Hahn papers, ca. 1843, 1876-ca. 1968 (bulk 1908-1951)
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections South Hadley, MA
Finding aid generated in MARC format from database, then encoded using Perl scripts and XSL stylesheet. 2003-05-20
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Hahn papers
Creation of Hahn papers
Time of Creation of Hahn papers
Hahn, Dorothy A. (Dorothy Anna), 1876-1950.
Biographical History for: Hahn papers
Biographical Note Dorothy Anna Hahn was born on April 9, 1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, Carl S. Hahn, born in Germany, was a teacher and a scholar and her mother was Mary Deborah Beaver Hahn. Hahn attended Bryn Mawr College from 1895-1899, graduating with a B.A. in 1899. She taught at Pennsylvania College for Women from 1899-1906. Hahn attended the Universitat Leipzig from 1906-1907, and was a Fellow at Bryn Mawr College from 1907-1908. She received a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1916. Hahn was a member of the Mount Holyoke College faculty in the Chemistry Department from 1908 until her retirement in June 1941. Hahn wrote many publications and co-authored three books in the field of organic chemistry. She was seventy-four years old when she died on December 10, 1950 in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The collection consists of correspondence, a scrapbook (compiled after her death by Alice G. Renfrew and Janet Evans Austin), writings, biographical information, a pair of laboratory safety glasses and photographs. Most of the material relates to her association with Mount Holyoke College as a chemistry professor from 1908-1941. The correspondence mainly consists of Hahn's four letters from 1914-1915 to James M. Foster, father of Mount Holyoke English professor Dorothy Foster, regarding Foster's research trip to England. There are twenty-three publications included in the collection, dating from 1913-1940. The collection also contains a book, co-authored by Hahn, published in 1932. All of the writings relate to Hahn's work as an organic chemist. The scrapbook contains photographs, personal information related to Hahn and her family, a biographical sketch probably written by Dorothy Foster, and a list of publications. The biographical information includes numerous press clippings, including those documenting her retirement from Mount Holyoke and her death in 1950. The three photographs in the collection include one probably taken during her undergraduate years at Bryn Mawr College, 1895-1899, and two probably dating from her tenure at Mount Holyoke, 1908-1941. Material relating to a box given to Hahn as a retirement gift and a memorial fund set up in her name are available in Hahn's faculty biographical file.
Women college teachers - Massachusetts.
lcsh
College teachers - Massachusetts.
Women chemists - United States - Biography.
Chemists - United States - Biography.
Chemistry - Study and teaching (Higher) - Massachusetts.
lcnaf
Foster, Dorothy, 1883-1968.
Foster, James M.
Mount Holyoke College - Faculty.
aat
series
Scrapbook, circa 1843-circa 1968
The scrapbook was compiled by Janet Evans Austin, Mount Holyoke class of 1925, and Alice G. Renfrew, Mount Holyoke class of 1921. The scrapbook contains photographs circa 1876-1968 of Hahn, her family and friends, and houses she was associated with. Included are Hahn's birth (1876) and death (1950) certificates. Also included are the birth (1843) and naturalization (1911) certificates for her father, Carl S. Hahn, born in Germany, and the marriage certificate of her parents, Carl S. and Mary Beaver Hahn (1873). The scrapbook also contains correspondence from 1944 pertaining to Hahn's burial plot at the Great Valley Baptist Church in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. There is a biographical sketch probably written by Dorothy Foster, Mount Holyoke English professor, with whom Hahn lived in South Hadley, Massachusetts after her retirement from Mount Holyoke. There is also a biographical entry compiled by Renfrew, and copies of articles written by Austin and Renfrew for the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, regarding Hahn's retirement and her death. The scrapbook also contains copies of a letter written by Hahn after her reception of a retirement gift (1941), as well as a photograph of the gift itself, and a copy of a news letter sent to contributors to the Dorothy A. Hahn memorial fund (1954). Also included is a complete list of Hahn's publications.
Unrestricted
Correspondence, 1914-1915
The correspondence contains four letters written to James M. Foster, father of Mount Holyoke English professor Dorothy Foster. Foster and Hahn shared a home after Hahn's 1941 retirement from Mount Holyoke. The letters date from 1914-1915 and discuss Dorothy Foster's research trip to England of the same year.
Writings, 1913-1940
There are twenty-three publications included in the collection, as well as one of the three books Hahn co-authored. The publications date from 1913-1940 and the book was published in 1932. All writings relate to Hahn's work as an organic chemist.
Biographical Information, 1933-1951
The biographical information includes numerous press clippings, including those documenting her retirement from Mount Holyoke and her death. Other press clippings document her numerous publications. Also included is an article written about Hahn after her death in 1950 for the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly by Alice G. Renfrew, Mount Holyoke class of 1921.
Laboratory Glasses, circa 1915
The collection contains a pair of eye protectors or "goggles" probably used by Hahn in her laboratory work, circa 1915. Goggles have metal frames, orange tinted lenses, and leather sidepieces. With case.
Photographs, circa 1895-1941
Apart from the photographs contained within the scrapbook, the collection also contains three more photographs of Hahn. Two were probably taken during her tenure at Mount Holyoke as a chemistry professor (1908-1941) and appear to be those published in press clippings about Hahn. An earlier photograph of Hahn was probably taken during her undergraduate years at Bryn Mawr College, 1895-1899.
Writings,1932
Biographical Information,1933-1951
Laboratory Goggles,circa 1915
Photographs,circa 1895-1941