Search

Back to top

Search Constraints

Start Over You searched for: Subjects Poetry. Remove constraint Subjects: Poetry. Formats Photographs. Remove constraint Formats: Photographs.
Number of results to display per page
View results as:

Search Results

Collection

Andrea Lael Cappaert Papers, 1952-1980

3 linear feet

Ann Arbor, Michigan, poet and journal writer. Journals, manuscripts of poetry and short stories, photographs, scrapbooks and other materials documenting her struggles as a polio survivor to cope with her disability and to lead an independent life; papers concern in part her association with the youth culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Andrea Cappaert papers date from 1952 to 1980 and measure 3 linear feet. The papers document Andy's involvement in the youth culture of the late 1960s and 1970s, and reflect her struggles as a handicapped woman to be an active participant in the world she lived in.

Collection

Anne Waldman Papers, 1945-2012 (majority within 1965-2000)

119.5 Linear feet (85 record center boxes, 7 ms. boxes, 4 large flat oversize boxes, 10 medium flat oversize boxes, 2 small flat oversize boxes and 2 portfolios.) — Printed material in boxes 77-80 and Portfolio 1; Artwork in boxes 81, 82, 99-108, and Portfolio 2; Photographs in boxes 83, 84, and 98 (includes slides); Audiovisual materials in boxes 85-92 (including reformatted copies).

American poet; co-founder of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University. Papers include correspondence, poems, essays, photographs, art, biographical material, and audiovisual materials.

The Anne Waldman Papers were purchased by the Special Collections Library in 1998. Periodic additions to the collection have been made.

The papers document Waldman's personal and professional life from childhood to adulthood in great detail, and provide a rich and unique source for the study of American poetry. The collection includes textual material, photographs, audiovisual material, and artwork that extensively document Waldman's writing, publishing and performance efforts; her administrative leadership and teaching activities at the Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery and Naropa University's Writing and Poetics program; and her relationships and interactions with a remarkable number of prominent poets, writers, and artists.

The Biographical series (approximately .5 linear feet) contains biographical summaries written by Waldman and others, resumes, travel and work itineraries, and publicity material such as press releases, pamphlets, and quotes and "blurbs" for books.

A highlight of the series is Waldman's autobiographical essay and drafts for the Contemporary Authors' series. A small folder of poems written about Waldman is also included. The researcher should note that additional material written about Waldman can be found in the Correspondence and Name File Series.

The Correspondence and Name File series (25 linear feet of material, divided into several subseries) provides insight into Waldman's professional activities and relationships, and her personal relationships with many poets, writers, and artists. Poets including Allen Ginsberg, Ted Berrigan, Joe Brainard, Tom Clark, Diane di Prima, Kenward Elmslie, Joanne Kyger, Bernadette Mayer, Ron Padgett, and many others are well represented in the series, as are visual artists such as Alex Katz, Jasper Johns, Robert Mapplethorpe, Larry Rivers, and James Rosenquist. Material in the Correspondence and Name File was created during Waldman's college years and adulthood (approximately 1962-1999). Correspondence from Waldman's childhood and teenage years, and correspondence with family members can be found in the Early Years and Family series respectively.

The Name File subseries is an alphabetical file consisting primarily of more prominent personalities and frequent correspondents. Although the bulk of the material in the Name File is correspondence, manuscripts and other material created by or related to the person listed may also be found in the files. Where large amounts of material related to a person exist, the type of material has been grouped by genre and indicated separately in the finding aid. In cases where the type of material is not listed separately, the file contains mainly correspondence, but may also include small amounts of other material, most likely manuscripts. The researcher should note that some manuscripts submitted to Waldman and a small amount of correspondence related to Waldman's specific publishing ventures or specific subjects have been left with the appropriate subject file or organizational records.

The Miscellaneous Correspondence subseries contains more routine correspondence. This subseries is arranged alphabetically.

The Unidentified and Fragments subseries consists of approximately .75 linear feet of material from correspondents who did not identify themselves, identified themselves by their first name only, or whose signatures were illegible. This material is arranged chronologically, and is divided in to unidentified correspondence and unidentified manuscripts. Although every effort was made to arrange correspondence in the appropriate place in the Name File and Miscellaneous Correspondence subseries, researchers interesting in viewing all the correspondence from a particular person may want to examine the Unidentified and Fragments subseries.

The series also includes two folders of Anne Waldman's outgoing correspondence, as well as several folders of printouts of Waldman's outgoing and incoming email. The email correspondence spans the years 1997 and 2009. Researchers should note that there is substantial overlap between the Email and Correspondence and Name File subseries.

The Writing series (11 linear feet) consists of Anne Waldman manuscripts and other material, such as correspondence, administrative files, and ephemera, related to her writing. This series is divided into five subseries: Early Work; Fiction; Essays, Speeches, and Interviews; Poetry; and Contributions to Other Works.

The Fiction sub-subseries is divided into Drama and Short Stories. Much of this material is also early work, from Waldman's college years or shortly thereafter. Within Drama and Short Stories, the pieces are arranged alphabetically by title.

Essays, Speeches, and Interviews comprises Waldman's prose work, consisting of essays, articles, speeches and addresses, and interviews, as well as book blurbs, introductions, forewords, and reviews. Many of these pieces exist in various stages, from handwritten notes to published articles. The Essays grouping contains essays and articles written for various publications. The Speeches grouping, arranged chronologically, consists of speeches and speaker introductions made by Waldman at various events. Undated material is located at the end of the section. The Interviews grouping is divided into interviews of Anne Waldman by others, arranged chronologically, and interviews of others, which for the most part have Waldman as either interviewer or co- interviewee. These interviews are arranged alphabetically by name of interviewee.

Also included in the Essays, Speeches, and Interviews subseries are "Biographical Sketches" of other authors. (Biographical and autobiographical sketches of Anne Waldman can be found in the Biographical series.) Most of these sketches appear to have been written by Waldman, although some were contributed by the authors themselves. In addition, the researcher will find a Notes grouping, made up of Waldman's loose collected notes, both literary jottings and everyday work lists. Some of the notes are of unknown authorship, although a few appear to have been Reed Bye's.

The Poetry subseries is divided into two sub-subseries, Published Works and Single Titles. Although Waldman's poetry can be found throughout the Writing series--and indeed throughout the entire collection--the bulk of it resides here. Published Works incorporates Waldman's stand-alone or collected works, most but not necessarily all of which have been published. The Published Works sub-subseries begins with an Alphabetical File containing Waldman's shorter works intended for publication. These files are arranged alphabetically by title.

A Collaborations section of collaborations between Waldman and others, and a Translations section, with a small number of works by others which Waldman translated or helped translate into English are also included in the Published Works subseries. The Collaborations section is arranged alphabetically by collaborator. The translation section contains only three works, which are arranged alphabetically according to the original author.

The Published Work subseries also contains three linear feet of separate material for Iovis I, II, and III and Kill or Cure. This material consists generally of original manuscripts (handwritten drafts and typescripts) of single poems, drafts of the whole work, proofs, and a small amount of related correspondence. The Iovis I and Iovis II files strongly reflect Waldman's work process for the creation of these long, fragmentary epic poems. Namely, the Notes Drafts, and Research Material files, which have been left almost as-is, consist of seemingly randomly arranged clippings, correspondence, previously written material, and many different current drafts, merged together. The researcher may find this portion of the collection difficult to use, owing to its haphazard arrangement. Items which seemed of special significance have been flagged or pulled and foldered separately, the "Questions for men for Iovis" being one example. In some cases, the original has been removed and placed elsewhere within the collection. Details are noted in the contents list. Among these items are poems by Waldman's son, Ambrose, and letters written by Anne Waldman's grandfather to his future wife (due to extremely their fragile condition, the originals have been removed and placed in separate storage). The other portions of the Iovis material present a clearer arrangement, consisting as they do of draft and proof copies of the entire work. The Iovis III portion to date is quite small, consisting only of a version of Waldman's journal entries from a trip to Vietnam in 2000.

The material used in Kill or Cure has a clearer organization, although it should be noted that much of the content and order within the "Drafts/Collected Poems" portion remains unclear. It was impossible to ascertain whether some of the pieces included in the original folders labeled "Kill or Cure" were originally intended for the book and not used, or if they became misfiled. Too, some material may be missing, removed by the author from its original location in order to be used for other purposes, such as the creation of Iovis II . In fact, there is considerable overlap between some of the material in Iovis and Kill or Cure, the latter being published in between Iovis I and Iovis II .

Single Titles consists of the many loose poems that were originally scattered throughout the collection and which could not be easily placed within the context of a larger work. They are arranged alphabetically by title or first line. There are several folders of poem fragments as well, found at the end of this grouping. In the case of some of these poems, it has been difficult to ascertain whether they are in fact fragments or are rather complete, untitled poems. In general, when the title of a poem has undergone changes, all of the drafts of that poem have been grouped under what appears to be the latest version of the title. There may, however, be some exceptions to this arrangement.

Contributions to Other Works is a small subseries consisting of pieces which Waldman wrote for publication in larger works by other authors. Both poetry and prose works are represented here.

The Journals and Notebooks series (5 linear feet) consists of more than 110 journals, notebooks, appointment books, and address books kept by Anne Waldman. (For the sake of convenience, all of these items are referred to here as "journals.") A small number of journals kept by others is also represented. The journals offer a diverse array of content, from random jottings and to-do lists, to literary notes and drafts, to intensely personal diaries. In some cases distinct literary pieces have been recorded, and sometimes the line between journal and handmade book is somewhat blurred. There are collaborative works, such as those with Bill Berkson and Reed Bye. Other pieces were clearly written for friends such as Joe Brainard, Jim Carroll, and others.

The Journals and Notebooks series is broken into two subseries, Anne Waldman and Others, representing journals kept by Waldman and journals kept by others. The Anne Waldman subseries is arranged chronologically by decade, from the 1960s through the 1990s. There are many undated journals as well. The Others subseries contains journals by Lewis Warsh (including one that was co-written with Waldman) and journals very likely by Reed Bye. Of note within one of the journals from the 1970s in the Anne Waldman subseries is a drawing of Anne Waldman made by Bob Dylan.

The Editing and Publishing series (approximately 12.5 linear feet) is comprised of Anne Waldman's work in editing and publishing, often as a joint venture with those in her circle. The most important subseries, Small Press and Little Magazine, represents her work with The Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, Angel Hair, Full Court Press, and Rocky Ledge. For the most part, all of the Small Press and Little Magazine files consist of a mixture of the literary--manuscript contributions, drafts, mockups, proofs--and the administrative--reports, correspondence, sales and expense records, and so forth.

Perhaps the most significant portion of Small Press and Little Magazine, the Poetry Project grouping is divided into General, Adventures in Poetry, The World, and St. Mark's Church. "General" consists of correspondence; administrative material such as reports, notes, and budgets; poster, flyers, and other performance-related material, including speeches and introductions to Poetry Project events. Correspondence is related to the running of the Poetry Project, the newsletter in particular. Much of this correspondence appears to have been managed and kept by Frances Waldman, who edited the Poetry Project Newsletter from 1976 to 1978. There are also loose poems, which were printed and distributed singly, and many issues of the Poetry Project Newsletter (although not a complete run), along with original manuscript submissions for the newsletter.

Adventures in Poetry was a mimeographed literary magazine edited and published at St. Mark's Church by Larry Fagin using Poetry Project resources. A small number of submissions and publications appear here.

The most important division within the Poetry Project grouping are the files relating to The World, the magazine of the Poetry Project, which Waldman directed from 1968 through the late 1970s. Included are what can loosely be labeled "Administrative Material" as well as Submissions. Two files of Administrative Material are topical in nature, including an Author-title Index from 1979. In addition, there are the usual minutes, mailing lists, and the like. Submissions are for the most part arranged alphabetically by author. There are also two folders with material specific to individual issues of The World . Items of unknown authorship are placed at the end of these files. The researcher may find the aforementioned Author-title Index of some assistance in identifying these submissions.

"St. Mark's Church" refers to items which are church-specific; that is, related to St. Mark's as a religious institution or physical entity rather than to the Poetry Project: Such concerns as building preservation and restoration, youth projects, and church services are covered. Much of this material appears to have been maintained by Frances Waldman, including but not limited to files which are labeled as hers.

The Angel Hair files consist of material from Angel Hair Books and Angel Hair magazine, both of which Waldman co-founded and co-edited with Lewis Warsh. Press and magazine materials are commingled. Angel Hair is divided into Catalogues, Administrative Material, Proofs, and Submissions.

Full Court Press, which Waldman started with Ron Padgett and Joan Simon, was dedicated to publishing quality editions of out-of-print works. The volume of material in this collection is quite slim, consisting of only one folder.

Rocky Ledge refers to the mimeographed magazine, Rocky Ledge, which Waldman started with Reed Bye in Boulder. It was published in eight issues from 1978 to 1981. Some books were also published through Rocky Ledge Cottage Editions. There is a folder of general Administrative Material and another slim folder of manuscripts published by Rocky Ledge Cottage Editions. In keeping with the original organization of the material, the rest of the files are arranged by the individual issue of Rocky Ledge , with administrative materials mixed in with each issue of the magazine. Types of material found in the Rocky Ledge files include draft or mockup versions of the magazine; manuscript submissions; correspondence; cover art, both originals and facsimiles; receipts; and editors' notes. In some cases, the original manuscript submissions appear to have been used in the creation of the draft versions of the magazine. A separate division deals with submissions that were either not used in Rocky Ledge, may not have been intended for use in Rocky Ledge in the first place, or are unidentified.

Also included is a small amount of material labeled "Cherry Valley." Waldman summered in this small New York town in the late 1970s, Waldman's family and Allen Ginsberg maintained houses there for a time, and some work produced by Waldman and her circle was published by "Cherry Valley Editions." However, the exact nature and extent of literary activity from this period and location is unclear, and extant files in this collection are unrevealing.

The rest of the Editing and Publishing is divided along the lines of the individual book titles which Waldman edited or co-edited: The Beat Book, Nice to See You, Out of This World, Talking Poetics, and Disembodied Poetics.

The Beat Book files consist of some correspondence and, primarily, a draft version and a proof version of the work. Nice to See You, which is a tribute to poet Ted Berrigan, consists mainly of submissions by friends of Berrigan's. There are also files of background material, notes, a small number of photographs, correspondence, a draft, proofs, and publicity and reviews. Out of This World is an anthology of work from The Poetry Project. The Out of This World files consists of correspondence (dealing mainly with publishing permissions), early versions of the preface and introduction, drafts, and proofs.

Both Talking Poetics and Disembodied Poetics are anthologies of lectures delivered at Naropa University by Writing and Poetics Department faculty and visiting poets. These files are comprised mainly of transcripts of these lectures; manuscript reworkings and revisions by the authors; correspondence between authors, editors, and publishers; and various drafts of the whole work. In some cases, the name referenced in the correspondence file is the subject of the correspondence rather than its author. Administrative material is also included.

In the Talking Poetics files, the Drafts and Proofs section is divided into Early Work and Complete Drafts. Much of the Early Work section is fragmentary in nature, in particular, the Early Drafts material. Although at some time all of the individual pieces of Early Drafts were collated and paginated, much is missing or has been placed elsewhere. The existing pieces are now arranged alphabetically by author. Particularly noteworthy in this section is a handwritten John Cage score, a part of his work Lecture IV. Complete Drafts are arranged by page number.

The Disembodied Poetics files are arranged in a similar fashion, with individual pieces placed in the Early Contributions and Ideas and Early Drafts portions and later, more complete drafts arranged in or nearly in book order. It should be noted that the designations of the drafts as "A," "B," and "C" were assigned during processing and do not necessarily reflect chronological order. The order within each draft follows the table of contents for that draft, none of the drafts being paginated as a whole.

The subseries, General Publishing, consists of miscellaneous contracts, proposals, copyright application material, and financial material covering royalties, honoraria, book sales, and so on. The Unpublished material subseries consists mainly of miscellaneous pieces of writing that could be part of books that are published or unpublished or drafts of works with an unknown title.

The Naropa series (8 linear feet) consists of material related to Waldman's involvement with the Naropa Institute, now Naropa University, in Boulder, Colorado. It is comprised of the following subseries: Course Material, Administrative Material, Conferences and Panels, Publications, Printed Material, Other Teaching Activities, and Personal.

Course Material is divided into the following sub-subseries: Anne Waldman, Others, and Summer Writing Program. Anne Waldman course material is arranged chronologically and topically and contains many sourcebooks or bound copies of readings for her classes. Course material of others is arranged primarily chronologically, as is, for the most part, material from the Summer Writing Program. The Summer Faculty and Visiting Poets folder under Course Material includes contracts, correspondence and resumes from guest lecturers such as Amiri, Baraka, Ted Berrigan, Diane Di Prima, Tom Clark, Robert Creeley, Kenward Elmslie, Joy Harjo and Harry Smith and is organized alphabetically. Administrative Material is divided into General, Writing and Poetics Department, and Summer Writing Program. Within all levels of the Administrative Series can be found correspondence which includes emails, memos, minutes and reports, planning material, notes, etc. "Early Planning Material" within the Writing and Poetics Department files includes documents penned by Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg which formulate aspects of the founding of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. Also included in the Writing and Poetics files are departmental newsletters. Student and instructor evaluations also appear. Evaluation files, barring those of Anne Waldman, are closed due to privacy legislation and concerns.

Conferences and Panels consists of notes for talks given at Naropa along with transcripts and schedules. Speeches and Interviews covers those speeches and interview given at Naropa, although there may be some overlap with material in the Writing series. Speeches are arranged chronologically. "A Declaration of Interdependence," although grouped with Speeches, is not a speech per se, but rather a protest document mirroring in structure the Declaration of Independence. It was penned by multiple authors, including many Naropa faculty members as well as other poets and activists. Interviews are listed alphabetically by interviewee.

Publications consist of Campus Periodicals (student newsletters and literary magazines); Class Publications, including those of the Summer Writing Program; and a small number of works by faculty members. Printed Material consists of Catalogs and Brochures; Posters, Flyers, and Programs; and Clippings. Arrangement at the folder level is chronological. Additional class publications can be found within the Course Material subseries.

In addition to her role at Naropa, Waldman has taught at several other institutions. These activities are reflected in the Other Teaching Activities subseries, which includes work at the Schule für Dichtung in Vienna and the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, among other institutions. Because the bulk of Waldman's teaching activities is tied up with Naropa, these files are included within the Naropa series. Material for each institution is arranged chronologically.

The final subseries of the Naropa series is Personal, which includes ephemera, correspondence, topical files, contracts, and notes. Correspondence is both incoming and outgoing and consists of both Naropa-related 'official' correspondence that is addressed solely to Waldman and correspondence that is personal in nature but which refers to Naropa (here, there will naturally be some overlap with Waldman's correspondence in the Correspondence and Name file series). Material within folders is arranged chronologically.

The Other Activities series is comprised of 1 linear foot of material, and documents Waldman's activities outside of writing and publishing. The series includes material related to conferences and festivals that Waldman attended or participated in, as well as material related to Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue Tour, various video and audio recording projects, and attempts to sell Waldman's archive, or portions of it. The series also includes a significant amount of material documenting Waldman's involvement in social protest issues.

The Personal series is a topical file consisting of 1.5 linear feet of material not primarily related to Waldman's writing or professional activities. Material documenting Waldman's interest in Buddhism and her 1967 wedding to Lewis Warsh can be found in the series. Of particular note is a collection of memorabilia, including material from Waldman's travels, and various playbills, museum programs and ticket stubs. Legal and financial records, as well as various and unidentified notes, jottings and telephone messages, are also included in this series.

The Early Years series contains 2 linear feet of material documenting Waldman's school years, as well as her early interests in writing, acting and drama. The series includes material from Waldman's elementary school, middle school, high school and college years. Early writings can be found in each of the Pre-High School, Friends Seminary and Bennington College subseries, as well as the Early and Unidentified Writings subseries. Highlights include childhood and family newsletters titled "Our Life and Times" and "The Penguin News," school publications in which Waldman was first published, production material from Waldman's high school newspaper (of which she was editor), and manuscripts and typescripts of early poems. The Friends Seminary and Bennington College subseries contain class notes and papers, a high school report card, college grade reports and other school-related material. The Bennington College subseries also includes correspondence and notes from Howard Nemerov and other professors.

The Acting and Theater subseries includes material from various productions, theater companies and organizations with which Waldman was involved in the 1950s and 1960s. The Correspondence subseries consists primarily of correspondence from Waldman's middle school and high school friends, but also includes a folder of notes that appear to be notes passed in class. This folder also includes school love poems that appear to have been written for Waldman. The Early and Unidentified Writing subseries consists primarily of unidentified or undated material that could not filed with the other subseries.

The Family series (approximately 4 linear feet and 1 oversize box) includes material related to Waldman's mother, father, brother, son and other relatives.

The bulk of the series is comprised of material created by, or related to Waldman's mother, Frances Waldman. The Frances Waldman subseries includes 1.5 linear feet of correspondence between Waldman and her mother, spanning the years 1958-1981. Several folders of Frances Waldman's correspondence with other people, including many New York poets and writers, can also be found in the subseries.

The subseries also includes several folders of Frances Waldman's manuscripts, translations and miscellaneous material. Although the majority of the material related to other family members is correspondence, manuscripts and other material can also be found in the series. Of special note are the manuscripts found with the Ambrose Bye material, which include some poems written with or transcribed by Anne Waldman.

The Handmade Books series (3 linear feet) is comprised of one-of-a-kind books made by Waldman and her friends. Often they were presented as gifts on special occasions. They are divided into three subseries: Anne Waldman, representing books by Waldman; Collaborations, representing collaborations between Waldman and others; and Others, that is, works by others.

Included in Others are books printed at Naropa University either through a print workshop or class, or through the school's Kavyayantra Press. Within the Waldman subseries, books are listed alphabetically by title, with untitled books at the back. Collaborations, all of which have Waldman as a coauthor, are arranged alphabetically by the collaborator's last name, as are works in the Others subseries.

Many of the handmade books bear inscriptions indicating maker, recipient, date, and other information, which has not been included in the contents listing. Included in the Handmade Books series are some limited edition volumes, such as those produced by Waldman's Erudite Fangs Press.

The Printed Material series (4 linear feet, 1 oversize box, and 1 portfolio) encompasses the subseries Broadsides; Posters, Flyers, and Programs; and Clippings. Broadsides are broken down into those by Anne Waldman, Collaborations (between Waldman and others), and Others--that is, works by others. Within these divisions, work is arranged alphabetically, first by author, then by title. Also included in Broadsides are postcards and bookmarks printed by various small presses. Oversize broadsides are housed separately.

Material in the Posters, Flyers, and Programs subseries is for the most part grouped chronologically. Separate, topical divisions have been made for undated material. Small press book catalogs and newsletters are included as separate divisions. Oversize posters are housed separately. The section labeled "Newsletters" consists of should really be viewed as a set of clippings, consisting as it does of single issues of various newsletters and some journals, most of which appear to have been saved for particular articles.

Clippings are arranged in rough chronological order by decade, where date is known. The vast majority of the clippings pertain to Waldman and her circle, although some clippings reflect topical interests. Some of these appear to have been saved by Waldman's mother, Frances LeFevre Waldman. In some cases, whole publications have been saved, either due to their content or to their rare or unusual nature.

Art (1 linear foot, 10 oversize boxes, and 1 portfolio) is made up of artworks by Waldman and her family and friends, as well as various pieces she has collected over the years. Work in many different media exists, including prints, paintings, sketches, drawings, and collages. Much of Waldman's work consists of prints done while a student at Bennington College. There are also exquisite corpses (collaboratively created pictures and writings, done in-the-round) by Anne Waldman, Reed Bye, and Ambrose Bye. According to Waldman, this was a frequent after-dinner pastime when Ambrose was young, and friends and guests, such as Bobbie Louise Hawkins, were invited to participate.

Cover Art includes "Collaborations," which consist of collaborative book-length works and not just cover art per se. Additional cover art may be found in the among the Rocky Ledge files within the Editing and Publishing series. Noteworthy among the artists represented are George Schneeman and Joe Brainard.

The Photographs, Slides and Negatives series consists of approximately 2.5 linear feet of photographic materials documenting a variety of subjects, including Waldman's childhood and school years, her large circle of friends and colleagues, and her publishing and performance activities.

The Personal subseries contains personal and informal photographs of Waldman and others. Photographs in the "Family and childhood" folder include photographs of Waldman as a child, as well as other family members. The high school and college photographs include several photographs of Waldman as a young actress. The bulk of the Personal subseries consists of the "Friends and colleagues" photographs. These photographs include images of many prominent late twentieth century poets, Waldman's husbands and significant others, and other friends and colleagues. Waldman herself is pictured in some of the friends and colleagues photographs.

One of the strengths of the Professional subseries is the large amount of photographs of Waldman performing. The performance photographs, which date from the late 1960s to mid 1990s, sometimes include images of other poets and performers. Also included are several folders of portraits and publicity photographs, photographs created for various book and publishing projects, photographs of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue Tour, and photographs documenting Waldman's activities at Naropa University and the St. Marks Poetry Project. The St. Mark's photographs include images of New York School and other poets performing at the church. The Professional subseries also includes several photographs taken by photographer, poet, and filmmaker Gerard Malanga. Although Malanga photographs can be found within several of the groupings in the Professional subseries, the majority can be found within the portraits grouping. A Malanga portrait of Waldman and her mother, Frances, has been filed with the family photographs.

The Outsize subseries consists of photographs too large to be housed with the rest of the photograph series. The highlights of the outsize photographs include two photographs taken by Allen Ginsberg which include handwritten captions by Ginsberg.

The Albums and Scrapbooks subseries complements the friends and colleagues photographs found in the Personal subseries. In addition to photographs documenting Waldman's travels in Greece and Egypt in the early sixties, the albums contain numerous photographs of Waldman and her circle in the late sixties and early seventies. Photographs of Lewis Warsh, Michael Brownstein, Joe Brainard, Ron Padgett, Ted Berrigan, Tom Clark, Bill Berkson, and others can all be found in the albums. The albums have been arranged chronologically.

The Slides and Negatives subseries consists primarily of miscellaneous and unidentified slides and negatives. The subseries does contain a few slides of Waldman performing.

The researcher should note that a small number of photographs sent to Waldman by specific correspondents can be found within the Correspondence and Name File series.

The Audiovisual Series has been divided into four subseries: Sound Recordings, Video Tapes, DVDs, and Digital Files. The series provides a unique perspective on Waldman's activities, and thus complements and expands the manuscript and photographic holdings. Including recordings of readings, lectures, and interviews given by Waldman and others, the series strongly represents the sounds and voices of late 20th century American poetry.

The Sound Recordings subseries has been organized according to format, including LPs and 45s, Compact Discs, Reels, and Audio Cassettes. In order to facilitate access, each sound recording has been numbered. Recordings are numbered sequentially within each subseries. Titles indicated in quotation marks in the finding aid are quoted directly from the labels of the recordings. In a few cases, particularly within the Commercial Recordings grouping, quotation marks are also used to indicate the title of a poem or work.

The LPs and 45s, Compact Discs, and Reels represent a relatively small part of the subseries. The LPs and 45s include the 1977 LP "John Giorno and Anne Waldman," as well as Waldman's "Uh-Oh Plutonium" 45, and a "voice-o-graph" recording of Waldman and Michael Brownstein. The Compact Discs subseries consists of commercial recordings of Waldman, including a live 1991 performance in Amsterdam which includes an accompanying booklet of poems.

Reels include recordings related to a variety of subjects. Included are Waldman performances at radio stations and elsewhere, television shows related to poetry, a commercial recording of Fast Speaking Woman , and a recording of Waldman while acting. To facilitate access, the recordings in this group have been transferred onto recordable compact discs. The numbering and labeling of the compact discs corresponds to the numbering of the reels.

The largest part of the subseries is comprised of Cassettes, which include readings and lectures by Waldman and other poets, interviews, radio broadcasts featuring Waldman, commercial recordings, Waldman's recording projects, and other miscellaneous recordings. Spanning the years 1971-2002, the readings include recordings of Waldman reading with Ted Berrigan, Allen Ginsberg, Diane di Prima, Gary Snyder and others. In addition, there are several recordings of readings not by Anne Waldman, including performances by Ginsberg, John Ashbery, Robert Creeley, Philip Whalen and others. Lectures by Waldman at Naropa Institute and in other settings, and lectures by William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Ted Berrigan, Carl Rakosi, and Peter Orlovsky are included.

Interviews and conversations represent the strongest part of the series. In addition to an interview of Waldman conducted by Larry Fagin, tapes of interviews of Joe Brainard, Edwin Denby, Diane di Prima, Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, and Philip Whalen are included, many conducted by Waldman. There are two recordings of "conversations," one with Waldman, Clark Coolidge, Lewis MacAdams, and others, and one with Waldman, Tom Clark, Lewis Warsh, Lewis MacAdams, and Philip Whalen. Of note is a cassette recording of Allen Ginsberg orally composing the introduction to Talking Poetics from Naropa Institute: Annals of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. To facilitate access, the cassette recordings have been transferred onto recordable compact discs. The numbering and labeling of the compact discs corresponds to the numbering of the cassette tapes.

Video recordings consists of 42 VHS videocassettes, one 8mm film reel and ten DVDs. The readings, performances and lectures grouping includes performances from 1990 to 1998 and is the primary strength of the subseries. In addition to Waldman's performances, the tapes include readings by Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Michael McClure, Ed Sanders and others. Most of the tapes in the programs and television shows grouping were produced commercially or for television shows. The highlight of the grouping is a tape which includes seven episodes of "Word One," a Boulder, Colorado cable access television show hosted by Waldman, which includes performances by Allen Ginsberg, Kenward Elmslie and other poets. The programs and television shows grouping also includes a tape of "poetry videos" from the Manhattan Poetry Video Project, including music videos of Waldman's "Uh-Oh Plutonium," Allen Ginsberg's "Father Death Blues," and Bob Holman's "Rapp It Up." The personal and miscellaneous grouping includes a videotape copy of a home movie of Waldman, Lewis Warsh, Ted Berrigan and others. DVD copies of the first 27 videotapes and the film reel in the subseries (WALDVID-1 to WALDVID-27) are available for viewing in the reading room of the Special Collections Library, with advance notice for retrieval and setup. The ten original DVDs in the subseries are labeled with the prefix WALDDVD- and consist mainly of Anne Waldman poetry readings, and collaborative events such as Transatlantic Howl! A Dedication to Allen Ginsberg, a multivenue event featuring poetry readings and poetic theatre pieces celebrating Ginsberg's poem Howl.

The Digital Files subseries includes backups of email correspondence, files on Waldman's poems and books, such as parts I and II of the Iovis Trilogy and the anthology Civil Disobediences, and interviews. Most of these materials are stored on floppy disks and have not been transferred to viewable digital media.

Collection

Brownell family papers, 1823-1969 (majority within 1850-1940)

7.5 linear feet

The Brownell family papers contain correspondence, diaries, documents, writings, illustrations, and other materials documenting the family's experiences from the 1820s into the 1960s.

The Brownell family papers contain correspondence, diaries, documents, writings, illustrations, and other materials documenting the family's experiences from the 1820s into the 1960s.

The Correspondence Series includes letters written to and by the Brownell family, primarily in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Louisiana, New York City, Cuba, and France between 1823 and 1969, with the bulk dating from the 1850s to 1940s.

Approximately 296 letters are letters to Charles Brownell and his wife Henrietta [Nettie] from Charles' mother, Lucia [Mummy], and his three brothers, Edward [Ned], Henry, and Clarence, often written with notes added and sent on as a "round robin" correspondence which ended with Charles.

The collection contains over 100 letters written by Ned Brownell, with additional notes in other family members' letters. His earliest letters start when he is finishing medical school in New Orleans and continue with his move to rural Louisiana, near Alexandria and Plaisance. These are high-spirited letters with humorous pen and ink drawings of his adventures chasing wild horses (January 29, 1855); mishaps while duck and geese hunting at Lake Catahoula (November 12, 1855; November 10, 1856); and futile attempts to flag down a river steamer (January 29, 1855). But his letters also deal with the problems involved in setting up a medical practice at the same time he, a Northerner, is trying his hand at cotton cultivation. He married a southern woman of French descent whose father was a slave owner (19 slaves in 1850 and 30 in 1860). Ned describes bringing up his bilingual children in a culture very different from his own. The marriage s was troubled, and by 1858, he sold out his cotton interests and was considering his brother Clarence's offer to take over Clarence's practice in East Hartford, Connecticut. He moved to Cloutierville, Louisiana, for a while. Two letters of introduction written in 1864 (April 4 and April 25) refer to his allegiance to the Union. By June of 1866, he was involved in legal separation hearings and working with his brothers on a testimony about his wife's "violent scenes and words.” Both during his practice in Louisiana and later in Rhode Island, his letters describe his patients and treatments (cotton gin accident resulting in amputation of an enslaved person's arm - October 26, 1857; treating yellow fever and typhoid - October 14, 1853 and January 12, 1855). He also suggests treatments for family members with diphtheria (n.d. November 8), excessive menstrual bleeding (December 17, 1866), prolapsed uterus after childbirth (February 8, [1867]), and a prescription for a cholera prevention pill (n.d. September 27). He made a trip to Florida with his dying brother Henry in 1871-1872, in the hopes that the warmer climate might make Henry feel more comfortable.

Only a handful of letters and notes are from Clarence Brownell. Seven of these are affectionate letters to his friend Henrietta Angell [Pierce] [Brownell], before and during her first unhappy marriage. The rest of his letters are to his family and include descriptions of his 1861 visit to Ned and family in Cloutierville, his excitement and satisfaction in building a boat in his workshop, and playing chess by mail with brother Charles. Another letter describes his travels in Egypt. He went by horseback from Alexandria to Cairo, 130 miles across the Delta. A map he drew while with the Pethernick Expedition on the White Nile was sent home posthumously ([May 12], 1862). On it he notes their location by date and the location of certain flora and fauna.

Over 100 letters and notes are from Lucia D. Brownell ("Mummy"), most of them dealing with local affairs, real estate arrangements, and concerns for her sons' health. Several of these letters mention mediums and the spirit world. After the death of her son Clarence in Egypt, Lucia, Ned, and Henry become interested in reports of mediums and "spiritual pictures.” One item is a copy of a letter that a medium claimed was dictated to him by Clarence's ghost. Ned describes watching a medium who claimed to see "words in fiery letters in the illuminated smoke of my cigar when I puffed" [13 May]. Lucia made several visits to a medium (November- December 1862), ending when the medium was proved a fake.

Correspondence with Henry H. Brownell is well represented. The letters mostly come from Hartford, Connecticut, but letters from Bristol, Rhode Island, are also included. He describes visiting Ned and his family in Louisiana in the 1850s, and accompanying Ned on three of his annual duck and geese hunting expeditions to Lake Catahoula. He seems to have acted as agent for the sale of his brother Charles' paintings when Charles was away in Cuba or Europe - "two little Charter Oaks for $20." [n.d. December 26]. Other letters deal with business matters concerning an inheritance from his grandfather De Wolf involving real estate that he and Charles shared, but unequally. These letters contain little mention of Henry's own writing of poetry and the publication of his books. Two copies of letters to Henry written by Oliver Wendell Holmes praising his work are included [January 13 and February 6, 1865]. A typed copy of a letter from Ernest H. Brownell, dated April 6, 1935, lists letters written by Holmes to Henry H. Brownell. Correspondence to Charles DeWolf Brownell represent his work to honor and publish his brother's writings after his death [late 1880s].

Another part of the Brownell Papers consists of three batches of letters from abroad - the Procter Wright letters from Europe, the Charles and Nettie Brownell letters from Europe, and the Don Martin Ibarra letters from Cuba and Spain. Procter Wright wrote 25 letters (1876-1884) to Mrs. Charles Brownell (Nettie) from Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. He gives good descriptions of his walking and climbing tours as well as his visits to various cities. A few letters discuss religion, including matters of purgatory [April 28, 1880] and creation or Darwinisn [August 18, 1883]. Wright also mentions the death of the artist Jean Louis Hamon, and the auction of his things [July 26, 1876, December 28, 1876]. He reminds Henrietta how much he treasures Charles' painting of "Witches' Cork Tree" that the Brownell's had given him some years earlier [April 9, 1883].

The twenty letters written by Charles and Nettie in Europe (1872-1874) to family at home talk of their travels, their children, and anything unusual that catches their eye - "Creche" day care system in France [August 20, 1873] or a trip to the "Crystal Palace" in London [August 29, 1873]. Charles made small pen and ink drawings on three of the letters - a bird on a branch [July 28, 1872], an Egyptian "cartouche" [May 6, 1873], and a dental molar [March 27, 1874]. Three other letterheads have hand tinted designs - an animal head [August 9, 1872], a ship [May 8, 1874], and boys on a ship's mast [May 13, 1874]. Two letterheads have landscape lithographs by Henry Besley - "St. Michael's Mount from Lower Tremenheere" [August 20, 1873] , "Penzance from Guvul" and "St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall" [August 22, 1873].

The Don Martin Ibarra letters (1855-1872) consist of 86 letters written in Spanish to Charles Brownell. They are mainly from Cuba, but the last several are from Barcelona, Spain. They are warm letters to a good friend and "compadre,” but also contain figures on the production of sugar from at least two "ingenios" or sugar mills near the Cardenas area of Cuba.

A small group of 17 letters from the poet Lucy Larcom (1862-1870, n.d.) were written to Henrietta Angell Pierce Brownell [Mrs. Charles Brownell], and cover the years of Larcom's decision to stop teaching school and to concentrate her energy on her own writing. Her September 19, 1868, letter mentions proofreading a volume for publication, "my cricket-chirpings of verse.”

Eight letters from Henrietta S. Dana (1861-1863) in New Haven, Connecticut, to Henrietta A. Pierce [Brownell] mention Mrs. Dana helping her famous Yale professor husband by taking dictation from him for his most recent book, Manuel of Geology [April 7, 1862]. Her letters also describe the death of two of their children from diphtheria, and her safely nursing one other child through it [December 21, 1861].

Twenty-five letters from Esther Pierce to her divorced and remarried mother, Henrietta Brownell, were written from 1875-1877, when Esther was 14-16 years old and living with her father, Dr. George Pierce, in Providence. Several years earlier, she had been living with her mother and her step-father, Charles Brownell, and had accompanied them on their trip to Europe. Her nickname was "Kit,” and she is frequently mentioned in her mother's letters. The letters from Esther [Kit] tell of a trip to Canada, local people and visits, and her new clothes, sometimes with accompanying pen and ink drawings. Two letters include swatches of fabric [February 6, 1876, and April 23, 1876].

More correspondence to and from the Brownells can be found in the Scrapbook Pages series and the Genealogical Notes and Copies series.

Beginning in the 1880s, the correspondence focuses more on Annie May Angell, who would marry Ernest Henry Brownell in 1891, and her family. Virginia McLain (1867-1953), who lived in the Bahamas as the daughter of the United States Consul Thomas J. McClain, was a frequent correspondent into the 1890s. One letter dated October 11, 1887, includes a carte-de-visite of Virginia. Other letters in the 1880s relate to Charles DeWolf Brownell's efforts to publish his brother Henry Howard Brownell's poetry. Several letters from 1882 and 1883 relate to Charles DeWolf Brownell, his work on the Charter Oak, and his paintings. One letter by Oliver Wendell Holmes, dated February 11, 1883, indicates one of Charles' paintings was displayed in his library.

Correspondence from the 1890s-1910s centers around Annie May and Ernest Brownell, as well as their family circle and acquaintances. Letters written by Bertha Angell to Lewis Kalloch are also well represented in this period. Ernest's letters provide details about May and Ernest's children and marriage, as well as Ernest's work as a Civil Engineer in the United States Navy. Many of his early letters are addressed from the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Navy Yard. Ernest was also stationed in the Philippines and Bremerton, Washington.

Around 1905 Ernest Brownell became involved with the Brownell Building in Providence, Rhode Island, which the brothers inherited, and in the following years corresponded with his brothers Carl and Edward about various matters relating to family properties. Several letters from 1912 refer to a large fire at the Brownell Building.

Two items from August 1915 were sent to the family of John K. Rathbone relating to the Galveston Hurricane.

Correspondence between Dorothea DeWolf Brownell and Clifford Kyler Rathbone begins around 1918. Clifford Rathbone's letters also detail his career in construction. Material from the 1920s relates to family finances and handling of Kalloch estate matters. By the 1930s letters by Dorinda Rathbone begin appearing, as well as more letters from the Rathbone family, including Myrtle Rathbone of Denton, Texas, and Rosalie Rathbone.

Correspondence from 1942-1943 reflects Clifford Rathbone's unsuccessful efforts to join the military, and Henry B. Rathbone's preparation for the U.S. Naval Academy entrance exams. Following Clifford Rathbone's death in March of 1944, the collection includes many condolence letters. The bulk of the correspondence post-1945 is written to Dorinda Rathbone.

The Bundled Correspondence Sub-series is comprised of letters arranged by later descendants of the family. The first bundle of seven letters spans from December 20, 1820, to January 29, 1825, relating to Pardon and Lucia Brownell's inheritance from the estate of Lucia's father Charles DeWolf. It includes notes by Dorothea DeWolf Brownell Rathbone. The second bundle includes 16 letters written to Pardon Brownell enclosed in Florence Brownell's January 19, 1931, letter to Dorothea Rathbone, spanning from March 1825 to December 1835 and primarily concern affairs with a DeWolf family property. One letter from Lucia DeWolf Brownell, dated June 11-13, 1827, is also included. The third bundle consists of 26 letters written from Ernest Brownell to his wife Annie May Angell Brownell from 1904 to 1940, along with a blank postcard and a photograph, likely of Ernest and Annie May, with the inscription "In Cuba on The Honeymoon, 1891" written on the verso. The letters commemorate their wedding anniversary, and were written while Ernest was serving in the Navy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Cavite, Philippines; Bremerton, Washington; Pensacola, Florida; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Newport, Rhode Island. The fourth bundle consists of two letters sent by John T. Lewis, Jr., to Dorothea Rathbone in the mid-1960s, enclosing two letters by H. M. K. Brownell from 1881 and 1883, respectively.

TheDiaries and Notebooks Series includes the following:

  • Francis DeWolf Brownell Penmanship Exercise Book, ca. 1833
  • "The Lay of the Cuisinier. A Poem; by the Cook of the Enterprise," 1840. Dedicated to Henry Howard Brownell.
  • Nettie K. Angell 1856 Diary Cover, with miscellaneous clipping and notes
  • Spanish Notebook, 1859
  • Unsigned Diary, 1863, written by a mother. It includes details on family events and social visits, particularly concerning children Ethie [Esther b. 1860] and Harry [b. 1863], indicating the author may be Henrietta Knowlton Angell (1837-1897), who bore Esther H. Pierce (b. 1860) and Henry A. Pierce (1863-1867) during her first marriage to George Pierce. Sections have been cut out of pages. A poem by H. H. Brownell is pasted on the back inside cover.
  • Bundle of miscellaneous disbound diary pages and miscellanea from 1858, 1861-1863, 1879, 1886, 1888-1893, and 1895, with occasional clippings
  • Ernest H. Brownell, "Our Expedition to Falkner's Island, Block Island, and Cuttyhunk," July 1884
  • Bertha Angell, 1886 student notebook, Apgar's Plant Analysis
  • Clifford K. Rathbone disbound diary pages, 1919
  • Construction journal pages, 1922
  • Illustration and writing notebook, undated. Hand-painted drawings of women, a man, and flowers are included, along with literary selections and sayings.

The Chronological Documents and Financial Records sub-series spans from 1824 to 1969 (bulk 1824-1920), documenting the legal, financial, and business affairs of the interrelated Brownell, Angell, and Rathbone families. Items include deeds, bills and receipts, insurance policies, bank and tax records, accounts, construction documents, leases, estate documents, and more. A significant portion of the documents relate to the real estate work of Ernest Brownell, Annie May Brownell, John Angell, and Bertha Angell (later Kalloch) in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Bundled Documents and Financial Records sub-series includes:

  • Bundle 1: Angell family land documents, 1799-1839
  • Bundle 2: John Angell wallet and receipts, 1829-1841
  • Bundle 3: Angell estate documents, 1893-1904
  • Bundle 4: Brownell estate documents, 1908-1942
  • Bundle 5: Clifford K. Rathbone concrete pile documents, ca. 1920s
  • Bundle 6: Clifford K. Rathbone wallet, 1941-1944

The Ledgers sub-series includes:

  • Partial estate inventory, ca. 1841
  • Nancy Angell account book, 1845-1856
  • Nancy Angell rent account book, 1863-1903
  • John A. Angell and Nancy Angell income taxes, 1867-1871
  • John A. Angell estate accounts, 1877-1893
  • [Annie May Angell and Bertha Angell?] account book, 1884-1891
  • Ernest H. Brownell cash book, 1890-1910
  • Annie May Angell Brownell cash book, 1892-1904
  • Annie May Angell Brownell check books, 1892-1893
  • Bertha Angell account book, 1896-1898, and 1908
  • Annie May Angell Brownell account book, 1896-1905 and 1912-1915
  • Blank bank notebook, Undated

The Writings series spans from 1811 to 1958 and includes poetry by Lucia Emilia DeWolf Brownell, a lecture by Henry Howard Brownell, school work of Ernest H. Brownell, poetry by Annie May Angell Brownell (some with painted illustrations), and miscellaneous other items.

The Drawings and Illustrations series includes miscellaneous sketches and paintings, two volumes of Henry B. Rathbone's "History Cartoons," one volume of collected work of Emma DeWolf Brownell, and a child's illustrated notebook. Other illustrations and paintings appear throughout other series in the collection, particularly the Correspondence series and Writings series.

The Scrapbook Pages series consists of loose pages compiled by Dorothea Brownell Rathbone, collecting together letters, clippings, documents, photographs, and notes. Material dates from the 1850s into the 1940s. Correspondents represented include Edward R. Brownell, Henrietta Knowlton Angell Brownell, Ernest Henry Brownell, John Wardwell Angell, Edward I. Brownell, Charles DeWolf Brownell, Carl DeWolf Brownell, S. Edward Paschall, Bertha Angell. Photographs of people feature: Ernest Henry Brownell, Clarence Brownell, Charles Henry Brownell, Clifford K. Rathbone, Charles DeWolf Brownell, Douglass DeWolf, John Wardwell Angell, and Bertha Angell Kalloch. Ernest Henry Brownell features heavily in the scrapbook, including information on his education, work, and personal life. Dorothea Rathbone appears to have copied diary entries from October 1884 to March 1887, with manuscript and printed materials pasted in to it.

The Photograph series includes cartes de visite of James T. Fields, Annie Fields, and a gun crew aboard the Hartford. A signed photograph of Oliver Wendell Holmes is addressed to Henry H. Brownell. Gem tintypes of Ada Perkins Kerby, Rachel Perkins, and Charles Townley are also present. Miscellaneous photos include snapshots of the U.S.S. Hartford, a bridge, a construction project, a painted portrait of Betsy Angell, and a partial photograph of figures in a vehicle. A series of eight photographs and negatives depict gravestones. Photographs also appear elsewhere in the collection, principally the correspondence series and scrapbook pages series.

The Ephemera series consists of tickets, calling cards, business cards, a bank exchange note, and a wrapper.

The Printed Materials series includes newspaper pages and clippings, a 1785 almanac, poetry, a disbound copy of Thomas Church's The History of the Indian Wars in New England (New York, 1881), miscellaneous material related to education, one piece of sheet music, a magazine, a program, and a leaflet.

The Genealogical Notes and Copies series consists of notes regarding family history and letters. The J. A. Brownell sub-series includes over 200 hand-written copies made by Dorothea Brownell Rathbone of letters in the possession of J. A. Brownell. A note in the subseries indicates use of these materials requires the permission of J. A. Brownell. The material dates from 1836-1894 (bulk 1836-1850) and principally consists of letters addressed to or written by Henry H. Brownell, including a sizeable number written by Henry H. Brownell to Charles DeWolf Brownell and Lucia DeWolf Brownell. The Miscellaneous Notes and Copies sub-series includes handwritten copies and photocopies of letters, documents, and genealogical information. It includes copies of three letters from Henry David Thoreau to Clarence Brownell dated 1859 to 1861, as well as copies of several of Henry H. Brownell's poems.

The Miscellaneous series consists of scraps, notes, blank paper, and clippings.

The Realia series includes the following items:

  • A peg wooden doll with hand-made clothes and painted face, possibly in the style of the Hitty doll in Rachel Field's Hitty: Her First Hundred Years (New York: MacMillan Company, 1929)
  • A doll with a dress and bonnet, leather shoes, and painted canvas face
  • Two white doll shifts with smocking enclosed in an envelope labelled "Dolls dresses by RVRC for Dorinda" [Rosalie V. Rathbone Craft]
  • A handmade infant's nightgown enclosed in an envelope labelled "Sample of handiwork of DBR - nightgown made for D & used by D & H"
  • Two ribbons
  • Nine skeins of silk thread wrapped in paper with the following note: "Raised in our cocoonery - E. Hartford. Spun by C. D. W. B. at the mill in West Hartford"
  • A gray Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1920 wallet, possibly owned by Dorothea Rathbone who graduated from the school in that year
  • A shard of wood with a note, "Slivers from U.S.S. Hartford," accompanied by a disbound illustration of the ship
  • A metal Waldorf Astoria cocktail pick

Collection

Department of English Language and Literature (University of Michigan) Helen Zell Writers' Program records, 1986-2008

6.7 linear feet (in 10 boxes)

The Helen Zell Writers' Program was established in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan in 1982 as the Zell Visiting Writers' Series within the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program. The program hosts poets and fiction writers to the University of Michigan campus every year. The program changed its name from the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program to Helen Zell Writers' Program in 2013. The records contain audiocassettes and videotapes (VHS) for the Zell Visiting Writers' Series from Fall 1999 to Winter 2003, and digital videos (MiniDV) for Master of Fine Arts Program Alumni readings from 2002. Additional files containing correspondence, photographs, and publicity materials for the Zell Visiting Writers' Series are also included.

Audio and video recordings of the Zell Visiting Writers' Series from Fall 1999 to Winter 2003, and digital videos (MiniDV) for Master of Fine Arts Program Alumni readings from 2002. Also correspondence, photographs, and publicity materials for the Zell Visiting Writers' Series.

Collection

Frank E. Robbins Papers, 1907-1961 (majority within 1934-1960)

1.6 linear feet — 1 volume

University of Michigan professor of Greek; Assistant to the President; papers include correspondence, writings, pencil sketches and photographs, topical files.

The papers of Frank Egleston Robbins consist of materials from his work as the assistant to the university president, and his other activities within the university. The series are: Correspondence, Miscellaneous, Writings, Visual Materials and Assistant to the President Topical Files.

Collection

Friendship and Autograph Album collection, 1826-1944 (majority within 1826-1908)

45 volumes

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. At least one volume was kept by an African American man, Lewis G. Mosebay. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

Collection

Henry Philip Tappan papers, 1840-1936 (majority within 1840-1881)

1 linear foot (in 3 boxes) — 2 oversize folders

First president of University of Michigan. Correspondence, essays, sermons, lectures, poetry, and photographs.

The Tappan papers include addresses, lectures, sermons, poems, biographical material, list of books in the Tappan library, and correspondence.

Collection

John and Leni Sinclair papers, 1957-2003

66.5 linear feet (in 82 boxes) — 1 oversize folder (UAl) — 1 oversize volume — 33 open reel videotapes — 727.7 GB (online)

Online
John and Leni Sinclair were leaders of the counterculture movement in Michigan, organizers of radical social, political, and cultural endeavors primarily in the areas of music, poetry, graphic design, and community welfare projects. Papers and photographs (1957-1979) relating to all phases of their careers, including participation in the Artists' Workshop in Detroit, the Rainbow Multi-Media Corporation, the White Panther Party and its offshoot, the Rainbow Peoples Party; also materials concerning the legalization of marijuana, radical politics, and prison reform. Also material, 1979-2000, relating to John Sinclair's work as a writer, performer, radio show host and music promoter.

The John Sinclair papers came to the library in 1979. Jointly donated by John and Leni Sinclair, this initial accession, covering the period 1957-1979, included textual material, sound recordings, and photographs relating to all phases of their careers, including participation in the Artists' Workshop in Detroit, the Rainbow Multi-Media Corporation, the White Panther Party and its offshoot, the Rainbow Peoples Party; also materials concerning the legalization of marijuana, radical politics, prison reform, and rock and jazz music.

The Sinclair papers provide a rich and unique source for the study of America's radical movement in the nineteen sixties and seventies. Beginning with a remarkable series of correspondence that includes letters from Abbie Hoffman, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, and Jerry Rubin, and continuing on through extensive subject files, the collection details the cultural, political and business activities of a man whose energy and charisma made him a local and national leader of the counterculture. In addition, the collection documents the support and creativity of his wife and partner, who as writer, photographer and publicist helped to showcase the lifestyle which he symbolized.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, John Sinclair added to his papers with materials relating to his career as a writer and performer. In the winter of 2000, he donated a second large accession relating mainly to the period since leaving Detroit for New Orleans.

The Sinclair collection has been divided into four subgroups: Textual Files, Printed Material, Sound Recordings, and Visual Material.

Collection

Nathaniel Stacy papers, 1803-1867

Approximately 462 items (2.5 linear feet)

The Nathaniel Stacy papers include correspondence, documents, sermons, and other materials which relate to the personal and professional life of Mr. Stacy, a Universalist preacher.

The Nathaniel Stacy papers include eight boxes of material relating to every aspect of the personal and professional life of a Universalist preacher operating in the hot bed of the Second Great Awakening, the Burnt-Over District of New York. Boxes 1 through 4 contain correspondence arranged chronologically, 1803-1867, followed by undated correspondence arranged alphabetically by author. Box 5 contains Stacy's preaching log, listing date, place and text taken for sermons given between 1803 and 1864, sometimes with additional notes concerning funerals or other special occasions. Box 6 contains 30 numbered lectures given by Stacy in Ann Arbor in 1837 and 1838. Only the first of these is specifically dated. They are filed in numerical order with text taken noted on the folder. Boxes 7 and 8 contain material arranged topically, filed alphabetically by folder title. The Box-Folder listing provides detail. Included in these boxes are Stacy's diaries, with an unbroken run from 1835 through 1868 and scattered earlier and undated fragments, and 18 folders of sermons arranged by text. The bulk of the collection centers around Stacy and the members of his immediate family, and includes some materials generated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by his grandchildren or great-grandchildren, the Smiths of Corry, Pa. The unidentified photographs are probably of these family members.

The Stacy collection is a rich resource for historians of the Universalist Church. Stacy was part of what might be called a second generation of American Universalist preachers, taught by Hosea Ballou and influenced by other members of the General Convention of Universalists of the New England States and Others. He was among the first to preach the doctrine of universal salvation in New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and in each state he founded a number of local societies and regional associations. Stacy's papers vividly document the hardships involved in the life of an itinerant preacher of an unpopular doctrine. The financial difficulties inherent in such a career are reflected in his appeals to various Societies for whom he preached to honor their subscriptions or allow him to leave, and in letters from other struggling preachers bemoaning their meager earnings or looking for a better place; they are implicit in all his financial juggling and in schemes for supplementing his income, ranging from the disastrous reprinting of Marie Hubers's The State of Souls Separated From Their Bodies (1:46) to an ill-fated speculation in cheese (3:91). The individual societies for whom Stacy preached are variously documented in 8:35-39. For example, materials concerning the Society in Hamilton are unfortunately sparse, consisting of one letter of appeal from Stacy and a draft report to the Western Association of Universalists. The Society in Columbus is better documented, with a constitution and list of members dated 1834 and a record of church proceedings from 1834 to 1847 as well as a number of Stacy's accounts and subscription lists. The run of undated sermons (8:18-35) is useful for study of Universalist doctrine, as are the dated occasional sermons which may be found in the card catalog under Stacy's name. Running throughout the correspondence is a considerable debate on the subject of universal salvation versus endless misery, and these debates are echoed and extended in Stacy's diaries and Memoirs.

Stacy's ministry in New York occurred during one of the most volatile periods in the state's history. The collection documents the intense interest in religion in general and the willingness to question established doctrine which characterized the Burnt-Over District during this period. Letters such as one dated January 1, 1819 (1:37) offer moving descriptions of the spiritual hunger and emotional turmoil which stirred many, although a counterbalance is offered in such letters as the one dated January 20, 1828 (2:9) which offers a rationalistic discussion of the illogical nature of such biblical imagery as that of armies of angels in heaven. A number of Stacy's correspondents describe protracted religious meetings and local revivals (indexed under Revivals; and Enthusiasm). Universalist ministers generally disapproved of the techniques of the evangelical churches, and Stacy avidly collected stories of people driven to madness, infanticide, and suicide by Calvinism (1:59; 3:78,92). Yet it is also clear, as one fellow minister pointed out to Stacy, that the Universalist Church benefited both by the interest in religion stirred up by the revivals and by the renewed commitment of the enlightened who found such meeting objectionable (3:11) A letter from a niece turned Mormon requests Stacy to "give me the Names of your Anchestors as far back as you can gain eny knowledge and also give me the Names of your Children that are dead that I may have them to be handed down from generation to generation after me" (4:38). In another interesting series of letters, Stacy acts as advocate for an elderly neighbor, a former Shaker who had been expelled from their community, and who was seeking their support (see subject index under Shakers).

In Michigan and Ann Arbor, Stacy experienced the region's transition from territory to state and the hard times following the Panic of 1837. His correspondence from this period, and in particular his diaries, which he began to keep regularly upon his removal to Michigan, offer a window onto life in a frontier town. Although his daily entries are seldom lengthy, the cumulative effect of the diaries is to provide a rich picture of Stacy's social and economic setting and, as a side benefit, of his very appealing personality.

Those interested in Freemasonry and the Antimasonic excitement which played such an important role in determining Stacy's actions will find materials of interest in the collection. Two examples of Antimasonic rhetoric are found in letters dating from 1829, written by a kinswoman who exhorted Stacy to divest himself of the "vile robes" of the "base ferternity," while listing the ghastly crimes committed by Masons (2:15,17). Clippings concerning his Masonic affiliation and two speeches delivered in lodges are included in 8:14. Also of interest are two series of legal materials: one concerning the estate of David Curtis, founder of Columbus, Pa., for which Stacy acted as executor (7:1), and one concerning the legal separation of Stacy's niece, Rhoda Porter Thompson from her second husband (8:41). Each set of documents includes an inventory of the principal's household goods. Stacy's register of marriages (8:13) and his log of sermons, which often gives some detail about those at whose funerals he preached (5), include useful material for genealogists. The subject index includes topics covered in less detail in the papers, such as Stacy's chaplaincy during the second campaign at Sackett's Harbor in the War of 1812, and his involvement in various Temperance groups.

Collection

Rebecca Shelley Papers, 1890-1984

21 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Pacifist, participant in World War I peace movement and later peace activities, member of Fellowship of Reconciliation, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and Women Strike for Peace. Papers include Correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, periodicals, reports, photographs, and other materials relating to the International Congress of Women, 1915, the Ford Peace Ship, the American Neutral Conference Committee, the Emergency Peace Federation, and the People's Council of America.

The papers of Rebecca Shelley (1887-1984) were donated by Shelley in several accessions between 1964 and 1984. The papers make up twenty-one linear feet of materials and cover the years 1890-1984, though only a few photographs and printed items predate 1910. Her anti-war activism, legal battles, writing career, and courtships with Franz Willman and Felix Rathmer are all well-represented. In addition to her personal papers, there are groups of material belonging to Emily Balch, Richard Olsen, Felix Rathmer, Paul Shelly, and William A. Shelly.

Many peace organizations are also documented in these papers through flyers, pamphlets, periodicals, newsletters, and correspondence. These include the American Neutral Conference Committee, Emergency Peace Federation, People's Council of America, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Women Strike for Peace, and many others. As Shelley served as an officer in the Michigan Fellowship of Reconciliation (F.O.R.) through the 1950s and 1960s, many of the organization's official papers came to be in her possession. Therefore, an effort was made to remove most of these official papers to the separate Michigan F.O.R. collection.

The collection is arranged in eleven series: Biographical; Newspaper Clippings; Correspondence; Topical Papers; Miscellaneous Papers; Papers Of Other Individuals; Printed; Periodicals; Diaries And Notebooks; Photographs; and Writings.