Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
Archives related to: Schraubstadter, Carl, 1862-1947
| title | Journal of Lilla S. Perry, 1929-1970 | repository | The Huntington Library |
| description | The journal covers all Lilla's life beginning in 1894. The journal starts with the "Journal of Lola Hammond," which is a pseudonym for Lilla S. Perry. "The Journal of Lilla S. Perry" begins on page 316 (before that is a note by Perry, written in 1970, about the writing of the journal). She talks about her days growing up on the East Coast, her college years at Cornell and her relationship with Everett Perry. She discusses in detail her doubts about their relationship, their long courtship, their marriage, and their constant marital problems. She also talks about Everett's library work and involvement in the American Library Association, including attending ALA conferences and the opening of the new LA library in 1926. Many notable people who were Lilla's friends, show up throughout the journal including Carl Sandburg, Charles Lummis and his wife Dorothea Moore - Perry includes transcripts of letters between Lummis and Moore, which Moore gave to her. Perry talks in detail about her Japanese prints and Chinese snuff bottle collections as well as trips to view other collections and exhibitions including her trip to Japan. In her various art interests she becomes connected to several collectors and artists such as Judson D. Metzgar, Carl Schraubstadter, Louis Ledoux, and Fujio and Hiroshi Yoshida. Lilla was a member of several women's clubs including the Friday Morning Club and in her journal she talks a lot about her work with that club The journal includes an Index and note as well as notes written throughtout by Lilla years later. Several photographs of Perry and her family are included in the journal. Biographical Note Lilla S. Perry was born in New England in 1882. She attended Cornell University from 1901 to 1904 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then attended the New York School of Journalism while substitute teaching. In 1905 she married Everett Robbins Perry. In 1911, her husband became the city librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library and the family moved to California where Lilla taught piano. Lilla took an interest in Japanese prints and began collecting them and took a trip to Japan in the summer of 1936. Perry also collected Chinese snuff bottles and in 1960 she published her book Chinese snuff bottles: the adventures & studies of a collector. She is also the author of My friend Carl Sandburg: the biography of a friendship which was published in 1981 and edited by her son E. Caswell. The Perrys had five children: Richard (b. 1910), Edward Caswell b. 1912), Norman Conrad (b.1916), Beatrice (b.1918) and Dorothy (Lilla's cousin's daughter who they adopted in 1927). Everett Perry died in 1933. Although she had been writing her journal most of her life, after her husband's death, Lilla began re-writing it in hopes to publish it as a means to generate income. Call Number mssHM 62591 |
| extent | 1 typewritten manuscript, 2,170 pages |
| formats | Journals Manuscript |
| access | All inquiries about this manuscript should be directed to the Curator, Hispanic, Cartographic & Modern Western Manuscripts. Pages 826-829 of the journal are missing. |
| record source | http://catalog.huntington.org/ |
| updated | 03/16/2023 10:30:05 |
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