Collection Guide
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San José Woman's Club Records
MSS.2013.06.14
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: San José Woman's Club Records
creator:
San José Woman’s Club (Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2013.06.14
Physical Description:
10 boxes
(8.33 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1922-1993
Abstract: The San José Woman's Club Records consists of administrative records and pressbooks documenting the club's activities from
1922 to 1993. The collection materials include ledgers, meeting minutes, a receipt book, scrapbooks, photographs, and correspondence.
The San José Woman's Club was formed on December 3, 1894, when a group of nine women gathered to discuss the possibility of
forming a club devoted to women's issues. Membership grew steadily to 81 members by 1902, leading the Club to purchase and
renovate their first club house in 1906. The club was incorporated as a non-profit in 1909, with meetings held every Saturday
afternoon at 2:30 P.M.
The Club was open to all women without discriminating in regards to religion, economic level, ethnic background or education.
To accomplish their goals of civic improvement, cultural enhancement and charitable betterment, the San José Woman's Club
was organized into smaller groups, or sections. Each section focused on a single aspect of club work. Members were encouraged
to join one or more sections to get to know other women in the community. Each section kept a membership roster, financial
records and minutes of their meetings and could limit their membership in order to keep the group from getting too large.
The Club organized itself around a social season that began in September of each year and ended in June. Meetings were not
held in summer. Highlights of these social seasons included a trip by the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Countess Alexandra
Tolstoy and Lotte Golsar in 1939, as well as various fashion shows and luncheons.
In addition to providing a social base for groups of women to join together for civic and community improvement, the Club
also provided a venue for women who had training in the arts but lacked an appropriate forum for their talents. Musicians,
singers, poets, dramatists, writers, painters and other artists were invited to share their talents with appreciative friends.
San José Woman's Club Records, MSS-2013-06-14, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
The collection is arranged into three series: Series I: Administrative Materials, 1936-1993, Series II: Scrapbooks and Photographs,
1922-1993, and Series III: Printed Matter and Correspondence, 1963-1985.
The San José Woman's Club Records consists of administrative records, press scrapbooks, and some printed matter documenting
the club's activities from 1922 to 1993. The collection materials include ledgers of meeting minutes, a receipt book, correspondence,
and scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings and some photographs. These scrapbooks and other administrative materials are
divided by different sections, such as Septima, Handicraft, Antiques, Literature and Drama, Bridge, and more. There are also
some excerpts written by various club historians found in some of the scrapbooks.
Copyright has not been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the SJSU Special Collections & Archives 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 by the reader. Copyright restrictions
also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.
The collection is open for research.
Collection processing began in 2013, and was completed by Grace Song in February 2016. Additional accrual rehousing completed,
MSS-2015-01-12 merged with this collection, and finding aid updated by Rita Wang, February 2017.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Women -- Societies and clubs
Women -- California -- San Jose -- Societies and clubs
San José Woman’s Club (Calif.)