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Martha Shepard Lippincott Writings

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Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 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

A Quaker poet and book reviewer, Martha Sheppard Lippincott wss born March 31, 1867 and died August 10, 1949 in her 83rd year. She was the daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth H. Lippincott, a birthright and lifelong member of Moorestown Monthly Meeting, New Jersey. She graduated from Friends School in Moorestown and then Swarthmore College in 1889. She moved to Philadelphia, Pa., in the first decade of the 20th century and supported herself as a writer of poetry, prose, and book reviews; many of her poems were published in women's, religious, and other publications. Her broad range of themes included war and peace, temperance, injustice, nature, romantic love, and religion.

Quaker poet and book reviewer, Martha Shepard Lippincott (1867-1949) was a birthright and life-long member of Moorestown Monthly Meeting, New Jersey. Her poems reflect her interests, including early twentieth century concerns of war, economic inequality, temperance, and politics as well as general themes of religion, nature, and Quakerism. The collection contains her manuscript poetry arranged chronologically and a small amount of her prose and miscellaneous papers.

Arranged in two series: Series 1: Poetry, 1886-1939. Manuscript volumes are arranged chronologically. Series 2: Other writings and miscellaneous.

Gift of Janet Norton, niece of the author. Acc. 2004.010.

Two formal photographs of Martha Shepard Lippincott at about ages 50 and 65 transferred to PA 100, Individual Portraits.

Publisher
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Finding Aid Author
Susanna Morikawa
Use Restrictions

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

Lippincott's copies of her poems beginning 1886. Some volumes are consolidations in addition to memo-books of poems, most dated. She generally noted if the poem was published and where.

Poetry volume, first book, 1886-1898. 1 volumes.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Labeled #1. Index at front. The poems between June 10, 1886- Oct. 7, 1886, cut from volume. Poem about Johnstown Flood in 1889. Temperance, nature, loneliness, Quaker and religious themes.

Physical Description

1 volumesBound volume

Poetry volume, 2nd book, 1886-1903.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Index at front. Love, religious meditations. Some edited and notes that set to music.

Poems, 1890-1893. 3 volumes.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

Earlier poems copied 1900 into hard cover volume. Longer spencerian verse format in soft-cover memo books.

Physical Description

3 volumes

Poems, 1891-1893, 1891-1893. 2 volumes.
Box 1
Scope and Contents

2 bound volumes, verses copied. Dated when written and where published. Sonnets and longer verse.

Physical Description

2 volumes

Poems, 1896-1898. 2 volumes.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Most noted as published, including The Friend. Poem about Evesham Meeting.

Physical Description

2 volumes

Poems, 1900-1907. 4 volumes.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

4 memo books with verse, most inspirational.

Physical Description

4 volumesSoft cover memo books

Poems, 1911-1912. 1 volumes.
Box 2
Physical Description

1 volumesSoft cover memo book

Poems, 1915-1917. 4 volumes.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Most short verse. War and illness as well as religious themes and sentimental verse. Local sites, questioning politics, especially war, as well as trying to make a living by verse.

Physical Description

4 volumesSoft cover memo books

Poems, 1917-1919. 5 volumes.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

War and peace, temperance, religion.

Physical Description

5 volumesSoft cover memo books

Poems, 1920-1923. 4 volumes.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Short Christmas messages as well as poems on property, politics, and religion. Count of poems written each year.

Physical Description

4 volumesSmall soft cover memo books

Poems, 1925-1928. 4 volumes.
Box 2
Scope and Contents

Themes of war, greed, fair support of poetry, evils of tobacco, justice, index of poems, 1927.

Physical Description

4 volumes4 memo books

8th book of poems by Martha Shepard Lippincott, 1927-1932. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Index at front and back covers. Themes of greed, labor, war, poverty,socialism and religious. Many are short verse.

Physical Description

1 volumesBound volume

Poems, 1930-1935. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Final verse numbered 4,480, topic "United Europe." Greed, war, poverty and economic fairness.

Physical Description

1 volumesSmall memo book

Martha Shepard Lippincott poems 9th book, 1932-1939. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Volume is only one quarter filled. Themes of time, justice, peace, religion, support of poets.

Physical Description

1 volumes

Miscellaneous manuscript verse, Undated. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Themes include "Paradise Valley" and "A Quaker Romance."

Physical Description

1 volumes

Clipping book of published verse and essays, Undated. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Physical Description

1 volumesPasted in hard-bound Quaker Book of Discipline

Scope and Contents

Manuscript short stories, listing of book reviews, address books, etc. Miscellaneous clippings include temperance, especially against tobacco use.

Short stories, 1897-1903. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Edits and word count.

Physical Description

1 volumes

Book reviews, 1916-circa 1931. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Memo book reports date, publication, and title of book reviewed.

Physical Description

1 volumes

Martha Shepard Lippincott's work, 1920. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Short essays on various subjects

Physical Description

1 volumesSmall memo book, partly used

Address and memorandum booklets, Undated. 4 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Address, lists of poetry titles, recipes, a few loose clippings of her published poetry

Physical Description

4 volumes4 small booklets

Drawing book, 1881. 1 volumes.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Pencil and pen and ink drawings

Physical Description

1 volumes

Miscellaneous loose clippings, etc., 1898-1943. 1 folders.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Items removed from acidic and tattered small scrapbook containing clippings about Charles Dickens and miscellaneous topics in the news. Temperance, especially regarding tobacco removed to PG 6 reference file. Also, a handmade souvenir book, San Antonio, TX, made for Lippincott in 1905

Physical Description

1 folders

Photos, brief biography circa 1900.
Box 3
Scope and Contents

Brief biograph "Our Portrait Gallery" (photocopy). Photograph of Lippincott about age 50, photograph of George W. and Kathryn Bacon. 2 photographs of Lippincott removed to PA 100/Individual Portraits.

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