Call Number:

RG12H.Hepburn

Repository:

Bryn Mawr College

Extent:

0.5 linear ft.

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Hepburn Papers, Bryn Mawr College Libraries Special Collections.

Date:

1907-1942 (inclusive)

Creator:

Manning, Helen Taft, 1891-1987 and Park, Marion Edwards, 1875-1960

Abstract:

Katharine "Kit" Houghton Hepburn (1878-1951) was a member of the Bryn Mawr College class of 1899, although she completed her degree in 1900. She was a social reformer and suffragist, actively campaigning for women's suffrage in the United States. Following the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, she became involved in advocacy for birth control. She, along with Margaret Sanger, founded the American Birth Control League, which later became Planned Parenthood. Her family, the Houghtons, founded the Corning Glass Works in 1851.

Thomas Norval Hepburn (1879-1962) was a urologist who attended Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He married Katharine "Kit" Houghton in 1904, with whom he had six children. Shortly after marriage, the Hepburns moved to Hardford, CT, where Thomas Norval Hepburn completed his internship and residency at Hartford Hospital. He continued to work there for 50 years.

Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) was a member of the Bryn Mawr College class of 1928. She was born in Hartford, CT to Bryn Mawr alum Katherine "Kit" Houghton Hepburn and Thomas Norval Hepburn. At Bryn Mawr, Hepburn majored in history and philosophy. She was involved in theatre productions at the college, including the role of Pandora in John Lyly's "The Woman in the Moone" at Bryn Mawr's 1928 Grand May Day celebration, of which there is film footage. Hepburn lived in Pembroke West during her time on campus. She married Ludlow Odgen Smith, who she met while at Bryn Mawr, in 1928. The pair divorced in 1934. Hepburn was a four-time Academy Award-winning actress, starring in 43 films over the course of her career. In 1977, Bryn Mawr College awarded Hepburn the M. Carey Thomas Award, a prize founded after Thomas's death to recognize the achievements of American women. Hepburn gave the Centennial commencement address at the college in 1985. She passed away on June 29, 2003.

The Hepburn Papers primarily consist of correspondence to Katharine Hepburn and her immediate family members during the years she attended Bryn Mawr College. This collection is divided into two series: Diary and Correspondence. While small, these papers provide insight into Katharine Hepburn's family and time at Bryn Mawr College.

Series 1: Diary consists of the diary of Katharine "Kit" Houghton Hepburn (Bryn Mawr College class of 1899/1900). In addition to an entry noting Katharine Hepburn's birth, this diary includes entries related to Kit Houghton Hepburn's daily life.

Series 2: Correspondence is made up of letters written by or to Thomas Norval Hepburn, with the exception of one letter written by Marion Edwards Park to Katharine Hepburn, during which time Park was president of Bryn Mawr College. Thomas Norval Hepburn primarily writes to his daughter, Katharine Hepburn, but there is additional correspondence to Selena Hepburn (his mother), Helen Taft Manning, and Marion Edwards Park.