Annette Fry papers

The Annette Fry papers primarily consist of photographic materials and correspondence documenting Varian Fry’s work for the Emergency Rescue Committee in France, some of the artists and intellectuals he aided, and travels around Europe. Photographic materials include prints, slides, negatives, and contact sheets depicting Eileen and Varian Fry, Andre Breton, Marc Chagall, Hans and Carmen Namuth, and scenes at Villa Airbel and in Marseilles, Italy, Portugal, England, and Spain. A set of annotated photographs include pictures of Varian Fry, his staff, Andre and Jacqueline Breton, Daniel Benedite, Andre Masson, Max Ernst, Jean Gemahling, and Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry. Some of the photographs are by Ylla or by Varian Fry. Correspondence includes a 1940 postcard from Varian Fry to his mother on his way to Marseilles, a photocopy of a 1941 postcard from Victor Brauner to Varian Fry, a 1967 illustrated letter from Bil Spira to Varian Fry, a 1967 letter from Miriam Davenport to Annette Fry, and a 1968 letter to the publisher of the paperback edition of Fry’s book. The collection also contains Varian Fry’s 1958 address book, a book jacket from a hardback copy of Varian Fry’s Surrender on Demand, four photostats of etchings by Max Ernst, and a notebook containing notes about photographs taken in Germany as well as museums, artwork, and tourist sites in Europe.

The Annette Fry papers are arranged as six series: I. Photographs, approximately 1940s, II. Correspondence, 1940-1968, III. Address book, 1958, IV. Book jacket, 1945, V. Etchings, approximately 1940s