Mira Edgerly Korzybska papers, 1850-1960

Collection context

Creator:
Korzybska, Mira Edgerly, 1872-1954
Extent:
13 linear feet 25 boxes 2 scrapbooks 19 oversized folders
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

Correspondence, manuscripts, notes, diaries, documents, photographs, audio tape recordings, printed materials, scrapbooks, and sketches and drafts of portraits. Her finished portraits on ivory are cataloged separately for the Art Collection (q.v.). The collection includes her correspondence with friends and clients; manuscripts of her articles, lectures, and many unpublished autobiographical drafts; pencil sketches, watercolor drafts, and photoprints of her portraits on ivory; photographs of her family amd travels; clippings and other printed materials; and three scrapbooks of clippings and memorabilia. There is cataloged correspondence from Arnold Genthe, S.I. Hayakawa, Karen Horney, Burges Johnson, Dwight Macdonald, and Alice B. Toklas, etc.

Biographical / historical:

Painter of portraits on ivory. She was a self-taught artist whose career as a successful and sought after portraitist took her from San Francisco to New York, London, Washington, Latin America, and Chicago. In 1919, she married Alfred Korzybski, 1879-1950 (q.v.), and worked with him to develop and promote his theories of General Semantics.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is located on-site.

Restrictions expiring in 2025 on bioxes 17 and 18 have been lifted. Finding aid updated by KWS.

Permission to use collection must be obtained from Bruce Kodish.

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Mira Edgerly Korzybska papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Location of this collection:
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:
Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
Contact:
rbml@library.columbia.edu