Steichen, Edward: The Edward Steichen Manuscript Collection
From George Eastman House : Notes On Photographs
FINDING AID TO THE PAPERS AND EPHEMERA OF EDWARD STEICHEN (1879-1973)
GIFT OF JOANNA T. STEICHEN
Compiled by Joan Stormont and Nancy Bolger, 2006
The Richard and Ronay Menschel Library
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film
INTRODUCTION
Edward Steichen Biography
The Steichen Papers came to the George Eastman House in 2000 as a gift from Mrs. Joanna Taub Steichen, the artist's widow. The collection consists of 21 archival boxes (12 linear feet) containing correspondence (nearly a thousand letters), personal and business records, interviews, articles by and about the artist, drafts of A Life in Photography, material relating to exhibits, some photographs (although none by Steichen), medals, and ephemera. In addition, one box contains material relating to the poet Carl Sandburg, Steichen's close friend and brother-in-law.
Organization and style:
All papers have been arranged chronologically and by general subject.
Descriptions follow the Chicago Manual of Style.
Commonly used abbreviations:
| AL | Autograph letter |
| ALS | Autograph letter signed |
| ALS/C | Autograph letter, signed, carbon copy |
| ALS/P | Autograph letter signed, photocopy |
| TL | Typed letter |
| TLS | Typed letter signed |
| TLS/C | Typed letter signed, carbon copy |
| TLS/P | Typed letter signed, photocopy |
| E. S. | Edward Steichen |
| FOM | Family of Man |
| MoMA | Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., New York, NY |
| GEH | George Eastman House, 900 East Ave., Rochester, NY |
FINDING AID ARRANGEMENT
The Finding Aid follows the arrangement of the collection and is comprised of 13 sections: Correspondence, Steichen genealogy and some personal records, Exhibits, Interviews, Articles by or about Steichen, Conferences and Symposia, A Life in Photography, Dana Glover material, Carl Sandburg material, Delphinium papers, Books and magazines, Celebrations, Obituaries and condolences, and Medals and miscellanea.
The collection is arranged chronologically. Entries for published materials use Chicago Manual of Style.
BOXES 1-3: CORRESPONDENCE
BOX 4: STEICHEN GENEALOGY AND SOME PERSONAL RECORDS
BOXES 5-6: EXHIBITS
BOX 7: INTERVIEWS
BOX 8: ARTICLES BY OR ABOUT STEICHEN
BOX 9: CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA
BOXES 10-11: A LIFE IN PHOTOGRAPHY
BOX 12: DANA GLOVER MATERIAL
BOX 13: CARL SANDBURG MATERIAL
BOXES 14-15: CORRESPONDENCE: DELPHINIUM PAPERS
BOXES 16-17: BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
BOX 18: CELEBRATIONS
BOX 19: OBITUARIES AND CONDOLENCES
BOXES 20-21: MEDALS AND MISCELLANEA
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
The following related archival material is held in the Menschel Library:
Box 47: Interviews conducted by GEH curator Marianne Fulton preparatory to the filming of a 1980 documentary by WXXI-TV Rochester, NY. Interviewees include: Mary Steichen Calderone, M.D.; Harry Callahan; A. D. Coleman; Lillian Gish; Victor Jorgansen (sic); Alexander Lieberman; E. Lorentz; Tom Maloney; Maria-Theresa (sic); Grace Mayer; Wayne Miller (3); Beaumont Newhall; Admiral Quakenbush (sic); Helga Sandburg; Steven Shore; Joanna Steichen; Kate Steichen (3); John Szarkowski; Todd Webb. Restricted use: Cannot be reproduced without written permission of WXXI and the interviewees.
Box 61: Manuscript of Steichen's Way, Vol. II, with chronology by Grace Mayer and bibliography by Daniel Pearl.
Box 82: Includes two letters written by Steichen from MoMA to Beaumont Newhall at GEH, one dated 6/16/50, the other undated.
The Bequest of Edward Steichen by direction of Joanna T. Steichen. The George Eastman House also holds more than 6,000 photographic images by Steichen, including photographs, negatives, test prints, color separations, glass plates, and autochromes—many from the Bequest. For more information on the photographic collection, contact Joseph R. Struble, assistant archivist, at jstruble@geh.org or 585-271-3361 x356.