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Jean Howard papers, 1930-2011

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Howard, Jean, 1910-2000
Title
Jean Howard papers
Dates
1930-2011 (inclusive)
Quantity
32.22 cubic ft. (54 boxes) + 36.3 GB
Collection Number
10714
Summary
Papers and photographs by a Hollywood celebrity and photographer. They include biographical material, correspondence, celebrated photographs, subject files, and materials for autobiographical photo books on Hollywood and Cole Porter.
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
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Jean Howard was a Hollywood actress, hostess, celebrity, and photographer. Her book, Jean Howard’s Hollywood: A Photo Memoir (1989), depicts the time of the Palm Springs movie colony and studio rule. She was born Ernestine Hill on October 13, 1919 in Longview, Texas. Her father financed her participation in fashion shows and beauty contests. She signed a contract with MGM, but went to New York with Lorenz Ziegfeld instead. She was in the 1930s Ziegfeld Follies and later in a number of films including The Prize Fighter and The Lady. Louis B. Mayer fell in love with her and proposed marriage, but she rejected him and married Charles Feldman (agent-producer) instead. They divorced in 1948, but continued to share their intimate and professional life until his death in 1968.

Cole Porter’s wife, Linda, was a close friend of Jean Howard. After she died, Howard accompanied the songwriter on two tours of Europe and the Middle East. The photographs that Howard took in 1955 and 1956 with Porter became the subject of her second book, Travels with Cole Porter (1991). In 1964, she met musician Tony Santoro in a Capri nightclub. They lived together and migrated between Capri, Italy and California until they eventually married and settled in California in 1973. After their divorce, Howard spent more of her time in Italy, but returned to California during her last years. She died at home in 2000.

Howard’s friends and acquaintances were many. Her friends included Cole and Linda Porter, Marlene Dietrich, and the Darryl Zanuck family. She mingled with numerous others, including Tyrone Power, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland. Howard’s elegant Spanish colonial house in Coldwater Canyon was the location for numerous Hollywood parties.

Jean Howard’s interest in photography began during the 1940s on the advice of a graphologist, who convinced her to take some serious classes (her student work is in the collection). Her ability to capture fellow celebrities at their ease makes her pictures remarkable. They appeared in Life, Vogue, and other major magazines while her fame as a photographer grew.

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Content Description

The Jean Howard Papers and Photographs are a valuable resource for those who wish to learn about the Hollywood celebrity culture from the 1930s through the 1980s. They include biographical materials relating to Howard and her very successful husband, Charles Feldman, who was a Hollywood agent/producer. There is some correspondence arranged by date and other correspondence arranged by topic. The major part of the collection, however, consists of Jean Howard’s celebrated photographs and their negatives, which portray celebrity events, and portraits. Jean Howard’s personal photographs and negatives are also included. The rest of the collection consists of subject files organized alphabetically, including notes related to her books on Hollywood and her trips with Cole Porter.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item description, Box Number, Folder Number, Jean Howard Papers, Collection Number 10714, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Alternative Forms Available

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at https://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~69~69.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The Jean Howard Collection was received from the Jean Howard Trust on October 24, 2000 and Catherine Phillips in 2017.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by John Hanks in June 2003 and updated by Jamie Greene in June 2018.

Select materials from this collection were digitized by Kathy Gerlach from 2017-2018.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Motion picture actors and actresses

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Burton, Richard, 1925-
    • Cocteau, Jean, 1899-1963
    • Coward, Noel, 1899-1973
    • Feldman, Charles K., 1904-1968
    • Garland, Judy
    • Isherwood, Christopher, 1904-
    • Monroe, Marilyn, 1926-1962
    • Porter, Cole, 1891-1964
    • Power, Tyrone, 1869-
    • Stewart, James, 1908-
    • Zanuck, Darryl Francis, 1902-

    Corporate Names

    • J. Paul Getty Museum
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