MenuPreliminary Inventory of the Irvin Family Papers, [ca. 1890s]-2003
Collection Overview
Collection consists largely of correspondence between Nell Irvin Painter and her parents (1969-2003), documenting various stages of their lives, travels, and Painter's scholarly career. Also includes writings by or about Nell Painter, including reviews of her work; materials, including photographs and tintypes ([ca. 1890s-1910s]) of African Americans in Victoria, Texas, kept by Frank and Dona Irvin relating to their early life near Houston, and documenting aspects of African American history in that area; copies and reviews of Dona Irvin's writings; documents related to Frank and Dona's education and careers; assorted family photographs; and other items. Acquired as part of the John Hope Franklin Collection of African and African American Documentation.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Irvin Family Papers, [ca. 1890s]-2003
- Creator
- Irvin family
- Extent
- 9.9 Linear Feet, 5150 Items
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
- Language
- English.
Administrative Information
A majority of collections are stored off site and must be requested at least 24 business hours in advance for retrieval. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand All[Technical Services staff may need to reformat newsprint and brittle paper before use.]
Frank's Plaques and Certificates.
[Attention: Contains pictorial material.]
Real Estate and Title Documents, [1960-1988]
[Technical Services needs to process material in envelopes before use.]
Includes letters to Dona from Frank.
Featuring interview with Frank and Dona Irvin.
Includes records from Prairie View College, Houston College for Negroes (now Texas Southern), and UCB.
[Technical Services staff may need to reformat newsprint.]
[Technical Services staff may need to process materials in envelopes before use.]
[Attention: contains pictorial materials.]
The narrative by George Ruble Woolfolk is the story of the only state-supported Negro college in Texas between 1878 and 1946.
[Technical Services staff need to process materials in envelopes in boxes 6-12 before use.]
Includes letters from Nell Irvin Painter to her parents.
[Technical Services staff may need to reformat newsprint and brittle paper before use.]
Includes articles and publicity about Sojourner Truth, a Life, a Symbol
Jim Crow at Harvard, 1923
[Technical Services staff may need to reformat newsprint and brittle paper.]
[Attention: Contains pictorial material.]
[Technical Services needs to reformat for use copies of film and video materials before use.]
Nell Irvin Painter talks about her book Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol
Includes photographs from Nell and Glenn's wedding and the OBU rally at Harvard.
[Attention: Contains pictorial materials.]
[Needs conservation treatment before use.]
Includes Nell Irvin Painter's high school photographs, photographs from trip to Quebec City, 2001, and portraits and tintypes taken in Victoria, Texas, ca. 1890s-1900s.
[Technical Services staff may need to reformat brittle paper.]
[Attention: contains pictorial material.]
Includes black-and-white photos, [1930s]-[1980s]
Includes e-mail messages from Nell Irvin Painter to her parents.
[Technical Services staff may need to reformat newsprint and brittle paper before use.]
[Attention: Contains rusty fasteners.]
Includes Nell Irvin Painter's letters to her parents.
[Attention: contains pictorial materials.]
[Needs conservation treatment before use.]
Includes pictures from Crossroads Africa summer in Nigeria.
Historical Note
Dona Irvin (b. 1917) is the author of The Unsung Heart of Black America, I Hope I Look That Good When I'm That Old, and other works. Frank Irvin was a chemist and worked for many years for the Chemistry Department of the University of California at Berkeley. The Irvins are the parents of historian Nell Irvin Painter, whose papers are also in the Rubenstein Library.
Subject Headings
- Irvin family.
- Irvin, Dona L., 1917-.
- Irvin, Frank.
- Painter, Nell Irvin.
- African Americans--History--19th century.
- African Americans--Professional education.
- African Americans--Employment.
- African Americans--Correspondence.
- African American families.
- African American families--History--20th century.
- College teachers--Correspondence.
- Scholars--Correspondence.
- Victoria (Tex.)--History.
- African Americans--Texas--History.
- African Americans--Photographs.
- Black-and-white photographs.
- Color photographs.
- Tintypes.
- John Hope Franklin Collection of African and African American Documentation.
Related Material
For more information, see the Nell Irvin Painter Papers, 1959-2002 and undated, in the Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Irvin Family Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Irvin Family Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 2003.
Processing Information
Processed by Stacey Clarke
Completed October 15, 2003
Encoded by Stacey Clarke, Elizabeth Arnold
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
This collection is unprocessed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.