Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

L. Paul Mercer Papers (MS-00066)

Abstract

The L. Paul Mercer Papers date from 1939-1970 and consist of personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and textile samples dyed in the Native American tradition.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1939 to 1970
bulk 1965 to 1967

Extent

0.9 Linear Feet (6 folders (shared box))

Related People/Corporations

Scope and Contents Note

The L. Paul Mercer Papers contains materials dated 1939-1970 relating to Paul Mercer's interest in the arts of textile spinning, dyeing, and weaving. Collection includes both typewritten and some handwritten letters from a fellow spinning and weaving enthusiast, Fred A. Pennington, and his wife, Lulu. Also included is a manuscript of Dye Formulas and Color Representations from the notes of Paul Mercer, which contain samples of wool dyed various colors. Other materials include photographs and newspaper articles.

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.

Arrangement

Materials remain in original order. Scrapbook housed separately.

Biographical / Historical Note

Author L. (Leslie) Paul Mercer was an enthusiast of spinning, dyeing, and weaving in the Native American tradition. Born October 2, 1903, Mercer was a former resident of Boulder City, Nevada where he worked for the Bureau of Reclamation for 16 years. Mercer was a former president of The Nevada Handweavers and Spinners Guild. He lived with a Navajo family in Arizona for three years to learn techniques in spinning, dyeing, and loom operation.

Leslie Paul Mercer passed away on April 16, 1972 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Source:

L. Paul Mercer Papers, 1939-1970. MS-00066. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Preferred Citation

L. Paul Mercer Papers, 1939-1970. MS-00066. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

Materials were donated in 1976 by Hal Erickson; accession number 1976-085.

Processing Note

Material was processed by Christine Marin in [undated].

In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Kathleen Marx[your name] revised and enhanced the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.

Resource Type

Papers

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NvLN::MS00066

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English