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Vontella Hess Buchholz Kimball papers, 1931-1971

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Kimball, Vontella Hess, 1906-1971
Title
Vontella Hess Buchholz Kimball papers
Dates
1931-1971 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.75 linear feet, (6 boxes)
Collection Number
MS 0264
Summary
The Vontella Hess Buchholz Kimball papers (1931-1971) consist of correspondence, notebooks, and newspaper clippings concerning her activities as national education director of a large cosmetic firm and her interest in the Middle East. Vontella (1906-1971) was an active and independent woman with a desire to travel. She often lectured on charm and beauty at business and social clubs, and was also in demand as a speaker on traditional Arab attire and jewelry.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

An original cuneiform tablet has been removed and placed in Reserve. Access must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the item if being used.

Languages
English, Arabic
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Historical Note

Vontella Hess Buchholz Kimball (1906-1971) was born in Farmington, Utah, to David Cornelius and Lois Kimball Hess. She was a great-granddaughter of Heber C. Kimball, a noted pioneer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Vontella married S. H. Buchholz in 1926. The couple had one son, Stanley. She married Richard H. Kimball in 1938. When Vontella was seventeen years of age she enrolled at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and was employed in the cosmetics department of Auerbach's, a local department store. Newspaper clippings show she was not only beautiful, but very skilled at her work and willing to teach others about cosmetics and fashion. Because of her talents and with the help of her mentor, Helena Rubenstein, she was sent to New York City to learn more about the make-up industry and later became the national education director of a large cosmetic firm called Tussy Cosmetics. In 1935, through her work, Vontella took her first trip abroad to deepen her knowledge of cosmetic techniques. Because of her experience, passion, and knowledge, Vontella often lectured on charm and beauty at business and social clubs, and she also gave classes at colleges, including Brigham Young University. A subject she frequently discussed was titled, "Beauty through the Ages."

In the course of her work, she visited Europe and the Middle East many times between 1935 and 1966. Vontella was impressed with the Arab world and the locations of the New Testament. She enjoyed visiting "every spot that Paul did" and wrote about being the first woman to enter the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Additionally, Vontella collected artifacts dating back to 3000 B.C.

Her admiration for the Arab world kept her in contact with the friends she encountered on her many trips. Later she gave lectures in the United States on traditional Arab attire and jewelry. She lectured for twenty years and then went to radio and television.

Vontella Kimball died in 1971.

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Content Description

The Vontella Hess Buchholz Kimball papers (1931-1971) consist of correspondence, notebooks, and newspaper clippings concerning her work and interest in cosmetics and the Middle East. Vontella (1906-1971) was an active and independent woman with a desire to travel and learn. The collection consists of diaries, correspondence and newspaper articles that give us an insight to Vontella's life. The first two boxes in this collection date back to 1935 and consist of Vontella's travel journals, notebooks, and passports. Box three contains personal correspondence with family and friends she met through her travels, as well as correspondence with an organization called the American Friends of the Middle East. The last boxes have folders containing notes, papers, speeches, family history, and newspaper clippings.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Boxes 1-5 (folders 1 and 2) were donated by Vontella Kimball's son, Stanley B. Kimball, in 1981 and 2001.

Folders 3 and 4 of box 5 and the contents of box 6 were donated by Violet Kimball, widow of Stanley B. Kimball, in 2004.

Processing Note

Processed by Alice Guss, Alison Rogers, and Karen Carver in 1981, 2001, and 2004.

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Related Materials

Forms part of the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women's Legacy Archive.

Separated Materials

See also the Vontella Hess Bucholz Kimball photograph collection (P0093) in the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid written by Alice Guss, Alison Rogers, and Karen Carver.
2004 (last modified: 2019)

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