The Meier Basement Archives
Finding Aid to Don Lawson’s 35mm Slide Collection, Circa 1959- 1979
Descriptive Summary
Title: Don Lawson’s 35mm Slide Collection
Dates: Circa 1959-1979
Collection Number: Lawson_Don_2020
Creator: Donald Lawson, 1939-2020
Physical Location: Meier Basement Archives
Exent: linear feet_(one box add LxWxH containing 8 smaller boxes dimensions etc.)
Language: Majority in English, some images contain wording in foregin languages that include but not limited to French and Italian.
Abstract:
This collection consists of (add number of slides) associated with Donald Lawson. It is assumed that the majority of the photographs were taken by him or at least with his cameras and film. The slides cover topics that include and are not limited to family, friends, vacations, horse events, and ocean related content.
Biographical Note:
Born May 3, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York to William and Marie Lawson. He was the youngest of three. His eldest brother was William Lawson followed by Gary Lawson.
In the 1950s he graduated from New York University with a degree in Education. In 1959 he graduated from Parsons School of Design with a degree in Graphic Design and Advertising. Which led him to work for CBS throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a graphic artist and account executive. He played an important role in the development of CBS Sport marketing campaigns in both print and television formats for National Football League (NFL) and Professional Golf Association (PGA). He was also involved in developing, managing, and promoting CBS movie and sitcom ads for print media outlets like TV Guide.
In the mid- 1970s he purchased a beach house on Normandy Place in Seabright, New Jersey where he and his family spent many summer months there.
In the late 1970’s Mr. Lawson left CBS to work for Wells, Rich, and Greene, a prominent advertising agency. While working for them he continued to work with CBS by handling their accounts, along with working on Procter & Gamble's 1984 Olympic television and print media ads. He also worked on expanding "I Love NY" ads for the New York State Department of Economic Development while at Wells, Rich and Greene.
When he retired in the 1990’s Mr. Lawson picked up the hobby of buying and selling antiques. Mid-2000s he ran a “Lawson Found” booth at the Antique Center of Red Bank, New Jersey. He moved to Shadow Lakes Village in Middletown, New Jersey in the 2000s and lived there for the remainder of his life. May 10, 2020, he passed away during the COVID-19 Pandemic not from COVID-19 but due to other minor health issues.
Source:
Obituary of Donald A. LAWSON: Posten-mcginley funeral home. (2020, May). https://posten-mcginleyfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/42/Donald-Lawson/obituary.html
Administrative Summary
Processed by: Julia Meier
Processed dates: June 2020- April 2021
Acquisition date: June- July 2020
Custodial history: Donald Lawson created and owned the collection until May 2020, due to his death this collection was inherited by Julia Meier in May 2020 but not obtained until the start of June 2020 and through July 2020.
Access restrictions:
Sanitizing of hands is required before the handling of items, in ideal conditions disposable plastic gloves or gloves made specifically for handling archival materials should be worn. No food or liquid is allowed near the slides. Tie, bowtie, cravat, or neck scarf, ideally in silk, is optional but strongly preferred.
Publication rights:
Copyright of slides is unknown due to the fact that the photographer is deceased. The content in some slides might contain copyrighted material from CBS. Due to these factors, permission must be obtained from the Meier Basement Archives before the publication or non personal use of photos as well as permission from CBS in addition if applicable.
Preferred Citation:
Lawson, Donald. “Title of item here.” Don Lawson’s 35mm Slide Collection. Meier Basement Archives. Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Scope and Content of the collection
The Meier Basement archive is the sole repository for Don Lawson’s 35mm Slide Collection. The holdings of this collection solely includes 35mm slides with one exception of a memo that is related to a specific subseries of slides. There are approximately 4000 slides within this collection. The content of this collection covers a wide range of topics including but not limited to horse shows, family & friends, family dogs, architecture, vacations, CBS related content, ocean and sea landscapes, boats, and New York City. Due to the large volume and multitude of topics covered each series and subseries is explained in detail within the container list.
Please note due to being a working progress, as of April 25, 2021 only 1730 of the 4000 slides have been described and arranged and will be found within the following container lists.
Series and Subseries:
Due to the way this collection was initially being digitized, the digitized and non- digitized items are separated for the foreseeable future. The identification of people and places is limited due to limited access to knowledgeable persons, i.e. other family members, due to the current pandemic. For the content list of each series and to see the subseries please click on the link to the series’ associated spreadsheet.
Please note when reading the spreadsheets numbers without the word “slides” within parentheses (ex. (1-5, 6, 7, 37)) are the numbers on the slides associated with the shot number within a roll of film. Not every subseries will have this information, nor every subseries will have a location or date due to lack of information known.
CBS: The majority of these slides are of the CBS office in NYC and Rome, along with an exhibit of CBS advertisements in England (which contains a memo). There are a few slides which contain actual advertisements.
Family & pets: Within this series the images cover everyday images of family members and family pets. Family members are still in the process of being identified.
Friends: This includes events with friends and pictures of friends. Please note any slides relating to horse shows even if they are considered events with friends have been moved to their own series: Horse Shows.
Horse Shows: Contains various horse shows that include jumping, crossing country, and hunting shows both indoors and out.
Jack Lessing: All slides attributed to Jack Lessing. Jack Lessing was Don Lawson’s partner until he had a fatal heart attack at an unknown date. The majority of these slides are of Mr. Lessing’s time in the military during the Korean War. There are some slides of R&R leave in Eastern Asia. It is unknown if Don Lawson was with him on this R&R trip.
Vacations: Includes both family and friends vacations to various locations in and outside the United States. The prondamt vacation locations include New England, Paris, Rome, and London.
Miscellaneous/ Unknown: This series encompasses the slides that did not have supporting documentation when obtained or are of unknown location. This includes these subseries and
sub-sub series.
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Architecture
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Cityscapes
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Store Fronts
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Houses/ Buildings
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Other
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Art
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Nature
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Landscapes
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Plant life
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Ocean/ Sea
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sunrise/ sunsets
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Birds
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People
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Vehicles