Henry Holmes Smith archive

Series one, Correspondence, includes correspondence between Smith and students, museums, galleries, photography teachers, photographers, and others concerning conferences, exhibitions, articles, photographic education, and related subjects. Also includes “v-letters” to Smith during World War II from family and friends. Some letters came with enclosures that have been kept with the correspondence, including drafts of articles, publications, newspaper clippings, and other material. Includes incoming and outgoing letters.

Series two, Writings, includes drafts of articles, tearsheets, background material, notes, bibliographies, and related material by Henry Holmes Smith. Smith's writings, although primarily concerned with photography, also include short stories, poetry, newspaper articles, cartoons, illustrations, and filmstrip scripts. Transcripts of interviews with Smith and his correspondence concerning his editorial work for Minicam magazine have also been filed with his writings. Transcripts of lectures given by Smith - which were often turned into articles - are filed with other material on lectures, conferences, and workshops he attended, and with other records from the Society for Photographic Education. Similarly, notes written by Smith for exhibitions of his work have been filed with other material on his exhibitions.

Series three, Education, contains correspondence, class outlines, student papers, lecture notes and transcripts, conference and workshop announcements and programs, administrative records, and other material relating to courses taught by Smith and those taken by him, photographic workshops and conferences, Smith's work at the New Bauhaus in Chicago, his lectures and other subjects concerning his activities as an educator. Material relating to Smith's participation in the Society for Photographic Education has been filed with other papers relating to photographic organizations.

Series four, Exhibitions, features correspondence, checklists, announcements, catalogs, exhibition notes, loan records, and other material relating to exhibitions of Smith's work. Also included are announcements and catalogs from exhibitions of interest to Smith that did not include any of his own work, along with material from exhibitions juried or arranged by Smith. Material relating to the "Photographer's Choice" exhibition, arranged by Smith, has been filed with other papers concerning the Photographer's Exhibition Service.

Series five, Photographic Organizations, contains correspondence, newsletters, by-laws, minutes of meetings, and related material concerning the Photographer's Exhibition Service (which includes several related projects organized by Smith), professional associations, and other photographic organizations.

Series six, Other Materials, includes financial records, posthumous materials compiled by Ted Smith, technical literature, tearsheets of articles, newspaper clippings, photographs of Smith and his family, audio tapes, posters and related material.

Series seven, Research Files, includes photostats, negatives, copy prints and other material collected (possibly at IMP/GEH) by Smith in preparation for an uncompleted project.

Series eight, Personal Library, contains a selection of Smith’s personal books on art and photography.

Series nine, Accruals, are materials that arrived in 1999. These materials include biographical materials, writings, manuscripts, publications, exhibition records, and correspondence. The materials are accessible to researchers but have not been fully integrated into the existing collection.