Call Number:

PH-00380

Collection Name:

Ruth Robertson Papers and Photography Collection

Creator:

No. of Items:

6714 items

Span Dates:

1910s-1993

Description:

The Ruth Robertson Collection documents Robertson's career as a writer and photographer in Illinois, Alaska, and Venezuela with prints, negatives, transparencies, manuscripts, clippings, correspondence, and ephemera. The archive is organized into six series: I. Career, 1939-1992; II. Personal, 1910s-1978, undated; III. Correspondence, 1939-1991, undated; IV. Clippings, 1939-1992, undated; V. Ephemera, 1937-1991, undated; and VI. Pat Grant materials, 1940s-1993. The majority of materials are in English and a few items are in Spanish.

Series I. Career, the largest series, is divided into two subseries, Photographs and Writings, reflecting the two sides of Robertson's working life. Subseries A. Photographs, 1939-1950s, includes items from her early days working in Peoria and Chicago where she primarily took portraits; her time as a World War II news correspondent documenting military life in Alaska; her several years in Venezuela where she worked for an airline and oil companies and undertook freelance adventures; and from travels in Central and South America where she worked on a variety of projects. There are numerous prints from her time in Alaska (most identified with captions), but her work in Venezuela, including her famous expedition to Angel Falls, makes up the bulk of the subseries. This subseries is organized chronologically by location where Robertson was working, and within these groupings alphabetically by topic. Portraits of Robertson on the job or posing with her camera are found throughout. A small number of nudes, portraits, and unidentified images are at the end of the subseries.

Subseries B. Writings, 1940-1992, undated, includes both published and unpublished works in the form of notes, handwritten drafts, typed drafts, and clippings of published stories. Robertson's writings consisted of book projects, newspaper columns, magazine articles, lectures, diaries, and assorted notes. Her early-career column "Peoria and Her People" profiled community members and was accompanied by portraits taken by Robertson. "Ruth Robertson's Notebook," her column for the Caracas Daily Journal, described the life of American expats living in South America. Other articles chronicled her many adventures and travels or commented on current events and politics. This subseries is organized by format (book projects, columns, assorted stories, and notebooks) and within these groupings titled items are arranged alphabetically and are followed by chronologically-organized untitled items. An index at the end of the finding aid lists written works in the collection.

Series II. Personal includes some biographical information but primarily consists of prints, negatives, and transparencies relating to Robertson's private life which are arranged chronologically. Images include formal and informal portraits of Robertson from her teens through older age, as well as snapshots and informal portraits of her family and friends in Illinois; colleagues, friends, the "Top of the World Club," and Robertson with explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson in Alaska; friends in Venezuela, Mexico, and Texas, including ornithologist William H. Phelps; her husband Charles Marietta and his children; and her travels during her later life to Europe, the Far East, and parts of the U.S.

Series III. Correspondence contains both incoming and outgoing letters relating to her photography, writing career, and personal life. General correspondence is arranged chronologically, followed by folders arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Correspondents include friends, family members, employers, editors, publishers, and other professional contacts. Some of the work-related correspondence includes captions for photographs, expense reports, and contracts. The majority of correspondence is in English although some exchanges are in Spanish. An index at the end of the finding aid lists correspondents in the collection.

Series IV. Clippings reflects Robertson's long career in the newspaper and magazine business. While clippings of her own writings are found in Series I. Career, Subseries B. Writings, the clippings in this series relate to other aspects of her career. Many clippings include photographs by Robertson, though these were often printed uncredited or credited only to her agencies, Acme Newspictures and Press Syndicate. Other clippings include articles about Robertson, especially her Angel Falls expedition, and articles promoting her book and lectures. Robertson also collected columns by colleagues and friends, such as Dorothy Kamen-Kaye, articles about her friends, such as Jimmy Angel, and other clippings on topics of interest to her. Many full issues of newspapers and magazines are also present, primarily copies of the Daily Journal, the English language paper which she helped found in Caracas. This series is arranged chronologically. Most items are in English but some clippings are in Spanish.

Ephemeral items, such as printed materials, scrapbooks, maps, financial documents, and travel documents make up Series V. Primarily concerning Robertson's career, these items include printed materials collected in Alaska; scrapbooks with photographs and clippings of works by and about Robertson; a calendar produced for Esso in Venezuela; maps of Venezuela and the Angel Falls region; expense reports regarding travel for stories and photography excursions; and handbooks from photographers associations and other clubs. A few items relate to Robertson's personal travels and the series also includes two works by others. The series is arranged alphabetically.

The final series, Series VI. Pat Grant Materials, contains a small number of items collected by Robertson's friend Pat "Intrepid Birdwoman" Grant who was a bush pilot in South America in the 1940s and 1950s. These items, which were donated by Grant's extended family, include assorted prints made by Robertson; images of Grant and Robertson, together and individually; clippings about Robertson, Grant, and their mutual friend Jimmy Angel; and correspondence between Robertson and Grant (who signed her letters "Me²") and between Grant and her relatives.

Physical arrangement of items is by format, as follows:

Manuscript materials, boxes 1-20

Prints, boxes 21-29

Negatives, boxes 30-35

Transparencies, boxes 36-39

Oversize materials, boxes 40-43, osf 1-4

Accession No(s):

995:0033:0001-0125; 995:0034:0001-0379; 995:0035:0001-0563; 995:0036:0001-1585; 996:0021:0001-0041; 996:0022:0001-0142; 2000:0068:0001-0079; 2001:0019 ; 2012:0034:0001-0043

Finding Aid URL:

https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingAid.cfm?eadid=00404

Location(s):

Please request this oversize manuscript material through the finding aid Flat File (oversize maps, disbound calendar)
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 01-06
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 07-12
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 13-18
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 19-24
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 25-29
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 40-43
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Curatorial permission required Robertson, R., 12-11-012-G (2 boxes)
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Curatorial permission required 4 osb, Boxes 44-47
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Box 1 Miscellaneous Lantern Slides
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Flat File (1 uncat print)
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 30-32
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Boxes 33-38
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Please request all manuscript materials through the finding aid Box 39
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