Scope and arrangement
The Pauline Lawrence Limón Collection mainly documents the early years of the José Limón Dance Company and the years immediately preceding the company's inception. There is almost no information beyond 1958. The material is arranged into five major categories: Personal Correspondence, Professional Correspondence, Professional Life, Private Life, and Banking Records.|||Material is primarily in English with some Spanish.|||The following abbreviations are used throughout the folder list:
- JL: José Limón
- PLL: Pauline Lawrence Limón
- HMR: Helen Mary Robinson
- CHW: Charles Humphrey Woodford
- Misc: Miscellaneous
- n.d.: No date
When noting the correspondents, the name of the individual or individuals writing the letter is listed first followed by a slash (/). Following the slash is the name of the individual or individuals to whom the letter is written.|||Example: PLL/JL indicates a letter written by Pauline Lawrence Limón to José Limón.
The Pauline Lawrence Limón collection is arranged in five series:
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The Personal Correspondence consists of 535 letters written to or by Pauline Lawrence Limón and/or José Limón. They are arranged as follows:
- 127 letters by various correspondents to José Limón, 1941 - 1958.
- 112 letters by Pauline Lawrence Limón to José Limón, 1939 - 1953.
- 75 letters by various correspondents to Pauline Lawrence Limón, 1935 - 1957.
- 84 letters by José Limón to Pauline Lawrence Limón, 1934 - 1953.
- 59 letters by Helen Mary Robinson to Pauline Lawrence Limón, 1941 - 1958.
- 20 letters by Charles Humphrey Woodford to Pauline Lawrence Limón, 1941 - 1957.
- 6 letters by Pauline Lawrence Limón to various correspondents, n.d.
- 2 letters by José Limón to various correspondents, n.d.
- 32 letters by various correspondents to the Limóons, 1941 - 1958.
- 18 letters by the Lawrences to the Limóons, 1934 - 1944.
There is an index to the various correspondents at the end of the folder list. It alphabetically lists selected major figures and indicates the location of their letters in the collection.
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The Professional Correspondence consists of 594 letters written to or by Pauline Lawrence Limón and/or José Limón or their professional representatives. They are arranged as follows:
- 226 letters to and by various correspondents, 1942 - 1958.
- 43 letters to or by Musical Artists, 1950 - 1956.
- 78 letters to or by Oliver Nicoll, 1957 - 1958.
- 247 letters regarding bookings, 1942 - 1956.
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The Professional Life section contains a variety of material including writings and choreographic notes of José Limón, costume sketches of Pauline Lawrence Limón, performance contracts (1946 - 1957), correspondence and bills regarding music arrangements (1942 - 1954), prints and postcards used by José Limón for his dances, program notes, and dance class rosters and roll books. Also included are paycheck stubs, some legal documents, such as passports, and a plethora of bills and financial notes regarding professional expenses.
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The Private life section contains miscellaneous items such as José Limón's United States Army papers and his Certificate of Naturalization, names and addresses kept by Pauline Lawrence Limón, and her notebook/diary from the Denishawn Oriental Tour (1925). Also included are bills relating to insurance, medicine, electricity, and the like, and bills relating to their residences from 1942 - 1958.
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The last section of the collection consists of Banking Records from 1941 - 1958. Included are cancelled checks, checkbook stubs, monthly statements, and correspondence regarding loans.