Manuscripts

George Ellery Hale letters

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Description: Group of letters to and from astronomer George Ellery Hale. Five of the letters, all dated 1908, are from Hale to businessman and philanthropist Cleveland H. Dodge; in these letters, Hale writes about telescopes at Mount Wilson Observatory and his recent discoveries about sunspots. The other 15 letters, two are undated and the rest are dated 1902, are to Hale by various prominent scientists, including: Robert S. Ball, Lewellys F. Barker, William Wallace Campbell, Henry S. Carhart, Thomas C. Chamberlin, George C. Comstock, John M. Coulter, Henry Crew, Johann G. Hagen, Arthur R. Hinks, Sir William Huggins, Heinrich Kayser, S. P. Langley, and Jacques Loeb. The topics of these letters vary: astronomy, acknowledgments of invitations or materials, and introductions. Several of these letters have notes with them, written by Hale, with a brief biography of the author of the letter. Accompanying the letters is Hale's folder in which these letters were kept, with notes by Hale, and a note about Sir Arthur Schuster.
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George Ellery Hale manuscripts and photographs

Manuscripts

This small group of material primarily consists of photographs related to George Ellery Hale. Most of the photographs are identified at the back. The earliest photograph of Hale in this collection is at 7-months old. The bulk of the photographs are of Hale, his children and grandchildren. People identified in the photographs include but not limited to: William Ellery Hale; William Brackenridge Hale; Mary Scranton Browne Hale; Arthur A. Noyes; Margaret Hale (Scherer); Eveline Conklin (Hale); Emily Scherer; and Anne Scherer. In addition to the photographs, there are seven short stories and five drawings by Hale. The short stories are entitled: III Rigamarole; Old Santa; The Polar Bear's Watermelons; To Anne and the Girls; Alice and the Prancing Bunny; Alice Goes to Sea; and Jumpety Jack. There are two letters, both written by Hale, to Katherine Williams West Nichols and Margaret Hale (Scherer). Also included is a document about "The George Ellery Hale Ancestry of The Paul Armand and Margaret Hale Scherer Family." Finally, there are two clippings one of "Thomas Hale House, Circa 1640, Newbury" and the other of Hale's solar laboratory.

mssHale2

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George Ellery Hale correspondence

Manuscripts

The collection consists of correspondence from Hale to his friend, Harry Manley Goodwin, physicist, and graduate dean of MIT. Subject matter includes: practical and theoretical aspects of astronomical research, information about other scientists (Norman Lockyer, William Whewell, William Jevons, Robert Millikan, Albert Michelson, and Albert Einstein), the administration and finance of scientific research, scientific organizations and publications, Hale's own experiments and theories, the University of Chicago, California Institute of Technology, astronomical observatories, the foundation of the Huntington Library, and Hale's private and family life.

mssHM 28397-28553

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George Ellary Hale letter to Seth Barnes Nicholson

Manuscripts

This autograph letter, written by George Ellery Hale to Seth Barnes Nicholson, concerns Nicholson's employment at the Mount Wilson Observatory and an eclipse. He expresses, "...I sincerely hope you may see your way clear to stay with us. We can certainly give you better facilities for research than you could get elsewhere, and you may also count on an adequate increase in salary." This letter was written in Florence, Italy.

mssHM 83603

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Photographs of George Ellery Hale

Visual Materials

Two black and white gelatin silver photographs of George Ellery Hale. One image shows a younger George Ellery Hale seated outside with a woman who may be Maude Thomas. A handwritten note on the verso reads, "We would laugh!" The second image shows an older Hale with three other men in suits posing outdoors.

photPF 26053

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Hale, George Ellery

Manuscripts

The collection contains over three hundred folders of correspondence that are arranged alphabetically by correspondent in fifty-eight boxes. The collection ranges from 1878 to 1972, with the bulk of the correspondence being from the years 1900 to 1979. The correspondence includes letters, telegrams, postcards, photographs and one record disc (box 26). The correspondence is mainly related to the library collection itself or to the library as an institution. The letters include commentary on the collection, the acquisition and transfer of items, inquiries about the holdings of the library, letters of thanks and congratulations from visitors, financial transactions, and letters between members of the staff. Box 52 contains miscellaneous files labeled as crank files which are often unsolicited.

HIA 31.1

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[Portrait of George Ellery Hale.]

Visual Materials

Portrait of George Ellery Hale, an astronomer, director of the Mount Wilson Observatory, near Pasadena, California, from 1904 until 1923, and a member of the original Board of Trustees of The Huntington Library.

photPF 20051

George Ellery Hale letters

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George Ellery Hale manuscripts and photographs

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Hale, George Ellery

[Portrait of George Ellery Hale.]