O'KEEFE, Georgia

Archive of Autograph Material

A small archive of three autograph letters totaling four quarto pages, each Signed by O'Keefe, as well as an original photographic postcard Signed by O'Keefe. All the correspondence is to Eleanor Anderson, the fourth and final wife of the author Sherwood Anderson, who was busily engaged in compiling her late husband's letters for publication and had extensive correspondence with many of his friends and colleagues. The earliest letter, one page and dated 16 October 1952, gives Eleanor permission to use the Alfred Stieglitz portrait of Sherwood taken in the 1920s, gives her directions on how to use it and requests credit. She also mentions a letter she received from Sherwood about his novel Many Marriages that Eleanor might be interested in, but which she has forwarded to Yale with the other Stieglitz papers. Letter is folded for mailing, has a lipstick mouthprint on the edge of the letter where either O'Keefe or Anderson must have balanced it briefly, and is accompanied by the original hand-addressed envelope. The second letter, two-pages dated 16 January 1957, is about a potential visit from Anderson to O'Keefe discussing travel plans and methods of communication, as O'Keefe was without a phone. The third letter, one page dated 19 March 1957 is a brief invitation to visit. The original postcard is a striking photograph of a doorway, ladder and desert shrub in shadow, with a greeting on the verso: "Best greetings from 59 and always. Sincerely Georgia O'Keefe" and is in the original hand-addressed envelope postmarked 27 December 1958. O'Keefe's handwriting is flamboyant and beautifully drawn. A superb little archive.

[BTC #33245]