Finding Aids

Gender Studies and Sexuality

ACT UP Chicago. Records

ACT UP Chicago was a grassroots, direct action, activist group formed to bring attention to the AIDS crisis. The group also agitated for increased AIDS funding and research, as well as protection of the rights of people with HIV/AIDS. Correspondence, notes, clippings, and newsletters in the collection track the work of ACT UP Chicago between the late 1980s and the mid-1990s. The records describe major protests undertaken by ACT UP Chicago, as well as issues of HIV/AIDS specific to Chicago and Illinois. The large number of clippings and periodicals, from both popular and alternative media, provide information on media coverage of HIV/AIDS, gay and lesbian issues, and leftist politics. The collection also includes examples of the ACT UP’s distinctive graphic style displayed on posters, flyers, stickers, and buttons.

Abbott, Edith and Grace. Papers

Edith Abbott received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1905 and was a resident of Hull House until 1920. She served as Associate Director of the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy at the University of Chicago and also served as dean. She died in 1957. Grace Abbott received her Ph.M. from the University of Chicago in 1909 and studied law at the University of Chicago Law School. In 1915 she became the first director of the newly organized Immigrant's Protective League, and in 1917 was appointed to the Child Labor Division of the United States Children's Bureau. She and Edith both served as professors of Public Welfare at the University of Chicago. Grace died in 1939. Papers of Edith Abbott contain professional and personal correspondence, lecture notes for courses taught at the University of Chicago School of Social Administration (SSA), speeches and articles, the draft of the unfinished biography of Grace Abbott, some administrative files and reports of SSA, biographical material, and photographs. Papers of Grace Abbott contain personal and professional correspondence; manuscripts of articles, speeches, and radio broadcasts; biographical material; invitations; scrapbooks relating to the United States Children's Bureau; and pamphlets and memoranda on the Child Labor Amendment of 1924-25. Correspondents include Jane Addams, Sophonisba Breckinridge, Julia Lathrop, Frances Perkins, S.K. Ratcliffe, and Gifford Pinchot. Subjects include Hull House, child labor laws, child welfare, immigration, philanthropy, and public welfare administration. Also contains Abbott family papers, including correspondence, memorabilia, and photographs.

Amberg, Alan. Gay History Collection

The materials in this collection were gathered by Alan Amberg as well as his partner, the late Jerry Cohen. Materials cover a wide range of gay and lesbian subject matter, including the beginnings of the Gay Pride Movement in Chicago in the early 1970s; Chicago gay and lesbian organizations and culture during the 1970s-1990s; a substantial amount of material on the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights (October 11, 1987); gay and lesbian publications from the 1970s to the first decade of the 21st century; as well as a modest collection of "The Little Blue Book" series (1924-1930), with volumes that focus on marriage and sex. Although the collection contains some personal papers, especially correspondence relating to Cohen's death, the bulk of the material consists of newsletters, articles, clippings, reports, and audio-visual selections. Materials date from 1924 to 2008, with the bulk of the materials dating from the 1970 to 2000.

American Civil Liberties Union. Illinois Division. Records

Documents the activities of the Illinois Division of the American Civil Liberties Union from its founding through 2014. Includes case files, finances and fundraising information, individual and institutional correspondence, minutes, newsletters and publications, film, audio cassettes, and photographs.

Artistic Circles. Records

Artistic Circles was founded by Ann Feldman in 1989 with a mission to create "collaborative media for the common good." It has produced media projects that have been broadcast worldwide, with a notable focus on women in religion and the arts.

Breckinridge, Sophonisba P. Papers

Sophonisba P. Breckinridge (1866-1948) was a social scientist and social work educator. The papers include manuscripts of her unfinished autobiography which describes residents at Hull House; correspondence; newspaper clippings; data from a study on Americanization (1918-1919); and sales and royalty records of her books. Correspondents include Jane Addams and Julia Lathrop.

British Romance Novelettes and Popular Paperbacks. Collection

This collection contains 208 British romance novelettes and popular paperbacks from the mid-20th century, the majority published by William Stevens Ltd. Most novelettes contain advertisements throughout aimed at female readers.

Burgess, Ernest Watson. Papers

Ernest Burgess(1886-1966), Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago, 1916-1952. Contains correspondence; manuscripts; minutes; reports; memoranda; research material that includes proposals, case studies, questionnaires, tables, and interviews; teaching and course materials, class record books; letters of recommendation; bibliographies; student papers; offprints; and maps and charts. Includes material relating to professional organizations with which Burgess was associated. Topics reflect Burgess' interest in urban sociology, family and marriage, crime and delinquency, parole, census work, and gerontology as well as research methods such as statistical predictors, factor analysis, case studies, and the use of personal documents. Also contains research projects on the Protestant church and the effects of radio on the development of children. Papers by students and colleagues include writings by Saul Alinsky, Nels Anderson, Leonard Cottrell, Paul Cressey, John Landesco, Walter Reckless, Clifford Shaw, Paul Siu, Frederick Thrasher, and others. Supplemented by the separately described

Burgess, Ernest Watson. Papers. Addenda

Ernest W. Burgess (1886-1966), sociologist. The Burgess Papers Addenda documents Burgess' career as a Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago as well as his involvement in a variety of community, social, governmental and research organizations. The collection includes surveys, questionnaires, maps, diagrams, note cards, punch cards, recordings, microfilm, manuscripts, notes, offprints, articles, photographs, student records and administrative material, correspondence, advertisements, catalogues, magazines, newspaper clippings, and reports. It supplements the material contained in the main body of

Castle, Mabel Wing. Papers

Mabel Wing Castle was a writer, teacher and activist, wife of Henry Northrup Castle, mother of Elinor Castle Nef, sister-in-law of George Herbert Mead, and mother-in-law of Committee on Social Thought founder John U. Nef, Jr. The collection contains correspondence, personal diaries, and photographs. Material spans the dates 1865-1957, with the bulk dating from 1890 to 1940.

Closeted/Out in the Quadrangles. Oral Histories. Collection

This collection contains 67 oral histories conducted for “Closeted/Out in the Quadrangles: A History of LGBTQ Life at the University of Chicago,” a research project of the University of Chicago’s Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality (CSGS) from 2012 to 2015. The project’s mission was to document the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities at the University of Chicago from the early twentieth century to the present. Interviews were conducted with UChicago alumni, faculty, and staff. Most interviewees are alumni. Class years of interviewed alumni range from 1958 to 2014.

Cohen, Jerry, Photograph Collection

Jerrold “Jerry” Ernest Cohen (b. February 3, 1943, d. November 26, 1991) was a photographer and activist who helped found over a dozen organizations and held several leadership positions in Chicago’s LGBTQ community from the late 1960s through the early 1990s. The collection contains negatives, contact sheets, photographic prints, slides, handwritten notes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings. Materials date between 1975 and 1992, with the bulk of the material dating between 1975 and 1987. The photograph collection primarily documents aspects of gay community life in Chicago from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s.

Elshtain, Jean Bethke. Papers

Jean Bethke Elshtain (1941-2013) was a political theorist, ethicist, author, and public intellectual. She was the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics with joint appointments at the Divinity School, the Department of Political Science, and the Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago. The collection includes personal ephemera; correspondence; subject files; materials related to her writings and speaking engagements; university administrative and teaching materials; records documenting Elshtain's activities in professional, nonprofit, and governmental organizations; awards; photographs; audio and video recordings; and posters. Materials date between 1935 and 2017, with the bulk of the material dating between 1950 and 2013. The papers primarily document Elshtain's career in academia as a political theorist, and her activities as a public intellectual called upon to address issues related to feminism, war, and political ethics.

Millard Avenue Woman's Club. Collection

The Millard Avenue Woman’s Club was founded in 1878 and was active into the 1960s. The club went through several previous name changes, including the Ladies’ Literary Society, the Woman’s Literary Club, and the Woman’s Club of Millard Avenue. It was based in Chicago’s South Lawndale neighborhood, near Shedd Park. Like many women’s societies founded at the turn of the century, the club organized courses and educational lectures in literature, art, music, and law, later adding nursing, food safety, home economics, and gardening. They organized for causes, from creating a library branch to founding a Red Cross Unit during World War I, and educated members about women’s rights and the vote. This collection is made up of many of the club’s yearbooks from 1878 to 1956, an annual publication containing programming, histories, member directories, and reports. Many volumes include marginal notes and ephemera.

Primavera. Records

This collection contains records, correspondence, submissions, marketing materials, proofs, layouts, and published volumes of the literary magazine, Primavera, dating from 1975 to 2006. Founded in 1975, Primavera was originally associated with the University of Chicago's Feminist Organization. The magazine eventually disassociated from the organization and then from the University, but continued to publish "fiction and poetry that reflect the experiences of women," operating under the auspices of Moveable Type, Inc. and funded through subscriptions and grants.

Talbot, Marion. Papers

Contains the correspondence and papers of Marion Talbot, Assistant Professor of Sanitary Science, Associate professor of Household Administration, and Dean of Women at the University of Chicago from its inception in 1892 until her retirement in 1925.

University of Chicago Settlement. Records

The University of Chicago Settlement House was established in 1894 in the packing-house district of Chicago to provide English instruction, citizenship and legal assistance, medical care, and other services, to the largely European immigrant population of the Back of the Yards community. Materials in this collection primarily document the settlement’s programs and activities from the 1930s to the early 1950s.

University of Chicago. Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality Records

Records documenting the founding, operations, and programs of the University of Chicago Center for the Study and Gender and Sexuality, founded in 1996 as the Center of Gender Studies.

University of Chicago. Committee of the Council of the University Senate. Committee on University Women. Records

The Committee on University Women (COUW or CUW) was established in 1969 to investigate "the status and opportunities open to academic women" at the University of Chicago. It was an appointed subcommittee of the Committee of the Council of the University Senate. This collection covers the chairmanships of Bernice Neugarten (1969-1970), Erica Reiner (1970-1974), and Janice Spofford (1974-1978). Materials include clippings, correspondence, statistical data, interviews and questionnaires, memoranda, publications, and reports.

University of Chicago. Employees and Employment. Collection

This collection contains a range of material documenting employees and employment at the University of Chicago. Materials date between 1919 and 2000, with the bulk of materials dating between 1952 and 1980.

University of Chicago. Women and Women’s Organizations. Collection

This collection contains a range of material documenting employees and employment at the University of Chicago. Materials date between 1919 and 2000, with the bulk of materials dating between 1952 and 1980.