Birchfield, James D. (1946-) Collection, ca. 1985-2004

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: James D. Birchfield b.1946

Title: Collection, ca. 1985-2004.

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection: 5 cubic feet

Locator Number: Mss./A/B617

Biographical Note

James D. Birchfield worked at the University of Kentucky in the Margaret I. King Library. He had a special interest in Mona Bismarck, the fashion icon born in Kentucky, and he became a leading scholar of her life. His research led to a book and exhibit on the life of Mona Bismarck.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of materials collected by Birchfield while researching Mona Bismarck (1897-1983) for a book and an exhibit at the University of Kentucky. The papers are mostly photocopies of articles and letters about Mona, her friends and family. The subjects of most of the articles are fashion and the lifestyle of the elite class of the fashion world. There are also photocopies of Mona’s marriage and divorce records as well as other material from the public record files. See the folder listing for a more complete list of people and subjects.

Folder List

Folder 1: Untitled.

Folder 2: Alajalov, Constantin.

Folder 3: Aarons, Slim.

Folder 4: Abby, Sir Valentine.

Folder 5: Allen, Frederick Lewis. Big Change.

Folder 6: Allen, Fr. Lewis. Lords of Creation.

Folder 7: Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday.

Folder 8: Amory, Cleveland. Proper Bostonians.

Folder 9: Amory, Cleveland. Who Killed Society?

Folder 10: Baldwin, Billy: Autobiography.

Folder 11: Ballard, Bettina. In My Fashion.

Folder 12: Baltzell, E. Digby. Philadelphia Gentlemen.

Folder 13: Baruch, Bernard M.

Folder 14: Beaton, Cecil. – Filson Letters.

Folder 15: Beaton – Publications.

Folder 16: Beaton.

Folder 17: Beaton, Cecil Archive/Cambridge.

Folder 18: Behrman, S. N. Duveen.

Folder 19: Berard, Bebe.

Folder 20: Berendt, John. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Folder 21: Bergery, Bettina.

Folder 22: Best Dressed.

Folder 23: Bibliography.

Folder 24: Bismarck – art Museum Talk 16 April 1997.

Folder 25: Bismarck, Mona – J.B. Printouts.

Folder 26: Bismarck, Mona I

Folder 27:Bismarck, Mona – News Articles.

Folder 28: Bismarck, Mona II

Folder 29: Bismarck, Mona – Schools.

Folder 30: Bismarck Foundation: Exhibition Cat.

Folder 31: Bismarck Project.

Folder 32: Bismarck – Mona Family Bible.

Folder 33: Bismarck Foundation.

Folder 34: Bismarck, Mona – Will.

Folder 35: Bismarck Foundation Visit.

Folder 36: Bismarck Papers – Filson Club.

Folder 37: Bismarck, Eddie.

Folder 38: Billings C.K.G.

Folder 39: Bottin Mondain 1975 – Smithsonian DC 704/B751/1975.

Folder 40: Bromfield, Louis – Twenty-four Hours.

Folder 41: Brown, Eve – Champaign Cholly.

Folder 42: Brown, Eve – The Plaza.

Folder 43: Burnham, Sophie. The Art Crowd.

Folder 44: Bush, James Irving.

Folder 45: Cable, Mary. Top Drawer.

Folder 46: Capri / Il Fortino.

Folder 47: Cassini, Igor. “ The New Four Hundred .”

Folder 48: Channel, Coco.

Folder 49: Churchill, Allen. The Splendor Seekers.

Folder 50: Churchill, Randolf.

Folder 51: Cocomero, Lorraine.

Folder 52: Clothes – Museum Collection.

Folder 53: Combs.

Folder 54: Correspondence – Miscellaneous.

Folder 55: Cravath, Paul D. The World Cruise of Warrior , 1926-1927. [click to access PDF]

Folder 56: Cravath, Paul D. Notes on the Cruise of the Warrior 1927.

Folder 57: Cravath, Paul D. & Mrs. H. Whitehouse. The Cruise of Warrior in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1926.

Folder 58: Cravath, Paul D. Letters Home From India & Irak, 1925.

Folder 59: Dali, Salvador.

Folder 60: Spada, James. More Than a Woman! An Intimate Biography of Bette Davis.

Folder 61: De Martini, Humberto.

Folder 62: Designers.

Folder 63: Dillon, C. Douglas.

Folder 64: Domhoff, William. The Higher Circles: The Governing Class in America.

Folder 65: Dow Jones.

Folder 66: Drucker, Peter. New Realities.

Folder 67: Dulles Papers – Princeton.

Folder 68: Elle (Italian): Brey, Ilaria Dagnini.

Folder 69: Exhibit Show [Dves?] selection.

Folder 70: University of Kentucky Art Museum.

Folder 71: Exhibit.

Folder 72: Fairland / Calumet.

Folder 73: Faucingny-Lucinge, Jean, Un Gentilhomme Cosmopolite.

Folder 74: Faucingny-Lucinge, Jean. Legendary Parties .

Folder 75: Fifth Avenue House – 1952 Furniture Sale.

Folder 76: Fifty Years on Fifth.

Folder 77: Filson Loan Requests

Folder 78: Forkland.

Folder 79: Fortune: “The Yankee Doodle Salon.”

Folder 80: Fortune: ‘Richest U.S. Women,” 1936.

Folder 81: Fortune: articles on wealth.

Folder 82: Friends.

Folder 83: Fussell, Paul. Class.

Folder 84: Gibbs, Margret. The D.A.R.

Folder 85: Givenchy.

Folder 86: Hampton, Mark.

Folder 87: Hansl, Proctor W. The Years of Plunder.

Folder 88: Harriman, Pamela.

Folder 89: Hill, Derak.

Folder 90: Hussey, Bird. Belle Corresp.

Folder 91: Hussey, John.

Folder 92: Hutton, Barbara.

Folder 93: Kavalar, Lucy. Private World of High Society.

Folder 94: Kent State.

Folder 95: Kirstein, George G. The Rich, Are They different?

Folder 96: Korda, Michael. Success.

Folder 97: Lacey, Robert. Aristocrats.

Folder 98: Envelope. Return address Eleanor Lambert. Inside best dressed men and women lists.

Folder 99: Lambert, Eleanor.

Folder 100: Lamott, Kenneth. The Moneymakers.

Folder 101: Lapham, Lewis H. Money and Class in America.

Folder 102: Lewis, Michael. Liar’s Poker.

Folder 103: Lundberg, Ferdinand. America’s 60 Families.

Folder 104: Magidson, Phyllis.

Folder 105: Maher, James T. The Twilight of Splendor.

Folder 106: Mariano, Nicky. Forty Years with Berenson.

Folder 107: Mason, Mona.

Folder 108: Maternal Family.

Folder 109: Maugham, Somerset. Razor’s Edge.

Folder 110: Mill Street.

Folder 111: Millionaire Lists: 1892/1902.

Folder 112: Mills, C. Wright.

Folder 113: Milwaukee.

Folder 114: Mitford, Nancy. Letters.

Folder 115: Mitford, Nancy, Noblesse Oblige.

Folder 116: Mona / Genie Potter due April 1997.

Folder 117: Mosley, Diana. A Life of Contrasts.

Folder 118: Flanner, Janet [Genet]. Paris Was Only Yesterday: 1925-1939., Curtis, Charlotte. The Rich and Other Atrocities.

Folder 119: Museum of the City of New York.

Folder 120: Nast, Conde’.

Folder 121: New Yorker.

Folder 122: Nichols, Charles. Ultra-Fashionable.

Folder 123: Nicolson, Harold. Diaries & Letters.

Folder 124: Noailles – Paris Family.

Folder 125: Onassis.

Folder 126: Obolensky, Serge.

Folder 127: Packard, Vance. The Status Seekers.

Folder 128: Packard, Vance. The Ultra Rich.

Folder 129: Palm Beach.

Folder 130: Palm Beach II

Folder 131: Parker, Dorothy. Constant Reader. “Mrs. Post Enlarges on Etiquette.”

Folder 132: Phillips, Carrie.

Folder 133: Pope-Hennessey, James. A Lonely Business.

Folder 134: Porter, Cole.

Folder 135: Porzelt, Paul. The Metropolitan Club.

Folder 136: Rasponi, Lanfranco. The International Nomads.

Folder 137: Ringling, John.

Folder 138: Rothschild, Baron Guy de.

Folder 139: Sachs, Maurice. Decade of Illusion.

Folder 140: Schiaparelli, Elsa.

Folder 141: Simon, Kate. Fifth Avenue.

Folder 142: Sinclair, Andrew. The Last of the Best.

Folder 143: Sita, Princess of Karpurthala.

Folder 144: Smith, Adam. The Roaring 80s.

Folder 145: Snowman, A. Kenneth. Faberge’.

Folder 146: Sobel, Robert. Great Bull Market.

Folder 147: Sobel, Robert. Life and Times of Dillon Read.

Folder 148: Social Registers.

Folder 149: Sternberg, Cecilia. The Journey.

Folder 150: Strader Family Genealogy – by Maisie McMichael.

Folder 151: Strader Genealogy / Headman, Mary Hoss.

Folder 152: Strader, Robert.

Folder 153: Swope, Herbert Bayard.

Folder 154: Table Placement.

Folder 155: Themes.

Folder 156: Titled Marriages.

Folder 157: Tompkins, Calvin. Living Well is the Best Revenge. (Gerald & Sarah Murphy).

Folder 158: Truex, Van.

Folder 159: Vickers, Hugo.

Folder 160: Vidal, Gore.

Folder 161: Vreeland, Diana d.1990.

Folder 162: Ward, Sallie.

Folder 163: Warrior – see also Cravath, Paul.

Folder 164: Wescott, Glenway.

Folder 165: Williams, Harrison.

Folder 166: Williams, Harrison.

Folder 167: Windsors.

Folder 168: Windsors.

Folder 169: Woodward, Ann.

Folder 170: Worden, Helen. Society Circus .

Folder 171: Wyatt, Lynne (Mrs.Oscar).

Folder 172: Yachts.

Folder 173: Zorbaugh, Harvey – The Gold Coast and the Slum.

Folder 174: Untitled (Diana Vreeland: Full Gallop)

Folder 175: Vogue Photograph Index to Mona Bismarck.

Folder 176: Fifth Avenue House.

Folder 177: Sert, Jose’ & Misia.

Folder 178: Jewelry.

Folder 179: Bradley, Col. Edward R.

Folder 180: Vogue.

Folder 181: Best Dressed lists.

Folder 182: Wrightsman, Jayne.

Folder 183: Capote, Truman.

Folder 184: Oak Point / Long Island.

Folder 185: Magazine clippings

Folder 186: From Actor’s Theater Script of Full Gallop.

Folder 187: Promotion and Tenure / model Documents.

Folder 188: Mona Meeting.

Folder 189: Promotion and tenure / 1994-1995.

Folder 190: Current Draft.

Folder 191: Copy of exhibit guest book.

Folder 192: emails and cards.

Folder 193: Photocopies.

Folder 194: Small Press production materials.

Folder 195: Robert Strader article.

Folder 196: emails, cards, printed material.

Folder 197: Newspaper and magazine articles.

Folder 198: copies of articles.

Folder 199: Manuscript for Mona book.

Folder 200: Photocopies.

Folder 201: Photocopies.

Folder 202: application for death certificate from New York.

Folder 203: Misc. papers and newspaper articles.

Folder 204: Ashland: the Henry Clay estate.

Folder 205: Newsletters.

Folder 206: Misc. papers.

Folder 207: Note pads of Birchfield’s hand written notes.

Folder 208: Note pads of Birchfield’s hand written notes.

Folder 209: Photocopies of the Schlesinger divorce.

Folder 210: Photocopies.

Folder 211: Photocopies of Newspaper articles.

Folder 212: Town and Country , November 1993.

Folder 213: Architectural Digest , March 1995.

Folder 214: Kentucky Countess: Mona Bismarck in Art and Fashion.

Folder 215: Modern Maturity , November/December 1997.

Folder 216: Vogue , July 1997.

Folder 217: Sotheby’s Preview, July 1997.

Folder 218: Christie’s New York, Wednesday 20 October 2004.

Folder 219: Town and Country, November 1994.

Folder 220: Town and Country, January 1995.

Folder 221: Town and Country, June 1996.

Folder 222: Town and Country, September 1996.

Folder 223: Town and Country, November 1996.

Folder 224: W magazine October 1994.

Folder 225: W magazine November 1994.

Folder 226: W magazine July 1996.

Subject Headings

Alajalov, Constantin, 1900-1987

Aristocracy (Social class)

Beaton, Cecil, 1904-1980

Bismarck, Mona von, 1897-1983

Chanel, Coco, 1883-1971

Dalí, Salvador, 1904-1989

Elite (Social sciences) in literature

Fashion

Fashion writing

Mona Bismarck Foundation

Social classes – Press coverage

Strader family

Vidal, Gore, 1925-

Vreeland, Diana

Williams family

Yachts