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M. F. Wilson was a midshipman in the gunroom of the HMS Leviathan, a Royal navy cruiser based in the China Station in 1903. Diary of life aboard a British war ship, maintained by M. F. Wilson over one year, including entries related to target practice and other drills, preparation of torpedos, coaling, mooring and unmooring, movements of sailors among the Royal Navy's ships, watches and duties, cleaning and painting, preparations for inspection, and the coming and going of other countries' vessels. He also records activities during free time, including playing football, hockey, rugby, cricket and taking part in boxing matches and hunting parties. Wilson outlines his shore leave excursions to Mato, China; Tokyo; Shanghai; and the Ming Tombs, where he attended dinners and the theater, bathed and swam, or held picnics and hiked. There are descriptions of hotels, bath houses, tea rooms and stores. In an entry for December 12, Wilson notes the purchase of his photographic gear, and in February he announces that war has been declared between Japan and Russia, the progress of which he follows in subsequent entries. Major ports mentioned include Nagasaki, Weihaiwei, China; Hong Kong, Yokohama, Woosung, and Nankin.

Trained as muralist, b. in Terre Haute, Ind. in 1907, d. 1991. From 1940s-1960s worked in various media to interpret Moby Dick visually. Collection comprises undated, typeset copies of the synopsis (12 pgs.) for the musical drama "The White Whale," based on Melville's novel; notes on the set and costumes (3 pgs.) for the musical, and two versions of one page of dialog for the musical itself. Also includes a 1949 program for Wilson's gallery exhibit of 100 color drawings based on the novel, entitled "Moby Dick." There is no indication whether the musical was produced.

Eula Wake was a 1929 graduate of the Woman's College of Duke University. Collection contains photographic prints taken at Class of 1929 reunions in 1984, 1986-87, and 1989.

2 ALS. Pertains to the exchange of copies of a book by Wilson. Wilson asks for Hunt's marked copy and offers a fresh copy.

Delouis Wilson is an African American artist, and jewelry designer, and art collector, based in Durham, North Carolina. The papers comprise her journals and journal entries (1977-2025); calendars; sketchbooks, art school notebooks, and loose pieces of mixed media artwork. The journals, currently closed to use, document in detail her personal life, travels in the U.S. and abroad, including time spent in Tunisia in the Peace Corps, life in Durham, N.C., and employment as a jewelry designer. The collection also includes 30 large photographic studio portraits of African Americans, almost all hand-tinted crayon enlargements, dating from about 1890 to 1945 and collected by Wilson chiefly in the Southern U.S. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts, the Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture, and the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture at Duke University.

Col. David S. Wilson (1825-1881), originally from Ohio, was a lawyer and editor in Dubuque, Iowa. He served with the Sixth Cavalry of Iowa from 1862-1864 and also practiced law in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., during the 1860s and 1870s. He was appointed circuit judge and district judge in Dubuque and served until 1878. He and his wife, Henrietta, had four children: Henry, Gertrude, John, and David. The family's papers consists largely of personal correspondence between D.S. and Henrietta, as well as a significant amount of correspondence between the couple and their children. Also included in the collection are a selection of D.S. Wilson's legal and political materials, such as a diary from his 1860 term in the Iowa General Assembly, miscellaneous court case briefings, and some materials from his work as an attorney for the New Idria Quicksilver Mining Company.

ALS. Letter of recommendation for Doctor Forester Dexter.

William H. Willis was Professor and Chair of the Department of Classics at Duke University. Collection contains approximately 6000 travel slides from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East dating 1950s-1970s.

U.S. Geological Survey geologist. Collection consists mainly of letters Willis wrote to his wife but also includes letters to him and between other family members. They frequently wrote to one another in code; a key to the code is with the collection. His letters pertain to the Geological Survery as well as family, travels, the Appalachians and other prominent geologists such as Raphael Pumpelly. A few sketches are also included.