Anna Catherine Bahlmann papers relating to Edith Wharton
Collection
Call Number: YCAL MSS 361
Scope and Contents
The papers feature correspondence and personal papers relating chiefly to author Edith Wharton, including over 130 letters to Bahlmann from Wharton, dating from her employment with the Wharton family in 1874, as Edith's German language tutor, to 1915. The letters document a significant, long-standing relationship and shed light on Wharton's personal and literary affairs. In addition to the Wharton correspondence, there are single and small groups of letters between Bahlmann and family members, friends, and acquaintances, including William Morton Fullerton and Henry James, and a small number of third-party letters. Bahlmann's personal papers include legal and financial documents, notebooks, and writings, as well as material relating to Edith Wharton. Other materials relating directly to Wharton include clippings, documents on her efforts during the war, a pressed lily, photographs, postcards, and a small sachet. Photographs consist of studio portraits of people and images of Wharton's residences. There are photographs of Wharton, dating from 1900 to 1905, family, and friends, including Mary Cadwalader Jones and Pauline Robinson. Wharton residences include "Reef Point" in Bar Harbour, Maine, 884 Park Avenue in New York, and the estate ("The Mount") in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Dates
- 1874 - 1917
Creator
Language of Materials
Chiefly in English; some materials in French and German.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Restricted Fragile papers in Box 9 may be consulted only with permission of the appropriate curator. Preservation photocopies for reference use have been substituted in the main files.
Restricted Fragile papers in Box 9 may be consulted only with permission of the appropriate curator. Preservation photocopies for reference use have been substituted in the main files.
Conditions Governing Use
The Anna Catherine Bahlmann Papers Relating to Edith Wharton 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
Purchased from Christie's, 2009.
Arrangement
Organized into two series: I. Correspondence, 1874-1917. II. Personal Papers, 1875-1916.
Extent
4.05 Linear Feet ((9 boxes) + 1 broadside )
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The papers feature correspondence and personal effects relating to author Edith Wharton, including over 130 letters to Bahlmann from Wharton, dating from Bahlmann's employment to the Wharton family in 1874, as Edith's German language tutor, to 1915. The letters document a significant, long-standing relationship and shed light on Wharton's personal and literary affairs. In addition to the Wharton correspondence, there are single and small groups of letters between Bahlmann and family members, friends, and acquaintances, including William Morton Fullerton and Henry James, and a small number of third-party letters. Bahlmann's personal effects include legal and financial documents, notebooks, and writings, as well as material relating to Wharton. Other materials relating most directly to Wharton include clippings, documents on her work during the war, photographs, and postcards. Photographs consist of studio portraits of people and images of Wharton's residences. There are photographs of Wharton, Bahlmann family members, and friends, including Mary Cadwalader Jones. Wharton residences include "Reef Point" in Bar Harbour, Maine and the estate ("The Mount") in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Anna Catherine Bahlmann (1849-1916) & Edith Wharton (1862-1937)
Anna Catherine Bahlmann was employed as Edith Wharton's German language tutor in 1874 and later served as her governess, secretary, and literary assistant.
Edith Wharton was a major American literary figure in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and, though she is best known as a novelist and short-story writer, she also wrote poetry and non-fictional works on interior and landscape design. Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, awarded in 1921 for her novel The Age of Innocence (1920). In addition to critical and bibliographic scholarship on Wharton, summary information is available in the standard print and online resources.
Edith Wharton was a major American literary figure in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and, though she is best known as a novelist and short-story writer, she also wrote poetry and non-fictional works on interior and landscape design. Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, awarded in 1921 for her novel The Age of Innocence (1920). In addition to critical and bibliographic scholarship on Wharton, summary information is available in the standard print and online resources.
- Title
- Guide to the Anna Catherine Bahlmann Papers Relating to Edith Wharton
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- by Michael L. Forstrom
- Date
- February 23, 2010
- 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.