Carl Van Vechten - Mark Lutz Collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Richmond
Rare Books and Special Collections
Boatwright Library
University of Richmond
28 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lynda Kachurek
Phone: (804) 289-8458
Fax: (804) 287-1840
Terms of access:

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Restrictions on Photographs: Photographs by Carl Van Vechten are used only with permission of the Van Vechten Trust, and it is the researcher's responsibility to request that permission. The permission of the Trust is required prior to any reprint or use of Van Vechten photographs in any way, including publication. To contact the Trust, email VanVechtenTrust@gmail.com.

Preferred citation:

[Box Number, Folder Number], MS-1, Carl Van Vechten – Mark Lutz Collection, Book Arts, Archives, Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
18 Linear Feet 15 archival boxes, 1 oversized archival box.
Creator:
Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964, Lutz, Mark, 1901-1969, Stein, Gertrude, 1874-1946, and Toklas, Alice B.
Abstract:
This collection contains materials relating to the life and writings of Carl Van Vechten and Gertrude Stein as shared and collected by Mark Lutz. Materials include correspondence and a variety of printed materials including programs, catalogs, reviews, and clippings as well as a substantial number of photographs taken by Van Vechten.
Language:
English French Catalan; Valencian Spanish; Castilian
Preferred citation:

[Box Number, Folder Number], MS-1, Carl Van Vechten – Mark Lutz Collection, Book Arts, Archives, Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains a diverse array of materials that reflect the personal and professional lives of Mark Lutz, Carl Van Vechten, and their connections with key cultural figures. The materials include typescripts, letters, newspaper clippings, exhibition catalogs, and programs, providing insights into their careers and relationships. Photographs feature prominently, with portraits taken by Van Vechten of notable figures like Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, as well as images of Van Vechten and Lutz. The collection also includes manuscripts, playbills, writings by Stein, and other documents related to their artistic and literary circles.

Series 1, Carl Van Vechten, contains personal materials in relation to Van Vechten. Beginning with a typescript manuscript of a description of a theater fire in Chicago in 1903, these materials include notices, programs, letters, newspaper clippings, and exhibition catalogs and announcements. Also included are writings by Van Vechten.

Series 2, Mark Lutz, contains information about Lutz's career and works as well as that of Van Vechten.

Subseries 2.1, Personal and Professional Materials, track Lutz's career as a journalist as well as manuscript copies of several plays.

Subseries 2.2, Correspondence, contains a variety of letters between Lutz and several correspondents, including fellow Richmonders James Branch Cabell and Ellen Glasgow as well as Langston Hughes.

Subseries 2.3, Programs, contains performance programs from an array of performances Lutz and Van Vechten attended in New York and Richmond.

Subseries 2.4, Francis Earle Lutz, contains materials about Lutz's brother, also a noted author and veteran.

Series 3, Gertrude Stein, contains materials related to the relationship between Lutz, Van Vechten, Alice B. Toklas, and Gertrude Stein.

Subseries 3.1, Personal, contains items of a personal nature, including correspondence and a canceled check.

Subseries 3.2, Writing, contains primarily materials written by Stein, often inscribed to Van Vechten and/or Lutz. Of particular note is Box 6, File 16, which contains a copy of the privately printed Portrait of Mabel Dodge at the Villa Curonia, which was bound with wallpaper and published in Italy, inscribed to Lutz.

Subseries 3.3 contains articles written about Gertrude Stein, including reviews, biographical pieces, and more general informational write-ups.

Subseries 3.4, Exhibits, is a series of catalogs and programs written by Stein for various exhibits.

Subseries 3.5 contains newspaper clippings about Stein and especially her travels in the United States in the mid-1930s.

Subseries 3.6, Playbills, contains collected examples of playbills for various productions of Stein-authored works.

Series 4, Photographs, contains the visual and photographic materials of the collection.

Subseries 4.1 contains personal photographs of Van Vechten, his wife Fania Marinoff, and images of Van Vechten with acquaintances or depicted in art forms.

Subseries 4.2 contains images of the New York apartment which was home to Van Vechten and Marinoff during the 1930s, located at 150 W. 55th Street in New York City.

Subseries 4.3 contains photographs taken by Carl Van Vetchen, which are nearly all photographic portraits.

Subseries 4.4 contains a few photographs that were for promotion or of art pieces.

Subseries 4.5 contains Van Vechten's photographs of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, perhaps some of the best-known items in the collection.

Subseries 4.6 contains Van Vechten's many photographic studies of Mark Lutz in various positions, costumes, locations, and sizes.

Subseries 4.7 contains oversize photographs by Van Vechten, including photos of Stein and Toklas as well as other artistic figures of the 1930s.

Subseries 4.8 contains many photographs and cards of art depicting images of St. Christopher and St. Barbara that were most likely used to research Stein and Lutz's writings about saints.

Biographical / historical:

Carl Van Vechten was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 17, 1880, the son of Charles Duane Van Vechten and Ada Amanda Fitch. After leaving Iowa to attend college at the University of Chicago, Van Vechten moved to New York in 1906 where he worked as a noted music, drama, art, and cultural critic throughout his life. He was also highly interested in promoting the literary arts as well as authoring numerous works himself. In addition to his own literary work, Van Vechten supported a number of authors and artists, especially those affiliated with the Harlem Renaissance, as well as befriending Gertrude Stein. In his later years, Van Vechten also became a noted portrait photographer. He married Anna Elizabeth Snyder in 1907, but the couple divorced in 1912. He later married Russian actress, Fania Marinoff, in 1914. Van Vechten passed away in New York in 1964. Numerous biographies and specialized studies are available in the library for further research.

Mark Lutz was born in Glassborough, New Jersey, in 1901, but moved with his family to Richmond the next year when his father became the editor of the Richmond News Leader. Lutz attended the University of Richmond, graduating in 1926 before following his father into the business of journalism. Lutz worked for both the Richmond News Leader and the Times-Dispatch as a book reviewer and theater critic. He met Van Vechten through a friend in the early 1930s and remained lifelong friends. Lutz eventually moved to the Germantown area of Philadelphia, working for the Philco News and other industrial publications. Lutz passed away in Philadelphia in 1969. Upon his death, per his request, the letters between Lutz and Van Vechten were destroyed.

Custodial history:

Donated by Mark Lutz, William Jepson, and Bruce Kellner at various times between 1978 and 1992.

Processing information:

The photographs in Subseries IVH contain depictions of St. Christopher and St. Barbara in various locations, primarily in Spain. To respect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the region, the co-official local languages have been used to reference the names of towns, cities, and other places (including museums and churches). Languages included are: Catalan and Valencian.

Arrangement:

  • Subseries 2.1: Personal Professional Materials
  • Subseries 2.2: Correspondence
  • Subseries 2.3: Programs
  • Subseries 2.4: Francis Earle Lutz
  • Subseries 3.1: Personal
  • Subseries 3.2: Writing
  • Subseries 3.3: Articles about Gertrude Stein
  • Subseries 3.4: Exhibits
  • Subseries 3.5: Newspaper Clippings
  • Subseries 3.6: Playbills
  • Subseries 4.1: Carl Van Vechten, Personal
  • Subseries 4.2: New York Apartment
  • Subseries 4.3: Photographs by Carl Van Vechten
  • Subseries 4.4: Other Photographs
  • Subseries 4.5: Photographs of Gertrude Stein Alice B. Toklas
  • Subseries 4.6: Photographs of Mark Lutz
  • Subseries 4.7: Oversize Photographs
  • Subseries 4.8: Photographs of art depicting St. Christopher St. Barbara
Physical facet:
Primarily photographs and manuscript material.