Found 17 collections related to American literature -- 19th century

Elizabeth Oakes Prince Smith (1806-1893) was an author, lyceum lecturer and early activist on behalf of women's rights. Her writings included novels, poetry, children's books, plays, essays, stories, and articles for newspapers and magazines. She was active in the women's rights movement and in 1848 attended the Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y. She was one of the first female lecturers on the lyceum circuit. Her husband, Seba Smith, was a newspaper editor and writer. Collection consists of Smith's writings, correspondence, drawings, and printed matter providing information on her literary career and her activities as a lyceum lecturer and early women's rights advocate. Writings include manuscripts of Smith's autobiography; manuscripts and clippings of her articles, lectures, poems, stories, plays, dime novels, and other writings. Among her writings are reminiscences of Ralph Waldo Emerson and several chapters of an unfinished biography of George Washington. Also, a small quantity of correspondence of Smith and her children, materials concerning spiritualism and psychometry, and several drawings and a photograph. less

Richard Watson Gilder (1844-1909), American poet and editor, served as editor-in-chief of Scribner's Monthly and its successor The Century Illustrated Monthly. He was active in many civic improvement and public service organizations. Collection consists of correspondence, 1861-1909; poetry and prose writings, 1856-1909; diaries, 1855-1909; contracts and royalty statements, 1896-1909; scrapbooks of clippings and ephemera, 1871-1913; and obituaries and other commemorative material. Correspondence includes 21 letter books, a small number of outgoing letters, and extensive incoming correspondence relating to Gilder's editorial work at Scribner's Monthly and Century and to his many public service and professional activities. Individual letter books contain Gilder's letters written for the New York Tenement House Commission, New York Kindergarten Association, the Washington Centennial Celebration, and the Committee for the Erection of the Washington Memorial Arch. Gilder's correspondents include his fellow editors as well as many of the most prominent figures in American literature, the arts, politics, and society. Writings include manuscripts, typescripts and published copies of his addresses, essays, poetry, editorials in the Century, and manuscripts and proofs of his biographies of Grover Cleveland and Abraham Lincoln. Scrapbooks contain articles about Gilder and clippings of his published poetry. Posthumous materials include letters of condolence and resolutions, 1909-1910, sent to his wife; items concerning memorial services and charitable funds established in Gilder's honor; poetic tributes; and scrapbooks of obituaries. Also, materials regarding efforts to publish his letters. less

Washington Irving (1783-1859), the American author, wrote his first popular work, A History of New York, under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker. He continued to write stories and essays which made him the outstanding figure in American literature of his time and established his reputation abroad. In 1826 Irving went to Spain to work at the American embassy in Madrid, then at the American legation in London, before returning to New York in 1832. In 1842 he was sent back to Madrid as U.S. minister. After traveling extensively in the U.S. and Europe, he established himself at his estate "Sunnyside" near Tarrytown, N.Y. where he continued to write historical and biographical works. He also served as the first president of the Astor Library in New York City from 1849 until his death in 1859. Collection contains correspondence, writings by Irving, family papers, pictorial materials, and published works about Irving. Correspondence, 1805-1863, consists of Irving's letters to and from family, friends and colleagues as well as correspondence and other documents signed in his capacity as charge d'affaires of the American legation in London and as president of the Astor Library. Literary manuscripts include holograph drafts, manuscripts, revisions, and notes for many of Irving's literary and historical works. Journals consist of his diaries kept between 1804 and 1842; notebooks contain personal and literary notes made between 1807 and 1844; family papers include letters and documents written or received by members of the Irving family (except Washington Irving); related letters and documents are items that were not generated or received by Irving or his family but which relate to Irving or his associates; and pictorial materials contain original drawings, oil portrait of Irving, etchings, lithographs, photographs, and many engravings. Also, rare editions of Irving's writings and translations and works about him (many are extra-illustrated). less

The Century Company published the Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, which was widely regarded as the best general periodical of its time, performing a role as cultural arbiter during the 1880s and 1890s. It was founded in New York City in 1881 and also published the children's magazine St. Nicholas, dictionaries, and books. The Century Company records date from 1870 to the 1930s and chiefly contain correspondence with contributors, readers, public figures, and literary agents. A number of manuscripts and proofs in the collection are extensively edited and taken with annotations on letters provide a detailed record of the outlook, standards, and functions of the company. less

Theodore W. Winthrop (1828-1861) was an American author who wrote travel books and books about art and poetry. He served in the N.Y. militia and was killed in Virginia in the U.S. Civil War. Collection consists of Winthrop's correspondence, writings, diaries, notebooks, and lectures. Papers include compositions written while at Yale College, 1844-1849; letters to his family, 1847-1857; diaries and notebooks, 1848-1860; and his lectures, 1856, on various subjects. Also, typewritten transcripts of most of the materials. less

Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819-1881) was an American author, journalist and editor. Collection consists of correspondence, writings, papers concerning Abraham Lincoln, and family records. Materials include manuscripts of Holland's books, Arthur Bonnicastle (1873), Nicholas Minturn (1877), and Mistress of the Manse (1874); miscellaneous poems, essays and addresses; and papers relating to Abraham Lincoln, including copies of letters, 1843-1860, by Lincoln to Herbert Asbury, W.H. Herndon and James Speed, with letters by them and others to Holland containing reminiscences of Lincoln. Also, insurance papers, land papers, and letters to Holland, 1864-1880, as editor of Scribner's Monthly, from various American and English literary figures. less

Evert Augustus Duyckinck (1816-1878) and his brother George Long Duyckinck (1823-1863) were biographers, editors of The Literary World between 1848 and 1853, and editors and publishers of the Cyclopedia of American Literature. Collection consists of literary and general correspondence, diaries, notebooks, manuscripts of writings, memorabilia, and legal, financial, and business papers, 1830-1878, of E. A. Duyckinck and George L. Duyckinck. Also, correspondence, daybooks, account and receipt books, and journals, 1793-1833, of their father, Evert Duyckinck; papers, 1838-1889, of Margaret Wolfe Panton Duyckinck, wife of E.A. Duyckinck; papers, 1856-1869, of Henry Duyckinck, Evert Duyckinck, Jr., and George Duyckinck (sons of E.A. Duyckinck); papers, 1810-1851, of Sophia Roorbach; and papers of the Wolfe and Panton families. Includes the manuscript of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Old Manse (1846) and Herman Melville's "Hawthorne and His Mosses" (1850). less