Call Number:

AC384

Repository:

Princeton University Library: University Archives

Extent:

5 boxes

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Charles E. Fehon Papers, Box and Folder Number; University Archives, Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Date:

circa 1947-1950 (inclusive)

Creator:

Fehon, Charles

Form:

Drawings., Scenography., and Watercolors.

Abstract:

Consists primarily of original artwork created by Charles E. Fehon, Princeton Class of 1950, during the process of designing sets and costumes for Princeton theater groups including Theatre Intime, University Players, and the Triangle Club.

Charles Edward Fehon, Jr. was born in East Orange, New Jersey on Dec. 5, 1928 to Maria Anna Cristina Deines and Charles Edward Fehon (1899-1981), a bank teller. He grew up in Caldwell, New Jersey, where he graduated in 1946 from Grover Cleveland High School.

Fehon entered Princeton as student in architecture, although he also took many courses in art. In the Spring of his Junior year, he requested and was granted a transfer with no loss in standing to the department of Art and Archaeology. An administrator noted of his switch from architecture to art, "Has been considering a long time. Parents opposed." He graduated with high honors in art and archaeology in 1950. The other members of the Princeton class of 1950 elected him "Most Original," "Most Likely Bachelor," and runner-up for "Greatest Woman Hater."

At Princeton, Fehon was well known and in demand for his designs for theatrical costumes and sets. A 1949 Triangle publication noted that "'Setting by Charles Fehon' has become a watchword in Princeton theatrical circles during the last two years." Fehon was the Stage Designer for Theatre Intime during his sophomore, junior and senior years; a 1948 article in the Daily Princetonian noted that Fehon had designed all Intime sets for the previous two years. He also designed for the University Players, a summer group that included both Theatre Intime members and professional actors, for three seasons from 1948-1950. A 1950 brochure for the University Players noted that Fehon also served as costume director when needed, and constructed sets and acted "bit parts" in his "spare time".

During his Junior and Senior years, Fehon did stage design for Triangle Club shows. His artwork for the 1949 show "Come Across!" was featured in a January 1950 exhibit on the Trianngle Club in Firestone library. The Summer 1950 issue of the Nassau Sovereign included an article titled "The Sovereign Congratulates: Charles E. Fehon '50, Hell and Triptychs in Murray-Dodge," which the Daily Princetonian described as "the story of one of Princeton's most talented undergraduates who has achieved no small renown for novel set and costume designing."

In his senior yearbook entry, Fehon's future prospects were listed as "a stage designer or historian." However, he does not appear to have followed either of these paths. He continued to design for the University Players through 1954. From 1954-1056, Fehon pursued graduate studies in fine art at Harvard, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in 1955. In 1960, he reported that he was employed as a bank branch manager in Boston. Around 1965, he left banking to become a salesman at Jordan Marsh & Company, a Boston department store. Fehon died in the Boston area on November 5, 1988. He left no known next of kin.

The Charles E. Fehon Papers consist primarily of original artwork created by Fehon during the process of designing sets and costumes for Princeton theater groups including Theatre Intime, University Players, and the Triangle Club. It also contains a small amount of scripts and notes related to his theatrical design work.

The Charles E. Fehon Papers are organized by form and, when known, the theatrical group for which the work was created.