James Marshall Osborn Research Files
Collection
Call Number: OSB MSS 333
Scope and Contents
Lecture and class notes, research files and other papers, card indexes, and microfilms compiled by James Marshall Osborn during the course of his studies at Columbia University and Oxford University, as well as his time teaching and curating at Yale University, 1932-1973. Included are Osborn's paleography files, which consist of 296 examples relating to seventeenth-century English government and law. There are also three 16mm silent film reels, two of which are titled "Tour to the Hebrides."
Dates
- 1620s-1973
- Majority of material found within 1932-1973
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Box 25 (audiovisual material): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies are available. For further information, consult Access Services.
Box 25 (audiovisual material): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies are available. For further information, consult Access Services.
Conditions Governing Use
The James Marshall Osborn Research Files 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
Bequest of James Marshall Osborn, 1976.
Arrangement
Organized into six series: I. Lecture and Class Notes, 1932-1940. II. Research Files and Other Papers, 1933-1973. III. Paleography Files, circa 1620s. IV. Index Card Files, circa 1940s-1970s. V. Audiovisual Material, 1932-1935. VI. Microfilm, circa 1950s-circa 1970s.
Extent
26.34 Linear Feet (35 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
Lecture and class notes, research files and other papers, card indexes, and microfilms compiled by James Marshall Osborn during the course of his studies at Columbia University and Oxford University, as well as his time teaching and curating at Yale University, 1932-1973. Included are Osborn's paleography files, which consist of 296 examples relating to seventeenth-century English government and law. There are also three 16mm silent film reels, two of which are titled "Tour to the Hebrides."
Biographical / Historical
James Marshall Osborn, literary historian, founder of the James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection at Yale University, and Holstein cattle breeder, was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1906. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1928, and joined the investment advisory department of Guaranty Trust in New York. The next year, he married Marie-Louise Montgomery, a graduate of Vassar.
In 1932 Osborn left Guaranty Trust to study for a Master's degree in English at Columbia University. Two years later, the Osborns moved to England with their two sons, and James began to work toward a B.Litt degree at Oxford University. While at Oxford, Osborn pursued his interest in eighteenth-century literary history and began to acquire the literary and historical manuscripts that would form the core of the James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection.
Osborn was appointed Research Associate in English at Yale University in 1938; he held the position until his death. He was named Adviser on Seventeenth Century Manuscripts to the Yale Library in 1954, and in 1963, when he began the transfer of his collection to Yale, became the first curator of the Osborn Collection.
Osborn's publications include The Autobiography of Thomas Whythorne (1961); an edition of Joseph Spence's Observations, Anecdotes and Characters (1966); and Young Philip Sidney (1972).
In addition to his scholarly activities, Osborn was also a noted dairy cattle breeder and promoter of Holsteins from 1940 to 1960. He received the D.Litt from Oxford University in 1968, and was named Curator Emeritus of the Osborn Collection in 1972. James Marshall Osborn died in New Haven on October 17, 1976.
In 1932 Osborn left Guaranty Trust to study for a Master's degree in English at Columbia University. Two years later, the Osborns moved to England with their two sons, and James began to work toward a B.Litt degree at Oxford University. While at Oxford, Osborn pursued his interest in eighteenth-century literary history and began to acquire the literary and historical manuscripts that would form the core of the James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection.
Osborn was appointed Research Associate in English at Yale University in 1938; he held the position until his death. He was named Adviser on Seventeenth Century Manuscripts to the Yale Library in 1954, and in 1963, when he began the transfer of his collection to Yale, became the first curator of the Osborn Collection.
Osborn's publications include The Autobiography of Thomas Whythorne (1961); an edition of Joseph Spence's Observations, Anecdotes and Characters (1966); and Young Philip Sidney (1972).
In addition to his scholarly activities, Osborn was also a noted dairy cattle breeder and promoter of Holsteins from 1940 to 1960. He received the D.Litt from Oxford University in 1968, and was named Curator Emeritus of the Osborn Collection in 1972. James Marshall Osborn died in New Haven on October 17, 1976.
Separated Materials
Printed material received with the collection was removed for separate cataloging and can be accessed by searching the library’s online catalog.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards. For more information, please refer to the Beinecke Manuscript Unit Processing Manual.
These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards. For more information, please refer to the Beinecke Manuscript Unit Processing Manual.
- 16mm (photographic film size)
- Columbia University -- Students
- English literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism
- English literature -- 18th century -- Study and teaching
- English literature -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- History and criticism
- English literature -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- Study and teaching
- Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1603-1625
- Hebrides (Scotland) -- Pictorial works
- Learning and scholarship -- United States -- History -- 20th Century
- Lecture notes
- Microfilms
- Paleography, English -- 17th century
- Scholars -- United States
- Scholars -- United States -- 20th century
- Scotland -- Pictorial works
- University of Oxford -- Students
- Yale University -- Faculty
- Title
- Guide to the James Marshall Osborn Research Files
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sarah Lerner
- Date
- October 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- 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.