Gertrude Van Wagenen papers
-
Please navigate to collection organization to place requests.
Scope and Contents
The Gertrude Van Wagenen papers date from 1889 to 1920 and measure 1.25 linear feet (3 boxes). The papers are arranged in four series: Personal, Correspondence, Travel, and Scientific Journals. The Personal series contains newspaper clippings, photos, bills, a family tree, obituaries, name tags, University of Iowa lab passes, and a 1919 University of Iowa dissertation announcement booklet.
The Correspondence series includes both professional and personal letters that Gertrude Van Wagenen had received between the years 1908-1919. The bulk of the correspondence are from the years 1916-1919 when Van Wagenen was working on her PhD in Zoology at the State University of Iowa. The series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and then chronologically. Correspondents include family members such as her father and brother, friends and colleagues including D. C. Emerson, W. A. Nickerson, Walter K. Fisher, and William B. McClure. Topics discussed in the correspondence range widely. Topics such as World War I can be found in the correspondence from D.C. Emerson and Van Wagenen’s brother, Tony. Other topics such as research, travels, personal relationships, and interests can be found throughout the series.
The Travels series mainly consists of brochures, maps, luggage tags, and menus from her travels to New York, Chicago, and the Caribbean between the years 1916-1919. In this series there are also documents relating to her research trips such as passport applications, packing checklists, and specimen collection instructions. A 1916 Bermuda newspaper discusses various countries’ involvement in World War I.
The Scientific Journals series includes various journals and articles that Van Wagenen owned. The bulk of this series consists of scientific journal articles however also included in this series are academic book catalogues, a newspaper article about fossilized remains, and a 1918 issue of the magazine London Life and Modern Society.
Dates
- Creation: 1889 - 1920
Creator
- Van Wagenen, Gertrude, 1893 - 1978 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The papers are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa. However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/.
Biographical / Historical
Gertrude Van Wagenen was born on November 28, 1893 to Gertrude and Anthony Van Wagenen. Gertrude has one brother, Anthony “Tony” Van Wagenen. Van Wagenen graduated from the State University of Iowa, now University of Iowa, in 1913 where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. In 1919 she received her PhD in Zoology also from the State University of Iowa, today the University of Iowa. While working on her PhD, she went on many research trips including a Barbados-Antigua Expedition in 1918. Van Wagenen went on to teach and conduct research at Yale University where she started a Rhesus monkey colony lab. Her research led to the discovery of “the morning after pill.” She married Crawford Fairbanks Failey – in 1924 and divorced him in 1935--. Gertrude Van Wagenen died in 1978.
Extent
1.25 linear inches
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Scientist who received her PhD from the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) in 1919 and went on to contribute to the early development of emergency contraceptives.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers (donor no. 1051) were donated by Cindy Opitz in 2006.
- Title
- Gertrude Van Wagenen papers
- Author
- Dylan Davison, Avery Porter
- Date
- 2020, 2021
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)
lib-women@uiowa.edu