Donna Rydberg fashion modeling album, circa 1960-1964

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Rydberg, Donna, 1933-2008
Title
Donna Rydberg fashion modeling album
Dates
circa 1960-1964 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 box, (.42 cubic feet)
Collection Number
2012.38
Summary
Photographs, newspaper clippings and other materials documenting Donna Rydberg’s modeling career and professional activities
Repository
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library

P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public by appointment.

Languages
English.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Donna Rydberg was born in Seattle in 1933, the only child of German immigrants Leo and Freida Bartl. Her father worked as a pastry chef and they lived in the Queen Anne neighborhood. She attended Coe School and Queen Anne High. She received training in dance and classical ballet and was an avid equestrian. She married Clifford Rydberg on July 12, 1955, and the couple lived in the Queen Anne house where Donna grew up. They had no children. She died in Seattle on October 8, 2008 from complications of diabetes.

During the 1960s, Donna Rydberg had a successful modeling career and her work appeared in magazines, newspapers and fashion catalogs. She was also featured at various charity events and fashion show benefits at venues such as the Edgewater Inn, Frederick & Nelson, Seattle Center and Longacres Race Track. In 1961, she appeared at the outdoor groundbreaking ceremony for Gracie Hansen’s Night in Paradise Show at the Seattle World’s Fair. On a cold December day, she wore a show costume and elaborate headdress and entered the stage through a paper apple while Gracie Hansen threw apples to the audience and local press. During the Seattle World’s Fair, she danced in Gracie Hansen’s nightclub show and worked with John Eaton, a successful Seattle milliner who created and sold hats to the city's social set from the 1940s to the 1960s. Later in her career, Donna Rydberg taught modeling at the Anita Charles Beauty School located at 7th and Pine Street in downtown Seattle.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of photographs, articles, fashion catalogs and magazine advertisements documenting the career of Seattle fashion model Donna Rydberg. The materials were collected and organized by Donna Rydberg into a 12x10 inch 3-ring album. The black and white photographic series includes studio portraits and photographer contact sheets of various modeling poses intended for self-promotion. Other photographs, including some in color, document activities such as fashion show in various venues, photo sessions and charity events.

Of particular interest, the collection includes newspaper clippings and photographs of Gracie Hansen and Donna Rydberg at a promotional event for the Seattle World’s Fair on December 21, 1961. Other unique photographs include Donna Rydberg posing with Seattle designer John Eaton and modeling his Century 21 inspired hats at the Seattle Center. Newspaper clippings include Dorothy Neighbor’s Fashion column from the Seattle Times. The collection features various print advertisements featuring Donna Rydberg and other models, including a 14-page Alaska Arctic Furs catalog.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format by clicking on the camera icons in the inventory below.

Restrictions on Use

The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Donna Rydberg Fashion Modeling Album, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Location of Collection

3a.4.8

Acquisition Information

Gift of Monique Vescia, 2012

Processing Note

The photographs, clippings and other materials were removed from the scrapbook album and stored in folders for preservation purposes. The original order of the album was retained.

Related Materials

MOHAI's accession number 2013.6 consists of 4 black and white photographs of Donna Rydberg modeling clothing at MacDougall & Southwick fashion shows at the Edgewater Inn, 1963-1964.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Photographs, circa 1960-1964Return to Top

Description Dates
2012.38.1: Donna Rydberg modeling poses
2 copies 8x10 inches
Photographer proof sheet with 8 different images, stamped on back, Photographic Productions, Inc.
circa 1960
2012.38.2: Donna Rydberg modeling poses
8x10 inches
Photographer proof sheet with 12 different images, stamped on back, Photographic Productions, Inc.
circa 1960
2012.38.3: Donna Rydberg modeling poses
8x10 inches
Photographer proof sheet with 12 different images, stamped on back, Photographic Productions, Inc.
circa 1960
2012.38.4: Donna Rydberg modeling poses
8x10 inches
Photographer proof sheet with 8 different images, stamped on back, Photographic Productions, Inc.
circa 1960
2012.38.5: Donna Rydberg head and shoulders pose
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Frederick & Nelson Photograph Studio
circa 1960
2012.38.6: Donna Rydberg posing in fur-trimmed dresses
Color photograph ;
8x10 inches
Two different photographs attached together.
circa 1960
2012.38.7: Donna Rydberg posing in fur-trimmed coat with umbrella
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Frederick & Nelson Photograph Studio
circa 1960
2012.38.8: Donna Rydberg posing in fur-trimmed coat with umbrella
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Frederick & Nelson Photograph Studio
circa 1960
2012.38.9: Donna Rydberg posing in raincoat with umbrella
8x10 inches
circa 1960
2012.38.10: Donna Rydberg posing in fur wrap and black dress
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Frederick & Nelson Photograph Studio
circa 1960
2012.38.11: Donna Rydberg head and shoulders pose
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Kennell-Ellis, Inc.
circa 1960
2012.38.12: Donna Rydberg head and shoulders pose
8x10 inches
Signed on back, Donna Rydberg
circa 1960
2012.38.13-14: Donna Rydberg posing in fur-trimmed coat
8x10 inches
circa 1960
2012.38.15: Donna Rydberg posing in raincoat with umbrella
8x10 inches
circa 1960
2012.38.16-17: Donna Rydberg modeling on stage in front of audience
8x10 inches
circa 1960
1962
2012.38.21: Donna Rydberg modeling poses
4 photographs 2x2 inches
Individual photographs cut from proof sheet
circa 1960
2012.38.22: Donna Rydberg head and shoulders pose
8x10 inches
circa 1960
2012.38.23: Donna Rydberg posing in fur-trimmed dress with red hat
Color photograph ;
8x10 inches
circa 1960
2012.38.24: Donna Rydberg posing outdoors in fur-trimmed dress with Space Needle in the background
Color photograph ;
8x10 inches
circa 1962
2012.38.25: Donna Rydberg modeling poses
Color photograph ;
8x10 inches
Photographer proof sheet with 12 different images, stamped on back, Yang Color Photography
circa 1962
2012.38.26: Donna Rydberg posing in fur-trimmed dress with back hat
Color photograph ;
8x10 inches
Handwritten on back: Bud Kimball, Box 66, Steilacoom, WA
circa 1960
circa 1962
1962
1961
2012.38.35: Donna Rydberg posing in show costume holding a TV Guide
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photo by Howard Staples
1961
2012.38.36: Donna Rydberg posing in show costume
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photo by Howard Staples
1961
2012.38.37: Donna Rydberg on stage with John Eaton
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photo by Howard Staples
1961
2012.38.39: Donna Rydberg, Gracie Hansen and Anne Stover
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photograph by the Seattle Times
1961
1961
2012.38.41: Donna Rydberg posing in show costume holding a TV Guide
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photo by Howard Staples
1961
2012.38.42: Donna Rydberg on stage with John Eaton
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photo by Howard Staples
1961
2012.38.43: Donna Rydberg on stage with John Eaton and Gracie Hansen
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photo by Howard Staples
1961
2012.38.44: Donna Rydberg on stage with Gracie Hansen throwing apples
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Photo by Howard Staples
1961
2012.38.48: Donna Rydberg head and shoulders pose
4x7 inches
Outline trimmed from larger photograph
circa 1960
2012.38.49: Donna Rydberg posing in cape and skirt
8x10 inches
Signed on back, Moe
circa 1963
2012.38.52: Donna Rydberg on stage in metallic jumpsuit
8x10 inches
1964
2012.38.54: Donna Rydberg on stage with other models
8x10 inches
1964
2012.38.55: Donna Rydberg on stage in gold jumpsuit
8x10 inches
1964
2012.38.56: Donna Rydberg posing in ski outfit
8x10 inches
1964
2012.38.58: Models applying makeup in front of mirror
5x7 inches
1964
2012.38.59: Donna Rydberg posing in black dress
8x10 inches
Stamped on back, Frederick and Nelson Photographic Studio
circa 1963
2012.38.61: Models applying makeup in front of mirror
5x7 inches
1964
2012.38.62: Models applying makeup in front of mirror
5x7 inches
1964
2012.38.64: Donna Rydberg modeling poses 1963 March 27
8x10 inches
Photographer contact sheet with 12 images, includes negatives

Ephemera, circa 1962-1964Return to Top

Includes newspaper and magazine clippings, programs and a catalog.

Description Dates
2012.38.18: Time Magazine advertisement for Union Oil Company
Photograph of Donna Rydberg posing in a group with Union Oil sign and Space Needle in the background.
1962 June 22
2012.38.20: Newspaper clipping "Premiere at Playhouse"
Photograph of Donna Rydberg posing in full length dress
1964
2012.38.27-28: Alaska Arctic Furs catalog clippings of Donna Rydberg in fur parkas
circa 1964
2012.38.29: Seattle Post-Intelligencer article "Adventures in (Fair) Paradise- A Ground Break with Girls"
Photograph of Donna Rydberg in show costume with Gracie Hansen
1961 December 22
2012.38.30: Newspaper clipping "Fall Fashions at Longacres and Luncheon Benefit"
Photograph of Donna Rydberg in group outdoors
circa 1962
2012.38.38: Newspaper clipping "Home to Morton: Gracie to Lead Parade"
Photograph of Donna Rydberg, Anne Stover and Gracie Hansen
1962
2012.38.45: Seattle Times article "Dorothy Neighbors Fashions"
Photograph of Donna Rydberg modeling velvet dress
1963 September 15
2012.38.46: Sea and Pacific Motor Boat magazine covers
2 covers
July 15, 1963 and September 1963 covers.
1963
2012.38.47: Seattle Times clippings "Dorothy Neighbors Fashions"
5 clippings
Photographs of Donna Rydberg modeling
1964
2012.38.50-51: Seattle Times clippings "Dorothy Neighbors Fashions"
7 clippings
Photographs of Donna Rydberg modeling
1964
2012.38.53: Queen Anne News clipping, Designers on Stage Fashion Show
Photographs of Donna Rydberg modeling on stage
1964 September 30
2012.38.57: "Designers on Stage" fashion show program
Donna Rydberg modelled at this show, put on by the National Society of Interior Designers and the Seattle Children's Home
1964 September 28
2012.38.60: Newspaper advertisement for Anita Charles Beauty School
2 advertisements
Photograph of Donna Rydberg
circa 1964
2012.38.63: Alaska Arctic Furs catalog
14 pages
Alaska Arctic Furs, 1517 5th Avenue, Seattle
circa 1964
2012.38.65: Sea and Pacific Motor Boat magazine
1953 November
2012.38.: Newspaper clipping of Donna Rydberg in white hat with John Eaton in front of Science Center
1962

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Fashion industry--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Fashion models--Washington(State)--Seattle

Geographical Names

  • United States--Washington (State)--Seattle

Form or Genre Terms

  • Ephemera
  • Photographs