University of Pennsylvania Finding Aids

John Bach McMaster (1852-1932) was an American writer and professor best known for his landmark history of the United States, A History of the People of the United States, which appeared in eight volumes from 1883 to 1913. McMaster’s historical technique was notable in its use of newspaper material and his insistence on providing social context from all classes, not simply the political leaders of the time. This collection contains correspondence, writings by McMaster, material used by McMaster in his research, and personal material, such as newspaper clippings of his life and work, testimonials by colleagues, and memorabilia.

Julian A. Sterling (1913-1975) was a physician at the Albert Einstein Medical Center and was Chairman of the Department of Surgery from 1961 to 1964. Sterling was influenced by the work of S. Weir Mitchell (1829-1914), an American physician and author. This collection, created by Julian A. Sterling, contains copies or reprints of articles by and about S. Weir Mitchell, a bibliography of S. Weir Mitchell's work, a biography of Mitchell, correspondence to and from Julian A. Sterling concerning matters related to Mitchell, and two plaques which may be maquettes for larger sculptures or reliefs.

The S. Weir Mitchell Correspondence series (23 folders)includes correspondence with James Lane Allen, Richard Watson Gilder, William Dean Howells, Robert Underwood Johnson, Henry C. Lea, James Russell Lowell, Charles Leonard Moore, and John Greenleaf Whittier. The remaining series comprise S. Weir Mitchell Writings (8 folders), including both medical and other writings; Langdon and Marion Mitchell Correspondence (5 folders); Langdon and Marion Mitchell Clippings (2 folders), primarily consisting of obituaries for Langdon Mitchell; Civil War Scrapbook (1 box); Photographs (2 boxes); S. Weir Mitchell Literary Writings (16 boxes)includes holographs of 5 novels, 2 plays, and a short story or novella.