George and Helen Papashvily
Archives

 

Held by Special Collections, Linderman Library

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015

 

Call No.: SC MS 0090

24 boxes and 5 cartons; 17 linear feet

 

PDF

 

Abstract:

George and Helen Papashvily Archives consists of manuscripts, correspondence with publishers and agents, and clippings of articles Helen Papashvily wrote. Also included are photographs of George's sculptures, exhibition catalogs and programs, and correspondence concerning his ventures. The third section of the material includes cartons of letters from readers, fans, and friends; a box of slides and other ephemera, including the two hoods from their honorary degrees.

 

 

Contact Information:

Special Collections

Linderman Library

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA

Phone: 610-758 4506

Fax: 610-758 6091

URL: http://www.lehigh.edu/library/speccoll/specialcoll.html

 

 

Processed by

Staff

 

Processing Date

1996

 

Repository

Lehigh University, Linderman Library, Special Collections

 

Creator

George Papashviliy, 1898-1978

Helen Papashvily, 1906-1996

 

 

Title

George and Helen Papashvily Archives

 

Restrictions to Access

This collection is open for research.

 

Preferred Citation

Cite as: [Identification of item], George and Helen Papashvily Archives, SC MS 0090, Special Collections, Linderman Library, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

 

Acquisition Information

Acquired in 1996

 

Provenance

The material in this collection was donated to Lehigh University after Helen Papashviliy’s death in 1996.

 

Copyright Notice

Please inquire about copyright information.

 

Biographical / Historical Note

George Papashvily was born in Caucasus, the village called Kobiantkari (Kartli region of Eastern Georgia), Georgia in August 23, 1898, and came to the United States in 1922. A series of jobs led him to California, where he met and married his wife, Helen.

           

Helen Waite was born in Stockton, California, in 1906, educated in the public schools there, and The University of California, Berkeley (1924-1928), majoring in English literature. She worked in California, and opened her own antiquarian book store, where she specialized in children's books and the domestic novels of the 19th century.

           

            George and Helen met in 1931, and got married. He was, by now a sculptor. In 1935 they moved to Pennsylvania, where they bought Ertoba Farm outside Quakertown, and lived there until George’s death in 1978, and where Helen resided into the 80's. She died in 1996 in California.

           

            When they lived in Pennsylvania, Helen bought an antiquarian bookstore in Allentown, renamed it Moby Dick, and maintained a general stock of old and out of print books, specializing in children's books, the domestic novel of the 19th century, and Pennsylvania.

           

            In 1945, they together wrote a small book, “Anything Can Happen,” detailing George's experiences as an immigrant, which was co-selected for the Book-of-the-Month Club and was a best-seller, selling more than 600,000 copies in the USA and 1.5 million worldwide. It was translated into 15 foreign languages. Hollywood made it into a movie in 1952, starring Jose Ferrer as George, and Kim Hunter as Helen. George and Helen collaborated on five other books; “Yes and No Stories,” a collection of Georgian folk tales; “Dogs and People,” “Russian. Cooking,” and “Home and Home Again,” the story of George's childhood and youth and his return visit after sixty years in the U.S.

 

Helen wrote “Louisa May Alcott,” a biography for younger readers; “All the Happy Endings,” a review of-the domestic novel in America in the 19th century. Between 1950-1970, she also wrote for many popular magazines of the day, including The Herald Tribune Sunday Magazine, N.Y. Times Magazine, Holiday, Gourmet, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, as well as for several children's magazines, including Jack and Jill, American Girl and others.

 

Scope and Content Note

George and Helen Papashvily Archives consists of twenty four manuscript boxes and 6 cartons of manuscripts, correspondence with publishers and agents, and clippings of articles by Helen Papashvily. (Section 1) Also included are photographs of George's sculptures, exhibition catalogs and programs, and correspondence concerning his ventures.(Section 2) The third section of the material includes cartons of fan letters, extensive correspondence to the couple from friends, a box of slides and other ephemera, including the two hoods from her honorary degrees.

 

Organization of the Content

 

 

Indexing Terms

Personal names

Papashvily, George, 1898-1978

Papashvily, Helen, 1906-1996

 

Corporate names

 

Geographical names

Georgia (Republic)

Bucks County (Pa.)

 

Topical subject

Artists, Georgian – 20th century

Sculptors—Unites States

 

Genre index term

Notebooks

Scrapbooks

Photographs

 

Occupations

Writers

Sculptors

 

Related Material

 

 

Description of Collection

Box 1: Biographical material

 

            Folder 1:01 Biographical information Folder 1:02 Material sold prior to 1945

            Folder 1:03 Letters of Ann Parrish 1940s-1950s

            Folder 1:04 George's obituary and comments 1978

            Folder 1:05 Passport problems 1950s

            Folder 1:06 Plans for European and Russian trip 1961

            Folder 1:07 “Sold” not published

            Folder 1:08 PA Historical & Museum Comm. 1983

            Folder 1:09 Bank books, deeds

            Folder 1:10 Misc. correspondence

            Folder 1:11 Lehigh University Honorary Degree 1985

            Folder 1:12 Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania 1986

 

 

Box 2: Helen's agent

 

            Folder 2:01 Correspondence with agent 1945-48

            Folder 2:02 Correspondence with agent 1949

            Folder 2:03 Correspondence with agent 1950

            Folder 2:04 Correspondence with agent 1951

            Folder 2:05 Correspondence with agent 1952-53

            Folder 2:06 Correspondence with agent 1954

            Folder 2:07 Correspondence with agent 1955-57

            Folder 2:08 Correspondence with agent 1958-60

            Folder 2:09 Correspondence with agent 1961-65

            Folder 2:10 Correspondence with agent 1970s

            Folder 2:11 Correspondence with Nannine Joseph 1973-74

            Folder 2:12 Expense vouchers (trip on Russian cooking 1969

            Folder 2:13 Nannine Joseph materials

 

 

Box 3: Business: 1940s-1950s

 

            Folder 3:01 Lectures 1940s

            Folder 3:02 Business letters 1940s

            Folder 3:03 Translations, permissions 1944-1965

            Folder 3:04 Translations, etc. 1950s

            Folder 3:05 Paramount Pictures 1950s

            Folder 3:06 Correspondence with Sterling North 1950s-1960s

            Folder 3:07    Harper's Magazine 1940s-1960s

            Folder 3:08 Misc. Information

 

 

Box 4: Royalties etc.

 

            Folder 4:01 Royalty statements 1940s

            Folder 4:02 Royalty statements 1960s

            Folder 4:03 Royalty statements 1970s

            Folder 4:04 Lippincot Royalties

            Folder 4:05 Royalties Jack & Jill, Scott Foresman

            Folder 4:06 Correspondence re Russian cook book

            Folder 4:07 Correspondence with Harpers re payments

            Folder 4:08 Correspondence re payments 1970s

 

 

Box 5: Correspondence

 

            Folder 5:01 Speaking engagements 1947-1950

            Folder 5:02 “What do you know about Russia?” 1946

            Folder 5:03 Programs and publicity

            Folder 5:04 Nannine Joseph - recipes

            Folder 5:05 Recipes for book

            Folder 5:06 Letters from Elizabeth

 

 

Box 6: Magazine Articles

 

            Folder 6:01 Typescripts of magazine articles

            Folder 6:02 Clippings of articles from magazines

            Folder 6:03 Magazine articles

            Folder 6:04 Magazine articles 1960s

            Folder 6:05 Hat from Hangtown (TV play) typescript

            Folder 6:06 Holiday magazine correspondence

            Folder 6:07 Handbook of herbs...for Holiday

            Folder 6:08 Holiday magazine clippings

 

 

Box 7: Articles - mostly Holiday Magazine

 

            Folder 7:01 “Six tours of San Francisco”

            Folder 7:02 cookbooks--correspondence

            Folder 7:03 “Handbook of Garden Flowers” Holiday

            Folder 7:04 “Handbook of 20th Century Antiques” Holiday  

            Folder 7:05 “Handbook of Kitchens” Holiday

            Folder 7:06 Shunpike-Redwoods-San Francisco to Mendocino for Holiday

            Folder 7:07 Correspondence, notes on Spas

            Folder 7:08 Spa articles

            Folder 7:09 “Handbook of American Spas” (4 copies)

            Folder 7:10 “Handbook of Breakfasts” for Holiday

            Folder 7:11 Holiday resignations 1964

            Folder 7:12 Philco Television Playhouse “Anything can Happen” 1950

            Folder 7:13 “The Hat from Hangtown” 2 drafts

 

 

Box 8: Books

 

            Folder 8:01 Galleys, “Anything Can Happen”

            Folder 8:02 “Anything can Happen” abridged version

            Folder 8:03 “All the Happy Endings” correspondence, etc.

            Folder 8:04 “Yes and No Stories” manuscript. and notes

            Folder 8:05 “Home and Home Again” manuscript.

            Folder 8:06 “Home and Home Again” manuscript.

            Folder 8:07 Typescript “Home and Home Again”

 

 

Box 9: Books

            Folder 9:01 “My Friend Kola”

            Folder 9:02 “Yes and No Stories” manuscript.

            Folder 9:03 “Home and Home Again” galleys

            Folder 9:04 “Louisa May Alcott”

            Folder 9:05 “Louisa May Alcott” manuscript.

            Folder 9:06 Correspondence with Caroline Lee Hentz related to Notable American           Women 1950s

 

 

Box 10: Manuscripts and other material

 

            Folder 10:01 “Thanks to Noah” (Early manuscript)

            Folder 10:02 “Thanks to Noah” typescript 1950

            Folder 10:03 Revisions and Publicity

            Folder 10:04 “Scrapbook file”

            Folder 10:05 Clippings, etc. 1940s and 1980s

            Folder 10:06 Harper & Row 1960s-1980s

 

 

Box 11: Books and pamphlets approximately 30 books and pamphlets used for articles; card file “Bibliography of books in English relating to Georgia”

 

 

Box 12: Fan letters

 

            Folder 12:01 Fan letters after publication of “Anything Can Happen” in 1945

 

 

Box 13: Fan letters

 

            Folder 13:01 Fan letters

            Folder 13:02 Fan letters

            Folder 13:03 Fan letters 1947-48

            Folder 13:04 Fan letters 1951

 

 

Box 14: Hoods

            Hood from Honorary degrees

 

 

Box 15: George Papashvily material

 

            Folder 15:01 Sales tax & exemption 1969-78

            Folder 15:02 Retrospective, Kemerer and Albright 1978

            Folder 15:03             Allentown Art Museum

            Folder 15:04 Misc. re sculpture

            Folder 15:05 Correspondence re sales 1970s

            Folder 15:06 “Old Price Book” sculptures

            Folder 15:07 Correspondence re sculptures

            Folder 15:08 Hazleton Art League

            Folder 15:09 Community Gallery of Lancaster County

            Folder 15:10 Kemerer Museum, Bethlehem

            Folder 15:11 Newman Galleries, Philadelphia

            Folder 15:12 Art Association, Harrisburg

            Folder 15:13 William Penn Memorial Museum, Harrisburg

            Folder 15:14 Gallery 100, Princeton, NJ

 

 

Box 16: George's Sculpture: Programs and Correspondence

            Folder 16:01 Philadelphia Free Library

            Folder 16:02 Woodmere Art Gallery, Philadelphia

            Folder 16:03 Reading Public Museum & Art Gallery

            Folder 16:04 Provident National Bank, Philadelphia

            Folder 16:05 Greystone Gallery

            Folder 16:06 Williamsburg, VA

            Folder 16:07 Gallery West, & Greystone, California

            Folder 16:08 Fleisher Art Gallery, Philadelphia

            Folder 16:09 Donmart Interiors, Reading, PA

            Folder 16:10 C West Gallery

 

 

Box 17: Programs

 

            Folder 17:01 Collection of programs and clippings showing George's work

 

 

Box 18: Photographs:

 

            Approximately 50 photos of sculptures

            Album of shots of George

            Photos of their house

            Other misc. photos of them

 

 

Box 19: Photographs

 

            Photos and albums of George's sculptures          

            Some programs and clippings

            George's initials in Georgian (cardboard)

 

 

Box 20: George's patents

            (Tubular box) with rolled drawings

 

 

Box 21: Slides

            Boxes of slides and two reels of tape

 

Box 21: Scrapbooks

            Two large scrapbooks of mounted clippings.

Photo of Helen with Governor and Mrs. Thornburg

 

 

Box 22: Slides, Videos, Records Two tin boxes of slides

            Video of interview with George Two audiotapes

            Record - Young Book Critics Record of “Anything Can Happen”

 

 

Box 23: Scrapbooks

            Five scrapbooks of photos of sculpture

 

 

Box 24: Letters to Helen & George

 

            Folder 24:01 Responses from article in Saturday Evening Post 1962

            Folder 24:02 Personal letters to Helen 1970s -1980s

 

 

Carton 25: Letters

            Letters to Helen 1970s-1980s

 

 

Carton 26: Letters and clippings

            Carton of clippings and letters

 

 

Carton 27: Letters

            Carton of letters to Helen

 

 

Carton 28: Letters

            Carton of letters to Helen