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Leonora Scott Muse Curtin, Material dated 1898-1980

 Sub-Series

Scope and Content

From the Collection: The Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Collection is divided into eight series. They are grouped according to the individual who collected the papers with a few exceptions. The women were personally engaged in the preservation of indigenous languages, the ethno-botany of plants used by the Native American and Spanish New Mexican cultures, and the architectural and cultural heritage of the Spanish Colonial Southwest--- each utilizing her individual talents. The papers provide an overview of their lives in New Mexico, California and their travels around the world and interaction with figures such as photographer Ansel Adams, writer Mary Austin, Mabel Dodge Luhan, archaeologist Adolph Bandelier, historian Charles Lummis, Carl Oscar Borg, Museum of Modern Art Director, Rene D’Harnoncourt, Marsden Hartley, Georgia O’Keeffe, Smithsonian linguist John P. Harrington, and nearly one hundred others. Over eighteen hundred correspondents have been identified.

Personal Activities include Writings, Personal Documents, Travel, and Personal Correspondence. There is extensive correspondence between the women who wrote to each other every day when apart. The correspondence is particularly interesting as in many cases, both sides of a conversation exist. It is sorted alphabetically by correspondent.

Financial includes banking statements and registers, insurance, income taxes, investment information, property and estates. The women usually kept every receipt. Receipts are found throughout. These papers demonstrate the women’s control and direction of their finances.

Legal includes wills, estates and litigation.

Professional includes areas of expertise, and writings and associations with museums and institutions.

Series 1. Eva Scott Fényes Papers Separated by Eva. Contains: Genealogy, Personal Correspondence, Legal, Financial records and Diaries but not divided into same distinct subseries as other series. Contains a series of letters from Dr. Fényes describing his training in the use of X-ray technology.

Series 2. Leonora Scott Muse Curtin Papers Subseries include Personal Activities, Financial, Professional and Legal. Professional notes include botanical material and research used in writing Healing Herbs of the Upper Rio Grande. Also associations with Museums and Institutions such as the Santa Fe Garden Club and the Kenmore Association.

Series 3. Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo Papers Subseries include Personal Activities, Correspondence, and Financial. Professional includes material on The Native Market, Vocational training and work with John P. Harrington, Smithsonian linguist, Navajo notes and Arabic notes.

Series 4. Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo and Yrjö A. Paloheimo Papers Subseries include Personal Activities, Financial, Legal, Professional which contains material on the founding of the living history museum, El Rancho de las Golondrinas, and the Pasadena Museum of History.

Series 5. Yrjö A. Paloheimo Papers Subseries include Personal Activities, Financial which includes Finnish business and family interests, Legal, Professional including museums and institutions with Finnish-American interests such as Finlandia Foundation and Finlandia University.

Series 6. Family Papers Subseries include Personal Activities which includes dog papers, building of 614 Acequia Madre [Acequia Madre House], personal and professional involvement with Museums and Institutions that continued through generations such as the School of American Research and the Southwest Museum. Clippings from newspapers are identified by the family member who collected them when indicated, but often impossible to discern. Magazines and articles were difficult to separate by individual family member.

Series 7. Oversize From various subseries. Oversize items include documents, family portraits, houses, newspaper clippings, photographs and travel.

Series 8. Photographs, Scrapbooks and Albums These are identified by the person in whose personal papers the photos were found, or who created the albums or scrapbooks when possible, and sorted according to subject and date. Often times, both of the Leonoras worked on the same album. There are thousands of photographs, negatives and transparencies documenting their lives, travels around the world, early New Mexico, Native American pueblos and ceremonies, their friends and colleagues, and family. Numerous scrapbooks are filled with notes, Christmas cards from artists and well known personalities, clippings, photographs and other material documenting their interests and events in their lives.

Dates

  • Material dated 1898-1980

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English Spanish German French Navajo Finnish Arabic

Access Restrictions

All access is by appointment only. Some material may be restricted for reasons of privacy, cultural sensitivity or condition. As the processing is ongoing, additional evaluation of the content and condition of the papers is necessary. Researchers should inform the archival staff of their areas of interest when arranging an appointment to confirm availability.

Extent

From the Collection: 757 Linear Feet

Repository Details

Part of the Acequia Madre House Repository

Contact:
Acequia Madre House
614 Acequia Madre
Santa Fe NM 87505 USA
(505) 983-6538