Geraldine Geller was greatly influenced by the diverse artistic and intellectual surroundings of her hometown in New York City’s Greenwich Village. She became interested in all areas of art, but photography was her great passion. In the 1960s she became a teaching assistant and taught English as a second language in the New York City school system. Geraldine then went on to study textile design at the renowned Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Although she was not able to complete her degree at FIT, due to illness, her talent was evident from her broad understanding of color and design. She relocated to the Hudson Valley in the 1970s and enrolled in Marist College’s paralegal program. Geraldine had many interests which were reflected in her various collections of records, glass, pottery, art, and woven cloth, as well as her large collection of books. Her collection of magazine articles and advertisements from the 1920s to the 1940s from Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and clippings from period newspapers reflected her interest in the subject of the ephemera of fashion. Geraldine prided herself on developing her collection and believed that it provided an important commentary on the place of fashion in history and art. The collection provides a unique body of reference for the Marist community.