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Jackie Martin Papers

An inventory of her papers at Syracuse University

Finding aid created by: DMW
Date: Jan 1994

Revision history:
05 May 2008	converted to EAD (AMCon)
24 Apr 2009	corrected date format (LDC)
9 Jul 2012	numbered recordings (MRC)
18 Oct 2016	audiorecordings inventory added with box numbers (PJM)
2018	box 15/16 inventory corrected (MRC)
7 Jun 2019	media updated (MRC)
29 Jan 2021	oversize items moved out of Box 31 into new Oversize 3 (MRC)
Sep 2024	collection reprocessed and rehoused, additions incorporated, inventory expanded and updated; material relating to exhibits in the 1980s removed and transferred to SCRC's internal/adminitrative files (MRC)
26 Feb 2025	inventory of contact prints and negatives updated following rehousing at NEDCC (MRC)

Biographical History

Cecilia "Jackie" Martin (1903-1969) was an American photographer, journalist, writer, art director, and editor.

Born Cecilia Barber Martin in Maddock, Pennsylvania, Martin's family moved to Washington, D.C. while she was still very young. Martin had two sisters (Lydia and Lilian) and a brother (Philip Jr.), with all of whom she was close throughout her life. She attended Syracuse University for one year, then took the position of sports editor for the Washington Times in 1923. During the twenties, while working for various Washington D.C. newspapers, Martin discovered her talent for photography which led to a decade-long (1930-40) career as art director, photographer and editor of the Washington Times-Herald, an around-the-clock publication. These hectic years produced an extensive photographic collection and earned Martin national recognition as a leading newspaper photographer.

In 1940 her freelance photography career took off and features were published in more than thirty major American magazines including LIFE, Collier's, LOOK, Ladies Home Journal, Saturday Evening Post, and News-Week. During this period Martin also published four books, and willingly accepted difficult assignments such as war correspondent in France and Italy during World War II, photographer for the Brazilian Air Force, and official photographer for America's first women's military unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). In the 1950s Martin worked for the United States Information Agency (USIA) as chief of its 18-country photo operation for the Marshall Plan stationed in Paris. She was later responsible for organizing the USIA world-wide display of Edward Steichen's "Family of Man" exhibit. When Martin returned from Paris in the late 1950s she went to work with her brother, Philip Martin, Jr., to run Norwood Studios, a motion picture production facility that specialized in government and commercial documentaries. In 1960 she became the company's vice president.

Martin never married. She died following a long illness on December 15, 1969, and is buried in Washington's Rock Creek Cemetery.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Jackie Martin Papers is rich with American social and political history from the Great Depression to Post-World War II and contains Biographical material, Correspondece, Financial records, Projects and assignments, Subject files, Memorabilia, Photographs, and Negatives and contact prints. The collection reflects Martin's professional career but also provides an insider's view of Washington society during its heyday, a period when extravagant parties were frequent and extravagant people were plenty.

Biographical material resumes, fact sheets, and employment applications that provide a clear chronology of Jackie Martin's career. Numerous accomplishments are reflected in newspaper clippings, magazine articles, awards, citations, and recognitions. A number of diary entries (1956-1965) and undated notes were labeled by Martin as "surveillance case." Their significance is unclear other than the fact that Martin apparently believed she was being followed.

Correspondence is divided into family and general, both of which are primarily incoming. Martin had close ties with her parents, Emma and Philip Martin; an older sister, Lydia (Pugh); a younger sister, Lillian (Clements), and younger brother, Philip Jr. She lived with her parents and worked out of a basement studio in their home until 1948. General correspondence reflects the broad network of business contacts and personal friendships Martin established and maintained throughout her life. Many were people she photographed in Washington D.C. including presidents, government officials, prominent politicians, wealthy society hostesses, magazine/newspaper publishers, writers, and artists. Among those represented are President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, President Truman and his family, J. Edgar Hoover, Clare Boothe Luce, Perle Mesta, William Randolph Hearst Jr., Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson, Marjorie Post, Evalyn, McLean, Walter Winchell, Margaret Mitchell, Margaret Bourke-White, Ollie Atkins, Roscoe Drummond, Edward Steichen, and Beaumont Newhall. Others include Army Generals, Ambassadors, Hollywood movie stars (1930s). There are also significant correspondence between Martin and Alice Rogers Hager, with whom Martin collaborated on several projects. Correspondence relating to a particular project or assignment can also be found in the "Projects and assignments" series and the "Subject files" series.

Financial series, which includes Martin's office files, contains income tax figures, receipts, insurance policies, legal documents, and government service records. Also found here is documentation relating to Martin's years with Norwood Studios and a variety of projects that she worked on during the 1960s.

Memorabilia consists of clippings, maps, organizational items, scrapbooks, amd miscellanea. Clippings are on social, political, and military topics ranging from astronauts to Vietnam; John F. Kennedy is copiously represented, from his campaign to the aftermath of his assassination).. Maps include army war maps as well as commercial Michelin maps and National Geographic publications. Organizational material mostly pertains to journalistic societies such as the American Newspaper Womsn's Club and the National Press Club; also in this section is material related to the Delta Gamma sorority including Martin's receipt of the "Rose Award," the organization's highest honor. Scrapbooks, created by Martin, reflect all aspects of her work and career; three consist entirely of her work for the Times-Herald, including "Jackie in Movieland." Miscellaneous items include a set of French prints, several index card files, three folders of "Quotes and statements to be treasured and re-read," pices of foreign currency, menus, etc.

Projects and assignments spans all Martin's major career accomplishments. This series is subdivided by category into eight subseries: American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), books, feature storiee, magazine work, newspaper work, newspaper research files, United States Information Agency (USIA), and war correspondent. Types of material within each subseries include correspondence, photographs, captions, notes, rough drafts, typescripts, clippings, and more.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) was Martin's final government assignment (1967), and the material in this subseries documents her trip to American cemeteries in Europe through background files, clippings, correspondence, notes, more than 350 photographs of monuments in American and Europe, transcripts of various dedication speeches, and travel records.

Books contains material relating to Bars On Her Shoulders (1943), Brazil: Giant To the South (1945), Frontier By Air (1942), and Washington: City of Destiny (1949).. Published editions of these books have been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging; please refer to Libraries Search to locate these items.

Features, general contains stories photographed, written, and/or researched by Martin, but lacking references to prove publication. Topics include the electron microscope, Olga kahler, the kidnapping of ten-year-old Charles Mattson in 1935, and Saudi Arabian oil Magazines contains Martin's work in the form of tearsheets, correspondence, photographs, research files, notes, etc. arranged alphabetically by magazine name and within that by article title or topic.. Subjects encompass a broad scope of the American scene, including Washington DC political and social life, World War II army nurses and the Womens Army Air Corps (WAAC), smalltown America, sports figures, and professional career women. Similarly, Newspapers contains tearsheets and research files for Martin's work published in papers such as the Washington Times-Herald, Chicago Sun, New York Daily Journal, and syndicated nationally through King Features. These too are arranged alphabetically by publication and within that by title or ropic. Included here are the series "Jackie in Movieland" which covered Hollywood stars, "Dixie's Dead End" on poverty in the American South (a collaboration with Cissy Patterson), and "The Arcadians," coverage of women's sports events at The Arcadia in Wshington DC. Closing the portion of the collection relating to Martin's magazine and newspaper work are her Newspaper research files, encompassing people, events, and topics related to, or appearing in, Martin's work. Types of material include clippings, photographs, notes, printed material, proof sheets, typescripts, and more.

The United States Information Agency (USIA) subseries documents Martin's work as chief of the 18-country photo operation for the Marshall Plan stationed in Paris, and as organizer of the USIA-sponsored world-wide tour of Edward Steichen's "Family of Man" exhibit. Types of material here include background material, correspondence, photographs, transcripts, and exhibition catalogs. There are also transcripts of several USIA-produced filmstrips relating to the Marshall Plan.

The War correspondent subseries reflects Martin's work during World War II, reporting from Europe. Contained here are scrapbooks, clippings, notes, background material, censored stories, issues of military newspapers including Stars and Stripes and Yank as well as some German publications, and travel records. There are also numerous drafts of an unpublished manuscript relating to World War II army nurses, along with notes and background reserach. Records on the medical units and U.S. 7th army in Italy and France were the basis for the manuscript and for several magazine features published in 1944-1945.

Subject files are subdivided into Presidents and leaders, and General. All presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Richard Nixon are represented here through clippings, correspondence, and few photographs. There are also three volumes of Martin's personal scrapbook dedicated to Winston Churchill, photographed (1941-1942) and greatly admired by Martin throughout her life. General subject files represent an extensive reference system created for office use on such topics as United States government, foreign policy, diplomatic lists, communications, and Washington D.C.; some of these are noted as "Telefiles" and contain directories, lists, glossaries, charts, and so on. Scattered throughout this section are a considerable number of photographs; many of these are not Martin's work but rather items she obtained from other sources as part of her research.

Negatives and contact prints contains negatives and contact sheets for hundreds of Martin'sphotographs. Some of these items are packed for cold storage and are not open to researchers.

Photographs contains hundreds of images listed alphabetically by subject; most of the them are working photographs with compromised quality. The oversize photographs, especially those prepared for the 1986 exhibition, are of superior quality and exemplify Martin's true talents. As mentioned above, additional photographs may also be found in almost every part of the collection, particularly the "Projects and assignments" and "Subject files."

Recordings are all audio in nature. Items of particular interest include Edward Steichen speaking on the "Family of Man" exhibit; Martin and Alice R. Hager being interviewed on their war experiences; and numerous speeches and press conferences by John F. Kennedy, including during the Cuban missile crisis;

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is divided into nine series: Biographical material, Correspondence, Financial, Memorabilia, Projects and assignments, Subject files, Negatives and contact prints, Photographs, and Recordings. Most of the series are arranged alphabetically by name, title, or topic. Note that during the 2024 reprocessing and rehousing, material relating to "Jackie Martin: the Washington Years," a 1986 exhibition held at Syracuse University's Lowe Art Gallery, was removed from the collection and transferred to SCRC's internal/adminitrative files.

Other Related Finding Aids

A partial name index of persons specifically identified in the photographs is available. Please note that this is NOT exhaustive, as there are many additional photographs described simply as "Cissy Patterson party" or "Jackie with Hollywood stars."

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Access to recordings requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

A few of the photographic film items are packed for cold storage and are not open for research.

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Four books featuring Jackie Martin's work ( Bars on Her Shoulders: A Story of a WAAC, Frontier By Air: Brazil Takes the Sky Road, Washington: City of Destiny, and Brazil: Giant To the South) have been removed from the collection and transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search for further details.

Contact prints and negatives in the collection have been digitized. Please contact Special Collections Research Center for more information on accessing digital content.

Subject Headings

Persons

Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965.
Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951.
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.
Martin, Jackie, 1903-1969.
Patterson, Eleanor Medill, 1881-1948

Corporate Bodies

American Battle Monuments Commission.
Brazil. -- Fôrça Aérea Brasileira.
United States Information Agency.
United States. -- Army. -- Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.

Associated Titles

Times-herald (Washington, D.C.)

Subjects

Documentary photography -- Europe.
Journalists -- United States.
Military nursing -- United States -- 20th century.
Newspapers -- Sections, columns, etc.
Photographers -- United States.
Photojournalism.
Photojournalists -- United States.
Popular culture -- United States.
Presidents -- United States.
War correspondents -- 20th century.
Women journalists -- United States.
Women photographers.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Journalists.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Photography.

Places

Brazil -- Description and travel.
France.
Germany.
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Social life and customs.
Washington, D.C. -- History.
Washington, D.C. -- Intellectual life.
Washington, D.C. -- Social life and customs.

Genres and Forms

Audiotapes.
Awards.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Contact sheets.
Correspondence.
Drafts (document genre)
Manuscripts for publication.
Maps (documents)
Negatives (photographs)
Newspaper columns.
Phonograph records.
Photographs.
Research notes.
Scrapbooks.
Slides (photographs)
Sound recordings.

Occupations

Journalists.
Photographers.
Photojournalists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Jackie Martin Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Table of Contents

Biographical material

Correspondence

Financial

Memorabilia

Projects and assignments

Subject files

Negatives and contact prints

Photographs

Recordings

Inventory

Note on alternate formats:

Contact prints and negatives in the collection have been digitized. Please contact Special Collections Research Center for more information on accessing digital content.