Bastards Out of Carolina: Cast photographs, Photo of Van Ramsey grilling, undated

The archive of Emmy-award winning costume designer, Van Broughton Ramsey spans 1980-2013 and measures 32 boxes. The bulk of the collection comprises his design binders for various projects; these are arranged according to genre: plays, films, television movies, television mini-series, and television series. There is one binder for his work designing the walk-around costume McGolf, an official mascot of the PGA. There are also several binders containing detailed research files, most arranged by decade, but some by project (boxes 24-27).

The collection includes numerous original sketches for his projects. Many are housed within the design binders (boxes 2-23), but there are also a number of sketches in folders in box 1 and in oversized boxes 28-32. Character plots (charts used to plan costumes and budgets) are likewise housed within some binders, but there are also several oversized in box 32.

Some other highlights of the collection are letters from Lilian Gish, Bill Wittliff, and Glenn Close; the booklet from the Costume Designer’s Guild’s career achievement award which Ramsey was awarded in 2009; playbills from numerous productions; and clippings and ephemera relating to his work.