Leitch, Mary Sinton Correspondence with J. J. Lankes Mary Sinton Leitch Correspondence with J. J. Lankes Ms.2017.001

Mary Sinton Leitch Correspondence with J. J. Lankes Ms.2017.001


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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu

Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.2017.001
Title
Mary Sinton Leitch Correspondence with J. J. Lankes 1932-1950
Quantity
0.2 Cubic Feet, 1 box
Creator
Leitch, Mary Sinton, 1876-1954
Language
English .
Abstract
The collection includes 27 letters (some with covers and envelopes) written by Mary Sinton Leitch to J. J. Lankes between 1932 and 1950. Introduced by a mutual friend, Leitch and Lankes maintained a more than 18-year correspondence that contained conversations of personal news & friends, the Virginia literary and art scene, and their own writing and artistic efforts (including Lankes collaborations with poet Robert Frost).

Administrative Information

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Mary Sinton Leitch Correspondence with J. J. Lankes must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Mary Sinton Leitch Correspondence with J. J. Lankes, Ms2017-001, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Mary Sinton Leitch Correspondence with J. J. Lankes was purchased by Special Collections in June 2015.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Mary Sinton Leitch Correspondence with J. J. Lankes commenced in November 2016 was completed in January 2017.


Biographical Note: Mary Sinton Leitch (1876-1954)

Mary Sinton Lewis was born in New York City, New York, in 1876 to Carlton Thomas and Nancy Dunlap McKeen Lewis. After attending Smith College and Columbia University, as well as schools in Europe, she worked in New York City, first as a women's prison inspector, and later as a contributing editor to several magazines and newspapers. In 1907, after taking some time to travel, she married John David Leitch and the couple settled in eastern Virginia. She helped to found the Poetry Society of Virginia, serving as both its president (1933) and co-president (1944-1945). She contined to service in editorial capacities, editing the Lyric Virginia Today (vol. 1), though writing became her larger focus. Between 1922 and 1952, she authored seven collections of poetry and short fiction: The Wagon and the Star (1922), The Unrisen Morrow (1926), The Black Moon (1929), Spider Architect (1937), From Invisible Mountains (1943), Himself and I (1950), and Nightingales on the Moon (1952). Leitch died in August 1954 and is buried in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Many of her individual poems can be found online and a complete digitized version of The Wagon and the Star is available through the Internet Archive.

Source: Social Networks and Archival Context record for Leitch, Mary Sinton, 1876-1954

Biographical Note : J. J. Lankes (1884-1960)

Julius John (J. J.) Lankes was born in 1884 in Buffalo, NY. He began working as a draftsman in 1902, but spent the majority of his professional life known for his woodcuts. His career as an artist spanned decades, during which he created woodcuts and illustrations for authors, among others. In addition to Sherwood Anderson, he worked with Robert Frost and Beatrix Potter. Lankes wrote and illustrated A Woodcut Manual , published by Henry Holt in 1932. In 2006, The University of Tampa published a new edition of this book with selected letters and other writings, edited by Welford Dunaway Taylor. (A copy of the 2006 edition is housed in Special Collections. A copy of the 1932 edition is available at the University Libraries' Art & Architecture Library.) In addition to his illustrations and work as an artist, Lankes taught at Wells College from 1933 to about 1940. From 1943 to 1950, Lankes worked for the reproduction section of the National Advisory Council for Aeronautics (NACA, later NASA). He retired in 1951 and died in April 1960.

Scope and Content

The collection includes 27 letters (some with covers and envelopes) written by Mary Sinton Leitch to J. J. Lankes between 1932 and 1950. Introduced by a mutual friend, Leitch and Lankes maintained a more than 18-year correspondence that contained conversations of personal news & friends, the Virginia literary and art scene, and their own writing and artistic efforts (including Lankes collaborations with poet Robert Frost). Leitch seemed to a center for social activity for writers and artists, hosting Lankes, Frost, Louis Jaffe, and others, and many of her letters include plans for events relating to the Poetry Society of Virginia.

Related Material

For additional materials relating to J. J. Lankes held by Special Collections, see:

The Welford D. Taylor Collection on Sherwood Anderson (Ms2015-020), includes correspondence between Anderson and Lankes, as well as between Anderson's widow, Eleanor Copenhaver Anderson and Lankes, and a variety of Anderson researchers and Lankes.
The Marvin H. Neel Papers, (Ms2016-022) contains biographical resources, ephemera, correspondence, and writings and woodcut prints by and related to Marvin H. Neel (1908-1978), created between 1933 and 1988, including letters and postcards to J. J. Lankes (1951-1961).

Virginia Commonwealth University also includes papers of Mary Sinton Leitch. A finding aid for this collection is available online.

The Rauner Special Collections Library of Dartmouth University contains a collection of J. J. Lankes papers. A finding aid for the collection is available online.

Subjects and Indexing Terms


Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

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Container List

box-folder 1 folder: 1
June 18, 1932 (1 letter)
box-folder 1 folder: 2
July 13, 1939 (1 letter)
box-folder 1 folder: 3
March 24, 1940 (1 letter)
box-folder 1 folder: 4
1941 (10 letters)
box-folder 1 folder: 5
1944 (4 letters)
box-folder 1 folder: 6
1945 (4 letters)
box-folder 1 folder: 7
1947 (4 letters)
box-folder 1 folder: 8
October 11, 1948 (1 letter)
box-folder 1 folder: 9
October 16, 1949 (1 letter)
box-folder 1 folder: 10
1950 (2 letters)