Search Results
Hannah Mather request to Edward Hutchinson, 1758 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
Collection comprises a request written by Hannah Hutchinson Matter on 3 April 1858 to Edward Hutchinson, asking him to fulfill the pecuniary bequest made to her by his father and to give the sum (4 pounds) to her son, Samuel Mather, Junior. The back of the request contains Samuel's note, dated 3 May 1858, stating that he received the money.
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell letter to Ellen Nussey, [1855] July 27 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
Collection contains a letter Elizabeth Gaskell wrote to Ellen Nussey on [1855] July 27 regarding her work on her biography of Charlotte Brontë, and making arrangements to meet with Nussey to review any letters "which you may think it right to entrust me with." She refers to having already reviewed letters held by Mr. Nichols, Brontë's husband, but never mentions Brontë by name.
Thomas Smith deed of manumission, 1803 July 19 1.0 Linear Foot — 1 item
Deed of manumission of "negro Sue," more commonly known as Susannah Mallory, former property of Charles King Mallory, of Elizabeth City County, [Va.?], by Thomas Smith in the Court of Norfolk County, Va., on 1803 July 19. In the document Smith makes it clear that the sixty dollars he paid for her purchase from Charles King Mallory was advanced entirely by Sue and that he acted only as her "Friendly agent" in the matter, with no interest in holding her as a slave. The deed is witnessed by Richard Henry Lee and R. C. Archer.
Mary J. Scarlett letters and broadside, 1845-1864 and undated 1.01 Linear Feet — 8 items
Collection contains seven letters (22 pages) M. J. Scarlett wrote between 1845-1864. Two letters were addressed to her sister, Elizabeth (1845, 1849), and five to her niece (1858, 1860, 1863, 1864). In the letters she discussed details of her life at the time, from the teaching of students to the choosing of proper fabric for sewing a dress, making a comfortable sitting room, or studying public health and hygiene. She also mentioned many family matters. She commented on her hopes for the abolition of slavery and the infighting among abolitionists at a recent national meeting, and noted her puzzlement that those Quakers who would quickly speak as abolitionists would not also speak up on issues of faith within the Society of Friends. During the Civil War, she described the effect of the draft in Philadelphia, recorded the general concern that the Army of the Potomac needed to be successful, and pointed to camps nearby as well as to funerals passing. Collection also includes an undated broadside for "An Introductory Lecture to a Course on Physiology" to be delivered by Scarlett. Acquired as part of the History of Medicine Collections (Duke University), the Lisa Unger Baskin Collection, and the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture.
J. Nevett Steele and Mary Murray deed of manumission, 1846 December 4 1.0 Linear Foot — 1 item
Collection comprises a deed of manumission for a "negro woman slave named Sophy and a negro girl named Sarah and a negro boy named Henry, children of said Sophy," former property of Sarah E. Murray of Anne Arundel County, Md., and then assigned to J. Nevett Steele of Baltimore, Maryland. The deed was signed and sealed by J. Nevett Steele and the administrator of Sarah E. Murray's personal estate, Mary Murray, then recorded in the [Howard?] District of Anne Arundel County on 1846 December 4. The deed was witnessed by Abner Neal and T.[Thomas] Hanson Belt. Sophy was 37 years old, Sarah was 13 years old, and Henry was 10 years old at the time.
Women's Guild of Arts records, 1902-1949 and undated 0.2 Linear Feet — 88 items
Collection comprises primarily 81 letters from 29 members of the Women's Guild of Arts between 1902 and 1949. There are 7 additional documents, including draft resolutions, certificates, lists, and notes. Three letters predate the founding of the organization in 1907. The primary topic of the letters is the crisis within the Guild regarding its women-only status, an argument regarding how restrictive the Guild should be. Pamela Colman Smith wrote to May Morris (22 January 1913) that the reason she joined the Guild was that it made a point of asking its members not to exhibit at women-only shows, as it lowered the standard of work and that the Guild was never intended to be a purely woman's affair. Other letters on the subject come from Evelyn de Morgan, Feodora Gleichen, and Ethel Sandell. Gleichen's letter was circulated to members, and the collection contains a list of those who agreed with her; several letters are marked up to indicate a position on the matter. There is also a draft resolution welcoming any move to widen the scope of the Guild "such as stimulating and interesting lectures not only from our own members but from men and women outside....It is with this in view that we supported the resolution passed at the recent Annual Meeting, inviting as Honorary Associates a few people with whose work we are in sympathy..." (22 January 1913). Other topics in the letters include the role of the president, exhibitions, lectures, and the work of the organization, along with the William Morris Centenary Commemoration in 1934.
Elizabeth Cary Agassiz letter to Dr. Thomas Hill and photograph, 1886 0.1 Linear Feet — 2 items
Collection comprises an autograph, signed letter Elizabeth Cary Agassiz wrote to Dr. Thomas Hill on January 20 [1886] regarding his article on her husband published in the Unitarian Review in December 1885. She notes that she was unable to follow his entire argument, "for the kingdoms of geometry are closed to me. But in reading it I am nonetheless conscious of a law which binds all things together...." Also includes a printed photograph of her.
Helen Paterson Allingham papers, 1868-1916, 2015 3.6 Linear Feet — 4 boxes — 11 items
Collection primarily includes four sketchbooks by Allingham, but also contains four letters, a carte de visite, and two exhibit labels. The four sketchbooks date from 1868-1916, and feature sketches and drawings made in graphite, watercolor, and pen and ink. Subjects are varied, and include English cottages and buildings, architectural features, sailboats and coastal scenes, figures, landscapes, and botanical items.
The letters, dated 1881-1882 and undated, include three written by Allingham. There is one to Marcus B. Huish regarding her painting, The Tea Party, which she reports is incomplete, but she plans to finish before it is exhibited. There is a letter to a friend to whom she sends autographs, then describes her country place and garden, along with her 4-month-old son. Another letter focuses on the difficulty of finding unfurnished rooms. The final letter in the collection is written by Andrew Halliday to Dr. Watkins, regarding Allingham's address. There is also a carte-de-visite of English women's rights activist Emily Faithfull, with her signature, along with two modern exhibit labels on Allingham.
American Women's Voluntary Services enamel pin, 1940s 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
Elizabeth Arden letter to Mrs. Hyatt, 1926 June 26 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
The collection consists of a single autograph typescript letter dated 1926 June 26 written by Elizabeth Arden to a Mrs. Hyatt, who had contacted her for advice after hearing her speak on the radio. Arden writes, "I know that where one is a busy housewife and has many duties in a country home, it is hard to get rest and relaxation. Perhaps you are of the naturally alert, quick, nervous type and use up a lot of energy everyday." Arden advises her to "get a little rest period at least once a day and relax in a quiet room or take a soothing, warm bath and a little nap," as well as to eat a healthy diet. She goes on to recommend products in her Venetian Preparations line that will soothe chapped hands, and encloses her booklet "The Quest of the Beautiful." On letterhead stationery from 673 Fifth Avenue embossed with the Venetian trademark.
Anna Letitia Barbauld and William Allen poems, 1823 August 23-30 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
Collection consists of a single piece of paper (20 x 12.5 cm) with an autograph manuscript poem by Anna Letitia Barbauld on the front and a poem called "Follow Me" by William Allen on the back. Barbauld's poem reads as follows: Born to the weighty honours of a name/Whose deeds of mercy England's shores proclaim/Yet know, you may inherit lands or pelf/But must, for praise - for love, be good yourself. It's signed A.L. Barbauld and dated August 23rd 1823. The verso contains a two-stanza autograph manuscript devotional poem by William Allen titled "Follow Me." It is signed Stoke Newington 30 of 8th month 1823. Barbauld and Allen were both educators and abolitionists who lived in Stoke Newington at the time of this writing. These poems are evidence that they had at least an epistolary friendship.
Lisa Unger Baskin Collection of Photographs, circa 1860-1960s, bulk 1860-1910 4.5 Linear Feet — 8 boxes — 514 items — Dimensions are given in item-level entries in centimeters and are approximate. The great majority are standard cartes-de-visite and cabinet card sizes, with more modern prints ranging from 4x6 to 8x10 inches; the largest items, few in number, measure approximately 10x12 up to 11x15 inches. — The majority of the items in this visual collection take the form of 19th century albumen cartes-de-visite and cabinet cards mounted on card stock. As the 19th century wanes, gelatin silver prints, most also mounted, become more common. There are a handful of cased images, stereographic cards, a few tintypes, several platinum prints, and photo-mechanical images in the form of single prints and postcards. Many of the albumen portraits are hand-tinted and card mounts are often ornately decorated, while others are roughly trimmed and spare in detail. Color pigments are chiefly found in hand-tinted photographs or in mechanical prints.
Collection consists of 514 photographic items, almost all single black-and-white prints, in a variety of formats typical for the 19th and early 20th centuries: largely albumen, with some gelatin silver prints, a few tintypes, daguerreotypes, glass plates, and one cyanotype. There are also some mechanical prints such as Woodburytypes and half-tone prints, and groups of commercially produced postcards, collectible cards, and stereographs. Color images are chiefly limited to hand-tinted images and mechanical prints.
Roughly three-quarters of the images were taken by women photographers operating or managing studios in all regions of the United States, with a smaller number in England, Sweden, Canada, and a few other countries; some were well-known but the majority were small business operators in smaller cities and towns. Whenever possible, a brief photographer's biography is included with the image entry.
The majority of the images are studio portraits of mostly unidentified North American men, women, children, and families, with a slight focus on New England. Roughly 40 images are portraits of African American or mixed-race individuals young and old, with a few groups of people of color. There are several ethnographic images of northern African women and a few scenes from Southeast Asia.
In addition to portraiture, the collection offers images of women artists, authors, nurses, teachers, and students who appear in early images of graduation and sports teams. Women and girls in boarding house and hotel rooms, at home, on bicycles, at work in factories, large and small offices, mines, and hospitals, wearing uniforms, brandishing guns and tools, and enjoying leisure activities. One hand-sewn booklet of photographs appears to show scenes from a training school for African American women. Also present are many portraits of female actors, entertainers, and wealthy women. There are very few musicians. Of interest are several photographs of light-skinned enslaved children distributed as abolitionist propaganda.
The cataloger transcribed titles and dates when present and indicated the source location; in the absence of a title, the cataloger devised descriptive titles. The great majority of dates are approximate and are based on the format, biographies, geneaologies, and clothing styles. Much information was derived from history of photography websites and photographer indexes, especially the website Langdon's List of 19th & Early 20th Century Photographers.
Letter and memorial items for Emily Wilding Davison, 1913 0.1 Linear Feet — 5 items
Mary R. Beard letters to Margaret Zogbaum, 1947-1950 0.1 Linear Feet — 8 items
Collection comprises 8 letters, 3 autograph and 5 typescript, Mary R. Beard wrote to Margaret Zogbaum, a resident of Mizzen Top in Tryon, North Carolina, between 1947 and 1950. Topics include the state of the publishing industry for literature; plans for visitors; musicologists Henry S. Drinker and his wife, Sophie; and the demands of Beard's writing, including its serving as a "salvation" following her husband's death in 1948, as well as her rule for not writing introductions for works by others.
Lydia Becker letter and obituary, 1890 and undated 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
Annie Besant letters, 1882-1883 0.1 Linear Feet — 2 items
Collection comprises two autograph, signed letters written by Annie Besant. The first, written 1882 May 20, originally accompanied a copy of a petition, and asked the editor of the Evening News to publish the petition, since he published an attack upon "Dr. E. Aveling, the Misses Bradlaugh" and herself, "as teachers of the Science School of the Hall of Science." The second, written 1883 December 4 to an unidentified addressee, indicated "the place of the meeting is the Grosvenor Gallery." Both items written on Besant's stationery, with her name and address printed in brown ink.
Mathilde Blind letter, circa 1889-1896 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
The collection comprises a single autograph manuscript letter on a single folded sheet of paper with text on three sides dated June 19, but lacking a year. The manuscript address given at the top of the first page reads: Holly Cottage, The Mount, Hampstead, London, N.W. In the letter, Mathilde Blind writes to thank an unknown male correspondent for sending her a clipping from the Liverpool Mercury containing a review of one of her works. Blind writes, "Sitting here this evening, somewhat tired, somewhat despondent, there comes to me your letter. I cannot tell you how it cheered and strengthened me. There is something profoundly stirring in the thought that far away, among the great unknown multitude of one's fellow beings, there are people who have entered into one's work with a kindly sympathetic spirit."
Maud Ballington Booth papers, 1899-1905 0.1 Linear Feet — 3 items
Collection comprises two letters and small handbill. Booth wrote one letter to a Mrs. Wallace on 1899 February 19, describing setting up a "Home" for men released from Joliet State Prison, and requesting that Wallace commit to a yearly donation of a hundred dollars or more towards the support of the halfway house in Illinois. Booth wrote the other letter to Alice Boughton on 1905 January 27, regarding a photographic portrait to be completed by Boughton. The handbill is for Booth's presentation "Making Good," to be held in New York City on [1902?] December 28.
Nadia Boulanger note to R.I., 1963 October 6 0.1 Linear Feet — 1 item
The collection consists of a single autograph manuscript note (dated 1963 October 6) from the French composer and conductor Nadia Boulanger to a sick friend identified as "R.I." It's likely that the recipient was the conductor Robert Irving. Boulanger inquires as to what advice he's received from his doctors, and mentions her own recent illness. She says that her faith has "brought moral relief to the physical suffering." She asks after his plans and hopes for the future, "in spite of all that makes regular work so difficult." Boulanger writes her address at the bottom of the note: 35 Rue Ballu, Paris IX.