Preface: By Ronald Patkus

Without doubt one of the most valuable and heavily-used collections in the Archives & Special Collections Library at Vassar College is the Elizabeth Bishop Papers. The main body of materials came to the college in 1982—just a few years after the poet’s death—thanks to the generosity of the Charles E. Merrill and Pew Memorial trusts and also the gifts of three Vassar alumna: Julia Blodgett Curtis, Mrs. Eugene A. Davidson, and Blanchette H. Rockefeller. Although this acquisition was substantial, the collection has grown significantly since then. In fact, there have been over thirty additions, of varying scale; some came to the Library via purchase, others by gift. When viewed as a whole, these materials represent the largest holding of primary sources relating to Bishop’s life and work. There are also a number of related collections, such as the papers of Alice Methfessel, Margaret Miller, and Esther Merrell Stockton.

The wealth of sources at Vassar relating to Bishop has provided the basis for regular and ongoing scholarship and study. A great many theses, dissertations, articles, books, and other works have been produced over the past four decades, far too many to list here. The books include scholarly editions, biographies, monographs, collections of essays, and more. This work shows how researchers keep asking new questions about Elizabeth Bishop, and exploring new issues. And the work has not let up; indeed, it almost seems as if there has been no slowing down in productivity, and that study of the poet will continue apace well into the future.

One recent example of the ongoing discovery of new topics relating to Bishop is the collaborative work of Jonathan Ellis of the University of Sheffield and Susan Rosenbaum of the University of Georgia. Together they have been working on a project to investigate and draw attention to the extensive collection of Bishop’s postcards, over 500 of which are housed at Vassar. This is clearly a neglected portion of her correspondence; I’m not aware of any previous discussion of this material. It’s worth noting that Ellis and Rosenbaum are considering both the literary and visual aspects of the postcards, and also placing the postcards within Bishop’s larger oeuvre. There is much to be learned from this study. Indeed, we hope publicity surrounding this exhibition may lead to the discovery and possible donation of more Bishop postcards currently lying unseen and unread in private collections and libraries.  

The current exhibition in the Vassar College Library and this accompanying catalog represent the first products of Ellis and Rosenbaum’s research. As seen in the pages that follow, the exhibition is composed of fifty-five postcards drawn from the Vassar collection. They date from early in Bishop’s life to her final years, and were written from a range of geographical locations. The postcards are topically arranged under twelve headings. The essay that follows provides an intriguing discussion of the significance of these materials and their relation to Elizabeth Bishop studies. 

There are a number of people to thank for their contributions to this exhibition. First and foremost of course are Dr Ellis and Professor Rosenbaum. They conceived of the project and approached me about a collaboration that could be presented in the Vassar Library. Moreover, they conducted all of the research and framing of the exhibition; it’s no exaggeration to say that this is their project. Let me also acknowledge the support of Jonathan Galassi, Bishop’s publisher (and former student) at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Vassar has worked closely with several other institutional partners. The Willson Center for Humanities & Arts at the University of Georgia granted Professor Rosenbaum a course release to get the project off the ground a year ago. The University of Sheffield’s award of a Knowledge Exchange Grant allowed Dr Ellis and Professor Rosenbaum to make final selections for the exhibition in person and to digitize images for both the catalog and exhibition. Research fund managers, Jonathan Bradley and Luke Hilton, dealt calmly and efficiently with making an international project happen. Sheffield students Katherine Ebbs, Grace Hogg, and James Howell were conscientious and meticulous research assistants for this catalog, including the appendices that we hope readers will find useful. We also wish to thank Sandra Barry and Deryn Rees-Jones for providing feedback on the introduction, A E Stallings for help with Greek translation, and Sandra Barry (again) and Thomas Travisano for advice on Bishop’s handwriting. Elisabeth Ivers at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery generously helped source images of Bishop’s art works. Closer to home Dean Rogers provided specialist support with locating and scanning postcards in the Reading Room. I’d also like to thank graphic designer Michael Russem, who worked with us over a period of time to create this impressive and useful publication. Thanks as well to Terrance D’Ambrosio at the Northeast Document Conservation Center (and also a Vassar graduate), who was very helpful in creating and supplying digital images for this catalog. Finally, my appreciation to Nicole Scalessa, Head of the Vassar Digital Library, who has created a wonderful digital version of the catalog for others to see.

Ronald Patkus is Head of Special Collections and Adjunct Associate Professor of History on the Frederick Weyerhaeuser Chair.