Guide to the Suzanne Caygill Papers,
circa 1950-1990

Suzanne Caygill (1911-1994) was a milliner, dress designer and night club singer as a young adult. She turned her attention to color as early as 1940 and worked the rest of her life creating individual color palettes for clients and teaching design seminars. In the 1950s Suzanne Caygill starred in a self-improvement television program, "Living With Suzanne" which aired on CBS in Los Angeles. In 1980, she published Color: the Essence of You and established the Academy of Color. Michaelin Reamy (Watts), Cornell Class 1960, Suzanne's apprentice and professional assistant from 1988 until Ms. Caygill's death in 1994, arranged and coordinated the donation of the Suzanne Caygill Archives to Cornell University.

Documentation concerning the Academy of Color including material for students, information about certification and accreditation, worksheets, and scrapbooks, posters, samples, photographs, slides, and clippings used in teaching. Also a set of 24 training video tapes from the Academy of Color including 19 tapes entitled "The Four Seasons"; 3 tapes entitled "Fabrics"; "The Key to Color Harmony," used to introduce clients to her theory; and "Living with Suzanne," excerpts from the television show, ca. 1952. Audio tapes of "The Key to Color Harmony," an abbreviated version of her theory; and "Poetry for Inspiration," in which Suzanne recites some of her favorite poems.