Langston Hughes papers
Overview
The Langston Hughes papers consist of a range of items chiefly pertinent to his career as a poet and playwright.
Dates
- Creation: 1931 - 1967
Creator
- Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of Langston Hughes (1901-1967)
Langston Hughes was born in 1901 in Joplin, Missouri to Caroline Leary Hughes. From 1903 to 1915, Hughes lived in Lawrence, Kansas with his grandmother, Mary Langston; in 1915 he joined his mother in Illinois. The family then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Hughes graduated high school. He then entered New York's Columbia University in 1921, but only attended for a year.
During his time at Columbia, Hughes discovered Harlem, where he became an influential part of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1926 he published his first book of poetry, The Weary Blues. Over the course of his life, Hughes created a wide range of works including novels, short stories, children's books, scripts, translations, and, of course, poetry. Following abdominal surgery, Langston Hughes died May 22, 1967.
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet (3 document cases + 1 oversize box, 1 volume, 3 folders)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
The Langston Hughes papers date from 1931 to 1967 and are arranged in two series by format for papers and for photographs. Items in the papers located at RH MS 127 include play scripts, playbills, publications by and about Hughes, clippings, and sheet music. Many items are signed by Hughes and/or have notations by him. Folder arrangement is alphabetical by topic; unless otherwise specified, arrangement within folders is chronological.
Oversize materials from the collection are located at RH MS Q44 and RH MS D94. Photographs, portraits of Hughes, are located at RH MS-P 127.
Physical Location
RH MS 127
Physical Location
RH MS D94
Physical Location
RH MS Q44
Physical Location
RH MS-P 127
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts, Langston Hughes, 1957-1967.
- Title
- Guide to the Langston Hughes Collection
- Subtitle
- Langston Hughes papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by mbw, 2007; revised by cl, 2010; revised by skt, 2010. Finding aid encoded by mbw, 2007; revised by skt, 2010.
- Date
- 2007
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in<language encodinganalog="language">English.</language>
- Sponsor
- Support for the processing of this Collection was provided by the Dana and Sue Anderson African American Collecting Program Endowment Fund.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/8122866939
- Preferred citation
-
Langston Hughes papers, Kansas Collection, RH MS 127, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository