Rare Book & Manuscript Library
 

Austin Strong papers, 1890-1961

Summary Information

At a Glance

Call No.: MS#2024
Bib ID 4079378 View CLIO record
Creator(s) Strong, Austin, 1881-1952
Title Austin Strong papers, 1890-1961
Physical Description 4300 items (31 boxes, includes 1 box cataloged correspondence (box A).)
Language(s) English .
Access You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection has no restrictions.

One box of cataloged correspondence (Box A) is located on-site. The remainder of the collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. One box, described as "Box 24: Diaries: 4 typescript copies" on the last page of PDF finding aid, is missing.

Arrangement

Arrangement

Selected materials cataloged; remainder arranged.

Description

Summary

Correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, commonplace books, drawings, photographs, and printed materials. The collection is a comprehensive documentation of the dramatist's career and includes manuscripts, typescripts, notes, and costume and scenic design for more than seventy of his plays and related writings; 31 diaries, commonplace books, and scrapbooks containing manuscript and typescript notes, travel sketches, original drawings, and photographs; and correspondence files including letters from Harley Granville-Barker, Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree, John Galsworthy, Booth Tarkington, and Thornton Wilder. Austin Strong's mother, Isobel Field, was the step-daughter of Robert Louis Stevenson. Consequently, the collection contains much Stevensoniana, including photographs and Isobel Field's letters from Western Samoa, where she was known as "Teuila." Also, correspondence and photographs relating to Cornwall Park, Auckland, New Zealand, which was designed by Austin Strong.

1988 Addition: Correspondence, manuscripts, typescripts, and printed material from the Nantucket family home of Austin Strong. The correspondence (ca. 300 items) contains Strong's letters concerning upkeep and work done of the property of A. D. Russell, Princeton, N. J., for the firm of Parsons and Pentecost, 1899, fan mail addressed to Strong in response to his 1933 NBC radio talks entitled "Cabbages and Kings", and correspondence in 1950 dealing with the Stage Relief Fund. The manuscripts consist chiefly of both autograph and typescript versions of his plays, (ca. 50 items) with corrections and notes, including a t.ms. draft for his last play, "A Play without a Name", the first t.ms. of "The Spider's Web" ("author's copy), the original ms. corrections for "Lights Out, or Taps", an a.ms. of "Blindman's Buff", a t.ms. of "Rip Van Winkle" (acting copy) with annotations, an a.ms. of "The Sire de Maletroit's Door" with a note stating "written with J. M. Barrie", and ca. 1,000 a.ms. and t.ms. draft sheets for "Lafayette" on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets interleaved between oversized foolscap (blue construction paper). In addition, there are t.mss., for a number of speeches, the entire t.ms. radio scripts for the NBC series "Cabbages and Kings", and a Japanese Language Study notebook. Among the printed materials there are approximately 200 theater programs for his own productions as well as programs of plays he attended in the U. S. and England with his holograph comments, a half dozen of his printed plays, including John Golden's copy of "Seventh Heaven". There is one photograph album of scenes from plays and other theatrical portraits, and the figures and props from a model stage set for The Maharajah". Total count ca. 1500 items. Dates covered: 1899-1956. See Boxes: 2A, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 18A, 23.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection has no restrictions.

One box of cataloged correspondence (Box A) is located on-site. The remainder of the collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. One box, described as "Box 24: Diaries: 4 typescript copies" on the last page of PDF finding aid, is missing.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies 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.

Related Materials

The Beinecke Library at Yale University holds an Austin Strong Papers collection as well: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/11/resources/10767.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Existence and Location of Copies

Royal Cortissoz letters also available on microfilm; see MN# 11922 and 11923.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--West, Rev. Canon Edward N. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1969. Accession number--M-69.

Source of acquisition--West, Rev. Canon Edward N. Method of acquisition--Gift; Dates of acquisition--1979, 1983.

Source of acquisition--Porter, Clarissa. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--07/22/1988. Accession number--M-88.

7 manuscripts by AS: Source of acquisition--Porter, Clarissa. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--02/02/1992. Accession number--M-92-02-02.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 09/--/1989.

Cataloged Lynn A. Grove 03/06/1990.

7 manuscripts by AS Processed HR 06/13/1997.

Revision Description

2020-09-29 EAD document created by CCR.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"
"CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"
"Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Addresses Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Albums (books) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Articles Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Commonplace books Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Contracts Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Copyright certificates Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Costumes (character dress) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Diaries Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Drafts (documents) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Drawings (visual works) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Essays Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Illustrations Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Maps (documents) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Notebooks Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Notes (documents) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Obituaries Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Photographs Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Playbills Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Prefaces Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Programs (documents) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Reviews (documents) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Scripts (documents) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Short stories Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Sketches Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Speeches (documents) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
watercolors (painting) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

Subject

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"
"CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"
"Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Cornwall Park (Auckland, N.Z.) -- Pictorial works Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Costume design Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Dramatists, American Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Field, Isobel, 1858-1953 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Galsworthy, John, 1867-1933 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Granville-Barker, Harley, 1877-1946 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Parks -- New Zealand -- Auckland Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Portraits Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Samoa -- Description and travel Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Scrapbooks Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Tarkington, Booth, 1869-1946 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Theater Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Theaters -- Stage-setting and scenery Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Tree, Herbert Beerbohm, Sir, 1852-1917 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Wilder, Thornton, 1897-1975 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Women -- Samoa Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

American dramatist. Strong is best known for his stage and screen plays THE DRUMS OF OUDE and SEVENTH HEAVEN.