Inventory of the Wallace Stevens Papers, 1856-1975
Inventory of the Wallace Stevens Papers, 1856-1975
The Huntington LibrarySan Marino, California
- Manuscripts Department
- The Huntington Library
- 1151 Oxford Road
- San Marino, California 91108
- Phone: (626) 405-2203
- Fax: (626) 449-5720
- Email: lgarcia@huntington.org
- URL: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=554
- Date Completed:
- March 29, 1980
- Encoded by:
- Xiuzhi Zhou
Subject Matter and Arrangement of the Collection
I. Manuscripts
A. Dedicatory poems to Stevens, essays about Stevens (e.g. by Robert M. Pack and Mary Bernetta Quinn) and adaptations and translations of Stevens' poems (e.g. by Renato Poggioli).
Scope and Content Note
B. Manuscripts of Stevens' poems, essays and speeches.
Scope and Content Note
Especially interesting pieces (all autograph):
- Adagia:
- 2 notebooks of aphorisms. 33p. [1930?-1955]. (WAS 70)
- A Book of Verses:
- notebook of 20 early poems. 21p. June 1908. (WAS 24)
- Esthétique du Mal:
- early draft. 16p. [1944]. (WAS 4140)
- The Figure of the Youth as Virile Poet:
- early draft. 33p. [1943]. (WAS 4143)
- Gloire du Long Disir, Idies:
- early draft. 23p. [1955]. (WAS 4151)
- Journals
- 1898-1899. 1 vol. (WAS 7)
1899-1900. 1 vol. (WAS 8)
1902-1904. 1 vol. (WAS 9)
1905-1912. 1 vol. (WAS 10) - The Little June Book:
- notebook of 20 early poems. 21p. June 5, 1909. (WAS 25)
- Poetic Exercises of 1948:
- 2 commonplace notebooks. 4p. [1948]. (WAS 72)
- Sur Plusieurs Beaux Sujects:
- 2 commonplace notebooks. 44p. 1932-1953. (WAS 73)
II. Correspondence
Scope and Content Note
A. Family Letters
Scope and Content Note
- 1. The most significant family figure is Stevens' wife, Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens. Her real name was Elsie Viola Kachel, but when her mother remarried, Elsie took on the surname Moll. Most of the correspondence is from Stevens to Elsie, 1907 (before their engagement) until 1935. (271 pieces; WAS 1776-2047). The principal letters from Elsie are to her stepfather and mother, Lehman W. and Ida Bright (Smith) Kachel Moll and to her half-sister, Dorothy La Rue (Moll) Weidner.
- 2. Family correspondents and their relationship to Wallace Stevens:
- (a) Holly Bright Stevens: Daughter of Wallace & Elsie Stevens. Born in 1924. First married name: Hanchak (son: Peter Reed Hanchak). Second married name: Stephenson. Her maiden name is used throughout in the Collection
- (b) Garrett Barcalow Stevens a (1848-1911): Wallace Stevens' father
- (c) Margaretha Catharine (Zeller) Stevens (1848-1912): Wallace Stevens' mother
- (d) Garrett Barcalow Stevens b (1877-1937): Wallace Stevens' elder brother. Wife: Sarah Shelley (Stayman) Stevens
- (e) John Bergen Stevens a (1880-1940): Wallace Stevens' younger brother. Son: John Bergen Stevens b. Wife: Anna May Stevens. Daughter: Eleanor (Stevens) Sauer. Husband: John C. Sauer
- (f) Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland (1885-1943): Wallace Stevens' elder sister. Daughter: Jane (MacFarland) Stone Wilson
- (g) Mary Catharine Stevens (1889-1919): Wallace Stevens' younger sister, killed in France during World War I
B. Foreign Correspondence
Additional Note
- 1. Rosamond (Bates) Cary: 6 letters, 1931-1936. (WAS 2071-2076). Stevens to RBC: 6 carbons, 1935-1936. (WAS 2077-2082). Mrs. Cary was an American living in Otaru, Japan. Stevens asked her to select a number of Japanese toys and traditional items as gifts for Elsie and Holly Stevens.
- 2. Peter H. Lee: 13 letters, 1951-1955.(WAS 1030-1042). Stevens to PHL: 8 carbons, 1954-1955.(WAS 1043-1050). Lee was a Korean poet.
- 3. Robert McAlmon: 13 letters, [1921-1924]. (WAS 1150-1162). McAlmon, an American writer living and writing in Europe, wrote some extremely good letters about Joyce and other literary figures in the 1920's.
- 4. Thomas MacGreevy: 39 letters, 1948-1955. (WAS 141-158; 161-180). Stevens to TM: 17 carbons, 1948-1955. (WAS 181-197). MacGreevy was appointed Director of the National Gallery of Ireland in 1950. The MacGreevy-Stevens correspondence brings out Stevens' interest in painting and the other arts.
- 5. José Rodriguez-Feo: 51 letters, 1944-1954. (WAS 1588-1638). Stevens to JR-F: 9 carbons, 1948-1955. (WAS 1639-1647). Warms letters from and to a young Cuban poet, many concerning the meaning of Stevens' poetry.
- 6. Leonard Van Geyzel: 15 letters, 1938-1954. (WAS 2450-2464). Stevens to LVG: 18 carbons and 1 L.S., 1937-1954. (WAS 2470-2488). Van Geyzel was an Englishman working on a tea plantation in Ceylon who read widely in modern literature. Interesting correspondence regarding Stevens' literary and political (World War II) views.
- 7. Anatole Vidal: 20 letters, 1935-1940, in French. (WAS 2650-2669). Anatole Vidal was the Parisian bookseller who, like his daughter Paule after his death, provided Stevens with French books and magazines and purchased for Stevens original paintings by contemporary French artists, including Auberjonois, Maurice Brianchon, Roger Callois and Tal Coat. The Anatole and Paule Vidal correspondence is of the utmost importance in defining Stevens' attitudes toward modern art and literature.
- 8. Paule Vidal: 80 letters, 1945-1955,in French. (WAS 2806-2885). Stevens to PV: 110 carbons, 1945-1955. (WAS 2886-2995). Paule Vidal took over her father's bookshop in Paris after his death in the early 1940's and continued the flourishing correspondence with Stevens.
- 9. Correspondence regarding tea: Stevens was a connoisseur of fine foods and enjoyed sending away for tea in particular. These letters give some idea of his personal habits: 1935-1938.(WAS 1170-1176, 1346-1349).
C. Business Associates
Additional Note
- 1. C.L. Daughtry: 7 pieces, 1943-[1955].(WAS 492-498). Stevens to CLD: 40 pieces, 1931-1955,mostly originals. (WAS 499-538).
- 2. Arthur Gray Powell (known as "Judge Powell"): 6 letters, 1940-1950. (WAS 1477-1482).
- 3. Wilson E. Taylor: 12 letters, [1939?]-1955, including 5 carbons. (WAS 3837-3848). Stevens to WET: 96 letters, 1933-1955, originals. (WAS 3849-3944).
D. Literary Correspondents
Additional Note
- 1. Henry Hall Church: 102 pieces, 1939-[1947]. (WAS 3366-3467). Stevens to HHC: 94 pieces, 1939-1947, mostly carbons. (WAS 3468-3561). Barbara S. Church: 112 pieces, 1942-1955. (WAS 3563-3674). Stevens to BSC: 148 letters, 1 942-1955, mostly originals. (WAS 3678-3825). The Church-Stevens correspondence is undoubtedly the most important (and numerous) in the Collection. Henry Church and Stevens were both interested in French literature and, during the war years when the Church's were unable to spend half the year in their home at Ville d'Avray, France, Stevens saw the Church's frequently and became close friends with them, so that in his correspondence with both Henry and Barbara Church he frequently and honestly speaks of his personal and literary life.
- 2. Edward Estlin Cummings: 4 letters, 1944-1950. (WAS 1-4). Stevens to EEC: 2 carbons, 1947-1950.(WAS 5-6).
- 3. Harry Duncan (of the Cummington Press): 61 letters, 1943-1951. (WAS 555-615). Stevens to HD: 9 carbons, 1945-1950. (WAS 616-624).
- 4. Katharine Frazier (of the Cummington Press): 19 letters, 1941-1943. (WAS 647-665).
- 5. Robert Lee Frost: 1 A.L.S. (and photograph), July 28, 1935. (WAS 365).
- 6. Victor Karl Hammer: 32 letters, 1946-1952. (WAS 776-807). Stevens to VKH: 11 carbons, 1948-1951. (WAS 808-818).
- 7. Alfred A. Knopf: 64 letters, 1920-1955. (WAS 3084-3147). Stevens to AAK: 44 carbons, 1930-1955. (WAS 3148-3191). The following (a-d) are the major associates with Alfred A. Knopf Inc. in the correspondence:
- (a) William Cole: 10 letters, 1951-1955. (WAS 3044-3053). Stevens to WC: 9 carbons, 1951-1955. (WAS 3054-3062).
- (b) Sidney R. Jacobs: 9 letters, 1950-1954. (WAS 3063-3071). Stevens to SRJ: 12 carbons, 1950-1954. (WAS 3072-3083).
- (c) William A. Koshland: 11 letters, 1950-1954. (WAS 3198-3208). Stevens to WAK: 10 carbons, 1950-1955. (WAS 3209-3218).
- (d) Herbert Weinstock: 74 pieces, 1946-1955. (WAS 3219-3292). Stevens to HW: 66 carbons, 1946-1955. (WAS 3293-3358).
- 8. Archibald MacLeish: 2 letters, 1925-[1948]. (WAS 1063-1064). Stevens to AM: 1 carbon, Aug. 23, 1948. (WAS 1065).
- 9. Harriet Monroe: 10 letters, 1914-1935. (WAS 28-37).
- 10. Marianne Craig Moore: 27 letters, 1926-1955. (WAS 41-67).
- 11. Samuel French Morse: 7 letters, 1953-1955. (WAS 1266-1272). Stevens to SFM: 3 carbons, 1954-1955. (WAS 1273-1275).
- 12. Renato Poggioli: 30 letters, 1947-1954. (WAS 286-315). Stevens to RP: 23 carbons, 1947-1954. (WAS 316-338).
- 13. Mary Bernetta Quinn: 12 letters, 1948-1955. (WAS 2621-2632). Stevens to MBQ: 3 carbons, 1948-1954. (WAS 2633-2635).
- 14. Hi Simons: 28 pieces, 1937-1945.(WAS 78-105). Stevens to HS: 35 carbons, 1937-1945.(WAS 106-140).
- 15. Allen John Orley Tate: 45 pieces, 1941-1949. (WAS 2340-2384). Stevens to AJOT: 21 carbons, 1941-1949. (WAS 2385-2405).
- 15. Thornton Niven Wilder: 1 A.L.S., Sep. 12, 1951. (WAS 2524). Stevens to TNW: 1 carbon, Oct. 19, 1951. (WAS 2525).
- 17. William Carlos Williams: 13 letters, 1916-1953. (WAS 11-23).
III. Photographs
Scope and Content Note
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by Bachrach, [1900]
Wallace Stevens: 6 snapshots, [c. 1922]
Wallace Stevens: snapshot (of a photograph), [c. 1924]
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by Blackstone Studios, N.Y., [c. 1935]
Wallace Stevens: 5 studio portraits by Pack Bros., [c. 1940?]
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by Sylvia Salmi, 1943
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by Sylvia Salmi, 1943
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by Sylvia Salmi, 1944
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by John Haley, [c. 1945]
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by Sylvia Salmi, 1948
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by R. Thorne McKenna, June 1952
Wallace Stevens: studio portrait by R. Thorne McKenna, June 1952
Wallace Stevens: snapshot, 1955
Wallace Stevens--home of (735 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn.?): 2 snapshots, [c. 1916]
Wallace Stevens--home of (118 Westerly Terrace, Hartford, Conn.): 6 snapshots, 1947-1953
Wallace Stevens & Holly Bright Stevens: studio portrait by Katherine Lee Endero, [c. 1925]
Wallace Stevens & Holly Bright Stevens: snapshot, Feb. 3, 1929
Wallace Stevens, Holly Bright Stevens & an unidentifiable woman/child: 3 snapshots, [c. 1929]
Wallace Stevens, Holly Bright Stevens & Peter Reed Hanchak: 8 snapshots, [ Oct. 1954]
Wallace Stevens & Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens: snapshot, [c. 1920]
Wallace Stevens, Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens & Holly Bright Stevens: 5 snapshots, [c. 1926-1929]
Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens & Holly Bright Stevens: 2 snapshots, [c. 1924]
Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens & Holly Bright Stevens: studio portrait by Katherine Lee Endero, [1924?]
Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens: 11 snapshots, [c. 1915-1920]
Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens & an unidentifiable woman: snapshot, [c. 1920]
Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens & Dorothy La Rue (Moll) Weidner: 3 snapshots, [c. 1920]
Holly Bright Stevens: 35 snapshots, [c. 1926-1929]
Holly Bright Stevens: studio portrait by John Haley, 1928
Holly Bright Stevens: studio portrait by John Haley, [c. 1931]
Holly Bright Stevens & an unidentifiable woman/child: snapshot, [1929?]
Holly Bright Stevens, Jack M. Hanchak & Peter Reed Hanchak: 2 snapshots, 1944-1947
Holly Bright Stevens & Peter Reed Hanchak: 2 snapshots, 1947-1951
Ida Bright (Smith) Kachel Moll (in front of 231 So. 13th Street, Reading, Pa.): snapshot, [> 1940]
Mary Catharine Stevens--grave of: unmounted print, [c. 1919]
Edwin Stanton Livingood: cabinet photograph, Apr. 1899
Barbara S. Church--home of (Ville d'Avray, France): snapshot, June 1939
Barbara S. Church--home of (Untermberg, Germany): snapshot, [c. 1948]
Wallace Stevens Family: photograph album--69 snapshots of a trip to California and Arizona, Oct. 23-Nov. 3, 1923,some photos showing Wallace Stevens. Also: 6 snapshots of Wallace Stevens & Holly Bright Stevens, c. 1934
Unidentifiable photographs--probably from Wallace Stevens' side of the family (7 pieces)
Unidentifiable photographs--probably from Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens' side of the family (4 pieces)
Unidentifiable photographs--of Reading, Pa.? (associated with Wallace Stevens' genealogical researches: 5 photographs)
Album of 40 photographs on the side of Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens. The only photograph identified (by Holly Bright Stevens) is no. 14: Ida Bright (Smith) Kachel Moll & Elsie Viola (Moll) Stevens. (See Box 82.)
IV. Honorary Awards
Scope and Content Note
National Book Award, 1950
Columbia University (D. Litt.), June 5, 1952
State of Connecticut's resolution expressing the State's pride in Stevens' achievements, Feb. 3, 1955
Hartt College of Music (Doctor of Humanities), June 9, 1955
Mount Holyoke College (D. Litt.), June 2, 1952
Wesleyan University (D. Litt.), June 15, 1947
Yale University (D. Litt.), June 13, 1955
Bard College (D. Litt.), Mar. 29, 1951
Harvard University (D. Litt.), June 21, 1951
V. Xeroxes
Scope and Content Note
VI. Genealogical Material
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence
Bright-Ellsworth families
History of the Franks-Uncompiled Material (typescripts)
Zeller-Stevens family
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous--oversize
VII. Ephemera
A. Miscellaneous Material (mostly printed) relating to the following (by folder no.):
American Academy of Arts and Letters (& National Institute of Arts and Letters)
Blackwell, B.H., Ltd. (firm)
Church, Barbara S.
Church, Henry Hall
Columbia University: items re: 1952 commencement
Columbia University: printed item
Duncan, Harry (and the Cummington press)
Gregynog Press
Guthrie, James
Hammer, Victor: also box with bookplates & plates
Harvard University
Knopf, Alfred A. Inc.
Moore, Marianne Craig
Morse, Samuel French
Quinn, Mary Bernetta
Simons, Hi
Stevens Family
Stevens, Elsie Viola (Moll)
Stevens, Holly Bright
Stevens, Mary Catharine
Stevens, Wallace: newspaper clippings
Vassar College
Vidal, Anatole & Paule
Weinman, Adolph Alexander
Wisconsin Players
Yale University Library
B. Miscellaneous material-loose
Scope and Content Note
VIII. The Stevens Family
Scope and Content Note
IX. Appraiser's Report
Appraiser's report of Stevens library books acquired in June 1990.
Addenda
Bergen, Garrett. To Benjamin Stevens. 1806, Oct. 20
Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. Photograph
Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. Photograph
Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland (?) and 2 friends. Photograph
Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. Photograph
Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. Photograph
Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. Photograph
Eleanor (Stevens) Sauer and Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. Photograph
Garrett Barcalow Stevens. Photograph
Garrett Barcalow Stevens a. Photograph
Holly Stevens and Jane (MacFarland) Stone Wilson. 2 snapshots
John Bergen Stevens. Photograph
Mary Catharine Stevens. Photograph
Mary Catharine Stevens. Photograph
Mary Catharine Stevens. Photograph
Mary Catharine Stevens and friends. Photograph
Wallace Stevens. To Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. 1942, Oct. 23
Wallace Stevens and family members. 3 photographs
Stevens family. 7 photographs
Bible, with notations by Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland
Clipping
Girls High School. Report cards of Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. 1902-1903
Ingleby, Helen. To Jane (MacFarland) Stone Wilson. 1943, Apr. 1
MacFarland, Elizabeth (Stevens). Diary. 1909
Philadelphia. Marriage certificate of Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland and George C. MacFarland. 1917, Sep. 29
Philadelphia. Court of Common Pleas. Divorce decree for Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland and George C. MacFarland. 1927, June 20
Philadelphia. Dept. of Health. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death certificate of Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. 1943, Feb. 19
Reading (Penn.) Dept. of Public Safety. Bureau of Health. Birth certificate of Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. 1931, May 7. [Born 1885]
Catharine Stevens. Journal notes. 1918 (?)
Garrett Barcalow Stevens. To Elizabeth (Stevens) MacFarland. [> 1937]
Margaretha Catharine (Zeller) Stevens. Cook book
Wallace Stevens. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (xerox copy)
Wallace Stevens. To Jane (MacFarland) Stone Wilson. 1947, Jan. 20