Collections A-Z @ Brown University Library

COLLECTIONS A-Z

Rhode Island College, renamed Brown Unversity in 1804, was founded in 1764

Brown University Archives & History Collections

1793 Library
The Library of Brown University, as represented in the Catalog published in 1793. 2,173 titles are listed. List and published catalog available. ...more information
Anthony (Richard H.) papers, 1923-1958
Richard H. Anthony was a Providence, Rhode Island native and Brown University graduate, class of 1925. His distinguished career included working as a journalist in Paris for the European edition of the New York Herald Tribune, where he covered the landings of Charles E. Lindburgh and Richard E. Byrd on their respective transatlantic flights in 1927. These papers include letters, family memorabilia, and a collection of autographs of Richard E. Byrd, and co-pilots Bernt Balchen, Bertand B. Acosta and George O. Noville, who accompanied him on his historic flight from New York to the coast of Normandy on July 1, 1927. ...more information
Bailey (William Whitman) papers, 1856–1914
These papers of William Whitman Bailey (1843-1914), Brown University professor of botany, consist of correspondence, diaries (20 vols), manuscripts, addresses, poems, drawings, paintings, sketches, notebooks, and scrapbooks dating from 1856 to 1914, that document the professional activities and family life of botanist William Whitman Bailey. In his letters, Bailey wrote about his reading and other literary pursuits; his publications; plants and botany; professional activities at Brown University; West Point; and excursions in New England, including Mt. Wachusett; Conway; and Cumberland, R.I.

Botanical specimens that Bailey found are described in some letters. Some early letters were written while he was a schoolboy at the University Grammar School in Providence. Botany is documented in the Manuscripts series through lecture notes, essays on flowers, sketches of specimens, and plant analysis. Other topics covered in the Manuscripts series include Bailey's private library, reading, and reminiscences of West Point. The Manuscripts series includes addresses, essays, notebooks, and scrapbooks. Poems written by Bailey are in the Letters by William Whitman Bailey series and in the Manuscripts series. The Botanical Sketches series (ca. 5 linear ft.) includes botanical sketches, drawings, and paintings that appear to have been created in various combinations of pen and colored ink, pen and watercolor, and pencil and colored pencil. ...more information
Bakst (M. Charles) papers
These papers date from 1927-2009 and include the personal papers and materials of Merrill Charles Bakst, Brown '66 and journalist for the Providence Journal. Includes manuscripts, correspondence, notebooks, ephemera, photographs, audiocassettes and videotapes related to his student days at Brown and his career as a reporter and columnist. ...more information
Baptist Collection
Holdings in the area of religious history that reflect the University's Baptist origins. Included are the papers of many clergymen, among them Roger Williams, Isaac Backus, Samuel Jones, Thomas Ustick, Jones Very, missionaries (Adoniram Judson and Josiah Nelson Cushing) and several presidents of Brown. The First Baptist Church of Swansea (Massachusetts), the Baptist Church in Warren (Rhode Island), and the Arkwright and Fiskeville Baptist Church in Scituate (Rhode Island) have placed their papers, records, and ledgers on deposit with the Library. There is also a sizeable collection of Baptist periodicals. ...more information
Barbour (Clarence A.) papers, 1923-1937
The Clarence A. Barbour papers contain many letters relating to Barbour’s nomination as President of Brown University and his nine-month trip to Asia in 1931 and 1932. Also included are letters and poems written by Florence Newell Barbour about her experiences in Asia with her husband. ...more information
Brown (Ben W.) papers, 1916-1952
These papers consist of notebooks, manuscripts, speeches and addresses, and correspondence documenting the teaching career of Ben W. Brown at Brown University. He was professor of English, theatre and public speaking, as well as Director of the Sock and Buskin, from 1921 to 1955. ...more information
Brown (Harcourt) papers
Papers of Harcourt Brown (1900-1990), professor of French at Brown University from 1937-1969. Includes materials from his years at Brown, correspondence, french play materials, and Annals of Science materials ...more information
Brown University Archives
The Archives collection contains copies of the official records and publications of the University, dating from 1763, along with the papers of many of its faculty, departments, and officers. A vital part of the collection are the records student groups and organizations. The Archives also encompass papers of Brown and Pembroke alumni/ae. The collections include Brown theses and dissertations, as well as printed, manuscript, graphic, and audiovisual material about the history of Brown University. ...more information
Brown University Biographical Files
Contains over 50,000 biographical files on alumni, faculty and administration members, and some staff members. These files contain vital statistics forms from the Alumni Records office, and in most cases include newspaper clippings, curricula vitae, bibliographies, and correspondence. ...more information
Brown University Dept. of Mathematics meeting minutes, 1915-1939
This collection consists of minutes of meetings held by the Brown University Department of Mathematics during the years 1915-1922 and 1930-1939. The minutes include discussions regarding the department's policies and rules as well as information related to student affairs, curriculum development, faculty appointments, fellowships, examinations, the Mathematics Club and the honor list. ...more information
Brown University Library Russian exchange records, 1935-1957
The Russian Exchange records contain correspondence related to the publication exchange program between Brown University and several libraries located in the U.S.S.R. The collection also contains correspondence documenting the exchange of materials with UNESCO and Latin American libraries. ...more information
Brown University Photographs
This collection contains views of Brown University, including buildings, events and activities, student organizations, group shots of department members, reunion classes and fraternities, and faculty members, alumni and visitors. ...more information
Brown University Prints
This collection contains prints and etchings, mainly of Brown University buildings, but also includes portraits of faculty members and alumni, broadsides, athletic cartoons and postcards of Brown University buildings and events.

This collections includes the Helen Grose drawings and Tilden Thurber prints of the Brown University campus. ...more information
Brown University Scrapbooks
Scrapbooks kept by students, faculty members and alumni, containing photographs, prints, drawings and newspaper clippings of university events, birth and death announcements, and ephemera such as invitations, announcements, brochures, and programs. Most of these scrapbooks include memorabilia such as matchbooks, greeting cards, travel itineraries, postcards, tickets to events and dance cards.

Includes a collection of scrapbooks of newspaper clippings kept by University Librarian Reuben Guild, which chronicles events at Brown from 1851 to 1938. ...more information
Brown University Theatre Collection
This collection contains theatre programs, photographs, posters, museum objects, announcements and newspaper clippings of productions mounted by various theatrical groups at Brown University, including Hammer and Tongs, Sock and Buskin, Komians, Brownbrokers, Rites and Reason, and Production Workshop.

1872 to the present. ...more information
Brown University--Corporation--Committee on Agricultural Lands
Papers regarding the acquisition by the University of land in Kansas as a result of the Morrill Act passed by Congress in 1862, the agreement to provide agricultural and mechanical arts instruction, and the sale of the land to support scholarships. ...more information
Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive
The Farnham Archive constitutes a system for describing and accessing collections with materials pertaining to women within the special collections housed at the John Hay Library. Accessed through the printed Research Guide, the Farnham Archive pulls together substantial holdings of all varieties in the Hay Library that document women's history. ...more information
Civil War Manuscripts Collection
Comprises more than 26 collections (more than 2,000 letters in all) covering the period from 1858 through 1879. Includes correspondence, diaries, photographs, prints and graphics and other related materials pertaining to all aspects of the Civil War, from the lives of enlisted Union soldiers and their families back home, to camp life and battlefield medicine, and the political issues that gripped the nation. ...more information
Cohen (Robert F., Jr.) papers, 1952-1984
The Robert F. Cohen, Jr. papers relate to his activist work as a student at Brown from 1964-1968, and as a community organizer in Providence and other Rhode Island communities, and New York City around welfare rights, housing discrimination and education between 1968-1972. The collection contains original materials created in the context of this work, including press releases, research notes, minutes of meetings, leaflets, and other organizing materials, as well as news clippings covering the actual events. There is also an extensive collection of publications from progressive organizations. ...more information
Community Organizing Archive
The Community Organizing Archive was founded in 2006 by a group of Brown Alumni active in the field, in collaboration with the Swearer Center for Public Service and the Brown University Archives. Collections are being processed as they arrive at Brown, and online finding aids are created for Brown's Archival and Manuscripts Collections Online (BAMCO) repository. ...more information
Curtis (Minerva G.) diaries, 1900-1941
A collection of 34 leather-bound diaries, ranging from 1900 to 1941, recording the daily activities of Minerva Greenwood Curtis, a grade-school teacher in Providence, Rhode Island. The collection also includes an address book, a notebook, a loose, hand-written recipe and a newspaper clipping. ...more information
Damon (S. Foster) Festival papers, 1967-1968
The S. Foster Damon Festival papers consists of approximately 50 items from 1967-1968 relating to the 75th birthday party of S. Foster Damon and the S. Foster Damon Festival at Brown University. S. Foster Damon was an American poet, William Blake scholar, Brown University professor of English (1927-1963), and curator of the Harris Collection, Brown University Library (1930-1963). ...more information
Denison (Frederic) collection of Baptist biographies, 1880-1883
The Denison Collection consist of letters, manuscripts, and printed matter that contain biographical information about individual Baptists in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. ...more information
Dexter (Robert Cloutman) and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter papers
Records and personal papers of sociologist and Unitarian minister Robert Cloutman Dexter (Class of 1912) and his wife, the noted historian Elisabeth Anthony Dexter. An important focus within the collection is the significant role played by the Dexters -- co-founders of the Unitarian Service Committee with Rev. Waitstill and Martha Sharp in 1937 -- in working to expedite the release of war refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe between 1938 and 1944. The collection also includes personal writings by the Dexters, as well as much information on the history of the Anthony family. ...more information
Dickson (James C.) papers, 1988-2002
These papers document the career of James C. Dickson (Class of 1968) as an activist and organizer for disabled individuals, primarily with the VOTE! 2000 Campaign, an effort to increase the number of voters with disabilities. Includes materials Dickson used in his efforts to increase the voting rights of disabled persons and their access to polling places. The materials contain information on poll accessibility, black voters, gay and lesbian voters, voting statistics, the motor voter law, election reforms, methods of voting, and the registration of potential voters when they apply for food stamps, Medicaid or a driver's license. Also consists of material documenting other organizing efforts involving the rights of children, especially children with disabilities, and the medical care of the elderly and people with disabilities. ...more information
Dixon (Nathan Fellows) family papers, 1721-1938
The Nathan Fellows Dixon family papers consist of letters, legal documents, personal and political memorabilia and photographs relating to a Westerly, Rhode Island, family of great prominence in state and federal politics during the 19th century. The majority of the collection represents the domestic and political lives of three generations of men named Nathan Fellows Dixon, all of whom graduated from Brown University and went on to serve in the United States Congress. ...more information
Drowne family papers, 1636-1936 (bulk 1750-1885)
In 1940, the personal library of botanist and physician Dr. Solomon Drowne, Class of 1773, plus over 1,000 documents and letters relating to members of the Drowne family (1770 through 1940) were moved from Mt. Hygeia, Dr. Drowne's home in Foster, Rhode Island, to Brown. This fine example of an 18th century American private library is preserved intact within Special Collections. ...more information
Edward North Robinson Collection of Brown University Athletics
The Edward North Robinson Collection of Brown University Athletics contains more than 30,000 photographs, over 900 reels of motion pictures, manuscripts, cartoons, scrapbooks, museum objects, office files, media guides and programs. This collection is part of the Brown University Archives. ...more information
Fisher (Rudolph) papers, 1919-1983
Rudolph Fisher (Class of 1919) was a Providence native, a medical doctor specializing in radiology and a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. His papers primarily contain various drafts and published copies of twenty-six of his short stories and novels, as well as book reviews and essays. The collection also contains correspondence, publicity materials, personal papers, family papers and newsclippings. Materials cover Fisher’s life from 1919 to his death in 1934, as well as the work on behalf of Fisher done by his sister, Pearl, until 1983. ...more information
Frost (Edwin Collins) and William Henry Frost papers, 1890-1941 (bulk 1890-1910)
This collection, dating from 1890 to 1941, consists of letters addressed to both Edwin Collins Frost (1867-1956) and William Henry Frost (1863-1902) and a small autograph collection. Edwin Collins Frost was an assistant and instructor of rhetoric at Brown University from 1895 to 1898 and the cataloguer of Marsden J. Perry's Shakespeare Collection from 1901 to 1907. William Henry Frost joined the New York Tribune in 1887 as a reporter and drama critic and was the author of four books for children. ...more information
Gleeson (Alice Collins) papers, 1935-1937
The Alice Collins Gleason papers consist of scripts and preparation sheets for radio plays about early Rhode Island history written for elementary and junior high schools in Rhode Island. The plays date from 1935-1937. ...more information
Green (Eleanor Burges) papers, 1906-1948
These papers contain correspondence relating to Eleanor Burges Green's support of Pembroke College, her role in organizing a memorial service to Dean Lida Shaw King who died in 1932, and the publication and distribution of two books paying tribute to Dean King. Additional materials include a draft of a Rhode Island Society for the Collegiate Education of Women resolution and correspondence with the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. ...more information
Herlihy (David) papers, 1951-2000
These papers represent the intellectual and professional corpus of medieval historian, and Brown University professor, David Herlihy. Herlihy is considered a pioneer in the use of computers to analyze historical data to extrapolate socioeconomic trends and their impact on life during the middle ages. The collection includes Herlihy's research notebooks, notes, computer code books, pre-published and un-published drafts of articles and monographs, his Ph.D. dissertation, reviews of his publications, lecture notes and teaching materials, professional correspondence, papers documenting professional activities, speeches and addresses, photographs, and miscellaneous personal ephemera and papers. ...more information
Jay Saunders Redding (1906-1988) papers
Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Saunders Redding graduated from Brown in 1928. After two years of teaching he returned to Brown to earn an A.M. in 1932. A writer and specialist in African-American Literature, Redding spent the majority of his teaching career at the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, where he was Professor of English from 1943 to 1966. He subsequently taught at taught Duke, George Washington and Cornell Universities. In 1949, he returned to Brown for a brief stint as a visiting Professor, thus becoming the first African American to teach at an Ivy League school. He later served as Director of the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Research and Publications from 1966 to 1969.

The Redding papers cover his long career as a writer, academic and administrator, and document his involvement with numerous African American organizations and causes. ...more information
Jenckes (Thomas Allen) papers, 1834-1870
One box, chiefly correspondence to Thomas Allen Jenckes, Congressional Representative from Rhode Island, about legal matters and legislative affairs for the period of 1837 to 1870. ...more information
Jones (Samuel) papers, 1760-1794
These papers consist primarily of correspondence from James Manning, first president of Brown University, discussing issues relating to the founding of the college, such as fundraising, the charter, and the use of University Hall as barracks by the United States government during the American Revolutionary War. ...more information
Keely (George Washington) papers, 1820-1834
These papers primarily consist of correspondence concerning events leading to the resignation of President Asa Messer and the educational developments in Providence between 1829 and 1833. ...more information
Ladd Observatory records, circa 1875-1971
Correspondences, articles, scrapbooks, course material, photographs, offprints, newspaper clippings, etc. Includes correspondence, professional papers and photographs of and relating to the research and teaching of Brown University astronomers Winslow Upton (founding director of Ladd Observatory), Charles Hugh Smiley, and Clinton Harvey Currier.

The collection includes a number of historic astronomical instruments, including sextants, octants, and an azimuth.

The Papers of Charles H. Smiley, located in the Brown University Archives, form a closely related collection. ...more information
Lewis (David C.) papers
The David C. Lewis papers contain information on his efforts to collect historical collections concerning alcoholism, and his work at the local, state and federal level concerning alcoholism and addiction. The collection contains correspondence, legal papers, writings, printed materials, meeting minutes, audiovisual materials and financial papers including appraisals of collections which David Lewis had acquired or was exploring acquiring for the Brown University library. ...more information
Littlefield (Katherine Frances) papers, 1887-1912
The Katherine Frances Littlefield papers chronicles the early professional life of a 1902 graduate of Pembroke College at Brown University through letters to her mother from 1905-1909. The letters focus on the establishment of her professional career and family matters. ...more information
Lord (Augustus Mendon) collection of letters and autographs of famous personages, 1778-1908 (bulk 1876-1908)
The Augustus Mendon Lord Papers includes correspondence, documents, and autographs of prominent figures from the period 1778 through 1908. The bulk of the correspondence pertains to American politicians, particularly members of Congress, and dates from 1876 through 1908. However, the collection also contains autographs and documents from American and European military, scientific, literary, and artistic figures. ...more information
Luce (Nancy) papers, 1725-1964 (bulk 1833-1889)
The Nancy Luce Papers comprise manuscripts poems, accounts, journals, photographs, family papers and clippings that cover the period from 1725 to 1964. ...more information
Mann (Horace) family papers, 1819-1952
These papers consist primarily of correspondence dating from 1829 to 1856. Letters discuss topics of teacher institutes, women’s issues, and Mann’s work in the House of Representatives. The majority of the letters were written by Horace Mann, Charlotte Messer Mann, Mary Tyler Peabody Mann, and James Stuart Holmes. ...more information
Manning (James) papers, 1761-1827 (bulk 1765-1791)
The James Manning Papers consist primarily of correspondence dating from 1765-1791 with prominent British and American Baptist ministers. Much of the correspondence involves the early history of Brown University or various issues regarding the Baptist religion and the growing tide of religion in Providence, Rhode Island. ...more information
Margaret Bingham Stillwell papers, ca. 1925-1984
The papers of Margaret Bingham Stillwell, librarian of the Annmary Brown Memorial, 1917 - 1953, and professor of bibliography, 1948 - 1953. Includes personal correspondence, incunabula census correspondence, Annmary Brown Memorial correspondence, manuscripts, notes, poetry, talks, subject files, personal papers, Hroswitha Club Papers, specimen pages and galley proofs of Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke. ...more information
Maud Howe Elliott Papers, 1882-1948

Correspondence (mostly dating between 1890 and 1940), manuscripts, lectures and scrapbooks of a Newport-based literary figure who was the daughter of the poet Julia Ward Howe and activist Samuel Gridley Howe, and wife of the artist John Elliott. The collection includes unpublished manuscripts for Elliott's memoirs "Afternoon Tea" and "Memories of Eighty Years." ...more information
Paterson (William) papers, 1919-2003
The William Paterson Papers, dating from 1919-2003, includes photographs, plays in manuscript, an autobiography in manuscript, a pen and ink drawing, clippings, military decorations, acting awards, pamphlets, and other documents. Paterson, a Brown University graduate (Class of 1941) and a World War II veteran, was an actor by profession. He joined the Cleveland Playhouse in 1947 and worked there for the next 20 years. In 1967 he joined the American Conservatory Theatre where he remained for over 30 years. He also occasionally performed in television and film productions. ...more information
Poland (William Carey) papers, 1860-1910
William Carey Poland (1846-1929) was a member of the Class of 1868, and subsequently professor of Classics at Brown from 1870 to 1892. After his return from a sabbatical year in Greece in 1892, he was named the first Professor in the History of Art at Brown. He later served as President of the Rhode Island School of Design (1896-1907), but continued to teach the history of art at Brown until his retirement in 1915. Poland House, a residence hall on the Brown campus, is named for him.

The William Carey Poland Papers consist of 9 diaries and 24 photographs dating from around 1860 to 1910. Two of the diaries are in the hand of Clara (Harkness) Poland and one is in the hand of William Poland Jr. The photographs in the collection include various images of the Poland family as well of Prof. Poland at an archaeological dig, probably in Greece. ...more information
Powel (Harford W.H) collection on T.S. Eliot
This material was collected by Powel for his master's thesis, Notes on the life of T. S. Eliot 1888-1910, Brown University, 1954. Autograph and typed letters to and from Eliot's classmates; miscellaneous manuscripts relating to T. S. Eliot and Harvard College ca. 1909; photostats of selected contributions by Eliot to Smith Academy Record and Harvard Advocate. ...more information
Rhode Island College miscellaneous papers, 1763-1804
A collection of early historical documents of Brown University from the petition for a charter in 1763 to the change of name from Rhode Island College to Brown University in 1804. Titles of the papers and folder numbers are taken from the two volumes in which the papers had previously been mounted. ...more information
Rhode Island Society for the Collegiate Education of Women records, 1895-1971
The records of the Rhode Island Society for the Collegiate Education of Women (RISCEW) consist of the organization's meeting minute records, correspondence, news clippings, organizational histories, membership lists and financial ledgers from 1895-1971. Additional materials within the collection are reports by various committees, such as the Building Committee, Evaluation Committee, and the War Service Committee of 1918-1919. ...more information
Robinson (Ezekial Gilman) papers, 1848-1896
The Ezekiel Gilman Robinson papers primarily contain the business correspondence of Robinson during his presidency at Brown University between 1872 and 1889. Also included are three typewritten drafts of an article entitled, "The Professor of Philosophy," by Alfred Gideon Langley about Robinson. This article was meant to be a supplement to Robinson’s autobiography but it was never published. ...more information
Sears (Barnas) papers, 1833-1879
Barnas Sears graduated from Brown University in 1825 and served as the fifth president of Brown from 1855-1867. This collection primarily consists of correspondence from Sears' service as president of Brown University. ...more information
Tefft (Thomas Alexander) Architectural Drawings, 1844-1859
Architectural drawings by Thomas Alexander Tefft, Brown University Class of 1851. ...more information
Theodore Francis Green Papers, [ca. 1907-1938]
T.F. Green (class of 1887) was at different times a lawyer with Green, Hinckley and Allen and with Green, Curran, and Hart. He was an instructor in law at Brown University and served as Governor of Rhode Island. The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence; legal case files; financial files; family history; political files ...more information
Turner (William Mason) papers, 1857-1877
Contains personal correspondence, legal documents, poetry, photographs, and sketches of William Mason Turner, a graduate of Brown University (1855), physician, Confederate surgeon, traveler and author. ...more information
Van Nostrand (A. D.) papers, 1945-1997
Papers, 1945-1997, of Professor A. D. Van Nostrand, professor emeritus of English at Brown University, including information on the Center for Research in Writing, scripts from educational television shows, textbooks regarding the functional writing model, and personal papers. ...more information
Watson (John Brown) collection
John Brown Watson (Class of 1904) was among the earliest African American alumni of Brown University and had a distinguished career in the historically Black colleges of the South. After a teaching stint at Morehouse College, Watson moved into a career as an administrator. He became founding President of Leland College in Baker, Louisiana, in 1923, and later ascended to the presidency of Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal School, later known as Arkansas A&M University (now: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff).

The Watson papers cover, among other topics, African American education; the role of the African American woman as Christian homemaker and as community leader in education; land reform (creation of farms and rental of property to poor African Americans); African American business; African American leadership of the early 20th century; and African American missions in Africa.
...more information
Williams Table Collection
The reassembled colonial library of Brown University. The "Distresses of our oppressed Country," as the American Revolution was described in a class petition, interrupted the College's course of instruction between December, 1776 and June, 1782. The College Edifice was used as a barracks and hospital for the American and French troops. The library, fortunately, was removed and stored in rural Wrentham, Massachusetts at the home of William Williams, of Williams Table fame.

Upon the reorganization of the College in the fall of 1782, the Corporation resolved that the "Library, which, owing to the public confusions, has for several years been in the country, after being compared and examined by the catalogue, be immediately brought with care into town." The catalog in question, undated and in President Manning's hand, probably was compiled in 1782 and listed some 6oo volumes. Most of those volumes survive today as the Williams Table Collection and they constitute one of Brown's most institutionally significant special collections. ...more information

Image Source: David Augustus Leonard. College Edifice and President's House. Colored reproduction of circa 1795 engraving circa 1945. Brown University Archives.

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