Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Processing Information
General
Existence and Location of Copies
Arrangement
Bibliography
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Hamlin Garland papers
Creator:
Garland, Hamlin, 1860-1940
Identifier/Call Number: mssGD
Physical Description:
28.52 Linear Feet
(30 boxes, 8 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1757-1973, bulk 1910-1941
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of American novelist, playwright, and author Hamlin Garland (1860-1940) and consists primarily
of letters written by Garland to his wife Zulime Mauna (Taft) Garland and to his daughters. Subject matter chiefly includes
biographical information on Garland, his literary activities while on the lecture circuit, his experiences in England and
Europe in 1924-1925, and general family matters. Business correspondence is concentrated in the years 1930-1940.
Language of Material: English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Box 30: Audiovisual materials housed in cold storage; extended retrieval and delivery time required.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Hamlin Garland papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The majority of collection was purchased from Mary Isabel (Garland) Johnson Lord in 1968. 39 additional letters purchased
from Constance (Garland) Harper Doyle in March 1968 have been incorporated into the collection.
Biographical / Historical
Hamlin Garland (1860-1940) was an American novelist, playwright, and author. Born on September 14, 1860, and raised on farms
in Wisconsin and the Midwest, Garland was provided early on with the practical experience of farm and mid-western life that
was to become the foundation for his realistic style of writing and unsentimental accounts of farm life in both his fictional
and non-fictional accounts.
Garland's literary career did not begin until 1884 when he left the West for Boston. He was just able to support himself teaching
and lecturing on literature, and writing for journals such as the
Transcript,
American Magazine,
Harper's Weekly, and
Century. Only a portion of his writing dealt with reviewing or discussing literature; mainly Garland expressed his own views of life
in the West through fiction, non-fiction, and verse. His early writings were praised for their accurate depiction of farm
life in the Midwest. His famous
Son of the Middle Border (1917) was based on the life of his father, Richard Garland, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning
Daughter of the Middle Border (1921) traced the homestead life of his mother, Isabelle Charlotte (McClintock) Garland. The popularity of these books prompted
him to continue putting his family saga down on paper. The result was a series of books that cover his father's boyhood, his
parents' lives, and his own life until roughly 1928.
Garland married Zulime Mauna Taft (1870-1942) in 1899, sister to sculptor Lorado Taft. Though the Garlands lived in Chicago
and New York, they spent summers in West Salem, Wisconsin, and upstate New York. The Garlands had two children, Mary Isabel
(Garland) Johnson Lord (1903-1988) and Constance (Garland) Harper Doyle (1907-1988).
Garland spent the last 10 years of his life residing in Hollywood, California, mainly occupied by an interest researching
psychic phenomena. He also continued to write articles and books, and to give lectures for various literary groups. He died
on March 5, 1940.
Scope and Contents
This collection primarily contains the personal papers of American writer Hamlin Garland, chiefly dealing with various family
matters, Garland's experience travelling abroad and in the United States, and publication matters. The collection also contains
diaries and notebooks from Garland's European and domestic travels. The correspondence consists chiefly of letters written
by Garland to his wife, Zulime Mauna (Taft) Garland, and daughters, Mary Isabel (Garland) Johnson Lord, and Constance (Garland)
Harper Doyle. The letters chiefly contain biographical information on Garland: his literary activities while on the lecture
circuit, books and articles in progress, work with publishers, and general family matters. His business correspondence is
concentrated in the years 1930-1940.
A large number of letters to his daughter, Mary Isabel (Garland) Johnson Lord, during the years 1936-1937 describe his activities
with Mr. & Mrs. Parent and his searches for buried Spanish and Indian crosses which lead to the published work,
The Mystery of the Buried Crosses. Another large group of letters to his family shares his experiences in England and Europe in 1924 and 1925.
In addition, the collection contains two typescript letters signed from Theodore Roosevelt, one to Hamlin Garland, 1903 June
30, and one to Mary Isabel Garland, 1917 August 15; and one William H. Taft typescript letter signed to Hamlin Garland, 1918
June 9 (GD 1129).
Processing Information
This finding aid was updated in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project with enhanced description
of the presidential material present. In September 2022, Mari Khasmanyan added the audiovisual materials into the collection
and included links to their digital reproductions.
General
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssGD 1-1167, mss FAC 1285.
Existence and Location of Copies
Selected audiovisual items from this collection have been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the
Internet Archive.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following 8 series:
- Diaries (Boxes 1-6)
- Notebooks (Boxes 7-8)
- Manuscripts (Boxes 9-10)
- Correspondence (Boxes 11-27)
- Scrapbooks (Box 28)
- Ephemera (Box 29).
- Oversize folders (GD 1159-1166)
- Audiovisual materials (GD 1167)
Bibliography
Åhnebrink, Lars.
The Beginnings of Naturalism in American Fiction. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 1950.
Holloway, Jean.
Hamlin Garland, A Biography. University of Texas Press, Austin. 1960.
Pizer, Donald.
Hamlin Garland: Newspaper and Periodical Publications, 1885-1895: A Bibliography. Bulletin of Bibliography. Vol. 22, no. 2. Jan.- Apr. 1957.
Pizer, Donald, ed.
Hamlin Garland's Diaries. The Huntington Library, San Marino. 1968.
Contemporary Authors, vol. 104, p. 160.
Dictionary of Literary Biography, vol. 12, pp. 203-212; vol. 71, pp. 71-81; vol. 78, pp. 179-194.
National Cyclopedia of American Biography, vol. 8, p. 37.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American literature -- 20th century
Authors, American -- 19th century -- Archives
Authors, American -- 20th century -- Archives
Diaries -- United States
Ephemera -- United States
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Manuscripts for publication -- United States
Notebooks -- United States
Garland, Hamlin, 1860-1940 -- Archives
Garland, Zulime Mauna Taft, correspondent.
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930