Overview: Harlow Shapley (1885-1972) was an astronomer who served as Director of the Harvard College Observatory from 1921 to 1952. The records document Shapley’s tenure as director and primarily consist of his incoming and outgoing correspondence files. The letters, including three volumes of outgoing correspondence, relate to Observatory operations, research, and activities, particularly its cooperation with other astronomers and observatories from throughout the United States and abroad. Also...

Scope of the Harlow Shapley Papers: The Papers of Harlow Shapley date from 1906 through 1966 and document Shapley's career before and during his tenure at Harvard. The collection includes biographical and genealogical information, as well as some documentation of Shapley's family life. It also includes some papers of Martha Betz Shapley (Mrs. Harlow Shapley). Documents include correspondence, manuscripts of articles and books, news clippings,...