The Provincetown: A Story of a Theatre

mnsss250 Stella Hanau Papers, 1904-1971 Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-04-07 Finding aid written in English. Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Stella Hanau Papers, 1904-1971 Finding Aid MS 73 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Hanau, Stella, 1890-1972 Stella Hanau Papers1904-1971 MS 73 3 boxes (3.25 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Editor; Publicist; Birth control activist. Correspondence with family and associates in the birth control movement and the Works Progress Administration (1930s); birth control and WPA publications edited by Hanau; biographical information, memorabilia, photographs, and material for her book, The Provincetown: A Story of a Theatre (1931). Biographical Note

Dance card, undated

Born Stella Bloch, New York City, 1890; B.A. English, Barnard, 1911; married Leo Hanau 1923 (divorced 1940s); one son. Press agent, publicity manager for several "experimental" theatres, New York City, circa 1920s, including the Greenwich Village Theatre and Neighborhood Playhouse, and Provincetown Playhouse (Mass.); co-authored, with Helen Deutsch, The Provincetown: A Story of the Theatre (1931); managed Paul Robeson's first concert; published playbills, press releases, and similar material. Involved in suffrage and birth control movements; editor, Birth Control Review (1929-33); educational director, National Committee on Federal Legislation for Birth Control, D.C. (1935-38); editor and director of publications, American Birth Control League, D.C. (1933-35). Staff editor, Federal Writer's Project, Works Progress Administration (1938-42); Information Specialist, War Production Board, 1942-45, Chief Copy Editor, Department of Commerce, 1945-49. Self- employed as editor, New York City (1949-72); worked with friend and associate, Hella Bernays (Sigmund Freud's niece) on psychiatry books.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Extensive correspondence to and from family (1904-72), associates in birth control movement, and the Works Progress Administration (1930s). Printed material includes birth control and WPA publications edited by Hanau as well as her playbills from her theatre publicity days. Also biographical information, memorabilia, photographs, and material for her book, The Provincetown: A Story of a Theatre (1931).

NOTE: The container list for this collection is available in the Sophia Smith Collection. Please contact us to request a copy.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

Copyright to unpublished materials may be owned by the creator, or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Stella Hanau Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Search Terms American Birth Control League--History- Planned Parenthood Federation of America--History- Birth control--United States--History--20th century--Sources Birth Control Review--History Federal Writers' Project--History Provincetown Players--History Women editors--United States--Biography--Sources Experimental theater--United States--History--20th century New York (N.Y.)--Social life and customs--20th century Sanger, Margaret, 1879-1966 Hanau, Stella, 1890-1972 Bernays, Hella Macgowan, Kenneth, 1888-1963