University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299 USA
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html

Guide to the Alice Henson Ernst Papers, 1900-1976


Coll. 039





Finding aid prepared by Manuscripts Processor

Finding aid encoded by Megan Dazey, 2007
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Overview of the Collection
 
Repository Name:
 

University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives

1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299 USA
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html
 
Collection Number:
 

Coll. 039
 
Creator:
 

Ernst, Alice Henson, 1880-1980
 
Title:
 

Alice Henson Ernst Papers
 
Dates:
 

1900-1976 (inclusive)
 
Quantity:
 

19.5 linear feet
36 containers
 
Languages:
 

Collection materials are in English. 

 
Summary:
 

Alice Henson Ernst was an American author, playwright, and teacher, at University of Washington, 1920-1923, and University of Oregon, 1924-1950, who had special interests in the history of the early theater of the Pacific Northwest and masked ritual dances of Northwest Coast tribes. Collection comprises correspondence, including letters from Franz Boas; manuscripts of books, plays, essays, and poems; diaries and notebooks, 1909-1964; playbills; broadsides; and photographs, most relating to Native American masks.
 

Biographical Note

Alice Henson Ernst, playwright, teacher, freelance writer, and reporter, was born September 3, 1880 in Washburne, Maine.

She received her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Washington in 1912 and her M.A. in 1913. She also did graduate work at Radcliffe College and Yale University. From 1920 to 1923 she was an Associate Professor in English at the University of Washington and from 1924 to 1950 served as Associate Professor of English at the University of Oregon.

Ernst received recognition chiefly as a playwright of one-act plays, some of which were collected in High Country and Backstage in Xanadu. Her "Spring Sluicing" in High Country, for example, was a prize-winning play in the National Drama League contest, and was produced by the Portland Civic Theatre and other groups. In connection with her playwrighting, Ernst became interested in the history of the early theater of the Pacific Northwest resulting in the book Trouping in the Oregon Country. Her interest in primitive theater led her to study the masked ritual dances of Northwest Coast tribes and to the publication of several articles. She also published a major work, The Wolf Ritual of the Northwest Coast, which received recognition from critics and anthropologists in the United States and Europe. Alice Ernst died February 12, 1980.

Content Description

The Alice Henson Ernst Papers largely contain correspondence; manuscripts of books, plays, short stories and poetry; diaries; and scrapbooks.

The correspondence is arranged chronologically from 1900 to 1976. The majority of the correspondence pertains to her writing endeavors and to family matters. Within this collection are several letters written to Ernst from the anthropologist Franz Boas (March 15, 1937, April 27, 1938, Jan. 12, 1939, Jan. 22, 1939, Jan. 2, 1940, and Dec. 29, 1933).

The book manuscript section covers Ernst's non-fictional efforts. The manuscripts of her books Trouping in the Oregon Country and The Wolf Ritual of the Northwest Coast are included. Also among the unfinished and unpublished works is a manuscript on the masks of the Indians of the Northwest Coast, an unfinished biography of Joaquin Miller, and an unpublished ethnography of the Quileute. The remainder of the manuscript series includes a section containing her plays which include, among others, Way Out There, Barriers, Cloistered Calm, Out Trail, and The Wooden Wife. These are followed by a small poetry section in which the poems are arranged alphabetically by title. Also included in the collection are diaries and notebooks from 1909 to 1964 and one volume, A Time for Reflexion by Jean Henson.

Photographs and postcards have been removed to the Photograph Collection (PH046) and are described in a separate finding aid, Guide to the Alice Henson Ernst Photographs (text/html) . Most photographs concern early theater in Oregon and masks of the Northwest Coast tribes; some are of a personal nature. In addition, thirteen broadsides, mostly of theater productions, have been removed to the Broadside Collection, and approximately three cubic feet of theater playbills have been separated to the Subject File Series.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into the following series:

  • Series: Correspondence
  • Series: Manuscripts: Books
    • Subseries: Trouping in the Oregon Country (Oregon Historical Society, 1961)
    • Subseries: The Wolf Ritual of the Northwest Coast (University of Oregon Press, 1952)
    • Subseries: Masks of the Northwest Coast (unpublished)
    • Subseries: Northwest Coast Animal Dances (unpublished)
    • Subseries: Quileute Ethnology (unpublished)
    • Subseries: Playwright in Buckskin (unpublished)
  • Series: Manuscripts: Plays
    • Subseries: Way Out There
    • Subseries: Other plays
  • Series: Manuscripts: Short stories, essays, reviews
  • Series: Manuscripts: Poetry
  • Series: Manuscripts: Miscellaneous
  • Series: Diaries, notebooks, scrapbooks
  • Series: Miscellaneous
  • Series: Photographs

Administrative Information

Processing Note 

Collection processed by Sean McGuckin.

Separated Materials 

Photographs in this collection are stored separately under call number PH046.

Broadsides in this collection are stored separately in the Broadside Collection.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access 

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use 

Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Manuscripts Librarian in Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation 

[Identification of item], Alice Henson Ernst Papers, Coll. 039, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

Related Information

Additional Reference Guides 

See Guide to the Alice Henson Ernst Photographs (text/html) 

Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

 
Boas, Franz, 1858-1942--Correspondence
Ernst, Alice Henson, 1880-1980--Correspondence
Ernst, Alice Henson, 1880-1980--Diaries
American literature--Authorship
Indian dance--Northwest, Pacific
Theater--Oregon--History
Wolf ritual
Women authors, American--20th century

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.


 

Series:  Correspondence, 1900-1976
 
Container(s)
Description
Dates
 
box
1		 folder
2
1900-1911
   1900-1911
 
3
1912
   1912
 
4
January 1913-July 1913
   January 1913-July 1913
 
5
August 1913-December 1913
   August 1913-December 1913
 
2 1
January 1914-August 1914
   January 1914-August 1914
 
2
September 1914-December 1914
   September 1914-December 1914
 
3
1915
   1915
 
4
1916
   1916
 
5
1917
   1917
 
6
1918
   1918
 
3 1
1920
   1920
 
2
1921
   1921
 
3
1922
   1922
 
4
1923
   1923
 
5
January 1924-May 1924
   January 1924-May 1924
 
6
June 1924-December 1924
   June 1924-December 1924
 
4 1
1925
   1925
 
2
1926
   1926
 
3
January 1927-July 1927
   January 1927-July 1927
 
4
August 1927-December 1927
   August 1927-December 1927
 
5
January 1928-April 1928
   January 1928-April 1928
 
5 1
May 1928-December
  May 1928-December
 
2
1929
   1929
 
3
1930
   1930
 
4
1931
   1931
 
5
1932
   1932
 
6 1
1933
   1933
 
2
1934
   1934
 
3
January 1935-July 1935
   January 1935-July 1935
 
4
August 1935-December 1935
   August 1935-December 1935
 
5
January 1936-July 1936
   January 1936-July 1936
 
7 1
August 1936-December 1936
   August 1936-December 1936
 
2
January 1937-July 1937
   January 1937-July 1937
 
3
August 1937-December 1937
   August 1937-December 1937
 
4
January 1938-July 1938
   January 1938-July 1938
 
5
August 1938-December 1938
   August 1938-December 1938
 
6
January 1939-July 1939
   January 1939-July 1939
 
8 1
August 1939-December 1939
   August 1939-December 1939
 
2
1940
   1940
 
3
1941
   1941
 
4
1942
   1942
 
5
January 1943-July 1943
   January 1943-July 1943
 
9 1
August 1943-December 1943
   August 1943-December 1943
 
2
1944
   1944
 
3
1945
   1945
 
4
1946
   1946
 
5
1947
   1947
 
6
1948
   1948
 
10 1
1949
   1949
 
2
1950
   1950
 
3
1951
   1951
 
4
1952
   1952
 
5
1953
   1953
 
11 1
1954
   1954
 
2
1955
   1955
 
3
1956
   1956
 
4
1957
   1957
 
5
1958
   1958
 
6
1959
   1959
 
12 1
1960
   1960
 
2
1961
   1961
 
3
1962
   1962
 
4
January 1963-September 1963
   January 1963-September 1963
 
5
October 1963-December 1963
   October 1963-December 1963
 
13 1
January 1964-July 1964
   January 1964-July 1964
 
2
August 1964-December 1964
   August 1964-December 1964
 
3
1965
   1965
 
4
1966
   1966
 
5
1967
   1967
 
6
1968
   1968
 
14 1
1969
   1969
 
2
1970
   1970
 
3
1971
   1971
 
4
1972
   1972
 
5
1973
   1973
 
6
1974
   1974
 
7
1975
   1975
 
8
1976
   1976
 
9
Undated
  
 
15 1
Undated
  
 
2
Undated
  
 
3
Undated
  
 

Series:  Manuscripts: Books
 
Container(s)
Description
   
Subseries:  Trouping in the Oregon Country (Oregon Historical Society, 1961)
  
 
box
15		 folder
4
Final state, TMs, 178 pp.
  
 
5
Final state, TMs, 178 pp.
  
 
16 1
Chapter One, AMs, TMs, approx. 60 pp.
  
 
2
Chapter One, 4 TMs (early versions): pp. 1-17; 1-15; 1-15; 1-7
  
 
3
Chapter One, 6 TMs (middle versions): pp. 3-20; 1-16; 2-16; 1-18; 2-19; 2-16
  
 
4
Chapter One, 5 TMs (late versions): pp. 5-22; 1-14; 1-15; 1-18; 1-22
  
 
5
Chapter One, misc. pages, approx.-65 pp.
  
 
6
Chapter Two, AMs, approx. 53 pp.
  
 
7
Chapter Two, 6 TMs (early versions): pp. 1-21; 1-22;1,4,11;1-10; 1-15; 1-14
  
 
8
Chapter Two,- 6 TMs (late versions): pp. 1-19; 1-19; 1-18;1-22; 1-22; 1-22
  
 
17 1
Chapter Two, TMs, misc. -pages, approx. 33 pp.
  
 
2
Chapter Three, AMs, approx. 50 pp.
  
 
3
Chapter Three 6 TMs (early versions): pp. 1-17; 1-22; 1-19; 1-21; 1-22; 1-22
  
 
4
Chapter Three, 5 TMs (late versions): pp. 3-22; 3-22; 3-21; 1-6; 1-22
  
 
5
Chapter Three, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 23 pp.
  
 
6
Chapter Four, AMs, approx. 70 pp.
  
 
7
Chapter Four, 5 TMs (early versions): pp. 1-7; 1-12; 1-4; 1-4; 1-4
  
 
8
Chapter Four, 7 TMs (late versions): pp. 1-23; 1-23; 1-24; 1-23; 1-22; 1-23; 1-23
  
 
18 1
Chapter Four, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 46 pp.
  
 
2
Chapter Five, 3 TMs (early versions): pp. 1-12; 1-12; 1-6
  
 
3
Chapter Five, 3 TMs (late versions): pp. 1-21; 1-6; 1-21
  
 
4
Chapter Five, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 65 pp.
  
 
5
Chapter Six, TMs, pp. 1-21 (includes two sets of pp. 19-21)
  
 
6
Chapter Seven, 4 TMs: pp. 1-21; 2-21; 1-21; 1-21
  
 
7
Chapter Seven, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 27 pp.
  
 
8
Chapter Eight, 2 TMs: pp: 1-18; 1-23
  
 
9
Chapter Eight, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 22 pp.
  
 
10
Chapter Nine, 5 TMs: pp. 4-20; 4-20; 1-20; 1-20; 1-20
  
 
11
Chapter Nine, AMs, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 20 pp.
  
 
19 1
Chapter Ten, 4 TMs: pp. 1-25; 1-23; 1-23; 1-23
  
 
2
Chapter Ten, AMs, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 46 pp.
  
 
3
Chapter Ten, TMs, misc. pages, approx. 42 pp.
  
 
4
Unpublished chapter, 2 TMs: pp. 1-11; 1-11
  
 
5
Forward by Stewart Hobrook, pp. 1-4
  
 
6
Various title pages, approx. 15 pp.
  
 
7
Acknowledgements, various versions, approx. 12 pp.
  
 
8
Outlines: short outlines of each chapter
  
 
9
Notes: source material for each of the chapters
  
 
10
Index and Bibliography, end papers
  
 
11
Table of Contents, various versions
  
 
12
Miscellaneous notes, sources, and research material
  
 
13
Illustrations: notes for "Illustrations" page
  
   
Subseries:  The Wolf Ritual of the Northwest Coast (University of Oregon Press, 1952)
  
 
14
Manuscript I, typed, approx. 154 pp.
  
 
15
Manuscript I, typed, approx. 154 pp.
  
 
20 1
Manuscript II, typed with corrections and numerous page numbers, pp. 16-145
  
 
2
Manuscript II, typed with corrections and numerous page numbers, pp. 16-145
  
 
3
Manuscript III, typed, pp. 1-61
  
 
4
Chapter I, TMs (carbon), pp. 16-46 (2 versions of pp. 39-46)
  
 
5
Chapter I, AMs, TMs (carbon), approx. 37 pp. (pp. 14-26)
  
 
6
Chapter I, 3 TMs (carbon) fragments: pp. 29-46; 19-64; 38-46 (19 pp.)
  
 
7
Chapter II, AMs, 4 TMs (carbon): pp. 47-61 (18 pp.); 47-67; 47-64; 47-66; 15-39
  
 
8
Chapter III, AMs, 2 TMs (carbon) : pp. 67-89; 67-89 (approx...40 pp.)
  
 
9
Chapter IV, AMs, 4 TMs (carbon): pp. 92-100; 96-108; 92-115; 90-115 (approx. 40 pp.)
  
 
21 1
Chapter V, 2 AMs: pp. 1-30; 1-27. Also misc. holograph fragments, approx. 29 pp.
  
 
2
Chapter V, 2 TMs (carbon): pp. 1-30; 1-38
  
 
3
Chatper V, 2 TMs (carbon): pp. 134-150; 116-155
  
 
4