Origin Unknown: George Le Clerc Collection

George H. LeClerc was a craftsman from New Bedford, MA active in designing miniature furniture in the 1930s. He likely designed for the Toy Furniture Shop in Providence, RI, which is connected to the TynieToy company, which also began in Providence. TynieToy was founded in 1917 by Marion Perkins, and is considered a preeminent maker of period American doll furniture made to scale; the company was most active between World Wars I and II.

This collection was part of the archives when I arrived in 1995, but I could never track down the donor or find additional information on the artist. Why did Le Clerc create and exhibit the miniature rooms? Was it related to his profession, or was it a hobby? What were the many metal chair back templates created for? There are hundreds, and their sizes do not always match the size of TynieToy furniture.

The collection includes operational records, on cards, tissue and blueprint doll furniture designs (mostly chair backs) and metal templates for chair backs and other furniture. Also includes photographs of templates of chair backs, as well as photographs of fully furnished rooms of miniature furniture. Includes photos of an exhibit of miniature furniture at Jordan Marsh, date unknown.

If you can enlighten me about this collection, please comment on this blog or email me at jfarrar@umassd.edu.

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