Nina Fletcher Little Correspondence

Description

This series contains Nina Fletcher Little's professional correspondence as well as letters and receipts pertaining to Nina and Bertram K. Littles' collection of artwork and decorative objects. There are several distinct clusters within this series. The first seventeen folders are a chronological sequence containing Little's correspondence with a wide array of museums, libraries, galleries, historical societies, magazine editors, students, collectors, and dealers. The letters, spanning 1936-1992 (bulk 1936-1976), demonstrate Little's role as an authority in the fields of decorative arts and folk art and offer a window into her professional activities throughout her life. The chronologically arranged letters are followed by a cluster of correspondence with antiques dealer Clifton Blake. The correspondence, spanning 1946-1970, consists mostly of incoming letters from Blake. Selina Fletcher Little notes that Clifton Blake was a longtime friend of Nina Fletcher Little, and that their letters "give a wonderful picture of dealers, collectors and the antiques world of those years."

Also within this series are files related to the Littles' collection of artwork and decorative objects. There are twelve folders of letters and receipts dating 1927-1988 pertaining to items that the Littles purchased; two folders of receipts related to the conservation and sale of items within the Littles' collection; and a single file containing miscellaneous information on collection objects. Researchers interested in the Littles' collection may also wish to consult the Little Collection Catalogues and Inventories series.

While the concentration of receipts related to the Littles' collection may seem out of place in the Correspondence series, Selina Fletcher Little arranged it in this manner, possibly reflecting the original order of Nina Fletcher Little. Therefore, the archival processor left the arrangement intact. All of the papers in this series were stored together in one carton, in folders created by Selina Fletcher Little. The exact order of folders, and papers within each folder, has been preserved.