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COLLECTION Identifier: MS Am 800.23

Louisa May Alcott papers

Overview

Papers pertaining primarily to the works of American author Louisa May Alcott.

Dates

  • Creation: 1849-1931

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.

Extent

2.4 linear feet (8 boxes)

Collection pertains primarily to the works of Louisa May Alcott. Includes letters to her from publishers and fans; correspondence of her nephew, John Sewall Pratt Alcott, concerning royalty payments and dramatizations of her books after her death; and clippings about her life and writings. Also contains condolence letters on her death as well as the deaths of her parents; Abigail May Alcott's reports to women's societies on her visits to the poor of Boston; annotated proof sheets of "Letters from the House of Alcott" (1931); and publishers' accounts, bills, theater receipts, other miscellaneous receipts, miscellaneous photographs, pictures, a theatrical poster, and clippings on various Alcotts.

Biographical / Historical

Louisa May Alcott was an American author.

Arrangement

Organized into the following series:

  1. I. Correspondence
  2. II. Financial materials
  3. III. Other materials
  4. IV. Clippings

Please note that item number 264 was inadvertently omitted from this finding aid.

Physical Location

b

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2001M-49. Purchased with the Sheldon Fund; received: 1939.

Recataloged in part by:

Megan K. Friedel, with the assistance of Bonnie B. Salt.

In March 2001 this collection was recataloged and old item nos. (249) - (250) were resorted, new descriptions written, and additional numbers assigned. At the same time, some correspondence found at the end of the collection was moved to the correspondence series at the start.

Title
Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888. Louisa May Alcott papers, 1849-1931: Guide.
Author
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hou00659

Repository Details

Part of the Houghton Library Repository

Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.

Contact:
Harvard Yard
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2440