BRAGDON, CLAUDE

(1866-1946)

   Born in Oberlin, Ohio, Claude Bragdon studied at the University of Michigan. After a President's Award-winning career as an architect, Claude Bragdon turned to theatre at the age of 53, when he designed scenery, costumes, and properties for Walter Hampden's production of Hamlet (1919; revived 1925, 1934). Bragdon continued to serve as art director for Hampden until 1937, a total of 15 new productions plus revivals. His 1923 designs for Cyrano de Bergerac (revived 1932) were particularly admired and were published in The Architectural Review (1923). Bragdon was also a prolific author. His autobiography, More Lives than One, published in 1938, covered his personal, architectural, theatrical, literary, and occult lives.