Margaret Scattergood papers

The Margeret Scattergood papers are a collection of the personal and academic papers of Margeret Scattergood, Bryn Mawr College Class of 1917. The collection, which ranges from 1909 to 1985, is primarily composed of academic notebooks and correspondence.

The collection is divided into three series: “Series I: Academic notebooks and English papers written while a student at Bryn Mawr, 1913-1917;” “Series II: Academic notebooks kept while attending the University of Edinburgh, 1921-1922;” and “Series III: Correspondence with classmates and the Alumnae Association, reunion memorabilia, 1948 and 1967-1985.”

“Series I” consists of Scattergood’s notebook for History of English Literature (1914-1915) and many essays written for her other English classes, many of which have comments on them which were written by instructors. The papers are particularly interesting because they address college-specific issues as Self Government, settlement work, student life, the Bryn Mawr campus, and raising money for a new athletic field, as well as current events issues, like women’s suffrage and civil rights. “Series II” contains notes for her classes at the University of Edinburgh, where she studied from 1921-1922. These classes range from Economics to English Literature. “Series III” contains Scattergood’s correspondence with her classmates and the Alumnae Association; 1917 reunion memorabilia; and materials related to Constance Applebee. Among the most prolific of her correspondents are Natalie McFaden Blanton, Gladys Bryant, and Ryu Sato Oyaizu.

This collection is interesting for the insight it provides into the opinions of a Bryn Mawr student from 1917. The essays in the collection elucidate the ways in which the college has and has not changed as an academic institution. It provides additional useful insight into classes at the University of Edinburgh during the early 1920s. The collection would be of use to those interested in Bryn Mawr life circa 1913-1917, the English department at Bryn Mawr, Constance Applebee, or the University of Edinburgh.