Flora Stieglitz Straus collection of Stieglitz family papers
Scope and Contents
The Flora Stieglitz Straus Collection of Stieglitz Family Papers consist of letters, photographs, printed materials, journals, manuscripts, albums, and a scrapbook documenting the lives of many members of Alfred Stieglitz's extended family, in particular his father Edward and brothers Julius and Leopold, with some early correspondence to and from Stieglitz. The collection spans the years 1860-1999 and was accumulated mainly by Flora Stieglitz Straus (1895-1994), the niece of Alfred Stieglitz. Material in this collection complements other family papers found in Series XI of the Alfred Stieglitz/Georgia O'Keeffe Archive (YCAL MSS 85).
Included in the first series, Stieglitz Family Papers, are letters between family members, a draft of an autobiography by Edward J. Stieglitz, and biographical information about Julius Stieglitz. Series II, Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe, contains a number of letters from Stieglitz and O'Keeffe to Elizabeth Stieglitz Davidson and Donald Douglas Davidson, and to Flora Stieglitz Straus. Series III, Leopold Stieglitz, consists of material concerning him and includes several of his journals from the 1880s. Series IV, Addition (1999), is a collection of lantern slides. Series V, Addition (2000), contains several letters, photographs and family items. Series VI, Addition (2005), consists of five autochrome portraits and their viewing devices. Series VII, Addition (2008), includes correspondence, financial papers, photographs, and albums that document the travels and activities of the Stieglitz family in Europe, New York City, and at their summer home, Oaklawn, just north of the village of Lake George, New York.
Because the material in this collection came from a number of family sources, the same types of documents (correspondence, invoices, photographs, etc.) will appear in many of the series.
Dates
- 1860-1999
Creator
Language of Materials
Chiefly in English with some letters and documents in German.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Box 10: Restricted fragile material. Reference surrogates have been substituted in the main files. For further information consult the appropriate curator.
Folders 181-184 (Cold storage): Restricted fragile material. Reference surrogates have been substituted in the main files. For further information consult the appropriate curator.
Conditions Governing Use
The Flora Stieglitz Straus Collection of Stieglitz Family Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The majority of the items in this collection were the bequest of the estate of Flora Stieglitz Straus. Other items were given by Stieglitz family members Sue Davidson Lowe and Elizabeth Davidson Murray. Much of the material concerning Leopold Stieglitz was collected by Robert Simpson and given to Flora Stieglitz Straus by Mrs. Simpson in 1972. Material in Series V was given by Sue Davidson Lowe in 1999 and added to the collection in 2000. The autochromes in Series VI were given by Ann Straus Gertler. Material in Series VII is from the estate of Flora Stieglitz Straus.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into seven series: I. Stieglitz Family (1867-1990); II. Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe (1880-1992); III. Leopold Stieglitz (1878-1954); IV. Addition (1999): Lantern Slides (circa 1920); V. Addition (2000): Correspondence, Photographs, Other Papers (1863-1999); VI. Addition (2005): Autochromes (circa 1915); VII. Addition (2008): Manuscripts, Photographs, Ephemera (1860-1945). Boxes 8, 9, and 18 contain Oversize items. Box 10 contains Restricted Fragile Papers for which preservation copies have been made.
Extent
5.3 Linear Feet (18 boxes)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The Flora Stieglitz Straus Collection of Stieglitz Family Papers consists of letters, photographs, printed materials, journals, and a scrapbook documenting the lives of Alfred Stieglitz's extended family. Included in the first series, Stieglitz Family Papers, are letters between family members, a draft of an autobiography by Edward J. Stieglitz, and biographical information about Julius Stieglitz. Series II, Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe, contains a number of letters from Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe to Elizabeth Stieglitz Davidson and Donald Douglas Davidson, and to Flora Stieglitz Straus. Series III, Leopold Stieglitz, consists of material concerning his life, including several journals from the 1880s. Series IV, Addition (1999) contains a group of lantern slides that copy earlier family photographs. Series V, Addition (2000) adds several letters, photographs and family items. Series VI, Addition (2005) contains five autochromes made by Nathan Straus Jr., with their diascope viewers; portraits include Flora Stieglitz Straus, her husband Hugh Grant Straus, and her maternal grandmother Jacobina Staerk Stieffel. Series VII, Addition (2008) includes correspondence, financial papers, photographs, diaries, and albums that document the friends, travels, and activities of the Stieglitz family in Europe and New York City, as well as at their summer home, Oaklawn, just north of the village of Lake George, New York.
STIEGLITZ FAMILY
Information about the Stieglitz family is readily available in many books about Alfred Stieglitz, including Sue Davidson Lowe's Stieglitz: A Memoir/Biography, which includes a detailed family tree that is very helpful in sorting out the photographer's extended family. The Flora Stieglitz Straus Collection contains a photocopy of a typescript draft of an autobiography by Edward J. Stieglitz ("Search for Maturity") that also includes biographical information about Julius Stieglitz. In addition, readers are directed to Herbert Newby McCoy's Julius Stieglitz, 1867-1937: A Biographical Sketch.
Processing Information
The collection originally consisted of three series and was processed in 1996. As family correspondence, photographs, and other material is subsequently acquired from Flora Stieglitz Straus's family members, it is appended to the collection, rather than incorporated; additions were made in 1999, 2000, 2005, and 2008.
- Albums (Books)
- Autochromes (photographs)
- Autograph albums
- Cabinet photographs
- Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
- De Casseres, Benjamin, 1873-1945
- Diaries
- Diascopes
- Drawings (visual works)
- Ezekiel, Moses Jacob, 1844-1917
- Hasemann, Wilhelm
- Lake George (N.Y.) -- Pictorial works
- Lantern slides
- O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986
- Photograph albums
- Photographers
- Photographers -- United States
- Photographic prints
- Stieffel, Jacobina Staerk
- Stieglitz family -- Pictorial works
- Stieglitz family
- Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946 -- Family
- Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946
- Stieglitz, Edward J., 1899-1994
- Stieglitz, Edward, 1833-1909
- Stieglitz, Julius, 1867-1937
- Stieglitz, Leopold, 1867-1956
- Straus, Flora Stieglitz, 1895-1994
- Straus, Hugh Grant, 1890-1961
- Straus, Nathan, 1889-1961
- Theater programs -- Germany
- Tintypes (prints)
- Title
- Guide to the Flora Stieglitz Straus Collection of Stieglitz Family Papers
- Author
- by Timothy Young and Sandra Markham
- Date
- September 1996
- Description rules
- Beinecke Manuscript Unit Archival Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.