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Joanne de Longchamps Papers (MS-00424)

Abstract

The Joanne de Longchamps Papers date from 1938 to 1985 and document de Longchamps' career as a poet as well as her personal life. The collection contains photocopies of her published poems, poetry journals and magazines containing her work, and photocopies of her unpublished typewritten poetry. It also contains original correspondence from Joanne de Longchamps to her mother, Ruth Cutten, as well as photocopies of her correspondence to poet Harold Witt.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1938-1985

Extent

4.5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
5.4 Cubic Feet

Related People/Corporations

Scope and Contents Note

The Joanne de Longchamps Papers date from 1938 to 1985 and document de Longchamps' career as a poet as well as her personal life. The collection contains photocopies of her published poems, poetry journals and magazines containing her work, and photocopies of her unpublished typewritten poetry. It also contains original correspondence from Joanne de Longchamps to her mother, Ruth Cutten that details her daily life as a wife and mother. Photocopies of her correspondence to fellow poet Harold Witt describes her creative endeavors and challenges. Other materials document her poetry submissions to journals, payment history, and sales of her collages.

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 and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.

Arrangement

These papers are organized into seven series:

I. Publications, 1938-1984;

II. Unpublished Works by Joanne de Longchamps, 1942-1983;

III. Press and Reviews, 1957-1983;

IV. Publication and Sales Information, 1942-1980;

V. Presentations, 1954-1983;

VI. Personal Papers, 1941-1983;

VII. Research and Notes, 1984-1985.

Biographical / Historical Note

Poet Joanne de Longchamps lived in Reno, Nevada and penned poems about the Nevada landscape as well as her experiences as wife and mother. She was born Joan Cutten in Los Angeles, California in 1923. Her mother, Ruth, worked as a dancer and performer and her father worked as a building contractor. Her parents divorced when she was ten years old, and she and her mother moved in with her grandmother. At the age of 12, she and her mother traveled overseas where Joan studied painting, music, and the French language. After returning to Los Angeles, she attended Fairfax High School. After two years, she transferred to the Chouinard Art Institute where she studied watercolor and still-life painting. She then enrolled in the Los Angeles City College.

At the age of 17, Joan met Galen De Longchamps, adopted son of famed Nevada architect, Frederic De Longchamps, while on vacation in Reno, Nevada and after a long distance romance, the couple married in 1941. With the marriage, she changed her first name to Joanne and began spelling her new last name as de Longchamps, with a lower case d. After moving to Reno, she enrolled in the University of Nevada, Reno and majored in English and art. She audited many courses, but never completed her degree. She gave birth to her son, Galen Dare De Longchamps, in 1949. He committed suicide in 1976.

Joanne wrote poetry and submitted it widely. In 1942, Ladies’ Home Journal published her first nationally recognized poem. In 1954, she received the Reynolds Lyric Award from the Poetry Society of America. She authored several books of poetry. de Longchamps also became well known for her collages and exhibited her work in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the last ten years of her life, her health declined and she suffered from multiple sclerosis and cancer. The University of Nevada, Reno awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1983. She passed away at her home on November 13, 1983.

Source:

Griffin, Shaun T., "Biography." In Torn By Light: Selected Poems by Joanne de Longchamps, edited by Shaun T. Griffin, Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1993.

Related Collections

The following resources may provide additional information related to the materials in this collection:

Joanne de Longchamps Papers, 1928-1991. 84-09. Special Collections and University Archives, University of Nevada, Reno. Reno, Nevada.

Preferred Citation

Joanne de Longchamps Papers, 1938-1985. MS-00424. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

Materials were donated in 2001 by Barbara Agonia; accession number 2001-004.

Processing Note

Materials were processed by staff in 2001. In 2017, Angela Moor revised and enhanced the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.

Resource Type

Papers

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NVLN::MS00424

Custodial History

The donor, Barbara Agonia, used these materials when researching an article about Joanne de Longchamps. Agonia acquired the materials from Longchamps’ estate in 1984.

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English