Name: D.J. De Pree Letter to Richard Gump of Gump’s San Francisco
Date: August 27th 1952
No. Pages: 1
No. Eames Pages: 0
Synopsis: This letter from Herman Miller founder and chairman D.J. De Pree is a wonderful time capsule of the era. In a modern society where communication is made easily and quickly it is hard to remember that in our not-so-distant past, we relied on the words on a page. What is very noticeable is the way the letter is written. The words are very respectful, humble, and entirely positive, providing an image of an incredibly open and endearing author. The letter’s recipient was Richard Gump, the then owner and chairman of the famed San Francisco department store ‘Gumps’ a known city landmark since its doors opened in 1861. Gumps has a deep history of its own having survived the great earthquake, fire, depression and changing times of the last century and a half. The store remains today though it is no longer owned by the original Gump family. The letter also sports the second incarnation of the Herman Miller logo, the first to utilize the pointed ‘M’ of Miller.
