Helle Collection of Plath Family Photographs, 1910-1963
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mortimer Rare Book Room Smith College Northampton, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Margaret Jessup. 2008-07-01
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Helle Collection of Plath Family Photographs
Creation of Helle Collection of Plath Family Photographs
Time of Creation of Helle Collection of Plath Family Photographs
Biographical History for: Helle Collection of Plath Family Photographs
Historical Note Otto Emil Plath (1885-1940) was a German instructor and biology professor at Boston University, 1922-1940. Born in Grabow, Germany, on April 13, 1885, to Theodore and Ernestine Kottke Platt, he was the eldest of six children. Otto Plath was educated at Northwestern College, Wisconsin (A.B., 1910), University of Washington (M.A., 1912), Harvard University (M.S., 1925; Sc.D., 1928). In 1932 he married Aurelia Frances Schober (1906-1994) who later became an associate professor in the College of Practical Arts and Letters at Boston University, 1942-1971. They lived at 24 Prince Street, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, until 1936 when the family moved to 92 Johnson Avenue, Winthrop, Massachusetts, to be near Aurelia's parents-Frank Schober (1880-1965) and Aurelia Greenwood Schober (1887-1956)-and Aurelia's siblings Dorothy Schober Benotti (1911-1981) and Frank Richard Schober (1919- ). Otto Plath died on November 5, 1940 from complications of diabetes. Otto and Aurelia Schober Plath had two children: Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) and Warren Joseph Plath (1935- ). In 1942, Aurelia Plath moved to 26 Elmwood Road, Wellesley, Massachusetts, with her daughter, son, and her parents. Sylvia Plath graduated from Smith College (B.A., 1955) and Newnham College, Cambridge (M.A., 1957). Warren Plath graduated from Harvard College (A.B. 1957) and Harvard University (Ph.D., 1964). He was a Fulbright student at the University of Bonn, 1957-1958. On June 16, 1956, 1956, Sylvia Plath married English poet Ted Hughes (1930-1998). Plath and Hughes honeymooned in Benidorm, Spain, visiting Paris en route where they met Warren Plath. Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes had two children: Frieda Rebecca Hughes (1960- ) and Nicholas Farrar Hughes (1962- ). Frieda Hughes was born on April 1, 1960 at home at 3 Chalcot Square in London near Primrose Hill. Nicholas Hughes was born on January 17, 1962 at home at Court Green in North Tawton, Devonshire, England. Before her death on February 11, 1963, Plath published The Colossus & Other Poems and her novel The Bell Jar. Her Collected Poems, published posthumously in 1981, won the Pulitzer Prize.
The Plath Family Photographs were donated by Anita Helle, daughter of June Johnson Helle, to the Mortimer Rare Book Room in 2006.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Helle Collection of Plath Family Photographs was assembled by June Johnson Helle with additions from her mother, Martha Plath Johnson, and her aunt, Frieda Plath Heinrichs, who were sisters of Otto Emil Plath. Some of the photographs were originally sent by Aurelia Plath to her sister-in-laws Frieda Plath Heinrichs and Martha Plath Johnson. June Johnson Helle served as executor for the personal belongings of her mother and aunt Frieda Plath Heinrichs. The photographs are annotated by Otto Plath, Aurelia Schober Plath, Sylvia Plath, and June Johnson Helle. The collection is arranged as follows: Series I. Photographs of Otto Plath and Siblings (1910-1930s) contains 8 items. These photographs of Otto Plath and his brother Hugo Plath and sister Frieda Plath are arranged in chronological order. Series II. Photographs of Sylvia Plath and others (1933-1963) contains 51 items. These photographs of Sylvia Plath, Aurelia Schober Plath, Otto Plath, Warren Plath and their Schober relatives are arranged in chronological order. Series III. Other photographs contains one postcard of Berck-Plage.
The photographs are open to research according to the regulations of the Mortimer Rare Book Room.
The Helle Collection of Plath Family Photographs is the physical property of the Mortimer Rare Book Room, Smith College. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors and photographers of the works or their legal representatives.
Related materials can be found in these other repositories: Sylvia Plath Collection, Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; Ted Hughes Papers, Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Processed by Karen Kukil, 2006
Poets, American- 20th century- Biography- Sources
lcsh
Plath, Aurelia Schober
lcnaf
Plath, Sylvia- Pictoral works
Plath, Otto Emil, 1885-1940
Plath, Warren, 1935-
Helle, June Johnson
series
SERIES I. Photographs of Otto Plath and Siblings
Studio photograph of Otto Plath[ca. 1910]
Postcard photograph of Otto Plath with his classmates at Northwestern College[ca.1910]
Studio photograph of Otto Plath in cap and gown 1910
Studio photograph of Otto Plath in cap and gown[1910]
Studio photograph of Otto Plath[ca.1911]
Studio photograph of Frieda and Hugo Plath 1917
Anonymous. Otto Plath with a colleague, [1920s]
Studio photograph of Otto Plath[1930s]
SERIES II. Photographs of Sylvia Plath and her family
Anonymous. Baby Sylvia Plath sitting on her mother's lap April 1933
Anonymous. Baby Sylvia Plath laughing [May 1933]
Anonymous. Baby Sylvia Plath [May 1933]
Anonymous. Baby Sylvia Plath with her grandmother and motherJuly 1933
Anonymous. Plath Family (Aurelia, Sylvia, and Otto Plath)July 1933
Anonymous. Baby Sylvia PlathJuly 1934
Anonymous. Warren and Sylvia PlathDecember 1935
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath pushing her brother in a strollerDecember 1935
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath and her mother at Winthrop Beachca. July 1936
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath with her mother and aunt at Point Shirley, Winthrop, Massachusettsca. 1936
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath at Winthrop Beach ca. July 1936
Studio portrait of Sylvia and Warren Plath 1937
Anonymous. Warren and Sylvia Plath on a swingAugust 1937
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath and her motherAugust 1937
Anonymous. Warren and Sylvia Plath sledding[February 1939]
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath on the beach July 1939
Anonymous. Sylvia and Warren Plath on a sailboat in Winthrop, MassachusettsAugust 1940
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath nursing her dollSeptember 1940
Anonymous. Wedding photograph of Joseph and Dorothy Benotti with Warren and Sylvia PlathApril 19, 1941
Anonymous. Warren and Sylvia Plath holding a catAugust 1941
Anonymous. Wedding photograph of Frank and Louise Schober flanked by Warren and Sylvia PlathJune 27, 1942
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath in Wellesleyfall 1945
Anonymous. Sylvia and Warren PlathChristmas 1945
Warren Plath (photographer). Aurelia PlathApril 21, 1946
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath sunbathing in the backyard at WellesleyJune 1946
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath holding G.I. (dog)[October 1946]
Anonymous. Sylvia and Warren Plath holding G.I (dog)[October 1946]
Anonymous. Warren and Sylvia PlathMay 1947
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath in the garden May 1947
Anonymous. Aurelia Schober PlathMay 1947
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath sunbathingAugust 1947
Anonymous. Warren and Sylvia PlathSeptember 1948
Anonymous. Plath family home, Wellesley, Massachusetts[?September 1948]
Anonymous. Warren and Aurelia Schober Plath, May 1949.
Anonymous. Aurelia flanked by Sylvia and Warren PlathSeptember 1949
Studio portrait of Sylvia Plath 1950
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath, September 1950.
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath, January 1951
Studio portrait of Sylvia PlathNovember 1952
Anonymous. Greeting card with photograph of Wellesley house in the snow[?1954]
Anonymous. Christmas card with photograph of Warren and Sylvia Plath1955
Anonymous. Sylvia Plath, September 111955
Anonymous. Warren and Aurelia Plath in front of a Christmas treeDecember 31, 1955
Anonymous (?Ted Hughes). Warren and Sylvia Plath, Paris, August 1956.
Ted Hughes. Aurelia Schober PlathSeptember 1958
Anonymous (?Ted Hughes). Sylvia Plath and baby Frieda1960
Anonymous (?Ted Hughes). Sylvia Plath and baby FriedaJanuary 1961
Anonymous. Aurelia PlathJanuary 1961
Anonymous. Aurelia Plath August 1963
SERIES III. Other photographs
Carte Postale of Berck-Plage-L'Hôpital Vincentn.d