Myrtle Jones papers, 1933-2002
The Myrtle Jones Papers, 1933 to 2002, consists of 8 cubic feet of material which document the personal and professional life of the Savannah artist. Arranged in four series, personal, professional, writings, and newspaper clippings, these papers illustrate Jones' life and work as a largely self-taught artist, her involvement in Savannah's art scene, ambition to be a published author of adult fiction, personal investment in the downtown historic preservation movement, and personal relationships. The Professional Series, 1948 to 1997 and undated, includes material about her art education and training; art exhibits, including guest lists, prices, sales, and promotional literature; business correspondence and contracts regarding commissions; art associations with which she was involved, particularly the Savannah Art Association and the Association of Georgia Artists; correspondence about her work, exhibits, and critiques and criticism; a 1997 recognition for Georgia Women in the Visual Arts, and an oral history transcript from 1994. Also included in this series is a biographical file which contains both career timeliness and narrative biographical sketches. The Writing Series, 1961 to 1994 and undated, includes drafts of Savannah Experience, her published autobiography, including many early beginnings of that book; drafts of No. 7 Scudders Row, also titled as 207 Guilford, a fictionalized autobiography about Jones' experience owning 107 W. Gordon Street; and several short stories. This series is dominated by many undated, corrected typescripts for No. 7 Scudders Row/207 Guilford. The No 7 Scudders Row material is in its original order. Also contained in this series is publishing and business correspondence about all of these publications. Visual material for Savannah Experience has been removed to VM 002. The Personal Series, 1933 to 2002 and undated, includes documentation about her career as an illustrator for the United States Army at Hunter Army Airfield during the late 1960s and early 1970s; her marriages to Southwood Jones and Leonard "Bill" King; documentation about her efforts to restore her homes at 112 W. Gaston Street and 107 W. Gordon Street; Braddy family material; and travels to Czechoslovakia, Spain and Paris, the latter of which became the subject of a short story, "Lost in Paris." Also included in this series, is a run of love letters to and from a man named Luigi Cappella, which were written in 1964 shortly before Jones' trip to Paris. The Newspaper Clippings Series, dates, document Jones' professional life as an artist. This series includes biographical pieces written about Jones as well as announcements of her exhibits. Also included in this series are clippings pertaining to the Telfair Museum of Art, the Savannah Art Club and Savannah Art Association, various artists who were either students or teachers of Jones, and historical properties in Savannah's downtown area
Archival Material, English, 1933