Burton Emmett (1871 – May 6, 1935) was an advertising copywriter and executive in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Biography

Burton Emmett was born in 1871 in

Lee Lee may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film * ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film * ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist * ''L ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

to William and Susan Emmett. In 1895, he graduated from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

and became a book agent. Emmett married Mary Pratt Emmett. In 1908, he became a copywriter at the advertising agency, Lord & Thomas. He moved on to chief copywriter at Frank Seaman, Inc. in 1910. In 1919, he joined forces with Clarence Newell to found Newell-Emmett Company. He was vice-president of the company until his retirement in 1928. Emmett was president of the

American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. The ...

(AIGA) from 1924 to 1925. As president of AIGA, he initiated a traveling exhibit of prints. He was awarded the AIGA Medal in 1926 for his "service to the graphic arts in America." In 1928, Emmett retired from advertising to concentrate on collecting rare books and prints. His print collection included woodcuts, prints, engravings, and literary manuscripts. His collection featured rare prints of the masters as well as a mastery in the printing process. His good friend and president of Pynson Printers,

Elmer Adler Elmer Adler (July 22, 1884 – January 11, 1962) was a book designer, collector, and graphic design educator. Biography Adler began collecting books and prints while working at his family's clothing firm in Rochester, New York. Since Adler was 14 ...

, said of Emmett that he had trained himself on what to acquire and had a responsibility that a collector should be knowledgeable on their collection and continually develop their judgement. He kept a library in Washington Mews, one of his homes, which attracted artists and collectors to share his collection. From 1929 to 1932, Emmett was a founder and editor ''of The Colophon'', a quarterly journal for book collectors. Emmett died May 6, 1935.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emmett, Burton 1871 births 1935 deaths Northwestern University alumni AIGA medalists