Maria St. Just collection of Tennessee Williams papers
Overview
Correspondence to Maria St. Just and others, manuscript and typescript compositions, and personal papers of Tennessee Williams.
Dates
- Creation: 1947-1984
Language of Materials
Materials in English. Few items in Russian.
Conditions Governing Access
• There are no restrictions on physical access to this material. Collection is open for research.
• This collection is shelved offsite at the Harvard Depository. Retrieval requires advance notice. Readers should check with Houghton Public Services staff to determine what material is offsite and retrieval policies and times.
Extent
3.8 linear feet (3 boxes)This collection documents the personal life of Tennessee Williams through his correspondence with Maria St. Just and other personal papers. The professional career of Williams is highlighted through his drafts, notes, and compositions.
The collection is comprised of letters, telegrams, post-cards, manuscript, typescript, and printed compositions (including essays, plays, screenplays, and poems), notes, photographs, printed materials, clippings, will/estate documents, and financial records.
The collection dates from 1947-1983 with the bulk of materials from the 1950s-1970s.
Biographical / Historical
Thomas Lanier Williams III (1911-1983), who published as Tennessee Williams, has often been called America's most prominent playwright. He was also a prolific author of essays, poetry, and short stories.
Lady Maria St. Just (1921-1994) was an actress and close personal friend of Tennessee Williams. Upon his death she was co-executor of his estate.
Arrangement
Arranged into the following series: I. Correspondence: I.1 Tennessee Williams I.2 Maria St. Just; II. Compositions; and III. Personal papers and other materials.
Physical Location
HD
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2019MT-025. Purchased with Herman Dunlop Smith Bequest, John M. Kasdan Fund, Robert Gould Shaw Fund, and Frank E. Chase Bequest, June 2018.
Processing Information
Processed by Ashley Nary, 2018
- Title
- St. Just, Maria. Maria St. Just collection of Tennessee Williams papers, 1947-1984 (MS Thr 1856): Guide.
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard University.
- Date
- October 30, 2018
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou03040
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.
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