Lois Williams Bry collection of Eugene O'Neill, Jr.
Collection
Call Number: YCAL MSS 125
Scope and Contents
The Lois Williams Bry Collection of Eugene O'Neill, Jr. contains materials concerning Eugene O'Neill, Jr. that Bry received from Eugene O'Neill, Jr. or that she collected. These include correspondence, writings of Eugene O'Neill, Jr., clippings, and programs, spanning the years 1925 to 1986. The bulk of the material, however, dates from 1936 to 1950. The collection is organized into three series: Correspondence, Writings, and Subject Files, and is housed in five boxes.
Series I, Correspondence , is organized into two subseries: Eugene O'Neill, Jr. Letters and Third Party Correspondence. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically. The Eugene O'Neill, Jr. Letters mainly contains letters from O'Neill, Jr. to Bry, spanning the years 1925 to 1949. (There is an unexplained gap from 1929 to 1934.) This collection does not contain Bry's letters to O'Neill, Jr., which were returned to her by Elsie and Frank S. Meyer after O'Neill, Jr.'s death in 1950.
O'Neill, Jr. wrote detailed letters to Bry, discussing his work, his marriages, and his personal life; many of his letters mention O'Neill, Jr.'s Newfoundland dog, Cabot, whom he brought to live with the Brys on their ranch. There are also two letters to Bry's husband, N. William Bry, and one letter to Bry's sister.
Third Party Correspondence consists of letters from friends to Bry about O'Neill, Jr. and his death. There is also one letter to Bry from O'Neill, Jr.'s first wife, Mary Elizabeth Green, dated 10 March 1936, regarding a possible summer visit to Montana.
Series II, Writings , consists chiefly of printed versions of O'Neill, Jr.'s writings, many inscribed by him to Bry. The series is organized into four subseries: Articles, Reviews, Other Writings, and Writings of Others. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically. The first subseries, Articles, contains printed versions of O'Neill, Jr.'s articles in the field of classical studies. The second subseries, Reviews, contains printed versions and clippings of printed versions of O'Neill, Jr.'s reviews of other authors' works in the field of classical studies. The third subseries, Other Writings, contains a letter by O'Neill, Jr. to the editor of The Key Reporter, and the printed version of O'Neill, Jr.'s 1947 commencement address at Connecticut College. The fourth subseries, Writings of Others, contains a printed version of an article by Julian L. Rogatz, on a medical topic, inscribed to Bry and her husband. There is also a holograph version of a poem by an unidentified author.
Series III, Subject Files , is arranged alphabetically and mostly contains material collected after O'Neill, Jr.'s death. This includes clippings about friends, family, and associates of O'Neill, Jr., including Agnes Boulton, Oona Chaplin, and Paul Robeson. There are programs for three of Eugene O'Neill's plays, as well as numerous clippings about him and his work. There is also a program from O'Neill, Jr.'s commencement from Yale in 1932 and a 1936-37 course catalog for Yale that includes information about courses that O'Neill, Jr. taught.
Series I, Correspondence , is organized into two subseries: Eugene O'Neill, Jr. Letters and Third Party Correspondence. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically. The Eugene O'Neill, Jr. Letters mainly contains letters from O'Neill, Jr. to Bry, spanning the years 1925 to 1949. (There is an unexplained gap from 1929 to 1934.) This collection does not contain Bry's letters to O'Neill, Jr., which were returned to her by Elsie and Frank S. Meyer after O'Neill, Jr.'s death in 1950.
O'Neill, Jr. wrote detailed letters to Bry, discussing his work, his marriages, and his personal life; many of his letters mention O'Neill, Jr.'s Newfoundland dog, Cabot, whom he brought to live with the Brys on their ranch. There are also two letters to Bry's husband, N. William Bry, and one letter to Bry's sister.
Third Party Correspondence consists of letters from friends to Bry about O'Neill, Jr. and his death. There is also one letter to Bry from O'Neill, Jr.'s first wife, Mary Elizabeth Green, dated 10 March 1936, regarding a possible summer visit to Montana.
Series II, Writings , consists chiefly of printed versions of O'Neill, Jr.'s writings, many inscribed by him to Bry. The series is organized into four subseries: Articles, Reviews, Other Writings, and Writings of Others. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically. The first subseries, Articles, contains printed versions of O'Neill, Jr.'s articles in the field of classical studies. The second subseries, Reviews, contains printed versions and clippings of printed versions of O'Neill, Jr.'s reviews of other authors' works in the field of classical studies. The third subseries, Other Writings, contains a letter by O'Neill, Jr. to the editor of The Key Reporter, and the printed version of O'Neill, Jr.'s 1947 commencement address at Connecticut College. The fourth subseries, Writings of Others, contains a printed version of an article by Julian L. Rogatz, on a medical topic, inscribed to Bry and her husband. There is also a holograph version of a poem by an unidentified author.
Series III, Subject Files , is arranged alphabetically and mostly contains material collected after O'Neill, Jr.'s death. This includes clippings about friends, family, and associates of O'Neill, Jr., including Agnes Boulton, Oona Chaplin, and Paul Robeson. There are programs for three of Eugene O'Neill's plays, as well as numerous clippings about him and his work. There is also a program from O'Neill, Jr.'s commencement from Yale in 1932 and a 1936-37 course catalog for Yale that includes information about courses that O'Neill, Jr. taught.
Dates
- 1925-1986 1936-1950
- Majority of material found within 1936 - 1950
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Box 5: Restricted fragile material. Reference surrogates have been substituted in the main files. For further information consult the appropriate curator.
Box 5: Restricted fragile material. Reference surrogates have been substituted in the main files. For further information consult the appropriate curator.
Conditions Governing Use
The Lois Williams Bry Collection of Eugene O'Neill, Jr. 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
Gift of Lois Williams Bry, 1986.
Extent
1.4 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
Letters from Eugene O'Neill, Jr. to Lois Williams Bry, 1925-49; printed versions of O'Neill, Jr.'s articles and reviews, many inscribed to Bry; and subject files (mainly clippings) collected by Bry about O'Neill, Jr., his friends, and his family.
LOIS WILLIAMS BRY
Eugene O'Neill, Jr. and Lois Williams Bry were childhood friends in Douglaston (New York, N.Y.) and remained close friends throughout O'Neill, Jr.'s life. They corresponded regularly until 1949, the year before O'Neill, Jr.'s death. At the time of his death, Bry had lived for many years with her husband and children on a ranch in Ennis, Montana, where O'Neill, Jr. visited them several times. A biographical sketch of O'Neill, Jr. is provided in the Eugene O'Neill, Jr. Collection (YCAL MSS 126).
Creator
- Title
- Guide to the Lois Williams Bry Collection of Eugene O'Neill, Jr.
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by Miriam B. Spectre
- Date
- July 1998
- 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.