I Wanted to Be an Actress

mnsss230 Katharine Cornell Papers, 1938-1960 Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-02-01 Finding aid written in English. Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Katharine Cornell Papers, 1938-1960 Finding Aid MS 42 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Cornell, Katharine, 1893-1974 Katharine Cornell Papers1938-1960 MS 42 1 box (.25 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Actress; Theatrical producer. The Katharine Cornell Papers include manuscripts and correspondence related to "I Wanted to Be an Actress" and scripts from "Antony and Cleopatra" and "The Barretts of Wimpole Street." Biographical Note

Publicity photo of Katherine Cornell in costume, undated

Katharine Cornell (1893-1974) was born in Germany and raised in Buffalo, New York. She began her stage career with the Washington Square Players in New York City in 1916. In 1921, she married director, Guthrie McClintic, and in 1931, they formed the Cornell- McClintic Corporation, their own theatrical company. Some of Cornell's more famous roles were the leads in "A Bill of Divorcement" (1921), "St. Joan" (1936), "Romeo and Juliet"(1933- 34), and "The Barretts of Wimpole St." and Candide" (1931-34). She toured European front- lines during World War II, performing for GIs. Her last production was in "Dear Liar"(1959). Over her career, she received numerous honors and awards. Her autobiography, I Wanted to Be an Actress was published in 1938.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Katharine Cornell Papers include manuscripts and correspondence related to I Wanted to Be an Actress and scripts from "Antony and Cleopatra" and "The Barretts of Wimpole Street."

NOTE: The container list for this collection is available in the Sophia Smith Collection. Please contact us to request a copy.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

Copyright to unpublished materials may be owned by the creator, or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Katharine Cornell Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Search Terms Actresses--United States--Biography--Sources Women in the theater--United States--History--Sources Cornell, Katharine, 1893-1974