Papers of Frances Ullmann DeArmand, ca.1890-1988

Collection consists of biographical and family material; correspondence; draft and published articles, magazines, comic books, etc.; travel journals and itineraries; photographs; etc. Additional material (accession numbers 90-M125, 96-M38, 97-M155) was added to the collection in January 2017. This material is located in Series II (#36-101).

SERIES I. PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS, 1901-1985 (#1-35) includes courtship letters, both of the DeArmands and of Frances Ullmann DeArmand's parents; financial documents; notes on Frances Ullmann DeArmand and David W. DeArmand's sexual practices; biographical material; personal and professional correspondence; information re: Frances Ullmann DeArmand's surgical operations and one lawsuit; reviews and copies of her pamphlets, magazines, and articles. There is material re: Frances Ullmann DeArmand's brother's opposition to the Immunity Act of 1954, which gave the government the right to compel a witness to testify in national security cases in exchange for immunity from prosecution, and a file of FBI documents re: Frances Ullmann DeArmand and David W. DeArmand obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974. Also included is an account by Frances Ullmann DeArmand of her employment at Parents' Institute, where, in 1947, as editor of Calling All Girls, she refused to cross a picket line and was dismissed. (Additional papers about Parents' Institute and the strike are in the Clara (Savage) Littledale papers (A-157) in the Schlesinger Library.) Explanatory notes by David W. DeArmand appear throughout the collection.

SERIES II. ADDENDA, ca.1890-1988 (#36-101) includes correspondence; estate papers; medical records; passports, travel journals and itineraries; photographs; investment records; family papers; poetry; etc. The bulk of this series consists of material related to the DeArmand's travel around the world and includes passports, travel journals, and itineraries. From 1951 until 1981, Frances Ullmann DeArmand maintained journals describing the couple's travels in the United States, Europe, and Asia. DeArmand's entries include descriptions of sites visited, hotels at which they stayed, restaurants where they dined and food eaten, and travel tips to share with friends who might visit such places in the future. Itineraries are included that document the schedule of the travel documented in the journals as well as DeArmand's passports. Medical records document DeArmand's bout with breast cancer and her subsequent mastectomy, as well as her hip surgery, which resulted from a wheelchair accident in the hospital. This material supplements files found in Series I. Also included are investment files and income tax returns, which document the DeArmand's financial situation, as well as her estate papers which document the distribution of her estate after her death. The series also includes photographs of the DeArmands (mostly of Frances) and include photographs of her professional life, and the DeArmand and Ullmann families. A small amount of Ullmann family biographical and genealogical material is included. There is also a small amount of correspondence consisting of photocopies of letters from David William DeArmand to Frances Ullmann DeArmand while in the Army during World War II (which Frances Ullmann DeArmand appears to have submitted to a publisher); letters of condolence on the death of Frances Ullmann DeArmand; and scattered correspondence from family and friends. One folder of professional papers includes articles written by DeArmand and a list of quotes from letters of readers of Calling All Girls. Most material arrived in titled folders, accordion files, and large envelopes. Original titles were retained. The series is arranged with DeArmand's papers appearing first (in alphabetical order), followed by Ullmann family papers (in alphabetical order) and then photographs (in alphabetical order).