Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Sonia Tomara Clark papers, 1935-1979
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Clark, Sonia Tomara, 1897-
- Title
- Sonia Tomara Clark papers
- Dates
- 1935-1979 (inclusive)19351979
- Quantity
- 2.21 cubic feet (4 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 07219
- Summary
- Sonia Tomara Clark (1897-1982) was a Russian-born journalist and war correspondent, regarded as the first female war correspondent of World War II. This collection contains photographs, newspaper articles, and newspaper scrapbooks related to her work as a war correspondent, as well as some of her personal and professional correspondence.
- Repository
-
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu - Access Restrictions
-
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Sonia Tomara Clark (1897-1982) was a Russian-born journalist and war correspondent, regarded as the first female war correspondent of World War II. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, to Michael and Olga Tomara, she earned a degree in chemical engineering from the Moscow University for Women before fleeing to France with her mother during the Russian Revolution in 1920. In France, she worked as a political reporter and editor for Le Matin until 1928, when she joined the New York Herald Tribune. During her tenure, Tomara reported on the German invasion of Poland, the fall of France, and significant campaigns across India, Burma, China, and the Middle East. She also covered the Tehran Conference in 1943 and returned to Europe to report on the Normandy campaign, the liberation of Paris, and the Seventh Army’s advance through Alsace. Tomara retired in 1947 following her marriage to William Clark. She passed away in September 1982 at the age of 85, a month after suffering a stroke.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection contains correspondence related to Sonia Tomara Clark’s personal and professional lives, as well as photographs of Italy between 1935 and 1936, and a photograph of Clark in her correspondent uniform during the liberation of Paris in September of 1944. Also included are film strips related to Sonia, Italy, and Mussolini and newspaper articles by Sonia, some of which she made into scrapbooks.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Copyright InformationThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Restrictions on Use
Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in CollectionsThe American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.
Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.
Preferred Citation
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Related Materials
There are no known other archival collections created by Sonia Tomara Clark at the date of processing.
Acquisition Information
The collection was received from Sonia Tomara Clark in 1979 and from Olga Bassine in 1984.
Processing Note
The collection was processed by Brittany Heye in January of 2025.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Correspondence |
1940-1979 |
| 4 | Film Strips - Sonia Tomara, Italy, and Benito Moussolini |
1935-1945 |
| 1 | Newspaper clippings- articles by Sonia Tomara |
1942-1979 |
| 1 | Photographs - Italy |
1935-1936 |
| 1 | Photographs - Lee (from Paris in 1945) |
1945 |
| 1 | Photographs - Sonia Tomara in Paris after Liberation (in her correspondent uniform) |
September 1944 |
| 2 | Scrapbook - #1 Italy |
1935-1937 |
| 2 | Scrapbook - #2 Rome, th Hague London tours |
1937 |
| 2 | Scrapbook - #3 France, New York, Algiers |
1939-1940, 1943-1944 |
| 2 | Scrapbook - #4 New York |
1940-1942 |
| 2 | Scrapbook - #5 London, Algiers, Paris |
1944 |
| 3 | Scrapbook - #6 London, Paris, Germany |
1944-1945, 1947-1948 |
| 3 | Scrapbook - #7 China, Burma, India Theatre |
1942-1943 |
| 3 | Scrapbook - newspaper articles written by Sonia Tomara (2 books) |
1942-1979 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Journalism -- Balkan Peninsula.
- Journalism -- China.
- Journalism -- Germany.
- Journalism -- Great Britain.
- Journalism -- India.
- Journalism -- Italy.
- Journalism -- Poland.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Journalists.
Personal Names
Geographical Names
- Balkan Peninsula -- History -- 1918-1945.
- China -- History -- 1937-1945.
- Germany -- History -- 1945-1955.
- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century.
- India -- History -- 20th century.
- Italy -- History -- 1914-1945.
- Poland -- History -- 1918-1945.
Occupations
Titles within the Collection
- New York herald tribune.
Processed by Brittany Heye
2025
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
