Overview
Papers of Fanny Hitchcock Phillips, teacher and Radcliffe College alumnae (A.B., 1911; A.M., 1914).
Dates
- Creation: 1889-1979
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Originals closed; use digital images.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Copyright in the papers created by Fanny Hitchcock Phillips as well as copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
.63 linear feet ((1+1/2 file boxes) plus 1 folio+ photograph folder)This collection includes two log books (1898-1923), reunion material and Fanny Hitchcock Phillips's diary (November 1908 - December 1909), pertaining to the secret social club at Radcliffe College, of which she was a member. "The Club" was founded in 1898 by those who referred to themselves as the "social queens of Radcliffe College." Among the members were actresses: Josephine Sherwood Hull, Ruth Delano, Catherine Sargent Huntington, college president Lucia Briggs, and author Cornelia James Cannon. The purpose of "The Club" was to provide a social group whose members were chosen by each other and whose activities were kept secret from the rest of the College. Activities of "The Club" included houseparties and weekend trips, as well as discussions and business meetings. Membership of "The Club" was by unanimous election by current members. There were no more than 25 undergraduate members, and graduate students formed "chapters" of "The Club," based on their year of graduation. There is much reference to the friendships made in "The Club," and the difficulty of keeping such a club secret in the college environment. "The Club" ceased electing new members in 1914, but members continued to hold reunions until ca.1923.
The collection also contains reunion materials about the Radcliffe College Class of 1911, and a set of souvenir Harvard College football programs from the 1890s.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Hanover, Massachusetts on September 18, 1888, Fanny Hitchcock Phillips, history teacher, was the youngest daughter of Morrill Allen Phillips and his wife, Sophy Richmond (Simmons) Phillips. Her three older sisters all attended Radcliffe: Catherine T. Phillips (1903), Adaline S. Phillips (1906), and Sophy R. Phillips (1908). Fanny Hitchcock Phillips was educated at the Thayer Academy in South Braintree, Massachusetts, and went on to receive her A.B. in History and Art from Radcliffe in 1911, and then her A.M. in History from Radcliffe in 1914. She also studied medieval Architecture at the American Academy in Rome, Italy (1925-1926).
After graduating from Radcliffe, Fanny Hitchcock Phillips worked first as an assistant history teacher at the Thayer Academy (1912-1913), then as a history teacher at the Resthaven School in Mendon, Massachusetts (1914-1917). She moved to New York City to teach history and history of art at the Brearley School, and held positions as head of the history department (1938-1948), and associate head of the school (1947-1948). She retired from teaching in 1948.
Fanny Hitchcock Phillips was active in community work and was a member of the Radcliffe Club of New York, dramatic clubs, and the Women's Municipal League of Boston. In addition to this, she was a trustee of the John Curtis Free Library in Hanover (1960-1972), and president of the Hanover Historical Society. She also attended St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Hanover, taught Sunday School, and was president of the Altar Guild and the Sewing Guild. In 1979 the Parish House Guild room was named for her.
Fanny Hitchcock Phillips died on May 8, 1983, at the age of 94.
Physical Location
Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number: R93-17
The papers of Fanny Hitchcock Phillips were given to the Radcliffe College Archives in June 1993 by Elizabeth Hall Rattle.
CONTAINER LIST
- Box 1: Folders 1v-10v
- Box 2: Folders 11v-13
Processing Information
Processed: December 1993
By: Vicky Clisham '95
Genre / Form
Subject
- Agassiz, Elizabeth Cabot Cary, 1822-1907 (Person)
- Radcliffe College--Students (Organization)
- Title
- Phillips, Fanny Hitchcock, 1888-1983. Papers of Fanny Hitchcock Phillips, 1889-1979: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Radcliffe College Archives, Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- sch01147
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.