Browne (Sibyl) Papers, 1912-1979
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Texas A&M University-San Antonio Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection Archives & Special Collections 2020 Browne (Sibyl) Papers, 1912-1979 DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/findingaids Recommended Citation DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, "Browne (Sibyl) Papers, 1912-1979" (2020). Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection. 164. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/findingaids/164 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Archives & Special Collections at Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio. It has been accepted for inclusion in Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Sibyl Browne Papers, 1912-1979 Descriptive Summary Creator: Browne, Martha Sibyl (1892-1966) Title: Sibyl Browne Papers Dates: 1912-1979 Creator Martha Sibyl Browne was an educator, and co-director of a private Abstract: progressive school in San Antonio, Texas. After retirement she was involved in San Antonio preservation and conservation efforts. Content Correspondence, course material, notebooks, financial and legal Abstract: documents, printed material, and photographs make up the Sibyl Browne Papers, documenting the professional and personal life of Browne and her mother, Hetty S. Browne. Identification: Col 932 Extent: 36 document boxes, 3 oversize box Language: Materials are in English Repository: DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Biographical Note Martha Sibyl Browne was born in Columbia, South Carolina on November 17, 1892 to Samuel T. and Hetty S. Browne. After studying at Winthrop College in South Carolina, she received a B.S. degree from Columbia University in 1916, returning there for an M.A. in 1933. She received additional academic training at the Academie Moderne in Paris in 1921 and the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University in 1936-1937. She traveled frequently in Europe and in Mexico, where she studied with Diego Rivera. Sibyl Browne began her professional career at Main Avenue High School in San Antonio, Texas, where she was head of the Art Department from 1916-1920, followed by a position at the Bloomsburg (Pa.) State Normal College from 1922-1925. From 1926 to 1930, she was co-director, with her mother, of the River Road Country Day School in San Antonio, a private, progressive school. Her other teaching positions in art education were at Columbia University Teachers College (1930-1933); New Jersey State Teachers College (1933- 1943); University of Georgia at Athens (1949-1957); and the State University of New York at Buffalo (1958). Throughout her career, she acted as a visiting instructor or lecturer at various schools, and served as the first art curator at the Witte Museum in San Antonio. She was a member of national and regional arts and education organizations, and published a number of articles in popular and professional journals. In 1958, Browne and her mother retired to San Antonio, where Sibyl was active in the San Antonio Conservation Society and other historic preservation efforts. She served as Chairman of the Exhibits Committee for the Society, organizing two exhibits related to historic buildings in San Antonio, "San Antonio Architecture, 1700-1900," in 1963, and "Tomorrow's Heritage," in 1965. Browne's interest in preservation led to her involvement in a campaign in opposition to the route of the North Expressway, proposed to connect downtown San Antonio with its northern suburbs. She was active in the campaign from 1959 until the highway was finally constructed in the mid-1970s. In 1966, Sibyl Browne's contributions to her profession were recognized by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C, which presented her with the National Art Education Award. She continued to live in the building constructed for the River Road Country Day School until her death on October 5, 1979. Hetty Sibyl (Turnipseed) Browne was born in Columbia, South Carolina on October 9, 1875. She preceded her daughter at Winthrop College, receiving a B.S. from Columbia University in 1920 and an M.A. in 1923. After teaching in rural and elementary schools, she directed an experimental rural school in association with Winthrop College from 1910- 1918. She was Director of Rural Education for Bloomsburg (Pa.) State Normal School from 1920-1922 and Supervisor of Rural Schools for Prince Georges County in Maryland (1923-1925) before founding the River Road Country Day School in San Antonio. Her professional activities also involved the authorship of primers for children, and associated instructional material. After retiring, Hetty S. Browne frequently traveled and lived with her daughter. She died in San Antonio May 20, 1966. Scope and Content Note Correspondence, course material, notebooks, financial and legal documents, printed material, and photographs make up the Sibyl Browne Papers, documenting the professional and personal life of Browne and her mother, Hetty S. Browne. The papers of Sibyl Browne have been organized into four series: Personal Material; Professional Material; San Antonio Conservation Society; and North Expressway Campaign. A large part of the Personal Material is made up of letters received from friends and colleagues, notably Martin Stan Buchner, Lillian Calcia, Stanley A Czurles, Lamar Dodd, Emily Edwards, Lillian Harmelin, Winifred Holt, Leon Gordon Miller, Chandler Montgomery, Belle Northrup, Edward John Stevens, Jr., Clement T. Tetkowski, and Clara Zeleny. Greeting cards, some containing brief messages, have been filed separately, in chronological order. Also part of the Personal Material are scrapbooks documenting trips to Europe in the 1930s; the diary of Emily Wyatt, her companion on a 1921 European visit; and printed material, particularly announcements, catalogs, programs and clippings, reflecting Browne's interest in art, education, community planning, architecture, and historic preservation. Photographs include artwork, personal photos, and friends and colleagues. The Professional Material series consists of items directly associated with Sibyl Browne's academic career. The series has been subdivided into General Education material, which includes subject files created by Browne (Browne's file titles are indicated by quotation marks); card files of subject notes and bibliographic references; notes and texts for speeches and lectures; articles by Browne in typescript and printed form; and material connected with her National Gallery of Art, Art Education award. The remainder of the series is made up of records associated with specific teaching positions. Particularly detailed are the records of her work at the University of Georgia, which include a variety of course materials and detailed notes for her classes. The San Antonio Conservation Society series includes a small amount of general material. More detailed are records of Browne's work with the Exhibits Committee. Correspondence, financial records, notes, scripts and photographs for the "Tomorrow's Heritage" exhibit of 1965 document the research that went into the project. Also included in the series are items related to Browne's interest in the Los Pastores pageants produced in San Antonio, and include a manuscript of the play written by Leandro Granados, and inscribed to her. The final series, North Expressway Campaign, includes material related to the long battle over the route of the highway. Included are correspondence and minutes of a group that formed early the process, the Save Our Parks Committee. Printed material is related to some of the early elections on the issue, while clippings document the issue from 1959 to 1974. The Hetty S. Browne Papers have been arranged as a separate subgroup of the Sibyl Browne Papers, and are made up of material associated with the activities of the educator, who worked closely with her daughter, frequently living with her. The papers are in two series, Personal Material and Professional Material. Much of the Personal Material is made up of letters from Sibyl Browne to Hetty S. Browne, written during trips to Europe in 1920-1921 and 1935-1936. Typescript copies were made of most of the earlier letters. Additional letters from Sibyl to Hetty, sent from Europe, are included in a scrapbook dating from 1927. Professional Material includes papers from Hetty S. Browne's various teaching and administrative positions. Her involvement in the Winthrop College experimental rural school produced numerous photographs, along with newspaper clippings and publications. The River Road Country Day School material includes a few legal and financial records, along with examples of administrative records, publications, and photographs. General professional material includes Mrs. Browne's manuscript for a manual to accompany a children's reader. Most of the other photographs in this series are unidentified. Restrictions Access Restrictions No restrictions. The collection is open for research. Usage Restrictions Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.