Collection Summary
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892
Walt Whitman Literary File Photography
Collection
circa 1850-1930
PH-02710
316 items
Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin
A collection of 315 photographs, and one copper printing plate, of and related
to the poet Walt Whitman (American, 1819-1892).
English
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 315 photographs, and one copper printing plate, of and related
to the poet Walt Whitman (American, 1819-1892). The majority of the items are portraits of
Whitman at various ages. There are also views of places associated with him, as well as
several portraits of Horace Traubel and a portrait by Elliott & Fry of Rudyard Kipling,
signed and inscribed to "Sitting Fox" (P34). An index at the end of this guide lists
photographers whose work is featured in this collection.
Further descriptions of some items may be available in a card catalog in the
repository.
This collection forms a part of the Literary Files Photography Collection that is
comprised of photographs and albums withdrawn from the libraries and/or papers of literary
figures, and generally includes portraits and images collected by or of those figures.
Access:
Open for research. Please note: Transparencies may be accessed but require 24 hours advance
notice. Negatives cannot be accessed without curatorial approval. Light sensitive materials
must be viewed under low-level lighting. Some materials may be restricted from viewing. To
make an appointment or to reserve photography materials, please email Visual Materials Reference staff.
Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy
before using archival materials.
Use Policies:
Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information
that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers
are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living
individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals may have
legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may
arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed
highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University of
Texas at Austin assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use:
Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of
the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder
which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom
Centers' Open Access and Use Policies.
Index Terms
People
Kipling, Rudyard, 1865-1936.
Traubel, Horace, 1858-1919.
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892.
Subjects
Poets.
Portrait photography.
Document Types
Black-and-white prints
(photographs).
Glass negatives.
Photograph albums.
Photographic prints.
Printing plates.
Preferred Citation
Walt Whitman Literary File Photography Collection (PH-02710). Harry Ransom Center, The
University of Texas at Austin.
Processed by:
Ransom Center staff
Related Material
Associated and related material by and about Whitman is located in the Center's library and
in the Walt Whitman Collection (MS-04500) and the Walt Whitman Art Collection
(AR-00295).
Container List
Whitman, W., Lit File Box 1
P1A-P1E, P2-P4, P5A-P5C, P6, P7A-P7B, P8A-P8B, P10-P11, P12A-P12B,
P13, P14A-P14B, P15A-P15B, P16-P20, P22-P23, P24A-P24B, P25-P28, P31-P34, P35A-P35B,
P36-P47, P53-P58
Chiefly portraits of Whitman alone at various ages, and views of places
associated with him; also includes portraits of Whitman with Harold and Kitty Johnston
as children (P25-P26) and with “Warry” (P27), as well as portraits of Rudyard Kipling
(P34), John G. Moore (P35A-P35B), and Horace Traubel (P31-P33, P57) (photographic
prints).
Whitman, W., Lit File Box 2
982:0034:0034-0038; 997:0105:0061,
0080, 0562-0592; 999:0036:0115-0116
Portraits of Whitman alone at various ages, and views of places associated
with him (photographic prints and negatives).
W-Z Lit File OV Box, Small
P9
Portrait of Whitman (photographic print).
Lit File Artifacts Box
P21
Portrait of Whitman (copper plate on wooden block).
Whitman, W., Lit File Album 1
[unnumbered, was P29]
101 black-and-white photographic prints; all portraits of Whitman; album
compiled, annotated, indexed, bound, numbered (28), and signed by Henry S.
Saunders.
Whitman, W., Lit File Album 2
[unnumbered, was P30]
111 black-and-white photographic prints; all portraits of Whitman divided
into 5 groups (alone without hat, alone with hat, with other people, busts,
caricatures); typed annotations with handwritten corrections (14 pages, tipped in at
back); per inscription on inside of front cover, it was compiled by Henry S. Saunders
and presented to Leon Bazalgette, September 1912, as the 5th of 7 sets.
Cabinet Storage
P32
Portrait of Horace Traubel (glass negative; same number as corresponding
photographic print in Box 1).
Index of Photographers
- Brady, Mathew B., approximately 1823-1896--P18
- Cox, George C. (George Collins), 1851-1903--P13, P14A-P14B, P15A-P15B;
982:0034:0038
- DeMorat, Oliver Bourdrias--P31
- Elliott & Fry--P34
- Gutekunst, Frederick, 1831-1917--P9, P16
- Helga Photo Studio--P24B
- Malone, Bill--P38
- O’Donovan, William Rudolph, 1844-1920--P19
- Pearsall, George Frank Edgar, 1841-1927--P1, P3-P4; 982:0034:0035
- Phillips & Taylor--P5A-P5C
- Rockwood, George Gardner, 1832-1911--P56
- Sarony, Napoleon, 1821-1896--P54-P55
- Traubel, Gertrude--P33
- Warren, W. Shaw--P7A