Correspondence, 1911-1952 and [undated]

The correspondence series contains letters between Harlow Shapley and a variety of correspondents, dating from the entirety of his 31-year tenure as director of the Harvard College Observatory. The subjects and themes of the correspondence are consistent across the four subseries and relate to a wide range of topics. Letters are written to astronomers from the United States and abroad, sharing scientific information and advancements, and demonstrate the close-knit and cooperative nature of the international astronomical community. Shapley also wrote regularly to several professors, many female, and students at women’s colleges, including Smith College, Wellesley College, Mount Holyoke College, and Vassar College, as well as to several female astronomers. Many of these letters relate specifically to employment opportunities within the field, and show Shapley’s interest in hiring women at the Harvard College Observatory, as well as helping them obtain jobs at other institutions.

Shapley’s letters with other Harvard University professors discuss topics such as budgetary issues and strategies for procuring funding from the school, and highlight the closeness of the Harvard community. He also wrote to many Harvard administrators and departments, talking about the Observatory's finances, funding, and budgets, as well as equipment needs, and staffing and salary discussions.

In addition to conversing with dozens of notable astronomers, Shapley also corresponded with other renowned figures, including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, President Herbert Hoover, President Harry S. Truman, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Edward R. Murrow, W.E.B. Du Bois, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Judge Learned Hand, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, and Countess Alexandra Tolstoy. These letters highlight the extent to which Shapley's influence extended into the broader scientific, social, and political spheres.

Shapley’s extensive work within professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, is exhibited throughout the series, and gives insight into Shapley’s commitments beyond the Harvard College Observatory. Shapley corresponded regularly with scientific instrument makers, often in relation to ordering equipment for the Observatory, and show how instrumental the Observatory was in developing new technologies. These companies include J.W. Fecker, Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons, and Company, Adam Hilger, Ltd., and Charles Wesley Elmer; scattered throughout the series are blueprints and photographs of telescopes and other astronomical equipment.