Tusha Howard letters
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Language of Materials
Abstract
This collection documents British citizen Tusha Howard's 1963 visit to New York City to await the birth of her first grandchild. Her 19 letters home, written to her husband and children, describe her impressions of New York and her excursions in the city and beyond. Also included are two letters from her daughter, Deirdre Wulf, and one letter from her husband, Tom Howard. Her husband's photographs of New York City are included (57 Kodachrome slides). Tusha Howard's letters and Tom Howard's photographs have been published as a book: America Proper: A First Visit to New York City, 1963 (edited and published by Laura Wulf, 2022).
Biographical / Historical
Gertrude "Tusha" Howard was born in South Wales, U.K. in 1911. She met Tom Howard in London in 1927, married him, and had four children: Nicholas (Nicky), Charles, Deirdre (Dee), and John.
Her daughter Deirdre married Melvin Wulf, an American civil liberties lawyer, and settled in New York. The letters in this collection document Tusha Howard's visit to New York in 1963 for the birth of Deirdre's daughter, Laura Wulf (Tusha and Tom's first grandchild).
Arrangement
Materials in the collection are organized by format and chronologically.
Scope and Contents
In 1963, Tusha Howard's daughter Deirdre Wulf was expecting Tusha's first grandchild. Deirdre lived in New York City, so Tusha and a friend travelled from England to New York and spent nine months living and working in the city. Her letters home -- written to her husband Tom, her son Charles and his wife Vita, and her sons Nicky and John -- describe her transatlantic voyage on the S.S. United States, her impressions of New York City, her apartment on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village, her efforts to find a suitable job in New York, her daily activities, and her travels to other places on the East Coast, including Washington, D.C. and Cape Cod. She also comments on the push to end segregation in the United States and President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
Also included in the collection are 57 photographs (Kodachrome slides) taken by Tom Howard during his visit to New York in 1963 (Tom joined Tusha in New York in October 1963 after their granddaughter Laura was born). He photographed famous landmarks, including the New York downtown skyline, the Empire State Building, and the original Pennsylvania Station, as well as street scenes and the buildings where Tusha and Deirdre lived. The slides also include family photos, and there are two 8"x10" prints of a photograph of members of the Howard extended family.
Finally, the collection includes two typescript drafts of a biographical sketch of Tusha Howard written by her daughter Deirdre for inclusion in America Proper: A First Visit of New York City, 1963.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org.
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: Tusha Howard letters, MS 3249, The New York Historical.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Laura M. Wulf, 2024.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Letters were transferred to archival folders and slides were transferred to archival sleeves.