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Elizabeth Benson Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Elizabeth P. Benson is a curator and historian of Pre-Columbian art who has published and edited many works on the art of the ancient Americas. At Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., she held curatorial and directorial positions in Pre-Columbian art from 1963 to 1979.
Benson traveled with Gillett Griffin to Mexico in 1967 and again to Mexico and Guatemala in 1968 to see collections and sites of ancient Mesoamerican art. Benson and Griffin collaborated to organize a conference on Olmec art at Princeton in 1987, and also collaborated on the volume Maya Iconography, 1988, containing essays from two conferences on Mayan art.
The Elizabeth Benson Papers contain material that reflects Benson's relationship with her friend and colleague Gillett G. Griffin, whose papers are also housed in the Princeton University Archives. The Elizabeth Benson Papers contain personal and professional correspondence between Benson and Griffin, as well as related materials.
The papers include original and photocopied illustrated letters by Gillett Griffin; Benson's editorial correspondence with others relating to the publication of Maya Iconography or participation in conferences and exhibits; drafts of Benson's own writing on Griffin; and papers Benson collected by or about Griffin and the Princeton University Art Museum.
The papers have been arranged into two series: 1) Correspondence and 2) Photographs, Drafts and Publications.
Gift of Elizabeth P. Benson. Accession number AR.2017.129.
This collection was processed by Phoebe Nobles in 2017. Finding aid written by Phoebe Nobles in 2017.
No material has been separated from this collection.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Date
- 2017
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. If copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers will not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with non-commercial use of materials from the Mudd Library. For materials where the copyright is not held by the University, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Within each series, material remains in the order in which it was received.
The correspondence series contains correspondence to and from Elizabeth Benson, including Benson's correspondence with Gillett Griffin and others at Princeton University.
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The Photographs, Drafts and Publications series contains slides and photographs; drafts of essays by both Elizabeth Benson and Gillett Griffin; and several published items such as flyers and newsletters or journals.
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