The Archives
The Archives include photographs of every Frederick Parker model made between 1872 and 1939, some on glass plates; the complete range available mounted in large reference books; loose photographs in envelopes that were sent out to customers; sketch books of every "special" made; and many drawings of proposed items for specific customers.
The number of models manufactured ran into many thousands. The Frederick Parker standard range was about 5000, specials to order perhaps double that. The Parker Knoll range was over 3,500.
There are record books of accounts, costs and board minutes.
The firm started a subsidiary company in 1930 called "Parker Knoll", and the Collection has every catalogue and photographs of every item manufactured from then until 2003, like Parkers, running into many thousands of items. Just recently the local photographer who did a great deal of works of Parkers, on retirement gave the Foundation boxes and boxes of all the work he did for the company over nearly forty years.
Other items of interest include:
- A library of manufacturer's catalogues, and one of general furniture
- Scrapbooks of anthing and everything connected with furniture and furnishing that interested the Park brothers
- Large wooden boxes of plaster casts of carving, so they could do accurate reproductions when requested
- Parker Knoll, along with Sleepeasy, were the first furniture companies to advertise their products nationally in the 1930's, and the Parker Knoll advertising over 70 years forms an historic collection
Our plans are to engage a part-time archivist, to sort this fascinating Collection of photographs and documents to put them in such an order that serious students of furniture history can have access to them.