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Inventory of the Mark Turbyfill Papers, 1911-1985
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Alison Hinderliter, 2008. ©2008. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
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Creator |
Turbyfill, Mark, 1896- |
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Title |
Mark Turbyfill Papers |
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Dates |
1911-1985 |
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Extent |
2 cubic ft. (3 boxes and 1 oversize box) |
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Abstract |
Material relating to the life and career of dancer, poet and painter Mark Turbyfill, including three copies of his unpublished autobiography and many copies of published and unpublished poems. Also, articles and reviews by and about Turbyfill, a few pieces of correspondence, clippings, dance programs, photographs, a cassette tape of him reading, and a published genealogy of the Turbyfill family. |
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Language |
Materials are in English. |
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Repository |
Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
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Collection Call Number |
Midwest MS Turbyfill |
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Collection Stack Location |
3a 43 1 |
Mark Turbyfill Papers, Midwest Manuscript Collection, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Gift, Mark Turbyfill, 1982, 1988.
Virginia Hay Smith, 2006.
The Mark Turbyfill Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
The Mark Turbyfill Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
Chicago dancer, poet and painter.
Mark Turbyfill, born in 1896, came to Chicago in 1911 with his parents from Oklahoma City. A published poet while still in his teens, Turbyfill’s professional dance career began in 1919 when he was invited to join the Pavley-Oukrainsky corps de ballet with the Chicago Grand Opera Company. He later became principal dancer under Adolph Bolm with the Chicago Allied Arts and partnered Chicago dancer and choreographer Ruth Page, continuing to dance through the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first teacher of Katherine Dunham, unsuccessfully trying to establish her in an all “Negro” ballet company.
Turbyfill first gained renown as a poet in the 1920s, mainly for his contributions to the worlds of avant-garde verse. His poems appeared in Margaret Anderson’s The Little Review and Harriet Monroe’s Poetry and other magazines. The May, 1926, issue of Poetry was devoted entirely to his long poem, A Marriage With Space, which was later reprinted with other poems in 1974. A collection of his verse, entitled The Words Beneath Us, appeared in 1951.
Beginning in the 1940s, Turbyfill concentrated on his third artistic interest – painting. His initial paintings and collages showed a strong surrealist influence, but he moved on to a style of abstract expressionism, which he practiced until the 1970s. Turbyfill’s first solo exhibit was in 1948, and in the 1950s and 1960s he had a number of one-man gallery shows. Seeing continuity in all his creative endeavors, at times he utilized texts lifted from his own poetry in both figurative and abstract paintings and drawings.
Mark Turbyfill had three active and successful careers as dancer, artist and poet, which he recorded in his unpublished autobiography, Whistling in the Windy City: Memoirs of a Poet-Dancer-Painter. Among the many persons he writes about are Margaret Anderson, Adolph Bolm, Katherine Dunham, Henry B. Fuller, Amy Lowell, Maurice Maeterlinck, Harriet Monroe, Samuel Putnam, Eunice Tietjens and Mark Tobey. Among the topics are the Chicago Allied Arts, G.I. Gurdjieff and his Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, and the Pavley-Oukrainsky Ballet Company.
Turbyfill died in 1990.
Mainly Mark Turbyfill’s writings, together with a few letters, photographs, dance programs, reviews and a voice recording.
There are three copies of his unpublished autobiography and two copies of a collection of his poetry entitled A Marriage With Space, published in 1974. Since Turbyfill was famously active in Chicago artistic and creative circles in the early part of the twentieth century, the autobiography / memoir is particularly interesting. Besides many poems, some in manuscript form and some in issues of Poetry and The Little Review, there is an adaptation of material from The Words Beneath Us, set to music by Lionel Sayers, a few articles and letters, a short play Turbyfill wrote with Sam Putnam entitled “See Life First,” and an article by Putnam on Turbyfill’s work, a tape of him reading “Chicago Alive,” reproductions of several of his paintings, dance programs and a collection of photographs. Also, articles and reviews about him and his work. Included is a list of the correspondence to Turbyfill which is located at Southern Illinois University and a file box of cards with quotations from each letter.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
Papers are organized in the following series:
Three draft copies of Turbyfill’s unpublished autobiography/memoir entitled Whistling in the Windy City, undated but apparently finished in the 1960’s, followed by adaptations of his work, two articles, a cassette tape of his reading his work on the radio, some illustrations of his paintings, a short play and his poetry, both published and unpublished.
Arranged by type of material.
Clippings, a few letters, a published genealogy of the Turbyfill family, two invitations, photographs, dance programs, and reviews of Turbyfill works. Also, a list of letters to Turbyfill owned and housed at Southern Illinois University and a file box of cards with quotations from those letters.
Arranged by type of material.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Series 1: Works, 1917-1984 |
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| Three draft copies of Turbyfill’s unpublished autobiography/memoir entitled Whistling in the Windy City, undated but apparently finished in the 1960’s, followed by adaptations of his work, two articles, a cassette tape of his reading his work on the radio, some illustrations of his paintings, a short play and his poetry, both published and unpublished. | |||||||||||
| Arranged by type of material. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1-13 | Autobiography: copy 1, undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 14-21 | Autobiography: copy 2, undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | Autobiography: Ralph Bushee's reader's report, 1969 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23-30 | Autobiography: copy 3, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 31 | Adaptations: "A Marriage With Space", performance copy, 1934 | |||||||||
| 2 | 32 | Adaptations: "Words Beneath Us", Sayers, Lionel, musical setting (See Oversize Box), 1951. | |||||||||
| 2 | 33 | Articles, 1931-1932 | |||||||||
| 2 | 34 | Cassette Tape: Turbyfill, Mark reading on WBEZ Chicago, "Chicago Alive", 1976 | |||||||||
| 2 | 35 | Chicago Review pages with illustrations of Turbyfill paintings with verses, Spring 1977 | |||||||||
| 2 | 36 | Play: "See Life First", short work of Turbyfill and Sam Putnam, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 37 | Poems: "Chicago Alive", 3 photocopies, 1965 | |||||||||
| 2 | 38 | Poems: "Un Mariage avec L'espace", 2 copies, 1965 | |||||||||
| 2 | 39 | Poems: "A Marriage with Space", commentary by Turbyfill, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 40-46 | Poems: A Marriage with Space, draft of Turbyfill collected poetry, 1974 | |||||||||
| 2 | 47-53 | Poems: A Marriage with Space, photocopy, 1974 | |||||||||
| 2 | 54 | Poems: Miscellaneous, 1971-1984 | |||||||||
| 2 | 55 | Poems: Miscellaneous, undated | |||||||||
| 2 | 56 | Poems: The Little Review magazine, 1919 | |||||||||
| 2 | 57 | Poems: The Little Review magazine, 1929 | |||||||||
| 3 | 58 | Poems: Poetry magazine, May, 1917 | |||||||||
| 3 | 59 | Poems: Poetry magazine, Aug., 1918 | |||||||||
| 3 | 60 | Poems: Poetry magazine, Oct., 1919 | |||||||||
| 3 | 61 | Poems: Poetry magazine, June, 1921 | |||||||||
| 3 | 62 | Poems: Poetry magazine, June, 1924 | |||||||||
| 3 | 63 | Poems: Poetry magazine, Feb., 1926 | |||||||||
| 3 | 64 | Poems: Poetry magazine, May, 1926 | |||||||||
| 3 | 65 | Poems: Poetry magazine, May, 1928 | |||||||||
| 3 | 66 | Poems: Poetry magazine, Feb., 1938 | |||||||||
| 3 | 67 | Poems: Poetry magazine, July, 1938 | |||||||||
| 3 | 68 | Poems: Poetry magazine, Jan., 1943 | |||||||||
Series 2: Correspondence, Photographs, Reviews, etc., 1911-1985 |
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| Clippings, a few letters, a published genealogy of the Turbyfill family, two invitations, photographs, dance programs, and reviews of Turbyfill works. Also, a list of letters to Turbyfill owned and housed at Southern Illinois University and a file box of cards with quotations from those letters. | |||||||||||
| Arranged by type of material. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 3 | 69 | Clippings, 1926-1985 | |||||||||
| 3 | 70 | Correspondence: Bodenheim, Max to Turbyfill, (photocopy), Sept. 21, 1918 | |||||||||
| 3 | 71 | Correspondence: Lowell, Amy to Turbyfill, Aug. 6, 1921 | |||||||||
| 3 | 72 | Correspondence: Turbyfill, Mark (four letters), 1969-1974 | |||||||||
| 3 | 73 | Correspondence: Williams, Kenny to Turbyfill, Oct. 19, 1979 | |||||||||
| 3 | 74 | Genealogy of the Turbyfill family, 1985 | |||||||||
| 3 | 75 | Invitations, 1962;1965 | |||||||||
| 3 | 76 | Photographs: Turbyfill, Mark, 1920-1983 | |||||||||
| 3 | 77 | Photographs: Putnam, Samuel and Turbyfill, 1923 | |||||||||
| 3 | 78 | Photographs: Miscellaneous, 1914-1929 | |||||||||
| 3 | 79 | Photographs: Negatives, 1911-1940 | |||||||||
| 3 | 80 | Programs, 1924-1932 | |||||||||
| 3 | 81 | Programs: Ballet Russes (See Oversize Box), 1928 | |||||||||
| 3 | 82-83 | Reviews, 1919-1952 and undated | |||||||||
| 3 | 84 | Reviews: Putnam, Sam",Curved Attitudes and Elephant Ears", 1922 | |||||||||
| 3 | 85 | List of letters to Turbyfill at Southern Illinois University and a file box of cards with quotations from the letters | |||||||||