Sisters Harriet (1885-1960) and Marjorie Severance (1887-1958) were raised primarily in Los Angeles and were the granddaughters of the noted abolitionist and women's rights advocate Caroline Severance (1820-1914). Some of the postcards may have been sent during the time in which Harriet moved to England after marrying John R. Munn. According to the June 10, 1914 issue of "Princeton Alumni Weekly," Munn and Severance were married in London and spent their honeymoon traveling in Norway.
The collection is open for research.
The collection is subject to all copyright laws. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright, beyond that allowed by fair use, requires the researcher to obtain permission of copyright holders.
Harriet Severance Munn Postcard Collection (SC-14). VMFA Archives, Richmond, Virginia.
While the majority of the cards in the albums are blank, many contain correspondence between Harriet, her sister Marjorie, and other family members. Some are addressed to Harriet and her husband John Munn, while others are addressed to Marjorie and appear to have been returned to Harriet at a later date. Other cards bear no address or postmark, but contain notes by Harriet further describing the image on the postcard. They cover a period from circa 1911 to 1928, and some of the correspondence is in French.
The first smaller volume contains over 150 postcards housed in an Italian-made album designed specifically for postcard display. The cards depict the art and architecture of Europe, primarily France (Pau, Lourdes, Carcassone, Avignon, Arles, Orange, Antibes, Grasse) and Italy (Rome, Siena). Also included is a single, loose "Graves Stereal-Graph", also known as a stereogram or stereograph. The stereogram is entitled "Making a Welsh Rabbit" and was created by C.H. Graves in Philadelphia in 1903. On the reverse is a short poem of the same name.
The second larger volume contains over 290 postcards housed in a bound leather album engraved with the words "Souvenir Postals" and "Harriet Severance". The cards depict street scenes and architecture throughout Europe (including London, Windsor, Stratford-upon-Avon, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Trondheim), Africa (Johannesburg, Gilbraltar), the Carribbean (San Juan), and United States (Jekyll Island, GA, Norfolk, CT, Bennington, VT, Richmond, VA), works of art, and postcards with feminist themes.
The collection is organized into one series.
The postcards were left in their original albums. There is damage to the cover of the larger volume.
Thes collection was donated by Sally Todd in 1996.