The Five Pointed Star [with] 13 Original Blueprints for Geometric Models

New York: Robert S. Beard, 1955. 14 Posters/Blueprints, 12 are printed in white on blueprint paper and 2 are printed in black on white paper, generally 13x19." One is trimmed along top edge, few others with fading and corner wear. generally very good. Ownership signature and address of Margaret Sutton on verso of one, manuscript sketch of parallel lines on another. Robert S. Beard's stamp appears on the verso of another, and few have manuscript captions or corrections on the front.

Beautiful and intriguing set of designs owned by New York artist, Margaret Sutton (1905-1990), who had a long and varied career in engineering, art, and design.  (truncated) These blueprints were created by an interesting figure in his own right, Col. Robert S. Beard (1883-1974), author of many articles and a book, Patterns in Space (1973) on aspects of geometric design.  The influence of Beard's work is seen in a wide variety of disciplines, from mathematics and cosmology to art and economics.  His designs made a great impact on American mathematician, Magnus Wenninger, who wrote the first book on constructing polyhedron models.  Dr. Jerome Baumring of the Institute of Cosmological Economics, who is said to be the first known person to crack the complete esoteric trading system of W.D. Gann, cites Beard's book as "one of the greatest cosmological treatises ever written."  Patterns in Space is also listed alongside books by Mandelbrot in the study of fractals.  


Margaret Sutton likely became acquainted with Beard's works in the New York arts scene, Beard teaching at Yeshiva University, and Sutton receiving degrees at Columbia University, where a set of Beard's models were on permanent display (as of the publishing of his book in 1973).  Included in this set are:

The Golden Rectangle, The Pentacle, The Nesting Squares; Key of the Cosmos and Numbers; The Five Pointed Star (series of 2); The Value of 2π; Patterns for Segments of Cubes; The Rhombic Dodecahedron; Patterns for the Honeycomb Dodecahedron; Seven Polyhedron Families Having 5" Cube Members; Table showing Face Polygons and Solids (trimmed); Geometrical Construction for Regular Polygons; and Drawing the Polygons (series of 3).


What is so fascinating about this set is it shows a clear influence on Sutton's career and artistic trajectories.  After taking drafting and engineering classes at Columbia, she worked for Grumman Aircraft, and then as a technical illustrator for the Merganthaler Linotype Company.  She studied art at the Arts Students League, likely with George Grosz, and with Hans Hofmann at his school.  She completed some 4000+ paintings and drawings in her lifetime.  In 1993, her friend and partner, painter Alfred Levitt, gave her body of work to the University of Mary Washington where it is now on display.  The online exhibition from 2020, Margaret's Menagerie: The Animal Imagery of Margaret Sutton, gives a good look at her varied works, many of which use geometric patterns, lines, and shapes, often in combination with her other love of animals and nature.  The final photo in this listing is one of Sutton's works for reference (not included in the sale).

As of cataloguing, we have not been able to locate any Beard designs elsewhere, other than those mentioned in the preface of his book, at Columbia and Berkeley.  This set is a trove of beautiful design that blurs the lines between art and math, showcasing the career path of a woman artist of the Greenwich Village scene who should be more well known.  
. (Inventory #: 6710)