Letters to Alfred Stieglitz

Collection

Identifier: MS-9

Scope and Contents

The collection includes 232 letters, primarily from Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) to her husband Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), dating from 1933 to 1944. Between 1915 and 1946 O'Keeffe and Stieglitz exchanged over 5,000 letters; this is only a small sample of the rich correspondence between the two. The letters are personal in nature and discuss the lives and careers of O'Keeffe and Stieglitz. Some of the letters are "notes" left by O'Keeffe to be found by Stieglitz while she was in New Mexico. On these notes Stieglitz inscribes where and when he found them; for example, "Found in my slippers / Apr 28/43 / Georgia had left for New Mexico." A few of the letters include enclosures such as feathers, tissue paper, dried flowers, or pine needles. In a letter from 1944, O'Keeffe encloses two photographs of her Black Place paintings and one photograph of a pelvis bone painting.

Also included are three letters from Maria Chabot, one from "Ann", and one from Ansel Adams to Stieglitz.

Dates

Creation: 1933-1944, undated

Creator

Chabot, Maria, 1913-2001 (Correspondent, Person)
Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984 (Correspondent, Person)

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public for research purposes.

Copy and Reproduction Restrictions

Photocopies of materials may be made for research purposes only.

Extent

1.668 Linear Feet

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

The collection includes over 200 letters primarily from Georgia O'Keeffe to Alfred Stieglitz, dating from 1933 to 1944.

Arrangement of Collection

The collection is arranged mostly chronologically. All enclosures are kept with associated letters, except in the case of photographic materials. Photographs have been separated out and follow the correspondence series.

Acquisition Information

The collection was an anonymous gift to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in 2004.

Related Materials

The bulk of the correspondence between O'Keeffe and Stieglitz is located in the Alfred Stieglitz / Georgia O'Keeffe Archive, Yale Collection of American Literature at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Selections from the O'Keeffe/Stieglitz correspondence have been published in the following:

Greenough, Sarah, ed. My Faraway One: Selected Letters of Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz. Vol. 1 (1915-1933). New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011.

Ownership and Rights

The collection is the physical property of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. The collection is subject to all copyright laws. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply. Contact the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Archivist for further copyright and publication information as it pertains to this collection.