Altrocchi (Julia Cooley) papers, 1848-1972, undated, bulk 1935-1965

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Summary

Title:
Julia Cooley Altrocchi papers
Dates:
1848-1972, undated, bulk 1935-1965
Creators:
Altrocchi, Julia Cooley
Abstract:
The papers of Julia Cooley Altrocchi including correspondence, manuscripts, galley proofs, clippings, broadsides, publications and artifacts.
Extent:
13 cartons, 5 oversize boxes, 2 oversize folders, 3 cardfile boxes, 7 volumes (16.8 linear feet)
Language:
Collection materials are in Italian , English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Julia Cooley Altrocchi papers, BANC MSS C-H 115, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

Background

Scope and content:

The Julia Cooley Altrocchi papers provide researchers with insight into early-mid 20th century literary life in the San Francisco Bay Area and Cooley Altrocchi’s development as a writer.

Highlights of the papers include unpublished original manuscripts, poetry, lectures, notes, as well as numerous clippings, diaries and scrapbooks that chronicle Cooley Altrocchi’s life and career. The collection also contains correspondence with individuals such as Gertrude Atherton, Langston Hughes, Esther B. Darling, Hildegarde Hawthorne, Evelyn Wells and Albert Bender, among others. Included as well are materials and writings by and about Rudolph Altrocchi, photographs, research material, broadsides, artwork, publications and artifacts.

The collection spans the years 1848 to 1972, with the bulk concentrating on the years 1935 to 1965. It is divided into eight series: I. Correspondence, II. Writings, III. Subject Files, IV. Organizations, V. Clippings, VI. Photographs, VII. Scrapbooks and VIII. Artifacts.

Biographical / historical:

Julia Cooley Altrocchi (1893-1972) was an author and poet. A resident of Berkeley, California from 1928 until her death, Cooley Altrocchi was born in Seymour, Connecticut and raised in Chicago, Illinois. The daughter of Harlan Cooley and Nellie Wooster Cooley, Cooley Altrocchi attended University High School at the University of Chicago and graduated from Vassar College in 1914. She married Rudolph Altrocchi in 1920. The couple moved to the San Francisco Bay Area upon the latter’s appointment as Professor and Chair of the Italian Department at the University of California, Berkeley; after holding positions at Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, the University of Chicago and Brown University.

Cooley Altrocchi published her first book of poetry, Poems of a Child, at the age of 11, and published a number of other monographs, many of which delved into the history of California and its people. Notable among these was Snow Covered Wagons (1936), a story-in-verse about the Donner Party expedition. Other works included Wolves Against the Moon (1940), The Old California Trail (1945), Black Boat (1945) The Spectacular San Franciscans (1949) and Girl with Ocelot and Other Poems (1964). Her writings also appeared in various literary journals and anthologies.

Cooley Altrocchi was active in Bay Area literary circles, and served as President of the California Writers Club from 1941 to 1943. She was also an honorary member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, the San Francisco Browning Society and the Poets of the Pacific, and a member of the National Poetry Society of America and National League of PEN Women, among other organizations.

Acquisition information:
The Julia Cooley Altrocchi papers were given to the Bancroft Library by Julia Cooley Altrocchi from 1960-1972. Additions were made by Paul H. Altrocchi in 1973 and 1998.
Processing information:

Processed by Mario H. Ramirez in 2012.

Accruals:

No additions are expected.

Rules or conventions:
Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Mario H. Ramirez
Date Prepared:
© 2012
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid generated by GenX; markup validated by The Bancroft Library using CDL validation tools; Date of source: May 2012

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.

Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Julia Cooley Altrocchi papers, BANC MSS C-H 115, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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