Maria Mitchell letters, circa 1846-1868
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Summary
- Creator:
- Mitchell, Maria, 1818-1889, correspondent
Baskin, Lisa Unger, former owner - Abstract:
- Maria Mitchell was a pioneering United States astronomer. This collection of social correspondence comprises three notes written by Mitchell between approximately 1846-1868.
- Extent:
- 0.1 Linear Feet (3 items)
- Language:
- Materials in English
- Research Center:
- Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
- Collection ID:
- RL.11397
Background
- Scope and content:
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Collection comprises three manuscript notes by Mitchell. The first, written while Mitchell was the librarian at the Nantucket Atheneum, is addressed to a Mrs. Greene regarding a John Quincy Adams letter Mitchell has forwarded to her "at Phebe's request" for her autograph business. The second, written while Mitchell was teaching at Vassar College, is addressed to a Mrs. Burner asking for letters of recommendation to a number of people in London. The third, dated 1877, to a Miss Ladd, sends her regrets for not being able to speak at the Harvard School commencement.
- Biographical / historical:
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Maria Mitchell was a pioneering American astronomer. A Nantucket native, Mitchell worked from 1836-1856 as the first librarian at the Nantucket Atheneum, during which time she discovered "Miss Mitchell's Comet." In 1865, she was appointed the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College, where she worked until her retirement. Michell also identified with the abolition and women's rights movements. She was the first woman elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Philosophical Society.
- Acquisition information:
- The Maria Mitchell letters were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2015.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Megan E. Lewis, March, 2017
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2015-0050-LUBMSS337-339
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Contents
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- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Maria Mitchell letters, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1xd15