The Correspondence series contains letters written mainly by Orson Welles to his wife Virginia Nicolson from 1937-1952. They were married in 1934 and separated in 1939 when Orson moved to Hollywood and Virginia visited Ireland with her friend Geraldine Fitzgerald. By 1940 the couple legally divorced. The letters are a combination of handwritten and typed letters and some include drawings in the margins by Welles. A significant series of letters are the ones written between July-August 1939 to Virginia. They provide insight into Welles's professional transition from New York to Hollywood, describing his first month on the West Coast and his introduction to the world of movie-making. Responses from Virginia Nicolson Welles are not included. The early photographs, wedding announcement, and Christmas card of 1937 had been housed together in an album.
The Clippings and Articles series includes newspaper clippings from 1936-2004 on both Orson and Virginia, but the majority are about Orson Welles’s career. Also included are clippings from society pages from the 1930’s announcing Orson Welles and Virginia Nicolson's marriage, the birth of their daughter Christopher, and the couple’s divorce. Some clippings include annotations in the margins by Chris Welles Feder.
The Photographs series includes a wedding portrait of Virginia and Orson Welles’s marriage in 1934. Also included are childhood photographs of Chris Welles Feder with Orson Welles along with photographs of Rebecca Welles Manning, Orson Welles’s daughter with Rita Hayworth. Also included are headshots of Orson Welles for different productions and some photographs of him as a child. Production photographs from "Too Much Johnson" (1938) and "Macbeth" (1948) both directed by Orson Welles are in the collection.
Audiovisual Material is an assortment of audio cassette tapes and VHS tapes. Included are three Smithsonian Historical Performances audio cassettes of the radio dramatization of "Les Miserables" recorded by Orson Welles in 1937. VHS tapes include movies Welles made guest appearances in and television shows, and Criterion Collection material about his life and work.
The Miscellaneous series contains an assortment of legal documents, press packets and exhibit and awards programs from Orson Welles tributes and retrospectives.
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, writer and producer who worked extensively in theater, radio and film. He is best remembered for his innovative work in all three media, most notably Caesar (1937), a groundbreaking Broadway adaption of Julius Caesar and the debut of the Mercury Theatre; The War of the Worlds (1938), one of the most famous broadcasts in the history of radio; and Citizen Kane (1941), which is consistently ranked as one of the all-time greatest films.
--"Orson Welles." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 01 November 2012.
