Collection inventory

Special Collections home page
printer friendly version

Horace Traubel Collection

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Title: Horace Traubel Collection
Inclusive Dates: 1910-1931
Quantity: 1.5 linear ft.
Abstract: Author and Marxian socialist. Collection contains correspondence with Konrad Bercovici and others, photographs, printed material and manuscripts.
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Horace Traubel (1858-1919) was an American poet, essayist, and author. Traubel was also a dedicated Socialist, and one of the founders of the socialist weekly newspaper The Worker. He is best known for being Whitman's literary executor and author of a nine-volume biography of hitman's final four years (1888-1892), entitled Walt Whitman in Camden. He and his wife, Anne, had

Jean Simpson was apparently a close friend of both Traubel and his wife Anne, judging by the correspondence contained in the collection.

Return to top

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Horace Traubel Collection consists of correspondence, photographs, printed material and writings.

Correspondence contains letters from Traubel to Romanian-American writer Konrad Bercovici and to Jean Simpson, and letters from Anne Traubel to Jean Simpson. There are a few unidentified items as well. The Simpson correspondence contains photocopies only, no originals.

Most of the Photographs are of Traubel, alone and with others; some are pasted into a scrapbook and others loose. There are also two photographs of Konrad Bercovici, and a photograph of a sketch by Modigliani of either Traubel or Bercovici.

Manuscripts consists of two bound volumes in which have been pasted sheets of handwritten manuscripts by Traubel. One is a long poem entitled "Put down your pen, said Love" and the other is an essay on Oscar Wilde and Frank Harris.

Printed material contains small cards printed with poems by Traubel; the poems concern birthdays, and were written on December 19th of 1910, 1912, 1913 and 1914.

Return to top

Arrangement of the Collection

Alphabetically by type or topic.

Return to top

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Return to top

Related Material

See also the Konrad Bercovici Collection for additional Bercovici letters.

Return to top

Subject Headings

Persons

Bercovici, Konrad, 1882-1961.
Harris, Frank, 1856-1931.
Traubel, Horace, 1858-1919.
Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation.

Subjects

Authors, American -- 19th century.
Poets, American -- 19th century.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Manuscripts (document genre)
Photographs.
Printed ephemera.
Scrapbooks.
negatives (photographs)

Occupations

Authors.
Poets.

Return to top

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Horace Traubel Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Simpson correspondence and scrapbook, gift of Jean Simpson, 1968. Bercovici material, transfer from Rare Books, 1971; original source unknown. Manuscripts, unspecified, 1977.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 6 Oct 2010
Revision history: 16 Jul 2012 - LCNAF updates (MRC); 27 Sep 2017 - additions processed (MRC)

Return to top

Inventory

Correspondence
Box 1 Bercovici, Konrad 1914-1918
Box 1 Simpson, Jean, from Anne Traubel 1915, 1924-1931, undated (4 folders)
Box 1 Simpson, Jean, from Horace Traubel 1915-1919 - includes typed transcripts of some of the letters, provided by donor (2 folders)
Box 1 Miscellaneous
Manuscripts
Box 1 Put down your pen, said Love
Box 1 Wilde / Harris essay
Photographs
Box 1 Of Traubel (2 folders)
Oversize 1 Of Traubel
Oversize 2 Scrapbook, photographs of Traubel - one photo is inscribed to Jean Simpson
Box 1 Miscellaneous - Bercovici, Modigliani sketch
Printed material
Box 1 Birthday poems 1910-1914

Return to top