Littleton, who taught classes at the Museum at that time.  She began working with glass after participating in her first glassblowing workshop in 1962.  It was also in the 1960s that she began teaching ceramics workshops, and she has taught at colleges and numerous local schools.  In 1986, Edith received a B.A. degree in pottery from the University of Toledo.  The following year, she was hired by Virginia Secor Stranahan to teach at the 577 Foundation, which Edith co-founded on what is now Stranahan’s former estate.  She taught adult ceramics classes at the Foundation and served as its director until stepping down in 1997.

In addition to teaching, Edith has shown her works in both solo and group exhibitions, and her creations can also be found in numerous institutions as well as private collections.  She has been a member of such organizations as the Toledo Potters Guild, The Toledo Area Glass Guild, the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, and the American Crafts Council.  Some of the awards she has received include the 1981 Arts Commission of Greater Toledo Outstanding Achievement Award, the 1983 Outstanding Achievement Award (Ohio Designer Craftsmen), and the 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award (Toledo Federation of Art Societies).

Additional biographical information can be found in this collection and at http://www.jandjgallery.net/id32.html

 

Scope and Content Note

This collection documents Edith Franklin’s involvement in the ceramics communities in Toledo and throughout Ohio and consists of correspondence, photographs, articles, notes, and various printed materials.  The collection contains materials covering general subjects, as well as documents pertaining to specific events and organizations.  Because of this, there is some overlap within the collection; e.g., correspondence, photographs, and printed material will be found in more than one section depending on the subject matter. 

Folder List

Box

Folder

Item

 

 

 

 

 

577 FOUNDATION/THE BARN

 

 

 

1

1

Articles, ads, and notes

 

 

 

 

 

ATHENA ART SOCIETY

 

 

 

1

2

History, meeting notes, articles, and printed material

 

 

 

 

 

CERAMICS ARTICLES AND NOTES

 

 

 

1

3

Clay notes

1

4

Kiln construction

1

5

Molds, casting, and throwing notes

1

6

Notes on glazes

1

7

Test firings notes, 1955-57

 

 

 

 

 

CORRESPONDENCE

 

 

 

1

8

Cards, letters, notes, and postcards, 1954-2009 (various subjects; not all years included)

1

9

Thank-you letters from students

 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBITIONS

 

 

 

1

10

Center for the Visual Arts (CVA) Exhibit, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

One-Man Show, 1958

1

11

Correspondence, Oct. 1958, n.d.

1

12

Guestbook

1

13

Newspaper clippings, Oct. – Nov. 1958, n.d.

1

14

Photographs

1

15

Pieces on display

1

16

Miscellaneous

 

 

 

 

 

Toledo Area Artists

1

17

Catalogs, 1952-1969

1

18

Catalogs, 1971-1979

 

 

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Exhibits

 

 

 

1

19

Printed material, 1960s-2000s

 

 

 

 

 

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS

 

 

 

1

20

Interviews with Edith

1

21

Interviews with glass artisans

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTOGRAPHS

 

 

 

1

22

Photographs of ceramics

1

23

Photographs of Edith (working)

1

24

Photographs of Edith (not working)

1

25

Miscellaneous photographs

 

 

 

 

 

PRINTED MATERIAL

 

 

 

1

26

Magazine and newsletter articles, 1970s-2000s

1

27

Newspaper articles (various subjects), 1950s-2000s

1

28

Miscellaneous brochures, fliers, and programs, 1960s-2000s, n.d.

 

 

 

 

 

SATURADAY EVENING GIRLS (S.E.G.)/PAUL REVERE POTTERY (PRP)

 

 

 

1

29

Correspondence, 1977, 1993, 1995-96, 2002, n.d.

1

30

Inventories of S.E.G./PRP ceramics

1

31

Photographs of S.E.G./PRP ceramics

1

32

S.E.G./PRP history

 

 

 

 

 

TOLEDO FEDERATION OF ART SOCIETIES (TFAS)

 

 

 

2

1

Articles

2

2

Brochures, fliers, pamphlets, and programs

2

3

Correspondence

2

4

List of works in TFAS collection

2

5

Meeting minutes and notes/Treasurer’s report/other notes

2

6

Organization history

 

 

 

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

 

 

2

7

Awards and accolades (contains some correspondence)

2

8

Biographical/historical information

2

9

China diary, April 1984

2

10

Craft Club of Toledo constitution, n.d.

2

11

Edith Franklin on 92.5 KISS FM, June 11, 2008 (CD)

2

12

Edith Franklin Pottery Scholarship

2

13

Gardening notebook, 3/13/44

2

14

Minor crafts notes

2

15

Needlework samples

2

16

Physical therapy articles and notes

2

17

Religious art (contains various materials)

1

33

Scrapbook, South Africa trip, n.d.

2

18

Speech and reading notes

2

19

Toledo Botanical Garden (TBG) collection inventory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: 6/27/22