Fritz Zwicky papers, 1940-1967

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Summary

Creators:
Zwicky, F. (Fritz), 1898-1974
Abstract:
This small collection contains correspondence, some photographs, 5 audio tapes, and 14 film reels of Fritz Zwicky (1898-1974), a Swiss astronomer who worked most of his life at the California Institute of Technology. The collection chiefly deals with Zwicky and his family, although there is a little material related to astronomy. Some of the material is in German.
Extent:
1.5 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
English and German
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Fritz Zwicky papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection chiefly deals with Zwicky and his family although there is a little material related to astronomy. Some of the material is in German. The small collection includes:

One volume that contains letters between Zwicky and his daughters while they were in Switzerland (for school). Entitled "Briefe von und an die kinder." In his letters, Zwicky sometimes mentions his research and astronomical work.

There are three telephone books that belonged to Zwicky and 15 photographs. Includes one portrait of Zwicky and 14 views of the star cluster Hyades (includes notes on the front and verso of the photographs).

Also included in the collection are 5 audio tapes, reel to reel, that are not labeled and undated. There are also 14 16mm film reels that contain scenes of home life in Pasadena; Zwicky family trips; school shows with Zwicky's daughters; and scenes at Palomar Observatory.

Note: The cataloger did not review the audio-video material.

Biographical / historical:

Fritz Zwicky (1898-1974) was a Swiss astronomer. He worked most of his life at the California Institute of Technology, where he made many important contributions in theoretical and observational astronomy. Zwicky was born in Bulgaria in 1898. In 1904, at the age of six, Fritz was sent to his grandparents in Glarus, Switzerland for school. His interests were math and physics and he received an advanced education in mathematics and experimental physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, located in Zürich, Switzerland. In 1925, he immigrated to the United States to work with Robert Millikan at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) after receiving the "international fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation."

In 1932, Zwicky married Dorothy Vernon Gates; they divorced in 1941. In 1947 he married Anna Zurcher; they had three daughters: Margrit, Franziska, and Barbarina. Zwicky died in Pasadena, California in 1974 and was buried in Mollis, Switzerland. The Zwicky Museum at the Landesbibliothek, Glarus, houses many of his papers and scientific works, and the Fritz Zwicky Stiftung (Foundation) in Switzerland carries on his ideas relating to "Morphological analysis."

Acquisition information:
Gift of Barbarina Zwicky, June 24, 2011.
Arrangement:

Arranged in 2 boxes:

  1. Box 1: Volume, Telephone Books, Photographs
  2. Box 2: Audio tapes and film reels
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

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]. Fritz Zwicky papers, 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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