Bert Roller Collection
Scope and Contents
Series I: Photographs contain photos of the Alcotts and Roller; Series II: Alcott Ephemera contains paperdolls, letters, poems, stamps, recipes, and artifacts from Orchard House; Series III: Roller and Peabody Info contains Roller Biographical Info and Peabody College Info.
Dates
- Creation: 1872 - 2005
Conditions Governing Access
The physical materials from this collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Vanderbilt’s Special Collections and University Archives. Materials should be requested two to three days in advance to facilitate easier access. Contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu to schedule an appointment.
Biographical Notes
Bert Anderson Roller (1893-1934) was a Peabody College professor from 1922 until his death in 1934. He specialized in children's literature and Louisa May Alcott. His family befriended the daughter of one of Alcott's cousins in 1927 when he was studying at Harvard. Roller was also the editor of the Peabody Reflector from 1925 until his death.
Born in Philadelphia in 1932, Louisa May Alcott was the daughter of Bronson Alcott, educator and Transcendentalist preacher. She published her first book at age 22 in 1854 and became a nurse for the Union during the Civil War. She published Little Women, a reflection on her childhood with her three sisters, in 1868. The success of Little Women allowed her to write full-time, and her books still appear on bestseller lists. She died in 1888.
Full Extent
.88 Linear Feet (1 Hollinger box; 1 Half-Hollinger box; 2 Mini-Hollinger)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Bert Roller Collection, 1870-2005, consists of the artifacts, ephemera, papers, magazines, and letters of Peabody professor Bert Anderson Roller (1893-1934).
Arrangement
The Bert Roller Colletion contains four series: I. Photographs; II. Alcott Ephemera; III. Roller and Peabody Info; and IV. Book Collection.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, 1983
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Bert Roller Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jill E. Anderson
- Date
- July 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.