Lillian Gish Letter
Scope and Content
The collection consists of a letter from Lillain Gish to Charles Haney, librarian at Virginia Tech, in answer to a question about the filmmaker D. W. Griffith.
Dates
- 1975
Creator
- Gish, Lillian, 1893-1993 (Person)
Language of Materials
The materials in the collection are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Biographical Note
Lillian Diana Gish was an American actress, best known for her appearance in such silent screen classics as Birth of a Nation and Orphans of the Storm. Born October 14, 1893, died February 27, 1993. She spent over 75 years on the sreen (1912-1987). Her most prominate films were of the 1910s and 1920s, with D. W. Griffith (1875-1948) as the director. AFI listed Gish as 17th among the greatest female stars of all time. She was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1971, and she received an AFI Life Achievement Award in 1984.
Lillian Gish never married nor had children. The association between Gish and D. W. Griffith was so close that some suspected a romantic connection, an issue never acknowledged by Gish, although several of their associates were certain they were at least briefly involved. For the remainder of her life, she always referred to him as "Mr. Griffith."
Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
The collection consists of a letter from actress Lillian Gish (1893-1993) to Charles Haney, librarian at Virginia Tech, in answer to a question about the filmmaker, D. W. Griffith (1875-1948), with whom Gish worked on several films.
Arrangement
The folder is arranged so that the letter by Lillian Gish is in the front, followed by the envelope, then a brief note on why the letter was written to place the letter in context.
Source of Acquisition
The Lillian Gish Letter was purchased by University Libraries and transferred to Special Collection in 1978.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Lillian Gish Letter, Ms1978-006 by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Lillian Gish Letter was completed prior to 2010. Additional description was completed in November 2010.
- Title
- Lillian Gish Letter, 1975
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sarah R. Olney
- Date
- 2010 (CC0 1.0)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu