Karen amassed a vast archive throughout her life, and by necessity it is spread among various institutions around the world. On this page we attempt to provide a list of the locations her archive can be found, and where possible we have included itemised lists of the contents of those particular sections of the archive.
The Karen Finch Library and Reference Collection

This archive is used as a teaching aid by the Centre for Textile Conservation and Art History (CTC) based at the University of Glasgow. The core of the archive when it was first formed was Karen’s specialised library of books, postcards with textile subjects, magazines and journals which she brought with her from her studio in Ealing to Hampton Court Palace in 1975.

The Collection of Textiles is an extension to the Library: “The Collection includes pieces given by my family and friends or made by me at home and at Kunsthåndværkerskolen in Copenhagen. It grew from finds in junk shops, and jumble sales and was added to by those who became interested in my teaching and wished to find a home for pieces of no monetary value, but of interest for the purpose of providing samples of textile techniques”. Quote by Karen from her article “Report on the Reference Collection of the Textile Conservation Centre“, 1987.

Also see:

More material has been added since. Details are with the Centre for Textile Conservation and Art History.

Glasgow University Archive

Much of Karen’s archive is held at Glasgow University Archive. The boxes have been informally logged, and archivist Emma Wong Yan of the University has kindly provided accession reference numbers to help researchers.

Click here to see the Archive content (PDF)

Books held at Glasgow University

The link below lists all TCC books in the Glasgow University Library and Library Annexe. Many of these books were donated by Karen Finch and have been signed by her. The list was provided by Emma Wong Yan of Glasgow University Archive.

Click here to see the TCC Library at Glasgow University

Archive held in Walthamstow

Part of Karen’s archive is held at her daughter Katrina’s home in Walthamstow, London. This is an uncatalogued collection of books, slides, photographs, correspondence, creative works, magazines, published and unpublished articles, and textile-related ephemera. It is also home to an important collection of textiles, which includes Karen’s gold collection and more of her own creations.

Other donations