Betsy Beinecke Shirley collection of American children's literature
Scope and Contents
In this finding aid, the term "drawing" indicates an original work of illustration art, and does not distinguish the stages between a preliminary sketch and a finished drawing; for some artists, such as F. O. C. Darley, there are both present. Every attempt was made to assign a specific title, project, or publication to the illustrations in the collection. Original works of art are filed under the artist’s name, regardless if the resulting publication is more prominently associated with the author of the text; for example, drawings by Frederick Richardson for Andrew Lang’s popular fairy book volumes appear here under Richardson’s name.
The Collector’s Files series consist mostly of the files that Shirley kept as she collected American children’s literature. This includes her research, bibliographic information on books, authors, and publishers, and exhibition files. Shirley’s collections were used in exhibitions at museums and libraries including the Brandywine River Museum, the High Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Dates
- 1640-2001
Creator
- Shirley, Betsy Beinecke (Collector)
Language of Materials
Conditions Governing Access
Boxes 49-50: Restricted fragile material. Reference surrogates have been substituted in the main files. For further information consult the appropriate curator.
Box 94 (videocassettes): Use of originals are restricted. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Katie Michel, 2018 (Box 9, folder 199a).
Arrangement
Extent
55 Linear Feet ((93 boxes) + 3 broadside folders + 7 art objects)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
Betsy Beinecke Shirley (1919-2004)
Custodial History
Processing Information
Mrs. Shirley had custom-designed decorative boxes created to store various items in the collection but, for the most part, the boxes were not made from acid-free materials. Most of the items were removed before being filed in the present arrangement; a selection of her boxes were retained for display purposes and are housed at the end of the collection. In addition, many items had been framed for display in her home or for museum/library exhibition loans; seven were left in frames and appear in the Collection Contents list as "Stored in: Art Storage."
The Collector's files series is arranged in Shirley’s original filing system. Many of the subject files arrived in binders and were removed from binders due to preservation concerns and kept in their original order. Card catalogs arrived in card catalog boxes and drawers. The cards were also removed and kept in their original order.
- Advertising cards
- Alaska -- Description and travel
- Alaska -- Gold discoveries
- Albums (Books)
- Ambrotypes (photographs)
- American Baptist Missionary Union. Assam Mission
- Art -- Collectors and collecting
- Books -- Pirated editions
- Children -- Conduct of life
- Children's art
- Children's literature, American
- Children's writings
- Diaries
- Drawings (visual works)
- Dummies (Publishing)
- Exercise books
- Gem photographs
- Hand-colored illustrations
- Harlequinades (books)
- Illustration of books -- 19th century
- Illustration of books -- 20th Century
- Illustrators
- Indians of North America -- Missions
- Juvenile literature
- Juvenilia
- Medals
- Oil paintings (visual works)
- Pen and wash drawings
- Penmanship specimen books
- Photograph albums
- Photographic prints
- Picture books for children
- Poetry
- Pressed flower pictures
- Rewards of merit
- Samplers (embroidery)
- Santa Claus
- Scrapbooks
- Shirley, Betsy Beinecke
- Visiting cards
- Watercolors (paintings)
- Wild flowers -- Palestine
- Wood blocks (printing blocks)
Creator
- Shirley, Betsy Beinecke (Collector)
- Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888
- Anderson, Alexander, 1775-1870
- André, R. (Richard), 1834-1907
- Angelo, Valenti, 1897-1982
- Anglund, Joan Walsh, 1926-
- Bemelmans, Ludwig, 1898-1962
- Billings, Hammatt, 1818-1874
- Boutet de Monvel, Louis Maurice, 1850-1913
- Boutet de Monvel, Roger, 1879-1951
- Bowles, Carington, 1724-1793
- Bransom, Paul, 1885-1979
- Bruton, W. (William), 1854 or 1855-1885
- Burgess, Gelett, 1866-1951
- Cady, Harrison, 1877-1970
- Capote, Truman, 1924-1984
- Church, Frederick S. (Frederick Stuart), 1842-1924
- Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 1835-1910
- Cogger, Edward P.
- Cox, Palmer, 1840-1924
- Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878
- Darley, Felix Octavius Carr, 1822-1888
- Denslow, W. W. (William Wallace), 1856-1915
- Dodgson, Charles Lutwidge, 1832-1898
- Drayton, Grace G. (Grace Gebbie), 1877-1936
- Falls, C. B. (Charles Buckles), 1874-1960
- Field, Eugene, 1850-1895
- Francis, J. G. (Joseph Greene), 1849-1930
- Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
- Frost, A. B. (Arthur Burdett), 1851-1928
- Furness, William Henry, 1802-1896
- Grimaldi, Stacey, 1790-1863 (Toilet)
- Goodwin, Polly, 1908-2007
- Gruelle, Johnny, 1880-1938
- Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879
- Hancock, Ebenezer, 1741-1819
- Hancock, John, 1737-1793
- Hopkins, Livingston, 1846-1927
- Ives, Sarah Noble, 1864-1944
- Keller, Helen, 1880-1968
- Kemble, E. W. (Edward Windsor), 1861-1933
- Lathrop, Dorothy Pulis, 1891-1980
- McVickar, H. W. (Harry Whitney), 1860-1905
- Melvill, Allan, 1782-1832
- Moore, Clement Clarke, 1779-1863
- Mora, Jo, 1876-1947
- Newell, Peter, 1862-1924
- Petersham, Maud, 1890-1971
- Pogány, Willy, 1882-1955
- Reynolds, Cuyler, 1866-1934
- Rogers, W. A. (William Allen), 1854-1931
- Sands, Benjamin
- Shimin, Symeon, 1902-1984
- Shinn, Everett, 1876-1953
- Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935
- Sperry, J. Austin (Jacob Austin), 1823-1896
- Stephens, H. L. (Henry Louis), 1824-1882
- Stratemeyer, Edward, 1862-1930
- Twain, Mark, 1835-1910
- Tyler, Mary Elizabeth Sawyer, 1806-1889
- Tyrrell, Leon M., b. 1875
- Van Loon, Hendrik Willem, 1882-1944
- Washington, George, 1732-1799
- Webster, Noah, 1758-1843
- Whiting, Mary Elizabeth Flint, 1823-1891
- Whittier, John Greenleaf, 1807-1892
- Wiese, Kurt, 1887-1974
- Johnson & Warner
- McLoughlin Bros
- Nazareth Hall
- Peekskill Military Academy (Peekskill, N.Y.)
- Title
- Guide to the Betsy Beinecke Shirley Collection of American Children's Literature
- Author
- by Sandra Markham
- Date
- 2011
- 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.