Mira Edgerly Korzybska papers, 1850-1960

Summary Information

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

Selected materials cataloged; remainder arranged. Collection is in 8 series.

• Series I: Cataloged correspondence, manuscript, photographs
• Series II: Uncataloged correspondence
• Series III: Manuscripts by Mira Edgerly Korzybska
• Series IV: Subject folders, lists, memoranda, notes, etc.
• Series V: Portraits by Mira Edgerly Korzybska
• Subseries V.1: Portraits, Drafts
• Subseries V.2: Oversize Portraits, Drafts
• Subseries V.3: Art Collection
• Series VI: Photographs and Audio Recordings
• Series VII: Printed materials
• Series VIII: Scrapbooks

Description

Summary

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 The collection includes her correspondence with friends and clients; manuscripts of her articles, lectures, and many unpublished autobiographical drafts; pencil sketches, watercolor drafts, and photoprints of her portraits on ivory; photographs of her family amd travels; clippings and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.

• Series I: Cataloged correspondence, manuscript, photographs

• Series II: Uncataloged correspondence

• Series III: Manuscripts by Mira Edgerly Korzybska

• Series IV: Subject folders, lists, memoranda, notes, etc.

• Series V: Portraits by Mira Edgerly Korzybska

  Watercolor drafts, pencil sketches, drafts on ivory, and photocopies. Finished paintings on ivory have been cataloged as part of the Art Collection.

• Series VI: Photographs and Audio Recordings

• Series VII: Printed materials

• Series VIII: Scrapbooks

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Other Finding Aids

Legacy Finding aid

Restrictions on Access

This collection is located on-site.

Box-level restrictions are marked in the container list: Box 17-18.

Permission to use collection must be obtained from, Charlotte S. Read.

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.

Preferred Citation

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

Related Materials

See also: Art Coll\Korzybska for her finished portraits on ivory

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers Processed HR 03/--/1990.

Scrapbook Processed HR 03/11/1993.

Papers Processed HR 05/01/1996.

Revision Description

November 2020 PDF replaced with full finding aid, YH

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

Subject

History / Biographical Note

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.