Collection of more than 50 letters to Bradley Smith, both professional and personal correspondence. Includes letters from Henry Miller, Ian Fleming, Lawrence Durrell, Jimmy Carter, Hugh Hefner, Norman Mailer, James Michener, Walasse Ting, Francis Crick, Erica Jong, Jonas Salk, Stephen Spender, Harry Truman, etc.
"Bradley Smith was born in New Orleans in 1910. In his early career, he worked for several Southern newspapers and did some farm labor organizing; later he became nationally known for his photographs of sharecroppers. During the depths of the Depression, he came north and worked for several magazines in New York City. There, he became one of the central figures in the founding of American Society of Media Photographers.
In subsequent years, Smith wrote and illustrated 23 books, including the popular “A History in Art” series that related a nation’s story through its art works. The series included volumes on Japan, China, Mexico, Spain and the United States. He also wrote about photography and eroticism, and he illustrated the autobiography of novelist Henry Miller.
He died in 1997." - AMSP website biography.
Provenance: The estate of Bradley Smith.
Includes the following:
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Henry Miller. ALS.
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Clare Booth Luce. TLS.
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Margaret Bourke-White. TL.
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Jimmy Carter. TLS on White House stationery.
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Rosalynn Carter. TLS on Jimmy Carter stationery.
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Francis Crick. Two ALS plus signed article.
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Lawrence Durrell. TLS and signed card.
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Ian Fleming. TLS.
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Arthur Godfrey. TLS.
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Hugh Hefner. TLS.
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Lydia and Charlton Heston. TLS.
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Erica Jong. TLS ad ALS.
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Dorothea Lange. ALS on postcard.
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Norman Mailer. Two TLS.
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James Michener. TLS.
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Jonas Salk. TLS.
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Stephen Spender. ANS.
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Walasse Ting. ALS, three signed cards & envelope with sketch.
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Harry Truman. ANS on luncheon menu.
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Mihail Chemiakin. TLS with original sketch.
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Pearl Buck. TLS.
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Jimmy Greene. Signed photograph.
Plus a number of other lesser known individuals.