Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm96083111
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Ralph Ellison, author and educator, were acquired by the Library of Congress from his widow, Fanny McConnell Ellison and her trustees, through a deposit, gift, and purchase, 1995-2009.
Part I of the papers of Ralph Ellison was arranged and described in 1997. The finding aid was revised in 2006. Additional material received between 2006 and 2009 was processed as Part II in 2010.
A description of Part I of the Ralph Ellison Papers appears in
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Books and some artifacts have been transferred to the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, where they are described in a finding aid at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/eadrbc.rb016001. Audio and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. A flute and sheet music have been transferred to the Music Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Ralph Ellison Papers.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Ralph Ellison in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for further information.
The papers of Ralph Ellison are open to research. The Closed series in the collection consists of original material too fragile for handling. Although the originals in the Closed series are not available for use, they are available as photocopies in the location from which the originals were removed. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Roman numeral designating the Part followed by a colon and container number, Ralph Ellison Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Ralph Ellison (1914-1994) span the years 1890-2005, with the bulk of the material dating from 1930-1994. The collection documenting Ellison's career as author and educator is organized into two parts. Part I is arranged in nine series: Family Papers ; General Correspondence ; Organizations File ; Writings File ; Speeches, Lectures, and Interviews ; Reference File ; Miscellany ; Closed ; and Oversize . Part II is arranged in eight series: Family Papers ; General Correspondence ; Organizations File ; Writings File ; Reference File ; Miscellany ; Addition ; and Oversize . The papers are in English.
Part I of the Ellison Papers spans the years 1890-1996, with most of the papers concentrated between 1933 and 1990.
The Family Papers contain personal material pertaining to Ellison, his wife Fanny McConnell Ellison, and their parents, siblings, former spouses, and other relatives. A substantial file relating to Ellison's employment includes material from his many teaching appointments. Of particular interest are the notes and reports he compiled for the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Fanny's employment papers document her work for the American Medical Center for Burma through the Harold L. Oram, Inc., fund-raising agency and her contribution as one of the founders of the Negro People's Theatre in Chicago. Also noteworthy are her drawings pertaining to the history of costume executed as a WPA project for the Chicago Board of Education. Household papers contain material on the Ellisons' property in New York, Key West, Florida, and Plainfield, Massachusetts. The latter includes insurance records of the fire which destroyed the first drafts of Ellison's unpublished Hickman novel. Other material in the family papers consists of biographical information, financial, legal, and medical records, school and military records, newspaper and magazine articles about Ellison, travel documents, notes, and printed matter.
The General Correspondence series contains Ralph and Fanny Ellison's incoming and outgoing letters to friends and business associates. Correspondents include institutions and businesses as well as individuals. Chief among them are Saul Bellow, John Cheever, John Ciardi, Kenneth Bancroft Clark, William Dawson, Paul Engle, Langston Hughes, Stanley Edgar Hyman, Shirley Jackson, Albert Murray, Robert Penn Warren, and Richard Wright. Several of Ellison's letters to friends and acquaintances such as Harry Brooks, Harold Calicutt, and Henry B. O. Davis contain reminiscences of his childhood, college years, and early adulthood.
The Organizations File concerns a wide range of cultural, educational, and charitable institutions in which Ellison participated as an officer, advisor, or trustee. For example, he served on the governing boards of Bennington College, the Carnegie Commission on Educational Television, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Museum of the City of New York, the New School for Social Research, and Wake Forest University. Material in the file consists primarily of correspondence and reports.
The Writings File contains drafts, notes, and production material for Ellison's literary works. The material in an essays and essay collections file, arranged alphabetically by title, appeared as journal articles or chapters published in compilations by others. Material pertaining to Ellison's own collections,
Material relating to Ellison's novels makes up the bulk of the Writings File . In order to show Ellison's approach to writing, his system of filing drafts alphabetically by title of episode rather than final story sequence has been maintained. Quotation marks are used to indicate episode titles devised by Ellison. A section relating to
The Speeches, Lectures, and Interviews series demonstrates Ellison's popularity as a speaker at special events, club meetings, and university seminars. His customary subjects were literary, but also included music and art. During his fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, Ellison lectured at several European seminars. Ellison also held numerous teaching positions ranging from one semester as a visiting professor to appointments lasting for several years. Courses included the contemporary American novel and Russian literature. He was frequently interviewed for radio programs, magazines, and newspapers. Among his interviewers were Michael S. Harper, Irving Howe, and Robert Penn Warren. The three sections of this series, containing texts, correspondence, notes, and printed matter, are arranged chronologically.
The Reference File includes newspaper and magazine articles and other printed matter on subjects ranging from music, art, and literature to sports, politics, and civil rights. A large biographical section includes material on individuals whom Ellison either knew or considered interesting.
The Miscellany series contains address books, appointment calendars, invitations, programs, and ephemera. Also included are papers relating to the awards, citations, and honorary degrees awarded to Ellison. The Closed series consists primarily of correspondence, writings, and drawings which are too fragile for handling. Photocopies of each item have been placed where the original would have appeared in the collection. Material too large for the document boxes has been moved to the Oversize series.
Part II of the Ellison Papers spans the years 1896-2005, with most of the papers concentrated between 1930 and 1995.
The Family Papers contain biographical information, correspondence between family members, employment, financial, household, legal, medical and school records, newspaper clippings, and notes. Among the household papers for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a 1933 receipt for the cornet Ellison bought with hopes of launching a music career. There is also a file on the funeral and many tributes paid to Ellison upon his death in 1994.
A substantial section of the Family Papers pertains to Fanny McConnell before her marriage to Ellison. Correspondence between her mother, grandmother, and stepfather document employment and living conditions for African Americans in Chicago from the 1930s through the 1960s, including detailed descriptions of the family's move to a housing project in 1959. McConnell's social, educational, and professional life is revealed through correspondence with her friends, colleagues, and mentors. The latter group includes James Weldon Johnson. McConnell's employment records document her involvement with the Namkham Hospital in northern Burma as part of her work at the Harold L. Oram, Inc., fund-raising agency. Correspondence with Gordon Stifler Seagrave, the “Burma Surgeon,” and Tun Shein, head and administrator of the hospital respectively, describes daily activities and the nationalization of the hospital in 1965.
The General Correspondence series contains Ralph and Fanny Ellison's incoming and outgoing letters to friends and business associates. Chief correspondents include Romare Bearden, Michel Fabre, Michael S. Harper, John Hersey, Langston Hughes, Phoebe Hyman (second wife of Stanley Edgar Hyman), James Alan McPherson, Joseph F. Newhall, Myron Donald Olmanson, and Nathan A. Scott.
The Organizations File documents Ellison's involvement in cultural, educational, and charitable institutions as an officer, advisor, or trustee. Most of the material consists of correspondence and reports.
The Writings File contains drafts, notes, and production material for Ellison's literary works, speaking engagements, and interviews. The material in an essays and essay collections file, arranged alphabetically by title, appeared as journal articles or chapters published in compilations by others. Material pertaining to Ellison's own collected writings,
The Reference File includes newspaper and magazine articles and other printed matter on subjects ranging from music, art, and literature to sports, politics, and civil rights. A large biographical section includes material on individuals whom Ellison either knew or considered interesting.
The Miscellany series contains address books, appointment calendars, invitations, programs, and ephemera. Also included are papers relating to the awards, citations, and honorary degrees awarded to Ellison. An addition contains Ellison's notes for a 1964 lecture. Material too large for the document boxes has been moved to the Oversize series.
The collection is arranged two parts and therein seventeen series:
Part I:
Part II:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm96083111
Correspondence between family members, vital records, school papers, military records, household, financial, and legal papers, employment records, diaries, notes, newspaper articles, and printed ephemera relating to Ralph and Fanny Ellison and other family members.
Arranged alphabetically by name of family member and alphabetically by type of material therein. Correspondence between Ralph Ellison and other family members has been placed under his name.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence of Ralph and Fanny Ellison with friends, colleagues, and business associates.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and chronologically therein
Correspondence, reports, and printed matter relating to Ellison's participation in professional and social organizations as an officer, trustee, or advisor.
Arranged alphabetically by name of organization and chronologically therein.
Drafts of essays, novels, reviews, short stories, and other material written by Ellison. Correspondence and material relating to the production, publicity, and reception of his works are included. Dates in parentheses in the container list refer to the publication date; other dates refer to the period covered by the material in the folder.
Arranged alphabetically by type of work and by title therein.
Texts of speeches, lectures, and interviews along with related correspondence, notes, and printed matter.
Arranged by type of material and chronologically therein.
Printed matter, primarily newspaper and magazine clippings, on topics of interest to Ellison, such as jazz, blues, photography, art, and prominent individuals.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Appointment books and calendars, awards and citations, honorary degrees, invitations to social, cultural, and charitable events, mailing addresses, notes, printed ephemera, and memorabilia.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and chronologically therein.
Fragile material consisting mostly of correspondence, drawings, and writings removed from their original location because of condition. Photocopies have been made of each item and are available for use where the original would have appeared in the collection.
Organized and described according to the series and folders from which the items were removed.
Oversize material consisting mostly of drawings, financial and legal records, writings, and printed material.
Organized and described according to the series, folders, and boxes from which the items were removed.
Correspondence between family members, household papers, financial, legal, employment, and school records, notes, newspaper articles, and printed matter relating to Ralph and Fanny Ellison and other family members.
Arranged alphabetically by name of family member and alphabetically by type of material therein.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence of Ralph and Fanny Ellison with friends, colleagues, and business associates.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and chronologically therein.
Correspondence, reports, and printed matter relating to Ellison's participation in professional and social organizations as an officer, trustee, or advisor.
Arranged alphabetically by name of organization and chronologically therein.
Drafts and typescripts of essays, novels, reviews, short stories, speeches, lectures, interviews, and other material written by Ellison. Correspondence relating to the production, publicity, and reception of his works is included.
Arranged alphabetically by type of work and by title therein, except for speeches, lectures, and interviews, which are arranged chronologically.
Printed matter, primarily newspaper and magazine clippings, on topics of interest to Ellison, such as jazz, blues, photography, art, and prominent individuals.
Arranged alphabetically by subject or name of person or organization.
Appointment books and calendars, awards and citations, honorary degrees, invitations to social, cultural, and charitable events, mailing addresses, notes, printed ephemera, and memorabilia.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and chronologically therein.
Lecture notes, 1964
Oversize material consisting mostly of awards, citations, honorary degrees, legal records, and printed matter.
Organized and described according to the series, folders, and boxes from which the items were removed