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Rich and varied collection of over a thousand items from the estate of Ruth Dayan – photographs, letters, documents, catalogues, weave samples, and additional items, mostly related to the Maskit Fashion House. Israel and other countries, 1950s-1990s. Hebrew and English (some items in Spanish and Italian). The collection includes hundreds of letters written by Ruth Dayan or received by her (most concerning Maskit, some concerning personal matters; including letters received from Teddy Kollek, Yaakov Dori, Giora Yoseftal, Miriam Feinman, and many others); hundreds of photographs depicting Dayan and Maskit; documents related to the management of Maskit; catalogues of the company's products; audio tape from a Maskit fashion show; and more. Among the items: • Photographs of Ruth Dayan and various Maskit pieces (in black and white and in color); fashion photographs; photographs from receptions and official events. • Letters received by Ruth Dayan from friends, acquaintances, and business partners, including Neora Warshavsky (Maskit's chief textile designer), Miriam Feinman (director of the women's division of the Israel Bonds), Teddy Kollek, Yaakov Dori, and Giora Yoseftal, and a letter from Haifa municipality (signed by Abba Hushi) – typewritten or handwritten; signed. • Many business letters pertaining to Maskit, various financial reports, and protocols of Maskit executive meetings (mimeographed). • Official letter of appointment for the employment of Ruth Dayan in the Labor Ministry (as manager of the government-owned company Maskit). • Three handwritten notebooks written in South America, containing addresses of contact persons, and various business-related entries. • Loan applications submitted by Maskit artisans, intended for the purchase of tools and materials. • Maskit weave samples. • Technical drawings (in pen and pencil), and work instructions for the operation of a weaving loom. • 1/4-inch magnetic audiotape, containing a recording of a Maskit fashion show. • Numerous personal documents belonging to Ruth Dayan, including contracts, insurance claims and various reports; and additional documents. • Numerous newspaper clippings pertaining to Ruth Dayan and Maskit. • And more. The government-owned company Maskit was established in 1954 by the Israeli Labor Ministry, as part of the professional development department. It was managed by Ruth Dayan from the day of its establishment until 1978, when it was privatized; the company has closed down in 1994. Maskit was founded with the purpose of providing work for immigrants who arrived to Israel in the large immigration waves of the 1950s, aiming to assist them in their assimilation in the country, and preserve traditional arts and crafts, which were brought by them from their countries of origin. Maskit employed Palestinian Arabs and Bedouins as well, and traditional Palestinian handicrafts were featured in the company's catalogues. The company's first chairman was Teddy Kollek (a letter from whom appears in the present collection). Under Dayan's vigorous management, and owing to her skills and connections, Maskit grew – at the peak of its activities it employed hundreds of artisans in different fields, in several locations across the country, offering training courses in a variety of handicrafts. The company operated seven stores, becoming a leading Israeli design brand, known throughout the world to combine traditional crafts with cutting-edge designs, a combination which reflected the spirit in which the young country of Israel perceived itself. The company's products – garments, fabrics, rugs, jewelry, furniture, housewares, dolls and various decorative objects – were successfully marketed in Israel and abroad. Maskit's unique designs, which were created by professional designers (the first of whom was Fini Leitersdorf) based on traditional handicrafts, became a byword for quality products and a milestone in the history of Israeli design. The items in the present collection document Dayan's widespread connections with social activists, entrepreneurs, investors, and politicians across the globe, with whom she stood in close contact as part of her efforts to market Maskit products, and offer training in Maskit's work and organizational methods, throughout the world – with an emphasis on South America and Africa. For more information see: "Maskit, a Local Fabric" (exhibition catalogue), Tel Aviv: Eretz Israel Museum, 2003.;"…Or did I dream a dream? The story of Ruth Dayan", by Ruth Dayan and Helga Dudman. Approx. 1300 items: approx. 340 photographs; approx. 840 paper items (letters, documents, notes, receipts, reports, and more – printed and handwritten), 3 handwritten notebooks; weave samples; approx. 20 catalogues of Maskit and other companies; approx. 120 newspaper clippings; 1/4-inch audiotape (English inscription reads "Ruth Dayan, Maskit fashion show, 03/16/71"), and one audio cassette. The items are placed in folders, binders and albums. Size and condition varies. Overall good-fair condition. Provenance: Estate of Ruth Dayan.