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Dorothy Foster papers

 Collection
Identifier: BMC-12H-Foster-1904

Scope and Contents

The Dorothy Foster papers contain the correspondence of Dorothy Foster, Bryn Mawr College class of 1904. This collection contains approximately 120 letters Dorothy Foster wrote to her mother during her junior and senior years at Bryn Mawr.

The collection consists of one box containing nine folders. The letters are arranged chronologically within the folders, with the exception of the first folder, which contains miscellaneous items, including her academic records and an essay about May Day.

Dorothy wrote her mother on an average of five to six times a month about her daily life in college, her courses, social events, plays, and lectures. The letters cover a variety of subjects and give a good impression of what it was like to be a Bryn Mawr student in the early twentieth century. Subjects include visiting speakers and their lectures, formal dinners, teas, club meetings, exams, hosting prospective students, the formation of the English club, Self-Government meetings, personal forays into early science courses at Bryn Mawr, and trips into Philadelphia. Among the speakers she met was poet W. B. Yeats. Foster was senior class president in 1904 and often writes of meeting with President M. Carey Thomas, about class matters. Foster also wrote in-depth about concerts, plays, and operas she attended in Philadelphia.

Researchers interested in the intellectual and social culture of women's colleges in the early 20th century will find this collection to be of value. Those with a specific interest in English and Philosophy at Bryn Mawr, W.B. Yeats, and Bryn Mawr's traditions would find this collection of exceptional use.

Dates

  • Creation: 1902 - 1904

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Dorothy Foster Papers are the physical property of Bryn Mawr College Special Collections.

Biographical / Historical

Dorothy Foster was born in 1883 in Salem, Massachusetts, daughter of Genevieve Stimpson and James M. Foster. She attended Bryn Mawr College from 1900-1904. She majored in English and Philosophy and held the offices of Senior Class President in ’04, secretary to the Philosophy Club in ’03- ’04, and membership in the English Club in ’03-’04.

After Bryn Mawr, Foster earned an A. M. in English Literature from Radcliffe in 1908 and did further graduate work at Harvard from 1913-1914. Her field of interest was Restoration and Shakespearean Drama. Foster was a Reader at Mount Holyoke College an English Literature class which led to an assistant professorship. She became a full professor in 1930 and a professor emeritus in 1948. When on leave, Foster spent time doing research in England during and after the First World War.

Dorothy Foster died on January 27th, 1968 in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Extent

0.5 linear ft. (1 document box containing 9 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Dorothy Foster was a student at Bryn Mawr from 1900-1904. The papers consist of her letters written by Foster to her mother, Genevieve Stimpson, during her junior and senior years of college (1902-1904). The letters primarily concern her school work, her duties as class president, news about the college, guests she hosted, and lectures she attended. They are arranged in folders by date, with the exception of the first folder of miscellaneous items including academic records and an essay about May Day. Dorothy Foster was born in 1883 in Salem, Massachusetts, daughter of Genevieve Stimpson and James M. Foster. She majored in English and Philosophy and held the offices of Senior Class President in ’04, secretary to the Philosophy Club in ’03- ’04, and membership in the English Club in ’03-’04. After Bryn Mawr, Foster earned an A. M. in English Literature from Radcliffe in 1908 and did further graduate work at Harvard from 1913-1914. Her field of interest was Restoration and Shakespearean Drama. Foster was a Reader at Mount Holyoke College an English Literature class which led to an assistant professorship. She became a full professor in 1930 and a professor emeritus in 1948. When on leave, Foster spent time doing research in England during and after the First World War. Dorothy Foster died on January 27th, 1968 in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digitized versions of folders 2-9 in the Dorothy Foster papers can be found on Triptych at http://triptych.brynmawr.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/dfoster

Related Materials

A related collection resides at Mount Holyoke College, where Dorothy Foster was a professor, and contains correspondence from 1914-1923 written by Foster to her father, James Foster.

A link containing a description of the Mount Holyoke collection can be found here: http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/mountholyoke/mshm031.html

Processing Information

Initial processing completed by Hilary Hafner, December 18, 1987.

Subject

Title
Dorothy Foster papers
Status
Completed
Author
Hilary Hafner Allison Rodgers Rebecca Morawski Cassidy Gruber Baruth
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Bryn Mawr College Library

Contact:
Bryn Mawr College Library
101 N. Merion Avenue
Bryn Mawr 19010 USA US
610-526-6576