Rachel Field collection

Collection

Identifier: MRBC-MS-00136

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection of Rachel Field’s papers include manuscripts of her poems, postcards and greeting cards and other print ephemera, including some of Field’s draft illustrations.

Also included in the collection are items relating to her husband, Arthur S. Pederson. In addition, there is a collection of book jackets from Field’s published works.

Dates of Materials

Creation: 1920 - 1957

Creator

Field, Rachel Lyman (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for use without restriction beyond the standard terms and conditions of Smith College Special Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

To the extent that she owns copyright, Marion Severn has assigned the copyright of Field's works to Smith College; however, copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For reproductions of materials that are governed by fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For instances which may regard materials in the collection not created by Field, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold materials' copyrights and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from Smith College Special Collections to move forward with their use.

Biographical / Historical

Rachel Lyman Field is primarily remembered as a children's writer, but also wrote adult fiction, poetry and plays. Field was born in New York City on September 19, 1894 to Dr. Matthew D. Field, a physician, and Lucy Atwater Field. She attended and graduated from Radcliffe College (1914-1918). Her family traditionally summered in Stockbridge, Mass, however after a summer on Sutton Island, Maine in 1910 she continued to spend summers there for the next thirty years, purchasing her own house there in 1922. The remainder of the year she spent in New York City, until 1938 when she moved to Hollywood, California.

Her book Hitty, Her First Hundred Years (New York: Macmillan, 1929) was the winner of the 1930 Newbery Medal.

She married Arthur S. Pederson in 1935 and soon thereafter they adopted daughter Hannah. Together they wrote To See Ourselves (New York: Macmillan, 1937). She died of pneumonia at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California following surgery on March 15, 1942. Her husband, daughter Hannah, and her mother, Mrs. M. D. Field of Farmington, Conn. survived her. She was buried at Stockbridge, Mass.

Extent

0.438 linear feet (1 container)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Rachel Lyman Field is primarily remembered as a children's writer, but also wrote adult fiction, poetry and plays. This collection of Rachel Field’s papers include manuscripts of her poems, postcards and greeting cards and other print ephemera, including some of Field’s draft illustrations. Also included in the collection are items relating to her husband, Arthur S. Pederson, as well as a collection of book jackets from Field’s published works.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in 5 series:

SERIES II. WRITINGS AND DRAWINGS BY RACHEL FIELD

SERIES III. HANDMADE GREETING CARDS TO ARTHUR PEDERSON

SERIES IV. CORRESPONDENCE

SERIES V. MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS

SERIES VI. BOOK JACKETS FROM FIELD’S PUBLISHED WORK

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Rachel Field collection of papers held by the Mortimer Rare Book Room of Smith College was purchased in 1968 as part of a collection of Field's books. The papers in this collection were items inserted in those books and removed from them. The collection of books purchased by the Mortimer Rare Book Room was previously owned by Marion Severn, Field’s long time friend, often referred to by Field as “Swish”. Some of the books were presentation copies to Ms. Severn, while others apparently were acquired by Severn from other sources.

Appraisal

Series I, consisting of a single folder of printouts made by MRBR staff from Wikipedia and other web sources, was removed from the collection in July 2021.

Related Materials

Papers of Rachel Field, 1933-1939; Located at: University of Virginia Library.

Rachel Field collection, 1917-1942; Located at: Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Rachel Field papers, 1907-1967 and undated; Located at: Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno.

Rachel Lyman Field collection, 1925-1971; Located at: Maine Women Writers Collection of the University of New England, Portland, Maine.

Stockbridge authors’ manuscripts, 1875-ca. 1960; Located at: Stockbridge Library Association, Mass.