Preferred Citation	Elizabeth Dewing Kaup Papers (Manuscript Collection MS-02246). Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
	Acquisition:	Gift, 1974
	Processed by:	Susan Brady, 1986; Kevin O’Sullivan, 2010

Repository:

Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin

	Elizabeth Bartol Dewing Kaup was born in New York City on November 26, 1885, the daughter of artists Maria Oakey and Thomas William Dewing. She spent her youth in New York, Cornish, New Hampshire, London, and Paris, but lived in New York City for most of her adult life. During her early literary career, Kaup wrote under the name Elizabeth Dewing. After her marriage to Kaup she used the name Elizabeth Dewing Kaup, and continued to do so throughout her life.
	Kaup first achieved literary success in 1909, when her book Other People’s Houses was published by MacMillan. MacMillan also published her next work in 1911, A Big Horse to Ride. These novels were followed by My Son John, published by Minton, Balch and Company in 1926, Eagles Fly High, published by Frederick A. Stokes Company in 1929, Not for the Meek, published by MacMillan in 1941, Seed of the Puritan, published by Dial Press in 1943, and Repeat with Laughter, published by Appleton-Century-Crofts in 1948.
	In addition to her novels, Kaup had numerous short stories and articles published in magazines which included Pagan Magazine, the Century Magazine, Writer’s Digest, Harper’s Magazine and House and Garden. A stage play, Don’t Bother Mother, co-authored by Courtenay Savage, was produced at the Little Theatre in New York in 1925. In addition to her literary work, Kaup had a short stage career following World War I, appeared on a lectured circuit in the 1940s, and was a New York radio personality.
	Although Kaup’s popularity as a novelist waned after 1948, she continued to write and submit to publishers a wide variety of literary works. She died in Savannah, Georgia in 1966.

The papers of Elizabeth Dewing Kaup contain correspondence, diaries, literary productions, printed material, legal and financial documents, maps, drawings, and photographic materials related to both her personal life and her literary career. The papers are arranged into two series: I. Personal and II. Literary. Letters dated 1909-1966 between Kaup and her family and friends not directly involved in her literary career form the bulk of the materials relating to her personal life. Five-year diaries dating from 1924 to 1958 and 1964 to 1966, undated family photographs, legal documents dating from 1911 to 1966, and financial documents dating from 1956-1957 relating to the estate of Kaup’s daughter, Elizabeth Dewing Richmond, chronicle the details of Kaup’s life as a daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. A small body of undated poetry, reminiscences, and typed and handwritten notes illuminate Kaup’s close familial ties. Correspondence and printed material reveal her involvement in New York City politics as an electee to New York City Judicial District Conventions in 1953, 1954, and 1958, and her association with the Theosophical Society of Savannah, Georgia as a member and guest speaker during the 1950s and 1960s.

Over two-thirds of the Kaup papers consist of materials relating to her literary career. A large body of correspondence between Kaup and her literary colleagues, agents, and publishers detail the development of Kaup’s career from 1909-1966. Over one hundred undated manuscripts are contained in the collection. These include published and unpublished novels, short stories, poetry, stage and radio plays, and articles on a variety of subjects including women and careers, theosophy, and gardening. Resumes, autobiographical sketches written for publicity purposes, and typed transcriptions of radio interviews provide insight into how Kaup viewed her life as a professional writer. Newspaper and magazine clippings, publisher’s catalogs, pamphlets, and flyers provide information on the critical reception of Kaup’s publications throughout her career. A small body of legal and financial documents, including contracts and royalty notices, date intermittently from 1909 to 1958.