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Kit and Ilse Barker Collection of Elizabeth Bishop
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. 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
American poet Elizabeth Bishop was born on February 8, 1911, in Worcester, Massachusetts. She graduated from Vassar College in 1934. Bishop traveled widely and lived for many years in Brazil with her partner Lota (Maria Carlota) de Macedo Soares. Among her many awards were the Pulitzer Prize for A Cold Spring(1955) and the National Book Award for Geography III (1976).
The collection consists primarily of over 250 letters and postcards (1952-1979) written by Bishop to her English friends Ilse and Kit Barker. In them she describes her years in Brazil, a move to San Francisco in 1968, and her years of teaching at Harvard, and comments on her own work and that of fellow poets, such as Robert ("Cal") Lowell. In addition, there are a number of small, black/white photographs of Bishop's house in Brazil taken during renovations, some scenes in Brazil, a 1969 color photograph of Bishop with filmmaker Maryette Charlton, three larger views (1970) of her house interior, and two 6" x 9" exterior views. Almost all of these bear Bishop's handwritten captions on the verso. Also included are a softcover edition (1975) of The Complete Poemsinscribed to Ilse and Kit Barker by Bishop, who also made holograph corrections to three poems (pp. 121, 155, 177), and several miscellaneous items, such as a letter (1954) from an English dog breeder about Bishop's interest in exporting a dog to Brazil; a map of Maine with Bishop's typed note about her place there; and a brochure about a park in Rio de Janeiro, with Bishop's holograph note.
Organized into the following groups: Letters / Postcards (1952-1979), Manuscripts, Photographs, The Complete Poems, and Miscelleneous.
Letters to Kit and Ilse Barker purchased in 1985. Additions purchased in 2008.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
No appraisal information is available.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2008
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
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Two typed copies of "To T. C. B.," one containing a holograph correction.
Physical Description1 folder
Numerous small, black/white photographs of Bishop's house in Brazil during renovations, some scenes in Brazil, a 1969 color photograph of Bishop with filmmaker Maryette Charlton, three larger views (1970) of her house interior, and two "6 x 9" exterior views. Almost all bear Bishop's holograph captions on the verso.
Physical Description1 folder
Softcover edition (1975) inscribed to Ilse and Kit Barker by Bishop, who also made holograph corrections to pp. 121, 155, 177.
Physical Description1 folder
Includes letter (1954) from an English dog breeder about Bishop's interest in exporting a dog to Brazil; a map of Maine with Bishop's typed note about her place there; and a brochure about a park in Rio de Janeiro, with Bishop's holograph note.
Physical Description1 folder