Lester Wunderman papers, 1940-2010 and undated
Navigate the Collection
Summary
- Creator:
- Wunderman, Lester
- Abstract:
- Lester Wunderman is an advertising executive primarily in the direct marketing industry, founder of an agency in his name now a subsidiary of Young & Rubicam, and a noted collector of Dogon (Mali) art works. The Lester Wunderman Papers span the years 1946-2010 and include writings, speeches, correspondence, reports, photographs, audiocassettes, videocassettes, 16mm films, and other materials relating to Wunderman's career in direct marketing and direct-mail advertising, his work on Boards of Directors and Trustees, and as a consultant. Included are drafts, proofs and correspondence relating to Wunderman's 1996 book Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay. Advertising agencies represented in the collection include Caspar Pinsker, Maxwell Sackheim, Wunderman Cato Johnson, Wunderman Ricotta & Kline and Young & Rubicam. Also included are correspondence, photographs, negatives and other materials relating to Wunderman's collection of Dogon (Mali) art works, carvings and sculptures, and their use in museum exhibits, catalogs and books on African art. Firms and institutions represented in the collection include American Express, Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street, Electric Company), Columbia House record club, Ford (including Lincoln-Mercury and Merkur), IBM, Jackson & Perkins mail order nursery, Mitchell Madison Group, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), National Observer Correspondence Schools (Famous Artists School, Famous Writers School) and Time, Inc. magazines. Languages present include Spanish, French, Danish, German and Japanese, and have not been translated into English. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
- Extent:
- 62 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Material in English French, Spanish, Danish, German, Japanese
- Collection ID:
- RL.01417
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Lester Wunderman Papers span the years 1946-2010 and include writings, speeches, correspondence, reports, photographs, audiocassettes, videocassettes, 16mm films, and other materials relating to Wunderman's career in direct marketing and direct-mail advertising, his work on Boards of Directors and Trustees, and as a consultant. Included are drafts, proofs and correspondence relating to Wunderman's 1996 book Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay . Advertising agencies represented in the collection include Caspar Pinsker, Maxwell Sackheim, Wunderman Cato Johnson, Wunderman Ricotta & Kline and Young & Rubicam. Also included are correspondence, photographs, negatives and other materials relating to Wunderman's collection of Dogon (Mali) art works, carvings and sculptures, and their use in museum exhibits, catalogs and books on African art. Firms and institutions represented in the collection include American Express, Children's Television Workshop ( Sesame Street , Electric Company ), Columbia House record club, Ford (including Lincoln-Mercury and Merkur), IBM, Jackson & Perkins mail order nursery, Mitchell Madison Group, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), National Observer Correspondence Schools (Famous Artists School, Famous Writers School) and Time, Inc. magazines. Languages present include Spanish, French, Danish, German and Japanese, and have not been translated into English.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Chronology List Date Event 1920 June 22 Born, New York, N.Y.1939 Co-founder, with brother Irving, Coronet Advertising Service1942-1947 Vice President, Caspar Pinsker Advertising Agency1947 Joined Maxwell Sackheim & Co. advertising agency; eventually promoted to Executive Vice President1958 President and Founder, Wunderman Ricotta & Kline (WRK)1961 Oct. 1 Speech to Hundred Million Club (precursor to Direct Marketing Club of New York); first documented use of the term "direct marketing" in a speech by Wunderman1967 Mail Order Man of the Year, Advertising Club of New YorkMIT speech, elaboration of the "direct marketing" concept before the American Marketing Association; speech later read into the Congressional Record1973 WRK merged with Young & Rubicam1973-1976 Travels to Africa; photography of Dogon life and sculpture1977 Chairman, WRK1981 Frontiers of Direct Marketing published1982 Direct Marketer of the Year, Direct Marketing Day in New YorkCirca 1982-1989 Chairman, Visiting Committee of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Metropolitan Museum of Art1983 Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame1984 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Brooklyn College, City University of New York1985 Focus Award, Montreux Symposium of Direct MarketingCirca 1986-1992 Trustee, Children's Television Workshop1987 WRK name change to Wunderman Worldwide1988 Special Exhibition of Wunderman's Dogon art collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y., and the Louvre, Paris1992 Wunderman Worldwide merger with Cato Johnson to form Wunderman Cato Johnson1994 Edward N. Mayer, Jr. Award for Educational Leadership, Direct Marketing Educational Foundation1996 Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay publishedWunderman LLC consulting firm1997 Lifetime Achievement Award, Direct Marketing Day in New York1998 Advertising Hall of Fame1998 Retired from Wunderman Cato Johnson2001 Wunderman Cato Johnson renamed Wunderman, NY; Wunderman named Chairman Emeritus2004 Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay , second edition, published2010 Chairman Emeritus, Visiting Committee, Rockefeller Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y.In addition, Wunderman has been involved in a range of professional and personal activities:
Education: Adjunct Professor of Marketing, Columbia University School for Continuing Education; Visiting Clinical Professor of Direct Marketing, School for Continuing Education, New York University; Chairman, Executive Committee, Center for Direct Marketing, New York University; Editorial Review Board, Journal of Direct Marketing , Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University; Lectured on direct marketing, primitive art, communications and advertising. Attended New York University, City University of New York, Brooklyn College, Columbia University.
Professional organizations: Director, The Advertising Council; Board of Directors, Direct Marketing Association; Secretary/Treasurer, American Association of Advertising Agencies; Founding Chairman, DMA International Strategic Forum on Direct Marketing; Director, The Marketing Consortium; Founder, Lester Wunderman Instituut, Amsterdam. Co-Founder (with Cornell Capa and Jacqueline Kennedy), International Center of Photography
Specialist in Dogon (Mali) art: Assembled the largest privately held collection of Dogon art, which toured several museums before a large portion of the collection was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre; the collection formed the illustrations on several books on African art.
Humanitarian work: Administrative Council, UNESCO International Fund for the Promotion of Culture; Co-Chairman, Friends of Leopold Senghor Foundation; President, Wunderman Foundation, which funds research in developing regions. Member, UNICEF, Paris.
- Acquisition information:
- The Lester Wunderman Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2010 and 2021.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Richard Collier, 2010 and 2024;
Accessions 2010-0189, 2021-0053 are described in this finding aid.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection has been arranged into the following series: Administrative Files; Accounts; Children's Television Workshop; Dogon Art; Meetings and Travel; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Printed Materials; Publicity; Samples of Direct Marketing Items; Speeches; Writings; Memorabilia; Oversize Materials; Audiovisual Materials.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- Advertising
Advertising -- History
Dogon (African people)
Art, Dogon
Museum exhibits
Advertising executives -- United States
Advertising executives
Direct marketing -- History
Direct marketing
Advertising, Direct-mail
Advertising -- United States
Advertising, Direct-mail -- United States
Advertising, Direct-mail -- History
Art, African
Direct marketing -- United States - Format:
- Dogon
Audiocassettes
Photographic prints
16mm
Videocassettes
African sculpture styles
Sculpture (visual work)
Carvings (visual work)
Negatives (photographs)
35mm - Names:
- Young & Rubicam
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Time, Inc.
Ford Motor Company. Lincoln-Mercury Division
Famous Writers School
Jackson & Perkins Co
International Business Machines Corporation
Columbia House (Firm)
Famous Artists School (Westport, Conn.)
American Express Company
Children's Television Workshop
Wunderman, Lester
Sackheim, Maxwell, 1890-
Contents
Using These Materials
- Using These Materials Links:
-
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is restricted.
Collection contains fragile audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.
- Terms of access:
-
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
- Before you visit:
- Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Lester Wunderman Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1h14s