Walter John Hill Dudley furniture and design drawings collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: Col-1090

Content Description

The collection contains 21 sheets of furniture and exterior architectural drawings in black and white by designer, Walter John Hill Dudley. A majority of the drawings include a description of the object being designed, the client, the address it is intended for, and the dimensions. Some, but not all, of the drawings include Dudley's signature, the date, or a reference to Jos. P. McHugh & Co. There are 11 sheets focused on specific pieces of furniture and ten sheets of exterior and interior decorating design.

Dates

Creation: circa 1903-1915

Conditions Governing Access

Collection open for research.

Biographical Note

See more See less

Walter John Hill Dudley was born on August 23, 1962, in his generational home in Douglas, Massachusetts, to Arthur James Dudley (1839-1917) and Christiania Sarah Hill (1838-1892). He was the eldest brother to Guilford Chauncy (b. March 5, 1864), Robert Anthony (b. February 23, 1867), Loiezer Eliza (b. March 7, 1870), and Ralph Edward (b. April 20, 1876).

In his early adult life, Dudley served as the postmaster of Douglas, Massachusetts, as his ancestors had for generations. In June, 1888, he set off for New York City with aspirations to become a designer. He completed training at the Art Student's League in New York and a term at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. He attended his courses at night so he could work during the day in the architect's office of Mr. H. Edwards-Ficken. His time with Ficken taught him the importance of marrying aesthetic design with practicality, as Ficken emphasized the importance of including dimensions on his drawings.

In 1896, Dudley became associated with Joseph McHugh, the leading interior decorating business in New York City. Dudley became McHugh's American designer and decorator for twenty-five years. He was well-known for creating and popularizing the "Mission" style and designing willow furniture, eventually evolving his style to marry the straight-lined frame of "Mission" style with panels of willow.

Following the death of Mr. McHugh, Dudley retired in 1923 to Douglas, Massachusetts, to live with his sister and her husband, Mr. And Mrs. Francis L. Underwood. He ultimately passed away in 1947.