Cyrille M. Peabody Boeing Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2020-08-29

The Cyrille M. Peabody Boeing Collection holds original artwork and reference files of Cyrille "Cy" M. Peabody, a Boeing Company employee and designer who worked in various art departments over a 31 1/2 year period in the mid-to-late 20th century. The collection is organized into two series: I. Artwork and II. Reference Files.

Series I., Peabody's original art is mostly grouped together within 10 folders (2 boxes), although some individual pieces are found in subject folders. His work includes original pencil sketches, original gouache paintings, layout work, photographic reproductions of his artworks and examples of his art on final products such as brochures, reports and other printed materials. Some of the materials, including original drawings and photographic reproductions, are oversize and housed separately in Box 15. Subjects include various Boeing aircraft, particularly commercial aircraft, with a focus on artwork showing livery for a variety of airlines with some showing cabin interiors. Of note is one undated original artwork of the Boeing "Sea Sled," manufactured in 1919 and an undated pencil sketch of a man in a flight or space suit seated on a dinosaur, likely a humourous relation to the Dyna-Soar program.

The remainder and bulk of the collection is the reference files in Series II., which include clippings, photographic prints, including publicity photographs, and technical diagrams. The files are loosely grouped into three subseries: Boeing aircraft, Boeing general topics, and non-Boeing aircraft. The Boeing aircraft are sorted alphabetically by model number, such as "B-29," "P-12," and "7J7." These are followed by more general subject folders, though still specific to Boeing as both their planes and personnel are featured. Examples include "aircraft interiors," "clouds," (which features Boeing aircraft in flight amid clouds) and "space suits/flight suits." Finally, there are approximately 24 folders of non-Boeing aircraft reference images organized by manufacturer/model, including "Bell X-1" and "Vultee X-54." Many of the photographic prints in the collection have Boeing stamps; some include minor contextual information as well.

Dates

circa 1950s-1980s

Creator

Peabody, Cy (Cyrille M.), Jr., 1931-2015 (Artist, Person)

Language of Materials

One item is in French and one item is in Japanese. All other materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research but has not been fully processed. Access to the collection may be limited or may require additional processing time. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Extent

6 Cubic Feet (6 full-width legal document boxes, 7 full-width letter boxes, 1 half-width letter box, and 1 20x24 flat box)

Additional Description

Biographical Note: Cyrille M. Peabody

Cyrille "Cy" M. Peabody (1931-2015) was a Boeing Company employee and designer for 31 1/2 years, circa 1950s-1980s.

Cy Peabody was born on May 3, 1931 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Cyrille and Henrietta (Alexander) Peabody. Peabody attended the University of Washington where he studied industrial design. His exact date of hire at Boeing is unknown, but after he joined Boeing, he worked in various art departments, including 5 1/2 years as a Preliminary Design Illustrator and 18 years in Sales and Marketing. Peabody developed cutaways, prototypes of engineering concepts and architectural renderings that were used in sales and marketing campaigns presented to public sector and US Government. He also did many large oil on canvas paintings that were presented as gifts from the Boeing Company to corporations for their boardrooms.

He married Sharon Lee Garnett on November 4, 1960 in Ocean Shores, Washington. The couple had four children. Peabody died on August 7, 2015 in Bellevue, Washington.

Source: Biography derived from collection materials, donor infornation and Ancestry.com.

Separated Materials

The following items have been separated from the archival component of this collection and are kept in the Library:

Boeing 737-300,-400,-500 Reference Guide
Boeing 747 Reference Guide
Boeing 757-200 Reference Guide
Boeing 767-300 Reference Guide
Pedigree of Champions: Boeing Since 1916, January 1963, January 1969, and May 1985 editions.
Shoo Shoo Baby: A Lucky Lady of the Sky by George Merva.Dayton: Patterson Productions, 1988.
Winged Majesty: The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in War and Peace by Steve Birdsall, et al

Please contact us for more details.

The following items have been separated from the archival component of this collection and are kept in Trade Literature:

Boeing 747F General Description, Freighter, July 1974 - booklet
Boeing 747 Superjet, August 1972 - booklet
New-Generation Airlifter (YC-14), circa 1970s - booklet

Processing Information

This collection has not been fully processed. Original folders have not been replaced or relabeled, although overfull folders have been divided into additional folders, as needed, and labeled with original folder title. Oversize diagrams and clippings have not been unfolded or humidified. Most photographs remain unsleeved. Oversize original sketches and drawings as well as a small number of oversize photographs were separated into folders and interleaved or sleeved.