Time Inc. Bio Files
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Abstract
The Time Inc. Bio Files document the careers of Time Inc. staff, non-staff closely associated with the company, and notable figures. This record group also includes the collection's primary files on cofounder Briton Hadden, the majority of records from second Time Inc. president Roy E. Larsen, and very early corporate records in board member H. P. Davison's files.
Arrangement Note
Organized alphabetically based on the form of name used by the Time Inc. Archives. Standard forms of name have been added when necessary for clarification.
Forms of name used by the Time Inc. Archives were not always consistent. If it is clear that two names belong to the same person, they are listed under one name. If it isn't clear, all names are listed as is. If a commonly used nickname was listed in parentheses, this name was removed. Nicknames not usually associated with the full name were retained.
In the original folder titles, women sometimes were only referred to in association with their husbands, but the woman's first name is added when known.
Scope and Contents Note
The Time Inc. Bio Files were assembled and maintained by the Time Inc. Archives and predominately document the careers of Time Inc. staff from board members (H. P. Davison) and company executives (John S. Martin, Ray Cave, Hedley Donovan, Elizabeth Valk Long) to administrative assistants. The files represent staff from all divisions, departments and subsidiaries including Time, Life, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, Architectural Forum, March of Time, Time-Life Books, Time-Life Films, Time-Life International, Home Box Office, Little, Brown and Company, and Inland Container Company. The Bio Files include the majority of records from second Time Inc. president Roy E. Larsen and very early corporate records in board member H. P. Davison's files.
Time Inc. also kept files on non-staff closely associated with the company such as contracted writers, topical advisors, subjects of articles, and some family and former classmates of cofounders Henry R. Luce and Briton Hadden in relation to interviews during various history and biography projects. Furthermore, the files include artists, architects, and historical figures due to additions of files during a reorganization of the libraries and archives after the Time Warner and AOL merger.
Time Inc. housed Bio Files on especially important historical figures or staff files of significance separately in a safe. This includes the collection's primary files on cofounder Hadden. In some instances, files on a figure were in both the safe and in the regular run of Bio Files.
Contents consist of correspondence; memoranda regarding new hires, departing staff and other staffing changes; press releases; news clippings including obituaries; articles from the staff newsletters, primarily F.Y.I.; articles or correspondent cables by or about staff; reports and comments on articles and books under consideration for publication; invitations to events; and speeches or other public remarks. Photographs and other photographic material, and audiovisual recordings of interviews, oral histories, and public speeches are present infrequently.
Of note are interview transcripts of staff reminiscences from the Time Inc. history project undertaken by Celia Sugarman and Alex Groner in the 1950s and 1960s. Time cover artist files such as Boris Artzybasheff and William Oberhardt may contain original sketches and other artwork. Most folders that contain correspondence from cofounder Luce are stamped "H. R. Luce." Copies of pre-1933 memoranda and correspondence from Luce occasionally occur throughout the Bio Files.
Empty folders are retained and noted.
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Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers with the exception of restricted materials. Restricted materials may include privileged attorney correspondence; student records; medical records; personnel performance evaluations; contracts and agreements; and records with personally identifiable information. Unreformatted audiovisual and digital material in the collection is not accessible. Restricted materials are located in boxes R1 to R3. The majority of materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.
Preferred Citation Note
This record group should be cited as Time Inc. Bio Files, MS 3009-RG 2, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from Time Inc. in 2015.
About this Guide
Processing Information Note
The Bio Files were processed in 2016 by Holly Deakyne and Melanie Rinehart. The original folders were retained although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding. Rinehart and Samantha Brown created the inventory, and Deakyne created other descriptive notes to produce this finding aid.