Ward Ritchie Personal Correspondence, Papers and Albums, about 1926-1995

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Summary

Creators:
Ritchie, Ward, 1905-1996
Abstract:
This collection contains over 700 letters, photographs and documents ranging from 1926-1995, largely related to the personal life of Los Angeles printer Ward Ritchie. This collection also includes two photograph albums documenting Ward's childhood and young adulthood, compiled and illustrated by his mother, Effie Palmer Ritchie.
Extent:
5.68 Linear feet (10 boxes)
Language:
English .

Background

Scope and content:

This collection includes over 700 letters, photographs and documents ranging from 1926-1995. This time period covers Ward Ritchie's mid-20s to late 80s, spanning from his time at Occidental College right up to his years of busy retirement.

Although this collection is made up of predominantly personal letters, Ritchie had a working relationship with a number of friends and so many of the letters also include discussions of business. Ritchie's business contacts were international and many of the letters in the collection are from printers, authors, booksellers and librarians from around the world. Some of his contacts included Jake Zeitlin, Leslie E. Bliss, and Lawrence Clark Powell.

This collection also includes a number of official documents relating to the family and relating to Ritchie's various businesses. This includes land deeds, one of Ritchie's passports, a marriage certificate, a divorce certificate, and various other papers.

Significant sections of the collection include 1958-1960 where Ritchie corresponded frequently with his son, Jonnie, as he served in the American army, and 1927-1928 where Ritchie corresponded with his college girlfriend, Marion Carr. Both of these periods include letters, postcards, and photographs that were sent and received by Ritchie. These sections include documents from all over the world as Ritchie's son was stationed in Vietnam and Japan, while Marion Carr embarked on a round-the-world trip, visiting countries like Egypt, China, and France.

Biographical / historical:

Harry "Ward" Ritchie was born on June 15th, 1905 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in a series of households in Los Angeles and Pasadena while he attended Marengo Avenue School and South Pasadena High School. In these schools, Ritchie found an early passion for art and literature, and also met lifelong friend and collaborator, Lawrence Clark Powell. Ritchie graduated from Occidental College in 1928 after a brief stint at Sewanee College. He decided to pursue law at the University of Southern California, but quickly realized it was not for him. Inspired by the journals of English printer Thomas J. Cobden-Sanderson, Ritchie turned his interests towards printing. He took on a job at Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena and enrolled in a vocational printing course at Frank Wiggins Trade School (now Los Angeles Trade Tech). In 1931, Ritchie moved to Paris, France to apprentice under Francois-Louis Schmied, an internationally recognised printer and illustrator. In the same year, Ritchie co-founded The Rounce & Coffin Club with Jake Zeitlin, Grant Dahlstrom, and Gregg Anderson as a rival to the Zamorano Club. This fine-press book and printing club lasted over seventy years, with a peak of fifty-five local members, before coming to an end in 2007.

Ritchie returned to Los Angeles in 1932 to establish his own printing studio, titled the Ward Ritchie Press. By 1945, Ritchie's client base had grown, pushing him to establish a more commercial branch of his studio with collaborators Gregg Anderson and Joseph Simon. The new branch, titled Anderson, Ritchie, and Simon, took on most of the company's publishing work, while The Ward Ritchie Press continued to operate on smaller projects. Ritchie served as the president of Anderson, Ritchie, and Simon until 1976. After this role, Ritchie moved to Laguna Beach and decided to focus on hand-pressed printing with his partner Gloria Stuart, calling his new press Laguna Verde Imprenta.

Throughout his career, Ritchie printed thousands of different books, including over 750 which he designed personally. He wrote nearly 100 books, some under pseudonyms like Peter Lum Quince, Betsey Ann Brestol, or Davie Dicker. On January 24th, 1996, Ward Ritchie died in his Los Angeles home at the age of ninety.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated to the Clark Library in 2019 by Jonathan Ritchie.
Processing information:

This collection was physically processed and described from December 2023-February 2024 by Kara Devlin.

Physical location:
Clark Library.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Clark Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Location of this collection:
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018, US
Contact:
(310) 794-5155
clark@humnet.ucla.edu
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