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Alice Dunbar-Nelson papers
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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. 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
Alice Dunbar-Nelson was born on July 19, 1875, as Alice Ruth Moore, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended public school in New Orleans and enrolled in a teacher's training program at Straight University in 1890. Upon receiving her degree in 1892, she began teaching in New Orleans.
Alice Ruth Moore's first book, Violets and Other Tales, a collection of stories, was published in 1895. In 1897, Moore moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she taught at the White Rose Mission. At this time Moore began corresponding with the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and in March, 8, 1898, she married Dunbar and moved to Washington, D.C. The marriage lasted until 1902, when they were legally separated; Dunbar died on February 6, 1906.
Following her separation from Paul Laurence Dunbar, Alice Dunbar moved to Wilmington, Delaware. She took a position as a teacher and administrator at Howard High School which she held until 1920. During this period she also directed the summer session for in-service teachers at State College for Colored Students (the predecessor of Delaware State College) in Dover, and taught two years in the summer session at the Hampton Institute. In 1907, she took a leave of absence from her teaching position in Wilmington and enrolled as a student at Cornell University, returning to Wilmington in 1908. In April, 1916, Alice Dunbar married Robert J. Nelson, a journalist, politician, and civil rights activist.
Although Alice Dunbar-Nelson had been active in social, political, and cultural organizations since her youth, this involvement increased around the time of her marriage to Robert Nelson. She was extremely active in Delaware and regional politics, as well as in the emerging civil rights and women's suffrage movements. In 1915, she was field organizer for the Middle Atlantic States in the campaign for women's suffrage. During World War I, Dunbar-Nelson served as a field representative of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense. Subsequently she served on the State Republican Committee of Delaware and helped direct political activities among black women. From 1928-1931, she was executive secretary of the American Friends Inter-Racial Peace Committee.
From 1920-1922, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, together with Robert Nelson, was co-editor and publisher of the Wilmington Advocate, a progressive Black newspaper. From this period on, Dunbar-Nelson maintained an active career as a journalist. She was a highly successful syndicated columnist and wrote numerous reviews and essays for newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. Dunbar-Nelson also continued to write stories, poems, plays, and novels, much of which remains unpublished.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Alice Dunbar-Nelson's prominence as a political and social activist reached its high point. She reached a wide audience through her journalism; she was also in demand as a public speaker and gave numerous lectures and speeches on political, social, and cultural topics. Alice Dunbar-Nelson's life and career during this period is documented in detail in her diaries. Although Alice Dunbar-Nelson appears to have maintained a daily diary for most of her adult life, surviving portions bulk for the period 1921-1931. These surviving examples offer a comprehensive look at Dunbar-Nelson's daily activities for the most productive period of her career.
In 1932, Alice Dunbar-Nelson moved from Delaware to Philadelphia when Robert Nelson took a position as a member of the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission. By this time Alice Dunbar-Nelson's health had begun to deteriorate and she was frequently ill. In September, 1935, she was admitted to the hospital with a heart ailment from which she did not recover. Alice Dunbar-Nelson died on September 18, 1935, at the age of sixty.
The Alice Dunbar-Nelson papers consist of the literary, professional, and personal papers of Alice Dunbar-Nelson. The papers include an extensive collection of her incoming correspondence. Of particular note is her correspondence (1895-1904) with Paul Laurence Dunbar, which also includes her letters to Dunbar. The Alice Dunbar-Nelson Papers also include a comprehensive collection of manuscripts of her writing, including novels, stories, poetry, drama, and essays. Dunbar-Nelson maintained a daily diary for most of her adult life and the extent portions of her diaries are present in her papers. The Alice Dunbar-Nelson papers also include significant collections of family papers, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and memorabilia.
Boxes 1-9, 12-23, 25-29, 32, record books 1-4, scrapbook 7, and diary 9: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes
Box 11: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons
Boxes 24, 31: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes (upright manuscript boxes)
Boxes 10, 30: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (17 inches)
Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)
Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize mapcases
Selected materials from the collection are available through the University of Delaware Digital Institutional Repository.
Scanning of the collection was partially sponsored by "In Her Own Right: Women Asserting Their Civil Rights, 1820-1920," a pilot project executed by members of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), with funding from the National Endowment of the Humanities. Selected materials in this collection can also be found at: http://inherownright.org/.
Purchase, 1984
Processed by Tim Murray. Encoded by Special Collections staff.
The following was removed and cataloged with imprints in Special Collections. It can be accessed by searching the library catalog.
Johnson, J. Rosamond (John Rosamond) and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Li'l gal : song. New York, NY: Jos. W. Stern & Co., 1917. (OCLC # 53358102)
People
Subject
- Publisher
- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2017 June 22
- Sponsor
- Scanning of the collection was partially sponsored by "In Her Own Right: Women Asserting Their Civil Rights, 1820-1920," a pilot project executed by members of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), with funding from the National Endowment of the Humanities. Selected materials in this collection can also be found at: http://inherownright.org/.
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Collection Inventory
Unless indicated otherwise, letters are from Paul Laurence Dunbar and addressed to Alice Moore, and following their marriage to Alice Moore Dunbar. Letters from Alice Moore Dunbar to Paul Laurence Dunbar are identified as "Alice to Paul." Note: original mailing envelopes are shelved separately at the end of the collection in Box 31. 380 items.
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Enclosure: 24-line poem titled: "A Song"
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Incomplete, p.6 only. Filed with short story "Red Heart Clover".
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Physical LocationMoved to Box 23, F426
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Consists primarily of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's incoming literary, professional, business, and personal correspondence. Correspondence is arranged chronologically and generally directed to Alice Dunbar-Nelson. Occasional outgoing letters from Alice Dunbar-Nelson are present; also present are occasional incoming letters directed to Paul Laurence Dunbar and various family members.
Personal and professional correspondents include Roger Baldwin, A. S. Barnes & Co., A.D. Bayard, Sallie Brown, Vera Caspary, Will Marion Cook, Lane Cooper (Cornell University), Alice Davis, J.H. Finley, Major C.A. Fleetwood, R.A. Gairy, Jessie K. Lane, Victoria Earle Mathews, Walter Page (Doubleday Page & Co.), Bliss Perry (Atlantic Monthly), Paul R. Reynolds (literary agent for Alice Dunbar-Nelson), Samuel Roach, Emmett J. Scott, Arthur B. Spingarn, Cynthia M. St. John, Thomas Wallace Swan (Ebony), and Lida Keck Wiggins.
Also included is correspondence relating to Dunbar-Nelson's work with political and public service organizations and groups such as the Circle for Negro War Relief, Woman's Committee for the Council for National Defense, NAACP, American Interracial Peace Committee, American Friends Service Committee, the Republican Committee for Colored Voters of Pennsylvania, publishers and newspapers, and a variety of schools and educational organizations.
Family correspondents include Matilda Dunbar (mother of Paul Laurence Dunbar), Leila Young, and Ramona Lewis, (Alice Dunbar-Nelson's niece). 683 items.
Following is an index to selected correspondence in this series:
1902 May 17 TLS from Booker T. Washington, 1 p.
July 26 TLS from Booker T. Washington, 1 p.
Sept. 2 TLS from Booker T. Washington, 1 p.
1905 April 17 TLS from William Stanley Braithwaite, 1 p.
May 20 TLS from Booker T. Washington, 1 p.
1909 Nov. 7 ALS from Theodore Dreiser, 2 pp.
1921 Sept. 22 TLS from James Weldon Johnson, 1 p.
1927 May 19 TLS from Countee Cullen, 1 p.
1928 Oct. 9 TLS from Wallace Thurman, 1 p.
[ca. 1929] Aug 27 ANS from Scott Nearing, 1 p.
1930 Apr. 5 TLS from George S. Schuyler, 1 p.
May 22 TLS from George S. Schuyler, 1 p.
1931: Nov. 12 TNS from W. E. B. DuBois, 1 p.
Consists of an extensive file of letters (1907-1911) from Edwina Kruse, founding principal of Howard High School in Wilmington, Delaware, and a close friend of Alice Dunbar-Nelson. Kruse wrote Dunbar-Nelson almost daily during the period 1907-1911 concerning her social and professional activities, family matters, and current events. Dunbar-Nelson's unpublished novel,
This Lofty Oak(See Ser. II.1.c) is based on the life of Edwina Kruse. Physical Description78 items
Consists of a small group of miscellaneous letters to Paul Laurence Dunbar. Correspondents include his mother, Matilda Dunbar; his sister, Lillie Dunbar; P. Moore (Alice Dunbar-Nelson's mother); and Leila Moore. Of particular interest is a letter from Richard P. Hallowell (Buffalo, NY, 1900: January 9) which describes in detail the recruitment of blacks for the Union Army during the Civil War.
Physical Description11 items.
Consists primarily of incoming letters from various newspaper editors with whom Nelson corresponded as editor of
The Washington Eagle. The majority of the letters respond to Nelson's efforts to sell Alice Dunbar-Nelson's syndicated column to other papers. Also present are seven letters from Alice Dunbar-Nelson, and a typed obituary and card noting the death of Robert J. Nelson in February 1949. Physical Description30 items.
Alice Dunbar-Nelson maintained an extensive daily diary from for much of her adult life and surviving examples are contained in the Alice Dunbar-Nelson Papers. A single diary has survived for the period 1906: [circa February]-1907: [March 20]; however, eight separate diaries exist for the period July 30-December 31, 1921, and November 8, 1926-December 30, 1931. All of the diaries are in extremely fragile condition and have generally been disbound and enclosed in folders. In addition, the diary for the period 1931: January 3 - December 30 has been cased and is shelved separately at the end of the papers. Clippings, posters, flyers, announcements, and other ephemeral material formerly laid into individual diaries are foldered separately and filed after the appropriate individual diary. Diaries are arranged in chronological order and each has been assigned an arbitrary diary number. Following is a description of the individual diary folder contents.
72 leaves
11 enclosures, 11 separate clippings.
Physical Description24 leaves
10 enclosures, 10 separate clippings.
Physical Description44 leaves
19 enclosures, 31 separate clippings.
Physical Description49 leaves
9 enclosures, 7 separate clippings.
Physical Description48 leaves
4 enclosures
Physical Description36 leaves
26 leaves
29 leaves
153 leaves, 14 enclosures, 13 separate clippings
218 leaves, 13 enclosures, 8 separate clippings
166 leaves, 2 enclosures.
205 leaves, 4 enclosures, 3 separate clippings.
Unfoldered. Housed in a phase box and shelved separately next to Box 11.
Physical Description221 leaves, 18 enclosures.
Removed to oversize section.
. Small group of autograph and typed diary entries and fragments from unidentified periods
Physical Description19 leaves, 16 separate clippings.
Consists of three small diaries compiled by Mary Leila Moore Young, Alice Dunbar-Nelson's sister. 3 items.
Diary entries have been compiled into a small booklet with the printed title
Harvard Hand-book. Vol VI.The bulk of the diary entries are for the full year 1901. Pages toward the end consist largely of financial accounts spanning 1902: January 4 - 1908: September.
Consists of eight scrapbooks described individually below. 8 items
Scrapbook of clippings from a variety of newspapers, family memorabilia, and miscellaneous material compiled by Alice Dunbar-Nelson's sister, Mary Leila Moore Young, whose signature appears on the front endpaper. Included in the scrapbook are several letters and telegrams from Alice Dunbar-Nelson to Leila Young and other family members. Note: Material in these folders consists of photocopies of the original scrapbook. Original is in extremely fragile condition and shelved separately. The original may be consulted only with the approval of a librarian.
Women's suffrage scrapbook. Bound scrapbook containing newspaper clippings, most of which relate to the women's suffrage campaign, primarily in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region, in which Alice Dunbar-Nelson was active. Inside front cover contains the autograph note: "July 12 - November 3, 1915. Some Records, not all of `An Interesting Campaign.'" Photograph of Alice Dunbar-Nelson and "Votes for Women" stamp pasted onto the front cover.
"From a Woman's Point of View/Une femme dit." Pittsburgh Courier, January 2, 1926 - September 18, 1926. Alice Dunbar-Nelson wrote a column for the Pittsburgh Courier which was initially titled "From a Woman`s Point of View" and, later, "Une femme dit." This scrapbook consists of mounted clippings for these columns from the above period.
Bound notebook containing newspaper clippings of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's column "As in a Looking Glass," and other writings from
The Washington Eagle for the period 1927: July 15 - October 28.Bound notebook containing newspaper clippings of examples of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's columns, including "As in a Looking Glass," "Little Excursions," and other writing, for the period 1927: October 28 - 1928: January 13.
"As in a Looking Glass."
The Washington Eagle, February 3, 1928 - August 30, 1929. Alice Dunbar-Nelson wrote a column for The Washington Eagle titled "As in a Looking Glass." This scrapbook consists primarily of mounted clippings and mimeographed transcripts of theseBound notebook containing newspaper clippings of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's columns "As in a Looking Glass," and other articles written during the period 1929: September 6 - December 7
Consists of a bound datebook and three bound volumes containing Alice Dunbar-Nelson's detailed records of books she has read. Record books are unfoldered and shelved separately next to Box 13. 4 items.
Bears the autograph signature "Alice Ruth Moore New York 1897" on the verso of the title page. Contains names and birthdates of various individuals. Also includes several loose pages with names and dates laid in.
Containing Alice Dunbar-Nelson's autograph listing of and index to books she has read. The book bears her autograph signature and is dated "June, 1906."
Includes an author index. Also contains several pages detailing Alice Dunbar-Nelson's daily calendar over several periods. The signature "Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar-Nelson, 96 French Street, Wlimington, Delaware" appears on the front endpaper.
Consists of the manuscripts of Alice Dunbar-Nelson organized by genre and arranged alphabetically by title within each genre, with the exception of her novels which are arranged chronologically. Also included with this series is a small group of manuscripts by other authors.
Consists of autograph and typescript drafts of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's novels. 7 items.
paginated irregularly, 4-87. Appears to be the original draft of this short novel written in the form of a diary
Physical Description78 p.
Accompanied by Alice Dunbar-Nelson's typed cover note dated 1903: November 14
Physical Descriptioncirca 107 p.
Autograph draft containing numerous corrections, accompanied by 2 pp. of autograph notes.
88 p
paging is irregular. Early draft of the novel with extensive autograph and typed corrections. Includes Alice Dunbar-Nelson's notes and structural outline of the novel. This draft also includes an additional title page bearing an alternate title, Frederika: The Story of a Life. The novel is based on the life and career of Edwina Kruse, the founding principal of Howard High School in Wilmington, Delaware, and a close friend of Alice Dunbar-Nelson, whose letters are housed in Series I.3.
Physical Description334 p.
571p.
571p.
Consists of manuscripts of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's short stories. Arranged alphabetically by title. circa 100 items.
12p.
Type script, 10 p. With autograph corrections. Signed "Monroe Wright," a probable pseudonym of Alice Dunbar-Nelson. Accompanied by Type script fragment, 2 p. Also accompanied by Autograph manuscript fragment, 7 p.
Physical Description10p.
, With autograph corrections
Physical Description5 p
With autograph corrections
Physical Description10 p
With autograph corrections. Signed "A.D. July 31".
Physical Description5p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed
Physical Description5p.
Signed "Monroe Wright," a probable pseudonym of Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Physical Description7 p
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description4 p.
Typed signature of "Al Dane," a known pseudonym of Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Physical Description2p.
Type script [carbon] With autograph corrections. Typed signature of "Al Dane," a known pseudonym of Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Physical Description2p.
With autograph corrections. Typed signature of "Al Dane," a known pseudonym of Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Physical Description2p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description2 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description15 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
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Signed, with autograph corrections.
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Signed, with autograph corrections. Accompanied by Autograph manuscript fragment. 4 p.
Physical Description17 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description5p.
Type script [mimeo], With autograph corrections.
Physical Description10 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description14 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description7 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections. Accompanied by Autograph manuscript fragment, 1 p.
Physical Description8 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by Autograph manuscript fragment, 7 p.
Physical Description10 p.
Accompanied by a typescript (3 pp.) memorandum pertaining to plans for a collection of African Folk-lore, in which this story was to be included under the title "The Alo Man."
Physical Description4 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by two Autograph manuscript fragments, 1 p. each, and one Type script fragment, 1 p.
Physical Description6 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description12 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description19 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections. Accompanied by Autograph manuscript fragment, 5 p.
Physical Description19 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description5 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description22 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description5 p.
With autograph corrections
Physical Description12 p.
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description4 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections. Accompanied by Autograph manuscript fragment, 4 p.
Physical Description12 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by Type script fragment, 2 p.
Physical Description4 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description4 p.
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description7 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections and affixed insertions.
Physical Description18 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by Autograph manuscript fragment, 4 p.
Physical Description11 p.
With autograph corrections. Signed "Monroe Wright," a probable pseudonym of Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Physical Description10 p.
With autograph corrections
Physical Description15 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description5 p.
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description9 p.
With autograph corrections.
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Signed, with autograph corrections.
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Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description4 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description25 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description4 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description4 p.
With autograph corrections.
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With autograph corrections.
Physical Description7 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description9 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description10 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description7 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description9 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description10 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description10 p.
With autograph corrections
Physical Description8 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description6 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by autograph fragment, 4 p.
Physical Description10 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by autograph fragment, 6 p.
Physical Description20 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by autograph fragment, 1 p.
Physical Description22 p.
With autograph corrections
Physical Description8 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description3 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description3 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description8 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description17 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description17 p.
6 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description5 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description9 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description6 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description17 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by Type script fragment, 1 p.
Physical Description27 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description28 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description8 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description7 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description10 p.
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description10 p.
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description10 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description4 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description8 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by tear-sheets from
The Southern Workman, in which the story appeared. Physical Description17 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description8 p.
autograph fragment, Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description8 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description5 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description10 p.
Tearsheets from unidentified newspaper mounted onto paper, Bears autograph corrections in the hand of Alice Dunbar-Nelson and appears to have been used as a setting copy or proof.
Physical Description4 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description6 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description12 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description15 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description5 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description19 p
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by autograph fragment, 13 p., dated "June 2, 1900. Wash. D.C."
Physical Description42 p.
autograph fragment, With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description3 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description8 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description3 p.
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by a cover-sheet which appears to indicate that this story was to be included in a larger work. Also accompanied by autograph fragment, 4 p.
Physical Description14 p.
(Note: unless indicated otherwise, titles described are playscripts). Organized into two subseries: signed and identified work, and unattributed work presumed to be Alice Dunbar-Nelson's. 24 items.
Signed. With autograph corrections. Previously titled "The Joys of Authorship."
Physical Description6 p.
28 p.
Note: This draft bears the earlier title, "White Man."
Physical Description28 p.
29 p.
30 p.
Synopsis of a screenplay.
Physical Description3 p.
Synopsis of a screenplay.
Physical Description3 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description7 p
With autograph corrections. Appears to be a film treatment.
Physical Description130 p
Signed. With autograph corrections.
Physical Description77 p
Synopsis and outline of the screenplay. This draft is titled "Two-Two-Twenty-Two" and appears to be an early version of the script.
Physical Description3p.
13p.
With autograph corrections
Physical Description3 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description3 p.
Bound into light green wrappers
Physical Description16 p
With autograph corrections and listing of cast members.
Physical Description10p
With autograph corrections and listing of cast members.
Physical Description5p
9 p.
With autograph corrections. Note: this draft is untitled. Previously listed as Down Honolulu Way after first song appearing in document.
Physical Description28p
With autograph corrections and cast listing. Note: Previously listed as Down Honolulu Way after first song appearing in document.
Physical Description17p
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by Autograph manuscript synopsis and list of characters, 12 p. Note: autograph notation "B. David" appears at the top of p. 1.
Physical Description6p
With autograph corrections. Accompanied by Type script "order of music," 2 p., with autograph notation, "Miss Young," at the top of first page.
Physical Description6p
14 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description13 p
Coversheet bears the note "Phyllis Wheatley Club 1895," and the signature "Leila Moore."
Physical Description6 p
Consists of manuscripts of essays and other nonfiction writing by Alice Dunbar-Nelson, primarily written for publication in newspapers and periodicals. Also includes occasional pieces which appear to be Dunbar-Nelson's student work, as well as work which appears to have been written for presentation as speeches or papers. 39 items.
Signed.
Physical Description14 p
Typed signature. With autograph corrections. Accompanied by tearsheets from the Wilmington Every Evening, August 27, 1932, in which the story appeared.
Physical Description10 p
With autograph corrections. Signed "Adele Morris."
Physical Description10 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description16 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description8 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description11 p
Printer's Plate for publication of this piece in "Wilmington Advocate."
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description10 p
Unsigned with autographed notes and corrections.
Physical Description7 p.
With autograph corrections. Dateline reads "Aliceruth Dunbar-Nelson, Special Correspondent, Wilmington, Del. July 19."
Physical Description3 p
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description15 p.
Signed, with auto corrections.
Physical Description6 p
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description19 p.
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description3 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description8 p
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description4 p.
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description14 p
Unsigned and unattributed. Untitled biographical essay written shortly after the death of Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Physical Description5 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description18 p
Signed, with autograph corrections
Physical Description18 p
Signed, with autograph corrections
Physical Description8 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description40 p.
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description13 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description21 p
Signed, with autograph corrections. Accompanied by autograph fragment, 6 p. and notes, 21 p.
Physical Description21 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description9 p.
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description12 p
Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description5 p
With autograph corrections. Written on the verso of American Interracial Peace Committee stationary on which is printed a mimeographed letter dated "May 9, 1921."
Physical Description5 p
Typed signature.
Physical Description6 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description16 p.
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description8 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description9 p
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description6 p
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description13 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description5 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description12 p
With autograph corrections. Unsigned and unattributed.
Physical Description15 p
Signed, with autograph corrections.
Physical Description14 p
Consists of manuscripts of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's poetry. Arranged alphabetically by title. Unidentified titles have been entered by first line and designated (fl). 67 items.
with autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
1 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description2 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
1 p.
with autograph correction. Right-hand portion of the page is missing.
Physical Description1 p
Signed on the bottom of p. 2. Autograph notation "Smart Set" appears on p. 1
Physical Description2 p
Typed signature at bottom
Physical Description1 p
1 p.
Signed
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
Signed.
Physical Description1 p
5 drafts accompanied by tearsheets (2 p.) from an issue of The Crisis (January 1932), in which the poem was printed.
Physical Description24 p
1 p
2 p
Signed. Heading reads "Completion of `I am an American' by Elias Lieberman in Lewis & Roland 8th Reader." Christmas sticker pasted onto upper-right corner.
Physical Description1 p
Typed signature
Physical Description1 p
Written on verso of printed letter to Alice Dunbar-Nelson from Harry A. Mackey, dated March 28, 1929.
Physical Description1 p
1 p.
Verso contains an autograph draft of a poem on the letterhead of the National Association of Colored Women.
Physical Description1 p
1 p
2 drafts. Type script draft bears autograph corrections and is dated "April 23, 1929." The carbon draft is undated and bears a typed signature at the bottom.
Physical Description2 p.
2 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description2 p
2 drafts. Both drafts bear the author's typed signature; one draft is also signed at the top right.
Physical Description2 p
1 p
Signed
Physical Description1 p
Typed signature
Physical Description1 p
Typed signature. Accompanied by tear sheet from The Dunbar News (11 March 1931), in which the poem appeared.
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description2 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections. Bears earlier title of "The Winds."
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
Signed.
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections. Autograph draft of "Like fire your kisses burn my lips" on verso.
Physical Description1 p
1 p
With autograph corrections. Written on the verso of a printed letter from the Mayor of Philadelphia, Harry A. Mackey, to Alice Dunbar-Nelson, dated 1929: March 28.
Physical Description1 p
1 p.
1 p
Typed signature at the bottom
Physical Description1 p
With autograph corrections. Written on the letterhead of the National Negro Press Association.
Physical Description2 p
Typed signature.
Physical Description2 p
1 p
1 p
With autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
2 drafts. These drafts were typed following Alice Dunbar-Nelson's death in 1935 and include a biographical note at the bottom.
Physical Description2 p
1 p
Signed
Physical Description1 p
Signed
Physical Description1 p
Signed "Alice to Paul. Jan 6, 1899. Ten Months Married."
Physical Description1 p
1 p
1 p
With autograph corrections. Written on the verso of a fragment of a letter from Paul Laurence Dunbar, dated "Harmon, Colorado. Sept 29th 1899," to "My Dear Billy."
Physical Description4 p (single sheet folded).
Signed. With autograph corrections.
Physical Description1 p
6 items
8 items
Typed signature. With autograph corrections. Heading reads "Mt. Zion Church, Oct.October 28, 1895...N.O., La."
Physical Description7 p
(numbered 1-26, with half-pages). Signed, with autograph corrections. Notation at the bottom of p. 26 reads "St. Mark's Lyceum, Easter, 1897. Colored Home. N.Y. April 7, 1897."
Physical Description38 leaves
With autograph corrections. Apparently used in a radio broadcast for station WDEL.
Physical Description5 p
Text of speech delivered at meeting of the South Philadelphia State Head Quarters [sic] Republican Party.
Physical Description2 p
Heading identifies Alice Dunbar-Nelson as the "station announcer."
Physical Description2 p
Heading identifies Alice Dunbar-Nelson as the "station announcer."
Physical Description2 p
Original draft of a lecture outline on the topic of aesthetic education.
Physical Description5 p
Lecture outline on the topic of aesthetic education.
Physical Description4 p., 2 leaves
Consists of three bound notebooks containing drafts of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's writing. 3 items.
Includes autograph drafts of the following: "Juanita" (2 drafts), "A Tale of the Mardi Gras in New Orleans," records of Dunbar-Nelson's periodical submissions, drafts in shorthand of letters to various individuals, and miscellaneous notations. 29 leaves.
Includes autograph drafts of the following: "La Juanita" (1898: July 6), "The Goodness of St. Rocque" [1898]: July 16, [Untitled story] (1898: July 16), "Mr. Baptiste" (1898: July 19), "The Fisherman at Pass Christian" (1898: July 22), "Sylves!" (1898: July 26), "A Distinguished Whist Game," (1898: October 8), shorthand drafts of letters to various individuals, and miscellaneous notations. 46 numbered leaves.
Includes autograph drafts of the following: "The Leaden Soldiers," "The Photograph," "Le Bourgeois Gentlehomme" (Act 5), "The Red Heart Clover," "The Praline Woman," "River Wells," "Venice," "On the Brink," "Carnations," "The Fog," several unidentified fragments, and miscellaneous notations. 39 leaves.
Consists of autograph and typescript fragments of miscellaneous prose works, including essays, fiction, and occasional letters, by Alice Dunbar-Nelson. 38 items.
4 items, 5 leaves
1 item, 4 leaves.
Includes a 2-page profile of Violet A. Johnson, founder of the Industrial Home for Working Girls, Summit, New Jersey
Physical Description7 items, 10 leaves.
Includes short biographical profiles of Judge Edward W. Henry and Alice Dunbar-Nelson, and an obituary of Patricia Moore
Physical Description14 items, 16 leaves
Includes biographical profiles of Phyllis Wheatley and Alice Dunbar-Nelson, and a short essay titled "Delaware's Inconsistencies."
Physical Description6 items, 6 leaves
5 items, 5 leaves
1 item, 4 leaves
Consists of a small group of manuscripts by other others which were in the possession of Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Physical Description11 items
Originally stapled into tan wrappers.
Physical Description50 p
with 2 additional blank sheets, originally bound into tan wrappers. Note: Accompanying the draft is a program describing the production as a dramatization from the work of Paul Laurence Dunbar presented by the Robeson Dramatic Club of Tougaloo College, December 17, 1926.
Physical Description41 p
Untitled prose fragment in Dunbar's hand on the subject of black soldiers serving during the American Civil War
Physical Description3 p
Tearsheet from
The Saturday Evening Post, mounted on paper. Appears to have been used as a proof or setting copy and bears blue pencil markings. Physical Description1 p
Tearsheet proof. One-page fragment of the first portion of Dunbar's poem, "The Rivals," apparently used as a proof. Includes autograph textual corrections in an unidentified hand which vary from the published version in
Majors and Minors. Unidentified signature appears on verso as well. Physical Description1 p
Type script, Appears to be a fair copy produced by an unidentified individual, possibly Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Physical Description3 p
Autograph note at bottom of page explaining authorship and subject of the poem.
Physical Description1 p
Signed "E.H.K./Hampstead./May. 1897."
Physical Description2 p
Appears to be a school essay; bears corrections in an unidentified hand, possibly her teacher's.
Physical Description6 p
Note: Filed with general correspondence in Series I.2., F. 140. Accompanies the letter of 1909: January 23, from Emmett J. Scott (Tuskegee Institute) to Alice Dunbar-Nelson).
Physical Description5 p.
Consists of examples of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's published writing in periodicals and a substantial collection of clippings containing her published journalism
Consists of a collection of periodicals listed below which contain Alice Dunbar-Nelson's writing or deal with subjects in which she was interested. Periodicals are housed individually in envelopes or folders within Box 24 and arranged alphabetically by title; they have not been assigned folder numbers. Oversize periodicals are shelved in the mapcase. Included with the periodicals is a small group of offprints and tearsheets containing additional examples of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's published writing. 22 items.
Includes "What has the Church to offer the Men of Today," by Alice Dunbar-Nelson. Two copies.
Includes "The Big Stick," by Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Includes "The Single Standard," by Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Includes "Let Me Live," by Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Special issue titled "The American Negro." Front cover bears the autograph signature of Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
No. 169 of 200 copies
Includes "Hope Deferred: A Story."
Includes "Sonnet"
Includes "Harlem John Henry Views the Airmada."
Entire issue consists of an essay by Robert T. Kerlin, "Contemporary Poetry of the Negro."
Includes, "Womans Column," "Know Each Other," by Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Includes "Some of the Work of the National Association of Colored Women," by Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Offprint of a report titled "History of Negro Education in the United States.
Includes a book review by Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Includes "Negro Literature for Negro Pupils," by Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Lacking cover
Includes "The Heathen, by Alice Dunbar-Nelson." 2 copies.
Includes a brief announcement for a speech by Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Includes cover illustration and several articles on Paul Laurence Dunbar. 2 copies.
Includes a brief note (p. 218) regarding the 1906: March 6 article on Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Consists of clippings of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's published journalism. In some cases original clippings in poor condition have been replaced with photocopies. (Note: This material supplements examples of Dunbar-Nelson's journalism in Series II. 3. Scrapbooks.) circa 200 items.
containing Alice Dunbar-Nelson's column, "Little Excursions Week by Week." Appears to have been duplicated in this format for distribution to the members of The Associated Negro Press Syndication.
Physical Description61 leaves.
Photocopy of the originals in Folder 450
Physical Description61 leaves.
Set of clippings of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's column, "As in a Looking Glass," published in
The Washington Eagle. Note: this folder contains photocopies of originals. Originals are in extremely fragile condition and are stored in mapcase. Originals may be consulted only with the permission of a librarian. Physical Description60 leaves.
Set of photocopied clippings of Alice Dunbar-Nelson's column, "So It Seems," from
The Pittsburgh Courier. Physical Description24 leaves.
Consists of material relating to Alice Dunbar-Nelson's work with the American Interracial Peace Committee. Founded in Philadelphia in 1927 as an adjunct committee of the American Friends Service Committee, the American Interracial Peace Committee was concerned with bringing blacks and whites together in the cause of peace. Alice Dunbar-Nelson served as Executive Secretary of the Committee from 1928-1931.
Also includes issues of
The Bulletin, the newsletter which Alice Dunbar-Nelson edited for the committtee Physical Description36 items.
Three folders of material (circa 110 p., with additional items laid in) formerly bound into a scrapbook. Includes issues of The Bulletin, newspaper clippings, press releases, and announcements pertaining to activities of the American Interracial Peace Committee. The scrapbook appears to have been compiled by Alice Dunbar-Nelson as a record of the Committee's activities.
Physical Description110 p
Appears to have been compiled as a humorous tribute to Alice Dunbar-Nelson by her colleagues on the American Interracial Peace Committee.
Physical Description15 p, 13 leaves
Consists of a small group of photographs of Alice-Dunbar Nelson various family members, and unidentified individuals. 21 items.
Consists of material documenting Alice Dunbar-Nelson's speaking, organizational, and other professional and public service activities. Includes announcements, flyers, prograutograph press releases, ticket stubs, invitations, brochures, and other material. The bulk of the material concerns Alice Dunbar-Nelson's speaking engagements and public appearances. 98 items
One folder of typed membership lists for the Counsel of National Defense, and the Colored Women of Influence. Alice Dunbar-Nelson was active in both organizations. 2 items (14 pp.).
Miscellaneous ephemera relating to social and political organizations and events with which Alice Dunbar-Nelson was not directly involved. Includes announcements, invitations, flyers, brochures, and other material. 38 items.
Includes playbills, posters, brochures, ticket stubs, and other printed ephemera relating to various theatrical performances, recitals, lectures, and readings at which Alice Dunbar-Nelson presumably was in attendance. (Note: two oversize items are shelved in the mapcase). 45 items.
Four folders of miscellaneous material relating to Paul Laurence Dunbar. Consists of announcements, flyers, invitations, tearsheets, and other ephemeral materials relating to Paul Laurence Dunbar's public appearances. Also includes posthumous tributes and other material pertaining to Dunbar and his work. Included are a substantial number of clippings from newspapers following Dubar's death in 1906. Most of these are photocopies; however, some originals are present. 153 items.
Clippings relating to the life and work of Alice Dunbar-Nelson. Consists primariliy of reviews of her books, newspaper accounts of her speeches and appearances, and occasional copies of her columns. Included is a folder of clippings containing her obituaries, and other articles written following her death. Clippings are generally photocopies; however, some originals are present.
Consists of newspaper clippings, mounted on paper, focusing on current events relating to Blacks in Americirca The material is divided into three topical sections (Social, Political, Economic) and was apparently used by Alice Dunbar-Nelson as a teaching or lecture aid. The material contains Alice Dunbar-Nelson's extensive autograph notes and annotations; additional material is laid in.
33 items.
Includes documents such as receipts, bills, legal and medical documents; personal memorabilia, including greeting, birthday, and dance cards, ticket stubs, menus, calling cards, and other material. Also included is a folder (F. 481) of memorabila relating to Alice Dunbar-Nelson's 1931 lecture trip to Bermuda. 195 items.