Description
Archive contains correspondence,
manuscripts of published and unpublished poems and stories, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings,
photographs and miscellaneous items documenting the literary activity of a San Francisco Bay
area poet and a poetry teacher Kate Rennie Archer.
Background
Scottish poetess, Kate Rennie Archer (given name Catherine), was born in Glasgow to a
traveling shipping family. She spent most of her childhood moving around the Europe, as well
as lived both in Malta and Algiers. She married a Scottish Royal Horse Artillery Captain,
Douglas Archer in 1912. She was not only a trained teacher specializing in literature, folk
lore and music, but she served in the Red Cross as a qualified nurse during the World War I.
Her husband's unstable health forced the couple and their young son Douglas Jr. to move from
Edinburgh, in search of a milder weather, to California in 1927. Always known for her active
spirit, she and her 10-year-old son made history by traveling on a 'shoestring budget from
San Francisco to Glasgow' in the 1930's, a voyage which received wide press coverage in the
US. At the outbreak of the World War II the Archer's supported the war efforts in the Bay
Area while their son Douglas Jr. Archer joined the military serving under the Royal Canadian
Air-Force in Great-Britain. Deeply effected by the sights and aftermath of the two wars,
many of her writings are about war and portrayals of the psychological effects of these
events.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet
6 boxes.
Restrictions
Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs.
Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair
use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to
determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more
information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.
Availability
Collection is open for research.