Delaware Valley Archivists Group

Prominent New York interior designer William Pahlmann (1900-1987) felt that communicating his ideas to general audiences was an important way to educate the masses about good taste and design as well as advance his chosen profession. Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Pahlmann reached out to Americans at large with lecture tours, television and radio appearances, product endorsements, and his writings. One of Pahlmann's most enduring and far-reaching efforts was his syndicated column "A Matter of Taste," which ran from 1962-73.Image: Cover from press kit promoting "A Matter of Taste," August 1962 "A Matter of Taste" provided readers with general information on taste and style, introduced them to the basic principles of interior decoration, and provided advice on subjects such as purchasing furniture, choosing an interior designer, and picking décor to suit individual needs. Pahlmann also discussed people, events, and interiors that he thought exhibited the attributes of good taste. He intended for readers to use the column as an entry point to interior design rather than a 'how-to' guide for home decoration. Pahlmann hoped that audiences would use the information as a spur for their own investigations into good taste.Image: Illustration from "A Matter of Taste" column #605, "Coramandel." Released week of 17 July 1966.The column quickly became a popular outlet for Pahlmann's ideas, which generated interest in his work and the interior design profession. At its height, newspapers across the United States and in several Latin American countries carried "A Matter of Taste." The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Interior Designers (AID) gave Pahlmann their Award of Merit in April 1966 in recognition of the positive reader and professional response "A Matter of Taste."The William Pahlmann Papers, housed with the Manuscripts and Archives Department at the Hagley Library, includes 567 of the original illustrations which accompanied the "A Matter of Taste" columns. Pahlmann thought that illustrations were an integral part of the column because they could visually represent some of the ideas he discussed. He felt that audiences could not adequately comprehend good taste and design without seeing examples and used a 'learning by looking' approach in all of his public outreach activities.Image: Illustration from "A Matter of Taste" column#10, "Furniture With a Plan." Released week of 8 October 1962.Pahlmann hired several artists, including noted New York illustration artist Frank Dost, to complete black and white illustrations of rooms, furnishings and other decorative objects, and architectural elements in homes. The illustrations range in size from 8"x10" to 22"x30" and are done in graphite pencil, ink, or watercolor and other paints. The "A Matter of Taste" illustrations display not only the superb talents of the artists who created them, but also William Pahlmann's dedication to helping teach his readers what good taste was all about.To find out more about the William Pahlmann Collection at the Hagley Library, contact our Manuscripts and Archives Department at 302-658-2400 ext 232 or Ask Hagley.