Richard Gamble Knight papers

Collection

Call Number: MS 1999

Scope and Contents

The papers comprise images captured during Richard Gamble Knight's tenure from 1957 to 1961 as an employee of the architectural firm Eero Saarinen and Associates, and during other periods of Knight's life, such as his student years. Consisting of photographic prints, negatives, and slides, the images range from projects designed by Saarinen and Associates (including Dulles International Airport, John Deere and Company, Trans World Flight Center, CBS Building in New York, and Morse and Stiles Colleges at Yale University), to candid shots of Saarinen and his employees at work and socializing, to photographic studies of architectural forms and details. Also included in the papers are audio recordings of interviews Knight conducted with five former Saarinen employees for his book, Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir, published in 2008.

Dates

Circa 1952-2003

Creator

Knight, Richard Gamble

Language of Materials

The material is in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy, which is retained by the repository. Researchers wishing to obtain an additional copy of non-commercially produced items for their personal use should consult the ordering reproductions information on the Manuscripts and Archives web site.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by Robert Gamble Knight was transferred to Yale University in 2013. These materials may be used for non-commercial purposes without seeking permission from Yale University as the copyright holder. For other uses of these materials, please contact mssa.assist@yale.edu. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Judith Ann Lynch, 2013.

Arrangement

The records are arranged in two series: I. Images: prints, negatives, and slides, circa 1952-circa 1979. II. Interviews conducted for Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir, 2001-2003.

Related Materials

Eero Saarinen Collection (MS 593).

Extent

1.09 Linear Feet (9 boxes)

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.1999

Additional Description

Overview

The papers comprise images captured during Richard Gamble Knight's tenure from 1957 to 1961 as an employee of the architectural firm Eero Saarinen and Associates, and during other periods of Knight's life, such as his student years. Consisting of photographic prints, negatives, and slides, the images range from projects designed by Saarinen and Associates (including Dulles International Airport, John Deere and Company, Trans World Flight Center, and CBS Building in New York), to candid shots of Saarinen and his employees at work and socializing, to photographic studies of architectural forms and details. Also included in the papers are audio recordings of interviews Knight conducted with five former Saarinen employees for his book, Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir, published in 2008.

Biographical / Historical

Born in Flint, Michigan, on November 29, 1926, Richard Gamble Knight studied engineering and architecture at the University of Michigan (BS Engineering, 1951), the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Lawrence Technical University (BS Architecture, 1957) in Southfield, Michigan. In 1957, Knight was hired as a junior architectural designer at Eero Saarinen and Associates in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he worked until Saarinen's death in 1961. A budding photographer as well as an architect, Knight succeeded Balthazar Korab as the firm's "court photographer," documenting the design process for clients and creating a visual record of the firm's activities and creative output. After Saarinen's death in 1961, Knight continued his career as an architect, and also took on roles as a graphic and interior designer, an instructor of design, a writer, and a prolific multimedia artist whose works were exhibited regularly. In 2008, Knight published Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir (San Francisco: William Stout Publishers), which focuses on Knight's time at Eero Saarinen and Associates, and features many of the photographs Knight took while employed at the firm. Knight died on December 16, 2008, in Alameda, California.