A Collection Analysis of the Tana Hoban Papers in the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection

Abstract

The de Grummond holdings of Tana Hoban’s work contain items she donated from 1982 to 1991 as well as copies of her books received from other donors. These materials include correspondence; biographical materials; her diaries; and some of her work as a commercial photographer, including photos and advertisements. There are also promotional items for her books and items related to a 1973 educational filmstrip series for which Hoban served on the creative development team (Brown, 2021; (“Tana Hoban Papers,” n.d.). Copies of physical books are augmented by book dummies she created for books that were published later and some that were not. These papers reveal a creative process and innovative use of photography that was influential to the picture book genre. This study is a collection analysis of the Tana Hoban papers located in the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi to identify relevant content and facilitate research.