Emerson (Ralph Waldo) Collection, 1835-1912

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Summary

Title:
Ralph Waldo Emerson collection
Dates:
1835-1912
Creators:
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882
Abstract:
A collection of material related to the Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, and abolitionist.
Extent:
1.2 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Ralph Waldo Emerson collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of poems and correspondence related to Ralph Waldo Emerson. The autograph poems by Emerson include: "Fate," "To Rhea," "The Visit," "Astraea," "Berrying," "Merlin," and "Uriel." The poems are written on the same type of paper which was removed from an album. The correspondence includes letters written by Emerson and letters addressed to him. Correspondents include Anne Charlotte Lynch Botta, John Sullivan Dwight, Edward Waldo Emerson, Frederic Rowland Marvin, Henry David Thoreau, and Edwin Percy Whipple.

Biographical / historical:

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Ruth Haskins and the Reverend William Emerson, a Unitarian minister. After graduating from Harvard College, he became a teacher, then a minister who left the ministry to become a lecturer and writer. He led the Transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century, which focused on individualism and self-reliance.

Acquisition information:
mssHM 7321, mssHM 11189-11197 purchased from William K. Bixby sale, 1918; mssHM 7623-7630 purchased from Anderson sale, 1919; mssHM 13429-13430 removed from rare book 123074, April 1933; mssHM 15610 removed from rare book 123116, v.1, April 1933; mssHM 8953 removed from rare book 144553, August 1934; mssHM 45971 acquired from Max Farrand estate, February 1946; mssHM 7319, mssHM 25256 provenance unknown, in library as of, 1954; mssHM 7320 removed from rare book 49172, no date; mssHM 40103 removed from rare book 35203, July 1973; FAC 1046 provenance unknown, in library as of, 1980.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff, 1920-1980; in September 2025, Gayle M. Richardson created the finding aid. This collection includes multiple acquisitions acquired and assembled by Huntington Library staff over many years.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Gayle M. Richardson
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-11-26 07:46:44 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Ralph Waldo Emerson collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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