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Collection Overview

Creator:
Lindsay, Vachel, 1879-1931
Collector:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Title:
Vachel Lindsay Collection
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/wh246s15k
Dates:
1903-1930
Size:
0.42 linear feet and 1 container
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1
Language:
English

Abstract

The Vachel Lindsay Collection consists of correspondence, poetry manuscripts, photographs, drawings, and printed material of the American poet Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931).

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists primarily of love letters (1923-1925) by Lindsay to Elizabeth Mann Wills and other letters (1921, 1923-1925) by him to Francis Charles MacDonald. Furthermore, there is at least one letter each to Mrs. Edmund Kemper Broadus (1921), Howard L. Hughes (1916, 1925), Jessie Kalmbah (1903), and Elizabeth Mann Wills' mother (1924), as well as two letters by Elizabeth Connor Lindsay to Howard L. Hughes (1925, 1930). Other materials in the collection include seven poetry manuscripts (1903, 1924), a pen-and-ink drawing (undated), three photographs (undated), and a clipping from The New Republic featuring the poems "These are the Young," "The Rhinoceros and the Butterfly," and "Nancy Hanks, Mother of Abraham Lincoln."

The following standard abbreviations, or their variations, are used to identify materials in this collection: ALS = autograph letter signed, TLS = typed letter signed, ACS = autograph card signed, ANs = autograph notes, AMsS = autograph manuscript signed, and TMsS = typed manuscript signed.

Collection Creator Biography:

Lindsay, Vachel, 1879-1931

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was born on 10 November 1879, in Springfield, Illinois. He attended Hiram College (1897-1900), and studied art at Chicago and New York (1900-1905). Afterwards, he tramped across the country, writing and performing his poetry, and became entranced by small-town life. From 1910 to 1922, he lectured and recited poems at universities. Beginning in 1914, he lectured on motion pictures at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. He became the first American poet invited to lecture at Oxford, England, in 1920. Ultimately, he became a poet in residence at Gulfport Junior College (1923-1924) and a journalist in Spokane, Washington (1924-1929). His poetic leaflets included The Tree of Laughing Bells (1905) and Rhymes to Be Traded for Bread (1912). With the publication of The Congo and Other Poems (1914), he was widely recognized as an exponent of "new poetry," and became in great demand as a public reader of his works. He was the recipient of many awards, including Poetry magazine prizes (1913 and 1928), the Helen H. Levinson Prize (1915) for the "The Chinese Nightingale," and others.

Lindsay married Elizabeth Conner on 19 May 1925, and together they had two children, Susan and Nicholas. He died of coronary thrombosis (or perhaps suicide by poison) on 5 December 1931; he was 52 years old.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gift of Alfred C. Howell, Purchased from Elizabeth Mann Wills

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Ran Tao, Princeton Class of 2006 in 2004. Finding aid written by Ran Tao, Princeton Class of 2006 in 2004.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Vachel Lindsay Collection; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/wh246s15k
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1