The collection is arranged as 7 series
Eleanor Munro (1928- ) is a writer and art critic working in New York City and Truro, Massachusetts. She is best known for her groundbreaking work
Munro's father, Thomas Munro, was an art educator and modernist intellectual. Her mother, Lucile Nadler, was a pianist. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, after her father accepted a joint appointment at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Western Reserve University. Munro graduated from Smith College majoring in art history and earned a master's degree in comparative literature from Columbia. She was married to Alfred Frankfurter, editor of
While working on
Munro is also the author of
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the
Donated by Eleanor Munro's son, David T. M. Frankfurter, in 2015.
Eleanor Munro papers, circa 1880-2011, bulk 1950-2011. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The papers of writer and art critic Eleanor Munro measure 36.7 linear feet and 0.001 GB and date from circa 1880-2011, bulk 1950-2011. The collection documents Munro's life, career, and research on women artists, through biographical and family material, correspondence, writing projects, diaries, dream journals and notebooks, subject and research files, printed and digital material, and photographic material.
Correspondence is both personal and professional in nature and is with family, friends, colleagues, agents, editors, and others regarding speaking engagements, writings, and other professional projects.
Writing projects make up a significant portion of the collection (10 linear feet) and include non-fiction works as well as fiction and poetry. Files contain drafts, notes, manuscripts, research, correspondence, contracts and agreements, royalty statements, and other business records for articles, books, reviews, talks, lectures, and other writing projects.
Diaries comprise twenty-six volumes of frequent entries that chronicle thoughts and feelings relating to Munro's personal and professional life. Dream journals and notebooks total 210 volumes plus additional loose pages and capture thoughts, reflections, and fragments of remembered dreams.
Subject and research files compiled and organized by Eleanor Munro make up the most substantial portion of the collection (20.6 linear feet) and reflect a wide variety of research interests, work projects, activities, and topics of interest. Types of material in this series are varied and include notes, drafts, printed and digital material, correspondence, proposals, interview transcripts, bibliographies, annotated articles, slides, photographs, original artworks, manuscripts by others, and four sound recordings. Many files relate to Munro's interest in women artists and serve as research for
The remainder of the collection is comprised of biographical and family material, printed material, and photographic material.
The collection was processed to a minimal level and a finding aid prepared by Catherine S. Gaines, Joy Goodwin, and Hilary Price in 2015. Born-digital material was processed by Kirsi Ritosalmi-Kisner in 2020 with funding provided by Smithsonian Collection Care and Preservation Fund.
Biographical and family material dates from circa 1880s-2008 and includes biographical notes, resumes, and personal business records. Material relating to the Munro and Nadler families includes clippings, photographs, letters, and interview transcripts.
Correspondence dates from 1959-circa 2000s and includes both personal and professional correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, agents, editors, and others. Content relates to speaking engagements, submissions, drafts and writings sent to Munro for review, and other professional projects. Additional professional correspondence can be found in Writing Projects (Series 3) and Subject and Research Files (Series 5).
Writing projects date from 1921-circa 2000s and include both published and unpublished writing projects by Munro and writings by others. Writing by Munro include both non-fiction and fiction projects. Non-fiction material is comprised of drafts, notes, manuscripts, research, correspondence, contracts and agreements, royalty statements, and other business records for articles, books, reviews, talks, lectures, and other projects. Many talks and lectures at college campuses in the 1990s were a result of Munro's participation in the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellowship program. Fiction material is comprised of drafts, notes, research, and manuscripts for novels, poetry, and short stories. Writings by others include manuscripts of articles and novels.
The series is arranged as 2 subseries
The subseries is arranged as 2 sub-subseries
Materials are arranged alphabetically by type. Articles, books, catalog essays, and exhibition reviews are further arranged by date of publication or exhibition. All other works are arranged alphabetically by title within their file grouping.
"Not Only I the Narrator, But I John Cheever…" (1977)
Diaries, dream journals, and notebooks date from circa 1939-2011 and include 26 diaries and 210 dream journals/notebooks as well as loose pages.
The series is arranged as 2 subseries
Diaries (26 volumes) date from circa 1939-circa 1974 and include frequent entries chronicling thoughts and reflections regarding Munro's professional, personal, intellectual, and emotional life.
Dream journals and notebooks (210 volumes plus loose pages) date from 1960-2011. Volumes capture thoughts, reflections, fragments of remembered dreams, as well as book notes, lists, doodles, clippings, and reminders.
Subject and research files compiled and organized by Munro date from circa 1950s-2000s and reflect a wide variety of research interests, professional projects, activities, and topics of interest. Types of material include notes, drafts, printed and digital material, correspondence, proposals, interview transcripts, bibliographies, annotated articles, slides, photographs, original artworks, manuscripts by others, and four sound recordings. Printed material includes journals, annotated clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, maps, brochures, press releases, and posters. Many files relate to Munro's interest in women artists and serve as research for
Includes 1 sound disk (vinyl), "Music for
Oversize material housed in OV 40
Includes 2 sound cassettes (microcassettes)
Oversize material housed in OV 38
Includes 1 sound cassette, Budd Hopkins discussion of hypnosis
Bontecou, Lee
Bontecou, Lee - Exhibition Catalogs and Announcements, Clippings
Oversize material housed in OV 39
Hammond, Harmony
Oversize material housed in OV 40
Modotti, Tina
Includes born-digital records, see ER01
Thomas, Alma
Printed material dates from 1959-circa 2000s and includes booklets, brochures, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, and a publicity pack. Material relates to Munro's own career, colleagues, or artists she is interested in. Additional printed materials can be found in the Subject and Research Files (Series 5).
Photographic material dates from circa 1980s-1990s and contains predominately slides with the exception of Box 37 Folder 9, which contains some black and white photographs. Slide are organized by subject and one file contains notes describing the slides. Additional photographs can be found in the Subject and Research Files (Series 5).