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Creator
Dew, Louise E., 1871-1962
Call number
MssCol 781
Physical description
4.4 linear feet (5 boxes)
Language
Materials in English
Preferred Citation

Louise E. Dew papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Louise E. Dew (1871-1962), an American writer, editor and literary agent, began her career working in Chicago as a reporter and editor on special assignments for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She moved to New York City in the 1900s and continued writing, editing and acting as an agent for many authors. Her published works in the 1930s and 1940s were mostly romantic fiction. Collection consists of correspondence, literary manuscripts and notes, financial papers, commonplace books, photographs, and printed matter. General correspondence, 1910-1952, with friends, relatives and business associates document Dew's private and business activities. Business correspondence, 1899-1949, highlights specific periods in her career. Materials, 1925-1933, relating to Hub Fairhurst, a prisoner Dew tried to help, include correspondence and clippings. Literary manuscripts and typescripts are by Dew, her clients and other authors (some are annotated by Dew). Also, notes for lectures, financial documents, commonplace books from 1881-1882 and 1884-1885, clippings and printed materials on spiritual and religious topics, and photographs of prominent people and various places and events.

Biographical/historical information

The writer, editor and literary agent Louise E. Dew (1871-1962), daughter of Harriet T. Longwood and Henry F. Dew, was born in St. Johns, Michigan. Dew attended public schools in St. Johns and Lansing, Michigan, and the Lucy Webb Hayes Training School in Washington, D. C.

Dew began her literary career in the early 1890s, working in Chicago as a free-lance reporter, associate editor and editor on special assignments for a variety of newspapers and magazines in the Midwest and, soon after, across the United States. Among the publications Dew contributed to between 1890 and the 1920s were the Chicago Tribune, the Times Herald, the Detroit Tribune, Ladies Illustrated Journal, Woman's Нomе Companion, McCall's, the Los Angeles Times and McClure's Newspaper Syndicate.

In 1899, Dew was sponsored by several Chicago newspapers to travel to the Orient and to write about her experiences. The travel articles and stories Dew published in newspapers and magazines across the United States achieved for Dew a certain amount of fame as an adventurous female traveller and an author. This reputation was confirmed by two other unusual journeys as well: Dew travelled across the United States on an engine-car railroad and across the Pacific Ocean in a freight ship.

Early in the 1900s, Dew left her home in the Midwest and settled in New York City. She continued her literary activities there, writing, editing and acting as an agent for many authors. She became known as the "Flower Lady" at this time because of her philanthropic activities with poor children who lived in the lower east side near where Dew kept her office.

In 1926, at the age of 55, Dew married Clarence H. Watrous and moved to his hometown in Clinton, Connecticut. Dew continued her work writing and editing, and increased her work as a literary agent, often assisting foreigners and underprivileged people in publishing their works. Dew became interested in Hub Fairhurst at this time, a prisoner in the Southern Illinois State Penitentiary who came to her attention because of his talent as a writer. Dew helped Fairhurst publish some of the stories he wrote and also sought to help Fairhurst obtain an early parole. Fairhurst was finally parolled, but disappointed Dew when he was arrested a short itme later for criminal activity.

Dew published several of her own works in the 1930s and 1940s. Her novels and short stories include Shining Armor, Boy from Bokum, Wishing Tree Jingles and Time and a Mulberry Leaf. Her work, although mostly romantic fiction, is sometimes based on historical characters or events.

Dew's husband, Clarence H. Watrous, died in 1945 after he was struck by an automobile near their home in Clinton, Connecticut. Dew became somewhat of a recluse from that time on and her health declined steadily until her death in 1962 at the age of 90.

Scope and arrangement

The papers of Louise E. Dew date from approximately 1881-1952 and are contained in 45 linear feet. The collection consists of correspondence, literary manuscripts, notes, printed material and photographs. The correspondence and literary manuscripts are of approximately equal volume and together make up almost the entire bulk of the collection.

The General Correspondence contains typescript and holograph letters to and from friends, relatives and a small number of business associates of Dew's. The letters document Dew's general activities, both in her private life and in her business. Of particular interest are Dew's correspondences with Aldis Dunbar, Isobel Madsen and other literary friends. These letters document the working relationships Dew had with other female literary figures of her time. Because many of these letters are undated, it is difficult to trace the development of Dew's career through her general correspondence.

Dew's Business Correspondence highlights more clearly specific periods in Dew's business life than the general correspondence does. However, there is much less of it and there are definite gaps. In particular, there is little information about the books and short stories Dew published, with the exception of her 1935 novel Shining Armor. Two folders of correspondence from the Grit Publishing Company, dating from 1913-1920, document the earlier years of Dew's career, and letters to and from clients from the latter years in Dew's career give some insight into the evolution of her career.

One of the most interesting parts of this collection are the materials relating to Hub Fairhurst, a prisoner in the Southern Illinois State Penitentiary (circa 1925-33) who was serving time for the so-called "confidence game" (i. e. illegally conning people into giving him money) but whom Dew wanted to help because she felt he had skills as a writer. Correspondence exchanged between Dew and numerous government officials (including the Governor of Illinois, Len Small), friends of Fairhurst, Fairhurst's mother, Fairhurst himself and Dew's friends and acquaintances illustrate Dew's determination to help this man. There are also clippings of articles by Fairhurst, by Dew and by others relating to this case.

The series of literary typescripts and manuscripts written by Dew represent most of Dew's career following her move to the East Coast. It includes a history of Connecticut prepared for the Works' Progress Administration Federal Writer's Project, short stories, essays and longer works, including drafts for many of her published works. Because different texts were found shuffled together when received, separate works could not be positively identified. Dew's autobiographical work is, unfortunately, extremely fragmented and does not reveal much about Dew's life.

Literary manuscripts by clients and other authors include plays, stories, articles and poems. Some of these may have been completely written or rewritten by Dew. Dew's comments are frequently written on these texts.

A series on Notes, Newspaper Clippings and Printed Materials consists of holograph lecture notes and notes on concepts (such as "faith") and clippings and printed materials, mostly religious or spiritual in nature.

The small number of photographs in the collection includes maps of people and places familiar to Dew as well as news service photographs of prominent people and varied places and events.

The Louise E. Dew papers are arranged in fourteen series:

  • I. General Incoming Correspondence

    Letters From Friends, Family And Business Associates. Includes Letters From Literary Associates Including Edward Downing, Aldis Dunbar, Isobel Madsen, Alice Sherman, Ouida Petit Slevin And Jean Wickman. Also Includes Love Letters From David Cuyler (1921) And "Howe" (1932-1941).

  • II. General Outgoing Corresondence

    Letters to friends, family and business associates. Includes two letters with autobiographical content: To Jane and Mary Lewis of Clinton, Connecticut (1942) and "Marc" (1946).

  • III. Incoming Business Correspondence

    Letters from publishers, editors, literary agents and clients. Includes a number of letters from grit publishers (1913-1920) and letters from Dew's Literary Representative Michael S. Mill, who helped Dew Publish Her Shining Armor (1933-1939).

  • IV. Outgoing Business Correspondence

    Letters to publishers, editors, literary agents and clients.

  • V. Correspondence and Newspaper Clippings Relating to Hub Fairhurst

    Correspondence consists of carbon copies of typescript and holograph correspondence between Dew And Government Officials, Fairhurst, Fairhurst's Mother (Eva Markham) and numerous friends who supported Dew's Efforts to gain parole for Fairhurst. Newspaper Clippings consist of published articles written by Fairhurst and articles by Dew and others about The Fairhurst Case.

  • VI. Literary Manuscripts by Louise E. Dew

    Includes fragments of a history of Connecticut written for the works progress administration's federal writers' project; short stories and essays on various topics including Dew's experiences in China and Japan; fragments of romance and historical fiction novels, plays, poems and other works by Dew.

  • VII. Autobiographical Manuscripts

    Fragments of typescript and holograph autobiographical writing. some are fictionalized accounts of events in Dew's life.

  • VIII. Client and Other Manuscripts

    Short stories, essays and plays by clients of Dew and by unidentified authors. Some were "Ghost Written" by Dew for others. Includes numerous articles on medical topics apparently written by Dew but based on information supplied by Dr. Manton Carrick.

  • IX. Notes, Newspaper Clippings and Printed Material

    Holograph and typescript notes; newspaper clippings; and printed lecture programs, pamphlets and flyers, primarily on religions and spiritual topics. Includes issues of a publication called Weekly Unity.

  • X. Material related to the Edwin Markham Memorial Association

    Flyers and program notes about the association and two letters to Dew from the President of the Association.

  • XI. Printed Material

    Newspaper and magazine clippings of articles and essays published by Dew, primarily on Japan and China (circa 1900); pamphlets and newspaper clippings of information on the Orient (circa 1899-1907); printed pamphlets and flyers, primarily religious in nature (dates unknown).

  • XII. Financial Documents

    Receipts, cancelled checks and a Vienna Bond.

  • XIII. Common Place Books

    Two small cloth covered volumes with inscriptions, dated 1881/82 and 1884/85.

  • XIV. Photographs

    Photographs of people, places, objects and flora. Photographs of people include prominent people including the John D. Rockefeller Family and friends making surgical kits for the war effort; Mrs. James A. Burden Jr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt; Mrs. Horace Guggenheim Winslow (Jane Burr); General John J. Pershing; Architect Marion Griffin Mahoney; and Lawyer Lucille Pugh. There are also photographs of dew and acquaintances of Dew. Among the photographs of unidentified people is a woman demonstrating Ju Jitsu. Photographs of places and objects include Dew's family home in Michigan, monuments in New York City, Bridges in China and Japan, and the Taj Mahal.

Administrative information

Processing information

Susanna Pancaldo, April 14, 1988

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328