The Archive Two-Step (Part 2)

You send an email here, you send an email there,

you do the hokey-pokey and you email everywhere...

 

My advisor at the Complutense tipped me off that while the archive of the Residencia de Estudiantes was lost during the Civil War, its companion the Residencia de Señoritas succeeded in maintaining its records (perhaps because the señoritas looked less like combatants than their male counterparts -- a common mistake made by people who haven't worked with adolescent boys and girls respectively).  He also helpfully told me what fundación currently has the archive.  However, as I mentioned in an earlier entry, the Fundación Ortega y Gasset-Gregorio Marañón's archives and library are cerrado por obras until January 2019.

I sent them a begging email yesterday, and received a kind response within an hour, saying that they had no record of Dorothy Peterson in their collection (a fellow Fulbrighter who is more experienced in research mentioned at the Madrid Fulbright picnic this afternoon that she never gives specific search terms to archives but instead only asks generalities, so they have no chance to say they have no material -- a good tip for the future), but that they had a computer available in a small section of the library that was rehabilitada where I could consult the digital catalogue of the archives if I wished, and to please let them know. 

I was in the midst of a long bike ride when I got the message (more on that later), so I didn't reply right away, and it was pretty late on Friday afternoon when I got home.  Much as I was tempted to reply immediately, or to send an email today saying "I'll show up next week" I have learned that it is better to not reply on Friday evening or Saturday so that the email isn't at the bottom of the queue on Monday morning.  So Monday bright and early I will send an email asking to come on Tuesday (or possibly Wednesday since Tuesday I have a thing at the Complutense).

So that was email number one, with email number two to follow.  In the meantime, I set off yesterday around noon (by bicycle to try to use it as a means of transport) after morning emailing to go the Instituto Internacional (or American International Institute) where the Fulbright orientation was held, and the current home of the "American Space Madrid" in the hopes of finding information there about Dorothy Peterson, since the Instituto was originally specifically also for girls.  It was founded by Protestant missionaries, believe it or not, who wanted to improve education for girls in Spain as a charitable venture.  Also presumably to undermine the Catholic church at its roots by preventing girls from raising Catholic families.  (It's wonderful how often girls need to be rescued from their home religions by those who are more enlightened and happen to also be richer and more WASPy /sarcasm)  In any case, it was tied to the Seven Sisters, especially to Smith, and sent a lot of American girls abroad as exchange students, so it didn't seem impossible that Peterson might have been involved with it in some way.  Unfortunately, though their archive survived the war too, it was relocated to Smith for safe-keeping.  I go to the trouble of getting a Fulbright and come all the way to Spain to learn that there might be archival records a few hours away by car or train.  Sigh.  I guess that will be something for June, when I return.

In the meantime, I thought it couldn't hurt to check out the library of the Instituto here in Madrid, so I made my way back up to the barrio Salamanca and talked to the very kind and friendly librarian there, who couldn't help me, but suggested that I email the director of the Institute, who has a deep knowledge of its history, and an idea of what might be around in its archives, and who (when I asked her name) turns out to be someone my Complutense advisor also suggested I get in touch with.  So I have an email as well as a name now, and two introductions to her.  Again, I thought emailing over the weekend was a poor idea, but perhaps Sunday evening, if not bright and early Monday, I will send her an email asking about the materials the Institute does have here in Madrid, which are all from the late 1950s onward.  It occurs to me that as an English teacher in Spain, and a former Spanish teacher, as well as a former potential student, and the sort of person who was going to Embassy parties, Peterson might well have been in touch with the Institute when she lived in Spain in the 1950s and 60s as well, so perhaps there will be something here as well as at Smith.  If not, well, as I said to the nice librarian at the Institute, it would be too easy if I hit the mother-lode on the first try.

I'm still waiting on bibliographic trámites for my Biblioteca Nacional card certifying that I'm an investigadora, and getting set up with the Complutense library, but I'm hoping to have progress on that by the end of this coming week, which should open two large funds of information for me.  In the meantime, I also need to think about making a schedule to visit places outside of Madrid.  Sevilla is high on the list (for both Schomburg and Peterson), and Albacete and the "Asociación de Amigos de la Brigada Lincoln" also interests me, though I think that will wait until late October.  I'd like to get a research schedule going in Madrid first.

So I continue emailing, and in the meantime experimenting with ways to get to the Biblioteca Nacional and other central libraries and archives by bike without having a heart attack from either over-exertion or fear.  Plotting routes to work also counts as work, I think.