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Letters to Robert Marshall Shepherd

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS677f

Scope and Content

The letters and postcards were written by Mary Hambidge to Robert Shepherd between 1948 and 1969 and reflect her interests and concerns: the effects of modernization on man and nature and the South; notions of truth and beauty; writings about Western and Eastern philosophy and religion; and dynamic symmetry. While the letters provide minimal insight into Shepherd’s life, they do address his relationship with Hannah, his wife, and work-related concerns.

Dates

  • 1948-1969

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

As a young man Robert Marshall Shepherd moved to New York to establish a career in clothing design and merchandising. He became acquainted with Mary Hambidge while recuperating from a World War II wound in Nashville, Tennessee. The friendship between Shepherd and Hambidge spanned from the late 1940s to her death in 1973. In the mid-1990s, Shepherd retired to his birth state of Kentucky, where he met Philis Alvic, an artist, Appalachian scholar, weaver and writer. During the course of several personal interviews conducted by Alvic, Shepherd shared that Mary Hambidge had been very influential in his life. The relationship is recounted in Weavers of the Southern Highlands, by Philis Alvic.

Extent

1 folder(s) (50 letters, three postcards)

Language

English

System of Arrangement

Materials are arranged chronologically in one folder.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Philis Alvic, 2001 (2001.022)

General Physical Description note

Extent: 50 letters, 3 postcards

Description Control

The collection was processed in 2007.

Title
Letters to Robert Marshall Shepherd ahc.MSS 677F
Subtitle
An Inventory of His Papers at the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center
Author
Inventory prepared by W. Chenault
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040