Inventory of the Muriel McCormick Papers, circa 1930s-1940s
A Collection in the
Manuscripts and Rare Books Department
Accession Number Acc. 2010.779
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Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary
Special CollectionsEarl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8794
USA
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Email: spcoll@wm.edu
URL: http://swem.wm.edu/scrc/
© 2006 By the College of William and Mary. All rights reserved.
Processed by: Special Collections Staff
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to all researchers.
Use Restrictions
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Preferred Citation
Muriel McCormick Papers, Accession #Acc. 2010.779, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.
Acquisition Information
This collection was purchased on 1/14/2011
Processing Information
Accessioned and minimally processed by Benjamin Bromley in January 2011. Physically and intellectually arranged by SCRC staff member Leigh Soares in March 2011.
Scope and Content
Diaries and photographs, circa 1930s-1940s, of Muriel McCormick. McCormick was a staff member at the United States embassy in Paris, France, from 1945-1946, and much of the collection chronicles her travels through Europe.
Index Terms
- France--Description and travel--20th century.
- Women travelers--Diaries
- Women--Diaries.
- Women--Travel
- World War, 1939-1945--Diplomatic history--Sources
- World War, 1939-1945--European Front
- Young women--Diaries
- Diaries
- Photographs
Subjects:
Genre and Form Terms:
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- France--Description and travel--20th century.
Detailed Description of the Collection
This series consists chiefly of five diaries left by Muriel McCormick, dated from 1937 to 1947. They follow her time as a high school student in Stamford, Connecticut, a young adult working in Washington, D.C., a staff member of the United States embassy in Paris, France, and then as a newlywed woman back in the U.S. Among the everyday details of her life are discussions about her aspirations, relationships, hobbies, and travels, as well as national or international news. Two of the diaries had photographs tucked inside the pages, but they have been removed and housed with the photograph series. Although the earliest diary has some water damage, the others are in fairly good condition. Additionally, the series includes an undated envelope which Muriel presumably used to send photographs to a studio for development after her time in Europe.
The collection also includes a large series of photographs. The majority of the series is arranged chronologically to trace Muriel McCormick's journey from Connecticut to Washington, D.C., to Paris and back to the U. S. While stationed at the embassy in Paris for over a year, she made several trips throughout Western Europe, taking hundreds of photographs of the places she visited. She labeled many of her photographs meticulously with dates and locations, but there is still a large group of unidentified landscapes that can be found here. When traveling as a tourist, she often also purchased packaged sets of souvenir images which are included throughout the series. Lastly, there are dozens of photographs with people as their main subjects. These include pictures of Muriel, her eventual husband, Ramon Hall, their families, and friends.
- Box-folder 1:1
North Stamford and Shelton, Connecticut undated
- Box-folder 1:2
Washington, D.C. 1942
- Box-folder 1:3
Fort Belvoir and Mt. Vernon, Virginia June 1942
- Box-folder 1:4
Baltimore, Maryland August 1942
- Box-folder 1:5
Stock Images: Baltimore, Maryland
- Box-folder 1:6
Paris, France undated
- Box-folder 1:7
Packaged Photographs, Paris
- Box-folder 1:8
Barbizon, France November 1945
- Box-folder 1:9
Bern, Switzerland December 1945
- Box-folder 1:10
Packaged Photographs, Bern
- Box-folder 1:11
Scheidegg and Interlaken, Switzerland December 1945
- Box-folder 1:12
Packaged Photographs, Basel
- Box-folder 1:13
Gstaad, Switzerland December 1945
- Box-folder 1:14
Packaged Photographs, Chillon
- Box-folder 1:15
Packaged Photographs, Geneva
- Box-folder 2:1
Brussels, Belgium December 1945
- Box-folder 2:2
Packaged Photographs, Brussels
- Box-folder 2:3
Stock Images: Waterloo, Belgium
- Box-folder 2:4
Packaged Photographs, Waterloo
- Box-folder 2:5
Packaged Photographs, Antwerp
- Box-folder 2:6
Packaged Photographs, Antwerp
- Box-folder 2:7
Packaged Photographs, Antwerp
- Box-folder 2:8
Reims, France December 1945
- Box-folder 2:9
Chartres, France March 1946
- Box-folder 2:10
French Riviera March 1946
- Box-folder 2:11
Packaged Photographs, Cote d'Azur
- Box-folder 2:12
Monte Carlo, Monaco March 1946
- Box-folder 2:13
Sceaux, France May 1946
- Box-folder 2:14
Normandy, France June 1946
- Box-folder 2:15
Stockholm, Sweden June 1946
- Box-folder 3:1
Packaged Photographs, Stockhom
- Box-folder 3:2
Packaged Photographs, Stockhom
- Box-folder 3:3
Denmark undated
- Box-folder 3:4
Packaged Photographs, Voldenam
- Box-folder 3:5
Bremen, Germany July 1946
- Box-folder 3:6
Frankfurt, Germany July 1946
- Box-folder 3:7
Hitler's Window, Bavarian Alps undated
- Box-folder 3:8
Chartres, France July 1946
- Box-folder 3:9
Packaged Photographs, Chartres
- Box-folder 3:10
Packaged Photographs, Malmaison
- Box-folder 3:11
Loire Valley, France (Day 1) July 1946
- Box-folder 3:12
Loire Valley, France (Day 2) July 1946
- Box-folder 3:13
Loire Valley, France (Day 3) July 1946
- Box-folder 4:1
Packaged Photographs, Chenonceaux
- Box-folder 4:2
Packaged Photographs, Milan
- Box-folder 4:3
Packaged Photographs, Milan
- Box-folder 4:4
Packaged Photographs, Milan Cathedral
- Box-folder 4:5
Packaged Photographs, Venice
- Box-folder 4:6
Florence, Italy October 1946
- Box-folder 4:7
Packaged Photographs, Florence
- Box-folder 4:8
Packaged Photographs, Florence
- Box-folder 4:9
Packaged Photographs, Florence
- Box-folder 4:10
Capri, Italy October 1946
- Box-folder 4:11
Packaged Photographs, Capri
- Box-folder 5:1
Rome, Italy October-November 1946
- Box-folder 5:2
London, England November 1946
- Box-folder 5:3
Packaged Photographs, London
- Box-folder 5:4
Packaged Photographs, Stratford-upon-Avon, England
- Box-folder 5:5
Packaged Photographs, Anne Hathway's Cottage
- Box-folder 5:6
Packaged Photographs, Shakespeare's Birthplace
- Box-folder 5:7
Packaged Photographs, New Place Museum
- Box-folder 5:8
York, England November 1946
- Box-folder 5:9
Packaged Photographs, Edinburgh
- Box-folder 5:10
Packaged Photographs, Dublin
- Box-folder 5:11
Mountainous Regions, The Virginias January 1947
- Box-folder 6:1
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 6:2
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 6:3
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 6:4
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 6:5
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 6:6
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 6:7
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:1
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:2
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:3
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:4
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:5
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:6
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:7
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 7:8
Unidentified Landscapes circa 1940s
- Box-folder 8:1
Unidentified Images from Packaged Sets
- Box-folder 8:2
Unidentified Packaged Set (#1-20)
- Box-folder 8:3
Unidentified Packaged Set (#21-40)
- Box-folder 8:4
Unidentified Packaged Set (#41-60)
- Box-folder 8:5
Muriel McCormick undated
- Box-folder 8:6
Ramon Hall circa 1945-1947
- Box-folder 8:7
Muriel and Ramon undated
- Box-folder 8:8
Family and Friends 1942-1947
- Box-folder 8:9
Unidentified Family and Friends undated
- Box-folder 8:10
Unidentified Friends circa 1940s
- Box-folder 8:11
Photographs Pulled from Diaries