Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Kathryn Winslow Collection,
- Dates:
- 1950-1988
- Creators:
- Winslow, Kathryn
- Abstract:
- This collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and printed material documenting patronage and friendship of Kathryn Winslow to Kenneth and Miriam Patchen. Also included are papers pertaining to fund raisers held for Patchen in Chicago at "Studio for Henry Miller" during 1950-1951.
- Extent:
- 1 document box 7 portfolios
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
Kathryn Winslow collection. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection material is divided into outgoing and incoming correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, negatives, and printed material, of which majority date to 1950-1960. Some of the series are further divided by topics derived from the original filing titles.
Bulk of the correspondence consists of letters from Miriam Patchen to Kathryn Winslow relating news of the Patchens life in Old Lyme, Connecticut, their move to San Francisco, and to Palo Alto, and both Patchens' illnesses and surgery. Included also are six letters from Kenneth Patchen written in 1950's; carbon copies of outgoing mail from Winslow in regards to Patchen benefit events at Studio 'M' held in 1950-1951.
Manuscript series consist of seven single manuscript pages that contain a collection of statements, poems, drawings, numerals, and magazine cut-outs. Each page has its own 9"x12" folder, made out of various color construction paper, and with a Patchen holograph on the cover.
Printed material consists of clippings, mailers, and other ephemera relating to three fund raiser events for Patchen held in Chicago and New York in 1950-1951.
Photographs are arranged by size and consist of thirteen black and white photographs. Ten of the images were taken in November of 1951 during Patchen's layover in Chicago when they paid a visit to Kathryn Winslow and Bill Mecham.
All negatives have been separated from the collection and transferred to the Negative Collection, Special Collections and Archives.
- Biographical / historical:
-
A novelist, a biographer and a businesswoman, Kathryn Winslow (1906-1989) is known for her life long patronage and friendship to authors Henry Miller and Kenneth Patchen.
In 1948-1958 she managed a bookstore "The Studio of Henry Miller", also called Studio 'M', with her husband William (Bill) Mecham. The store, situated in the heart of Chicago in a red building next to Hyde Park, was famous for it's selection of works by Henry Miller and Kenneth Patchen. Studio 'M' developed into an active gathering place for local artist and literary enthusiasts, who were drawn not only to buy books, many of which were shipped directly from the authors' homes, but to view exhibited Miller ephemera, and attend various after hour readings and musical performances.
Kathryn and Bill Mecham were introduced to the Patchens through Henry Miller. A visit to the Patchens at Old Lyme in June 1950 resulted in a lasting friendship and the future efforts by Winslow to bring relief to the Patchen financial predicament through fund raisers held at Studio 'M'.
An author of three works, Kathryn Winslow received an Associate Press Author of the Week award for her first release Big Pan-Out (1951), and later became a best-seller biographer for Henry Miller: A Full Life (1986). Her second book Alaska Bound was published in 1960.
Kathyrn Winslow moved to Sonoma, California, in the mid 1970's to be near her son Berwick Johnson. She lived there until her death in January 4, 1989.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired from Martha Smith, August 1989
- Physical location:
- Stored in Special Collections & Archives: Advance notice is required for access to the papers
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 2003
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid created by UCSC OAC Unit. Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: October 2003.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection open for research
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to publish or to reproduce the material, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
Kathryn Winslow collection. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
- Location of this collection:
-
Special Collections and Archives, University Library1156 High StreetSanta Cruz, CA 95064, US
- Contact:
- (831) 459-2547