Philadelphia Area Archives

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Pearl Bailey papers, 1970-1979 (bulk) 1946-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:: 40.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Pearl Bailey (1918-1990) was an American entertainer notable for her sultry singing and mischievous humor. She appeared on Broadway, in movies, and on her own television show. Bailey also authored several books. In 1975 she was appointed special ambassador to the United Nations by President Gerald Ford; she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The Pearl Bailey papers, 1946-1990 (bulk 1970-1979), include scrapbooks, recordings, correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, writings, financial records, and other materials relating to Pearl Bailey. Most document her public life in the 1970s, especially her career as a singer and actress, a cultural ambassador, and an author. A smaller quantity of materials relate to her personal life, including her finances, family, and college education at Georgetown University.

Held at: African American Museum in Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Laurence and Sylvia C. Eisenlohr papers on book about Fairmount Water Works, 1817, 1974-1989

Extent:: 1.67 linear feet
Abstract:: Herman Laurence Eisenlohr (1922-2012) was a professor at Rider College in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, and his wife, Sylvia (Crane) Eisenlohr (1926-2011), was a journalist who wrote for Time, The Saturday Evening Post, and various trade newspapers. In 1974, they undertook the project of dating the many drawings, paintings, and prints that have been made of the Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They received funding from the Barra Foundation and tried unsuccessfully to have a book on the Fairmount Water Works published. Laurence and Sylvia C. Eisenlohr papers on book about Fairmount Water Works, 1817, 1974-1989, consist of materials relating to the Eisenlohrs's manuscript, Fair Mount. The collection includes two versions of the manuscript and numerous letters related to the manuscript and the use of the Eisenlohrs' numerous prints and photographs of the Water Works. The collection also includes...(see more)

Held at: The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute [Contact Us]

Giles S. Stafford papers, 1923-1937 (bulk) 1882-1937 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.25 linear feet
Abstract:: Giles Spranklin Stafford (1856-) was a policeman, poet, and resident of the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Giles S. Stafford papers, 1882-1937, consist of manuscripts of poems, short stories, and historical essays, as well as correspondence.

Held at: Germantown Historical Society [Contact Us]

Ernest Walter Martin papers relating to Lewis Mumford, 1966-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear_foot (1 box )
Abstract:: Ernest Walter (E.W.) Martin (1912-2005) was a writer and social theorist from Shebbear, North Devon, England, best known for his friendship with some of the greatest thinkers of the day, among them George Bernard Shaw, RH Tawney and the American social philosopher Lewis Mumford. This collection contains correspondence to Ernest Walter Martin from Lewis Mumford as well as from others concerning Mumford, and manuscripts written by Martin on Mumford's work.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Arthur Huff Fauset papers, 1855-1983 (inclusive)

Extent:: 27 linear feet (32 boxes)
Abstract:: Arthur Huff Fauset (1899-1983) was a Philadelphia-based civil rights activist, author, anthropologist, folklorist, and educator. This collection dates from 1855-1893, measures 27 linear feet, and largely documents Fauset's endeavors as a creative writer, with much of the material being drafts of his work. It also contains correspondence, notes and research materials, scrapbooks, financial records, and miscellanea.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Alma Mahler letters to Willy Haas, 1912-1961 (inclusive) 1947-1961 (bulk)

Extent:: 0.2 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:: Alma Maria Mahler Gropius Werfel (1879-1964) was a composer, author, and editor. Born in Vienna, she was forced to leave Austria in 1938, after the Anschluss, seeking refuge in the United States. Her husband, Franz Werfel, was a life-long friend of Willy Haas, editor of Die Welt, who assisted Alma with the German edition of her autobiography, Mein Leben. This collection consists almost entirely of letters written by Alma Mahler Werfel and sent to Willy Haas. The letters are all in German. There are two additional letters, one: a photocopy of a letter from Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980), an Austrian artist, poet, and playwright; and the other: a photocopy of a letter from Alma to Baroness Annie Schey.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

George William Brown research collection on 19th-century missionary work in India, 1882-1932 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.4 linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract:: George William Brown (1870-1932) was a professor of Semitic languages and Indology, a founding member of the Linguistic Society of America, and a missionary in India for sixteen years as a member of the Disciples of Christ. This collection consists of materials documenting Brown's career in research, writing, and teaching about religion, missionary work, and linguistics, dating from 1892 to 1932.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

William Nickerson Bates manuscripts on Euripides and Sophocles, 1929-1930, circa 1940 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: William Nickerson Bates (1867-1949) was a professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Pennsylvania from 1895 to 1939. He wrote primarily on Attic tragedy, including two major volumes on Euripides and Sophocles, the manuscripts for which can be found in this collection. The volumes, Euripides, a student of Human Nature and Sophocles serve to acquaint the modern reader (one with little or no knowledge of ancient Greek) with the original meaning of the plays since, as Bates stated, no work had theretofore been published for such readers that dealt directly with the original Greek texts.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Paul John Jones Philadelphia Evening Bulletin columns and short stories, 1933-1970 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.4 linear feet (3 boxes)
Abstract:: Paul Jones (1897-1974) was a highly regarded newspaper columnist, author, historian, teacher and worldwide lecturer known for his expertise in history, language and world affairs. This collection contains the published columns of Paul Jones from his time at the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin as well as a few of his short stories.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Jane Morley collection of letters from Sophia Mumford, 1987-1991 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1 volume
Abstract:: Jane Morley served as the executive administrator for the University of Pennsylvania's International Symposium on Lewis Mumford in 1987 and developed a friendship with Sophia Mumford. The collection contains letters Sophia Mumford wrote to Morley from 1987 through 1991.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Robert Montgomery Bird papers, 1799-1946 (inclusive) 1822-1854 (bulk)

Extent:: 31 boxes
Abstract:: Comprises personal, business, literary, and family papers. In addition to Bird's own papers, this collection includes papers of his wife Mary E. Bird, his son Frederic Mayer Bird, and his biographer Clement Edgar Foust. The earliest papers (1822) date from Bird's school days at Germantown Academy, and the very latest papers (1946) relate to C. Seymour Thompson's publication of Mary E. Bird's biography of her husband. Correspondents include men and women from Bird's career in medicine; his literary career; his theatrical career (including correspondence with Edwin Forrest, as well as the documentation regarding their legal battle over copyrights and profits); his political career; and his career in publishing and journalism.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Wilton W. Blancké papers, 1900-1954 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.83 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized folder)
Abstract:: The papers of Wilton W. Blancké document his life as an educator and author. A strong, vocal proponent for a foreign language curriculum in public education, Blancké wrote several articles on the subject. He also penned numerous letters to editors of various publications espousing the view that the study of foreign language contributes to an international understanding.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

E. Sculley Bradley papers, 1876-1970 (inclusive) 1944-1962 (bulk)

Extent:: 2.5 linear feet (6 boxes)
Abstract:: Edward Sculley Bradley (1897-1987) was a scholar, author, educator, and administrator at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a prolific writer and editor, serving as editor of the General Magazine and History Chronicle, Philadelphia, 1945-1956. He published biographies of literary figures George Henry Boker and Henry Charles Lea, as well as editions of works by Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Walt Whitman. Bradley was considered an international expert on Whitman, editing several important editions of the poet's Leaves of Grass. The Sculley Bradley papers include his personal and professional correspondence dating from 1923 to 1962, material from several literary censorship cases for which he testified, corrected drafts of his manuscripts for the Comprehensive Reader's Edition, Norton Critical Edition, and Variorum edition of Leaves of Grass, ephemera and graphics associated with Walt Whitman, and a small amount of material on other authors.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Walter Hart Blumenthal papers, 1899-1965 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear feet (1 box and 1 oversized folder)
Abstract:: This collection contains some papers of the Jewish American scholar, writer and editor, Walter Hart Blumenthal (1883-1969). Although composed primarily of Blumenthal's short stories and poetry, the collection includes one scholarly article published in 1960, titled "Spurious Shakespeare Portraiture" with some accompanying research materials. In 1965 Blumenthal compiled his poetry into the typescript of "Exit Laughing" and his short stories into "Perspectives: Stories of This Brief Tenement Wherein the Spirit Dwells", both ultimately unpublished.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Edgar Meck Dilley writings, 1876-1923 (inclusive) 1911-1923 (bulk)

Extent:: 1 linear feet (3 boxes)
Abstract:: Writer, song-writer, and reporter Edgar Meck Dilley attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1893 to 1895 and is known for having written the school's alma mater, "Hail, Pennsylvania." This collection consists mainly of drafts of his writings, including novels and stories, plays and operas, lyrics, poems, and musical scores, as well as a few accompanying miscellaneous items.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

August Mencken papers, 1931-1972 (inclusive) 1940-1961 (bulk)

Extent:: 0.33 linear feet (1 box and 1 oversize folder)
Abstract:: August Mencken (1889-1967) was an American civil engineer and author. This collection comprises August Mencken's correspondence regarding his brother, H.L. Mencken, his research and work on a scale model of the Confederate cruiser Alabama, and miscellaneous collected writings from friends and colleagues.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Enid Frank Goldsmith letters, 1886-1984 (inclusive) 1917-1960 (bulk)

Extent:: 1.2 linear feet (3 boxes)
Abstract:: Enid Frank Goldsmith, the sister of Waldo Frank (1889-1967), was born on March 30, 1888, and died on December 7, 1983. The letters in this collection span several generations and mainly include correspondence between various members of the Frank and Goldsmith families between 1886 and 1984. The majority of the letters are either written to or by Enid Goldsmith between 1917 and 1960. Other prominent writers include Waldo Frank, Julius J. Frank, and Morton Goldsmith.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Gerald Clifford Weales writings, circa 1956-1985 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3 linear feet (6 boxes)
Abstract:: Gerald Clifford Weales was a professor of English and Drama who taught for about 30 years the University of Pennsylvania, until 1987. This collection of writings includes the drafts and galley proofs of several books, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as the typescript of four unpublished plays.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Joseph Francis Ambrose Jackson manuscripts and notes, 1906, undated (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:: Joseph Francis Ambrose Jackson (1867-1946) was a historian, lecturer, artist, journalist, and writer active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This collection offers insight into Jackson's intellectual activity as a theater historian. It includes a manuscript of an unpublished essay on the history of American dramatic literature, an alphabetical listing of American playwrights, a collection of portraits of 18th-century actors, and handwritten notes on the theatrical history of pre-and post-revolutionary Philadelphia.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Catherine Drinker Bowen drafts of John Adams and the American Revolution, 1946-1950 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5.6 linear feet (7 boxes)
Abstract:: Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897-1973) was an American writer best known for her popular (and occasionally controversial) biographies of prominent American and English historical figures. Her books were great successes in the popular market, but sometimes received criticism from academics for their occasional re-imagining of historical occurrences. This collection includes 5 boxes of material related to her 1950 biography of John Adams, John Adams and the American Revolution. It includes two full drafts of the book, organized by chapter, with each chapter containing various revisions. It also includes various versions of the book's prologue, source notes, and bibliography, as well as notes and corrections, along with a statement by Drinker Bowen explaining her biographical methods.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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