Irv Docktor Collection

Docktor’s commercial career was relatively brief, but he managed to produce a sample of work that deepens the history of illustration. The collection contains hundreds of original drawings in addition to prints of book jackets and album covers, published magazines and books, reference photographs, and other career ephemera. The collection allows the study of a more modern era of illustration, a period when mid-century illustration norms took on a more artistic and abstracted aesthetic.

The collection also captures Docktor’s skill at figure drawing. The body of work is by far the largest set of figure drawings in the archive and contains examples of both conceptual and realistic renderings. Docktor’s time spent as a teacher, from the 1970s until his death in 2008, allowed him not only to teach his craft but also to continue practicing as an artist. Docktor’s drawings within the collection depict his students, teachers, street scenes, and moments from opera and theater, often captured on playbills.