Papers of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1846-ca.1975 (inclusive), 1880-1940 (bulk)

These addenda to the Charlotte Perkins Gilman Papers contain genealogies, personal documents, family and general correspondence, handwritten poems, printed poems and articles by Gilman, clippings, and photographs. The bulk is family correspondence, much of it from Gilman's grandchildren, and photographs. The addenda has been arranged in six series which generally follow that of the original collection of papers, (177).

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND MISCELLANEOUS, ca.1891-ca.1928 (#1.1-1.8), includes genealogies of the Perkins, Stetson, and Beecher families researched and recorded by Gilman's daughter Katharine; Gilman's 1894 divorce decree from California; lecture ephemera; and notes.

Series II, FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE, 1846-1972 (#1.9-2.10), includes mid-19th century letters to Gilman's mother from her husband and her father. Many letters to Gilman are from her daughter Katharine: as a child (1894-1896), postcards from an European tour in 1902-1903 (others are addressed to George Houghton Gilman), then letters about her children and life in Pasadena, California. Letters to Gilman from her grandchildren describe gifts she sent them. Letters from Gilman include several to Walter Stetson about her health and speaking engagements.

Series III, GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1881-1954 (#2.11-2.20), contains correspondence with publishers and other non-family correspondence. Several letters are to Gilman's goood friend Grace Ellery Channing Stetson and her brother Harold Channing. The series is arranged in three subseries: Publishers, Chronological, and Foreign and miscellaneous.

Series IV, WRITINGS BY GILMAN AND OTHERS, ca.1874-1935 (#2.21-3.12), includes handwritten poems by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, followed by those by her brother and others, and typescripts by others, including an account by Katharine Stetson Chamberlin of her childhood, parents, and life in Pasadena. Also included are two printed articles by Gilman, several printed poems, clippings from her magazine The Forerunner, a 1916 calendar she printed, and printed material she collected. The series is arranged in three small subseries: Poems by Gilman, Manuscripts and typescripts by others, and Printed material. Printed material is arranged with that by Gilman first, followed by material she collected.

Series V, CLIPPINGS, ca.1880s-1942 (#3.13-3.21), contains clippings related to Gilman: her life, death, and reviews of her books. A scrapbook compiled by her daughter includes coverage of Gilman's death in California newspapers, as well as publicity for Gilman's lectures, and a few printed poems.

Series VI, PHOTOGRAPHS, OVERSIZED, AND MEMORABILIA, 1862-ca.1975 (#PD.1-PD.11, FD.1, F+D.1m, 3.22m), contains family photographs and photographs of Gilman's friends, a printing plate for Gilman's calling card, a handkerchief sewn for Gilman by her granddaughter, and oversized printed material. It is arranged in three subseries by format. With the exception of the miscellaneous clippings, they are arranged chronologically.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be cataloged in VIA, Harvard University's Visual Information Access database. Others, referred to as "uncataloged" photographs, are not of sufficient research interest to warrant cataloging and are simply treated as part of the documents they accompany; they are marked on the back with an asterisk in square brackets [*].

There is related material at the Schlesinger Library: see Charlotte Perkins Gilman Papers, 1846-1961 (177).