Scope and Content

The Lowell Thomas Papers encompasses a wide range of materials documenting the life, family, and professional career of Lowell Thomas. These materials include correspondence, administrative and financial documents, manuscripts, printed materials, photographic materials, motion picture films, audio recordings, and memorabilia. The collection is arranged in the following series:

Series 1: Textual Materials

Materials in this series range from correspondence and manuscripts to broadcast scripts, publicity materials, and administrative papers. Of particular interest are the materials relating to Thomas's travelogues, association with T.E. Lawrence, Cinerama productions, journey to Tibet, and broadcast series "High Adventure with Lowell Thomas." Also notable are the materials pertaining to Thomas's education, as well as the correspondence and other materials relating to his family members. The series is divided into 30 subseries, most of which are subdivided further (sub subseries, etc.). The subseries and further subdivisions are arranged alphabetically by subject or form of material.

Series 2: Graphic Materials

This series is includes glass plate negatives, lantern slides, photographic prints, film negatives, transparencies, photograph albums, postcards, stereographic cards, sketches and oversize graphic materials. These materials relate primarily to Lowell Thomas's professional projects, but the series also includes many images of Thomas's family, friends, and sporting activities. Of particular interest are the images created by Frank Roberson, the noted photographer with whom Thomas collaborated on his travelogues. This series is divided into three subseries arranged by form of material. Further subdivisions (sub subseries, etc.) are arranged by form of material or alphabetically by subject. A project to digitize these materials with the support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) was successfully completed on October 2012. And as a part of the project all the digitized 40,000 images are made available for the researchers through the online finding aids.

Series 3: Objects

This series consists of a wide range of memorabilia and realia, including portraits, photographic equipment, furniture, clothing, hats, and other items belonging to Lowell Thomas, Lowell Thomas, Jr., or Harry G. Thomas. Of particular interest is the collection of printing plates used to produce, among other materials, promotional posters for Thomas's travelogues. The series is divided into eight subseries, some divided further into sub subseries, all arranged by subject. A project to create digital images of these objects is on-going.

Series 4: Sound Recordings

Divided into nine subseries, this series consists of reel-to-reel audio tapes, phonograph records, audio cassettes, and other types of sound recordings. The subseries are arranged by form of material. Subseries 1 - 4 are divided further into sub subseries arranged by subject, and each includes recordings that pertain to Thomas's major professional projects. Information regarding the content of each recording is taken from [the recording's container]. A project to digitize these recordings is on-going. Researchers should consult with the archivist regarding the available digital versions.

Series 5: Moving Images

This series consists of video tapes and motion picture films arranged by form of material into two subseries. The subseries are divided further into sub subseries arranged by form of material or subject. Of particular interest are the motion picture films related to Thomas's Cinerama productions, the "High Adventure with Lowell Thomas" series, and the journey to Tibet. Also of interest are the films of interviews and lectures given by Thomas or Lowell Thomas, Jr. A project to digitize these recordings is on-going. Materials without digital versions may be digitized at the researcher's expense. Researchers should consult with the archivist regarding the available digital versions.

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