PrefaceIn 1964 the New York University Library purchased the papers (1803-1963) of Elizabeth Robins (1862-1952), actress, playwright, novelist, and suffragist. When Robins died in 1952, her longtime friend Octavia Wilberforce gained possession of the papers which now make up the collection. Upon Wilberforce's death, Leonard Woolf became the Literary Executor and it was through him that New York University's library arranged to purchase the collection from the Chicago firm of Hamill and Barker.
All of the Elizabeth Robins Papers are open to researchers. Anyone wishing to photocopy or publish materials in the collection must obtain permission from the Trustees of Backsettown, who hold literary rights to Robins's papers, and from the curator of Fales Library, New York University. Additional permission may be required for materials which are covered by other copyrights.
The Elizabeth Robins Papers at New York University are the major resource for the study of her life and work. Additional relevant material is held by the Berg Collection of The New York Public Library and the Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin. Related collections include the Raymond Robins Papers in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison; the Robins Papers in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, University of Florida, Gainesville; and the Papers of the Women's Trade Union League in the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Processing of the Elizabeth Robins Papers has been supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency which supports the study of such fields as history, philosophy, literature and languages. The following people worked on the Papers:
Project Director: Frank Walker
Project Archivist: Janet Evander
Collection Assistant: Marion Casey
Archival Advisors: Thomas Frusciano and Dorothy Swanson
Additional assistance by: Joan Grant, Russell James, Beth Myers, Nelida Perez, and Alizah Zinberg
Special thanks to Ann E. Hagedorn for initiating the project.
Contents
- Introduction
- Elizabeth Robins: A Biographical Sketch
- Complete Series Listing
- Series Descriptions
- Series One: Diaries
- Series Two: General Correspondence
- Series Three: Robins Family Papers
- Series Four: Raymond Robins and Margaret Dreiser Robins
- Series Five: Florence Bell
- Series Six: Octavia Wilberforce
- Series Seven: Literary Productions
- Series Eight: Theater Productions
- Series Nine: Photographic Materials
- Series Ten: Legal and Financial Records,
- Series Eleven: Scrapbooks
- Series Twelve: Printed Material
- Series Thirteen: Artifacts and Ephemera
- Box and Folder Lists
- Series One: Diaries
- Series Two: General Correspondence
- Series Three: Robins Family Papers
- Series Four: Raymond Robins and Margaret Dreiser Robins
- Series Five: Florence Bell
- Series Six: Octavia Wilberforce
- Series Seven: Literary Productions full list or abbreviated title list
- Series Eight: Theater Productions
- Series Nine: Photographic Materials
- Series Ten: Legal and Financial Records,
- Series Eleven: Scrapbooks
- Series Twelve: Printed Material
- Series Thirteen: Artifacts and Ephemera
- Oversize Materials
- Appendix I: Bibliography of Elizabeth Robins' Published Works
- Appendix II: Robins Family Genealogy
- Appendix III: Bibliography of Florence Bell's Books
- Addendum to the Collection
