Mad Men expertly capitalized on nostalgia for 1960s Americana, and now nostalgia for the show itself will be preserved in an archive at the University of Texas in Austin.
Creator Matthew Weiner and production company Lionsgate are donating the show's entire archive to the university's Harry Ransom Center humanities library, the Associated Press reports. This includes scripts, drafts, notes, props, costumes, digital video and boxes upon boxes of research materials that were used to accurately capture the essence of the '60s era on set.
The decision to donate the collection was spurred on Weiner's own sentimental attachment to the show, though he settled on the location after stumbling upon the Harry Ransom Center's Gone with the Wind Exhibit.
"There is a record here of mid-century America that digs so deep," Weiner told AP. "It would have been sad to let that go."
Included in the Mad Men collection will be artifacts from the show's 2007-2015 run, including pieces like troubled protagonist Don Draper's re-employment letter, his wife Betty Draper's medical file, advertising poster boards from pitch meetings, rolodexes full of phone numbers and even the fictional Star Trek script that Paul Kinsey wrote in one episode.
The boxes of research material, meanwhile, showcase the attention to detail that the show's writers paid. Fashion look books were compiled for each character, as well as the homes and offices that appeared on screen, drawing on a wide range of primary sources.
"We would take things from the Sears catalogue, not just the cover of Vogue," Weiner said.
The creator also noted that he hopes that the inclusion of drafts and production hiccups (like the ongoing battles to get the rights for a Beatles song or news footage of the moon landing) will encourage future generations of television makers.
"Artists have traditionally hidden the long road of mistakes," Weiner said. "When you see a finished work, it can be intimidating. Showing all the brush strokes hopefully is very encouraging to people."
Creator Matthew Weiner and production company Lionsgate are donating the show's entire archive to the university's Harry Ransom Center humanities library, the Associated Press reports. This includes scripts, drafts, notes, props, costumes, digital video and boxes upon boxes of research materials that were used to accurately capture the essence of the '60s era on set.
The decision to donate the collection was spurred on Weiner's own sentimental attachment to the show, though he settled on the location after stumbling upon the Harry Ransom Center's Gone with the Wind Exhibit.
"There is a record here of mid-century America that digs so deep," Weiner told AP. "It would have been sad to let that go."
Included in the Mad Men collection will be artifacts from the show's 2007-2015 run, including pieces like troubled protagonist Don Draper's re-employment letter, his wife Betty Draper's medical file, advertising poster boards from pitch meetings, rolodexes full of phone numbers and even the fictional Star Trek script that Paul Kinsey wrote in one episode.
The boxes of research material, meanwhile, showcase the attention to detail that the show's writers paid. Fashion look books were compiled for each character, as well as the homes and offices that appeared on screen, drawing on a wide range of primary sources.
"We would take things from the Sears catalogue, not just the cover of Vogue," Weiner said.
The creator also noted that he hopes that the inclusion of drafts and production hiccups (like the ongoing battles to get the rights for a Beatles song or news footage of the moon landing) will encourage future generations of television makers.
"Artists have traditionally hidden the long road of mistakes," Weiner said. "When you see a finished work, it can be intimidating. Showing all the brush strokes hopefully is very encouraging to people."
