A friend of the Wharton Esherick family, Susan R. Hinkel began writing a biography about Wharton Esherick, the influential sculptor and craftsman, although she never finished the book. The Susan Hinkel research files on Wharton Esherick, 1989-2000, consist of materials that Hinkel compiled by while preparing the unfinished biography. The files are organized by subject and include chapter drafts, research-related correspondence, clippings and ephemera, and various other secondary-source materials. Of special interest are transcripts of oral histories that Hinkel conducted for the book, in particular interviews with Ruth Esherick and Mansfield "Bob" Bascom.
Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) was a sculptor who worked primarily in wood, readily extending his unique forms to furniture, furnishings, utensils, interiors and buildings, creating sculptural environments. He has been called the link between the Arts and Crafts Movement and the resurgent interest in furniture making following World War II, the dean of American craftsmen, and the foundation of the current Studio Furniture Movement. The Wharton Esherick family papers, 1895-1996 (bulk 1920-1970), consist of correspondence, work documentation, financial papers, publicity clippings, photographs, and other materials that primarily document Esherick's work and to a lesser extent his personal life and the personal lives of his immediate family.