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University of Texas at Austin

Nancy Cunard:

An Inventory of Her Literary File Photography Collection at the Harry Ransom Center

Creator: Cunard, Nancy, 1896-1965
Title: Nancy Cunard Literary File Photography Collection
Dates: 1859-1964
Extent: 5893 items
Abstract: The Nancy Cunard Literary File consists of 3,675 photographic and photomechanical prints, 1 transparency, 2,211 nitrate and acetate negatives, and 6 glass-plate negatives, the majority of which are photographs of various identified and unidentified people, including numerous images of Cunard throughout her life, both alone and with others. Also represented in the file are Sir Bache and Lady Emerald Cunard (Cunard’s parents), Cunard’s French friend Géraldine [Lafettre?], as well as Louis Aragon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jean Cocteau, Edward Gordon Craig, Henry Crowder, Norman Douglas, W. C. Handy, Langston Hughes, Aldous Huxley, Pablo Neruda, George Padmore, and Tristan Tzara.
Call Number: Photography Collection PH-02672
Language: English
Access: Open for research. Please note: Transparencies may be accessed but require 24 hours advance notice. Negatives cannot be accessed without curatorial approval. Some materials may be restricted from viewing. To make an appointment or to reserve photography materials, please email Visual Materials Reference staff. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials.
Use Policies: Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University of Texas at Austin assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use: Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom Centers' Open Access and Use Policies.


Administrative Information


Preferred Citation Nancy Cunard Literary File Photography Collection (Photography Collection PH-02672). Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
Acquisition: Internal transfer.
Processed by: Ransom Center Staff
Repository:

Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Scope and Contents


The Nancy Cunard Literary File consists of 3,675 photographic and photomechanical prints, 1 transparency, 2,211 nitrate and acetate negatives, and 6 glass-plate negatives, the majority of which are photographs of various identified and unidentified people, including numerous images of Cunard throughout her life, both alone and with others. Also represented in the file are Sir Bache and Lady Emerald Cunard (Cunard’s parents), Cunard’s French friend Géraldine [Lafettre?], as well as Louis Aragon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jean Cocteau, Edward Gordon Craig, Henry Crowder, Norman Douglas, W. C. Handy, Langston Hughes, Aldous Huxley, Pablo Neruda, George Padmore, and Tristan Tzara. Some of the portraits, as well as other images, pertain to Negro Anthology, which Cunard edited and published in 1934; these images are indicated with corresponding page numbers from the first edition of the book. There are also photographs of prisoners and scenes from the Spanish Civil War. In addition to photographs of people, the file includes views of Nevill Holt, the Cunard family home, and other places in England; Peyreouro, Cunard’s home in Lamothe-Fénelon, France in the 1950s; other sites in France, especially in the Lot and Dordogne regions; talayots (Bronze Age megaliths) in Majorca and Minorca, Spain; as well as snapshots and postcards of Italy, the Caribbean islands, Mexico, Chile and other places in Central and South America. There are also numerous images of African sculptures, masks, and bracelets (including items from Cunard’s extensive personal collection), many photographic reproductions of European art (primarily from the Renaissance), and some snapshots of Dada works. All photos are black and white unless otherwise noted. An index at the end of this guide lists photographers whose work is featured in this file. Cunard presumably took many of the snapshots, but only those images which specifically credit her as photographer are listed in the index.
This collection forms a part of the Literary File Photography Collection, which is comprised of photographs and albums withdrawn from the libraries and/or papers of literary figures, and generally include portraits and images collected by or of those figures.

Related Material


Manuscripts by and relating to Nancy Cunard can be found in the Nancy Cunard Collection (MS-01010) at the Harry Ransom Center.

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