Dorothy Whitney Straight Elmhirst papers from Dartington Hall
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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION
Includes photocopies of correspondence with Margaret Isherwood, Eloise Elmhirst Sharman, Ellen Van Volkenberg Browne and correspondence concerning Willard Straight Hall (1920-1967); also lecture notes, notes about lectures taught at Dartington Hall, notebooks, diaries and travel journals; contains originals of letters by Ruth Morgan (1926-1933), Margaret and Helen Isherwood (1932-1968), Susan Sedgwick Hammond (1940-1968), Louise E. Croly (1926-1940) and letters by Dorothy and Leonard to Margaret and Helen Isherwood, Nancy Green, Ellen Van Volkenberg Browne, and Gilbert Harrison; also included are notes by E.A. Stettner, the transcriber of the Croly correspondence, an inventory for the records room at Dartington Hall and a diary (n.d.) describing World War I by an unknown author. Also, microfilmed correspondence between Leonard K. Elmhirst and Dorothy Whitney Straight (1920-1925) discussing travels, love and their subsequent marriage; correspondence (1932-1935) discussing psychology, sociology, Dartington Hall, education, religion and literature between Henry F. Heard, Gerald Heard, Margaret Isherwood and Dorothy Whitney Straight Elmhirst; her diaries (1927-1928), clippings, social appointments, notes and addresses. Also, clippings concerning events at Dartington Hall (ca.1926-1949), and photographs of Dorothy Whitney Straight Elmhirst's penthouse on Park Avenue (ca.1928). Also an inventory catalog of the Dartington Hall Archives.
Dates
- 1890-1976,-1920-1958 (bulk)
Creator
Language of Materials
Collection material in English
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Philanthropist, educator, publisher, patron of the arts and social activist.
Dorothy Payne Whitney, daughter of William C. Whitney, a financier and Secretary of the Navy under President Grover Cleveland, married Willard Dickerman Straight in 19ll. Straight died in 1918, and she married Leonard Knight Elmhirst in 1925. Dorothy and Elmhirst purchased Dartington Hall, Devon, England, reconstructed the 14th century manor and founded a school on the property. Dartington Hall became a center for the arts and a leading coeducational progressive school. The New School for Social Research in New York was begun with the backing of the Whitney Estate in 1919. Dorothy was involved with the New York State Food Commission, the Women's Liberty Loan Committee, the Social Unit Plan, the Junior League, the War Camp Service Committee, the Women's Emergency Committee of the European Relief Council, the New School for Social Research, the Tuberculosis Preventorium for Children, the Pueblos Defense Committee, and the Mayor's Committee of Women on National Defense. She supported individual students at Bordentown Military Academy and Hobart College, and helped to found THE NEW REPUBLIC.
Extent
4 cubic feet. (4 cubic feet.)
Abstract
Includes photocopies of correspondence with Margaret Isherwood, Eloise Elmhirst Sharman, Ellen Van Volkenberg Browne and correspondence concerning Willard Straight Hall; lecture notes, notebooks, diaries and travel journals; an inventory for the records room at Dartington Hall and a diary describing World War I by an unknown author. Also, microfilmed correspondence between Leonard K. Elmhirst and Dorothy Whitney Straight; her diaries, clippings, social appointments, notes and addresses.
Physical Description
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General
- Contact Information:
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections 2B Carl A. Kroch Library Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3530 Fax: (607) 255-9524 rareref@cornell.edu http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
- Compiled by:
- --
- Date completed:
- --
- EAD encoding:
- Peter Martinez, March 2006
- Browne, Ellen Van Volkenberg.
- Croly, Louise E.
- Dartington Hall -- : Totnes -- : Devon -- : England.
- Diaries.
- Education.
- Elmhirst, L. K. (Leonard Knight), 1893-1974.
- Green, Nancy.
- Hammond, Susan Sedgwick.
- Harrison, Gilbert.
- Heard, Gerald, 1889-1971.
- Heard, Henry FitzGerald.
- Isherwood, Helen.
- Isherwood, Margaret.
- Morgan, Ruth.
- Sharman, Eloise Elmhirst.
- Social reformers.
- Stettner, E.A.
- Straight, Dorothy Whitney, -- 1887-1968.
- Whitney, Dorothy Payne, -- 1887-1968.
- Women -- Diaries.
- Women social reformers.
- World War, 1914-1918.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Compiled by {Name}
- Date
- March 2006
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Repository
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
607-255-3530
607-255-9524 (Fax)
rareref@cornell.edu