Tangren Alexander papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll 746

Scope and Contents

The Tangren Alexander papers document Alexander’s work as a lesbian feminist philosopher, professor, writer, and doll photographer. The papers include correspondence; writings; teaching materials; event, workshop, and conference materials; doll photography; personal papers; and works by others.

The correspondence series contains incoming and outgoing personal and professional correspondence. This series includes letters, printed emails, postcards, and greeting cards, as well as enclosed photographs, documents, and ephemera.

The writings series contains drafts, manuscripts, notes, mockups, publications, correspondence, and working files related to Alexander’s literary works. This series includes book-length writings, article and short-story-length writings, poetry and music, notes and fragments, chronological files, and material about publishing.

The teaching material series contains course materials, Northwest Women’s Studies Association directories, a poster, and office artifacts from Alexander’s time as a philosophy and women’s studies professor.

The events, workshops, and conferences series contains notes, writings, flyers, correspondence, and ephemera from workshops, conferences, readings, and other events that Alexander participated in or attended. This series includes drafts of Alexander’s writings that were read or presented at events and gatherings.

The doll photography series contains photographic prints, slides, and negatives from doll photography projects. This series also includes albums, homemade books, scripts, notes, writings, and ephemera related to doll photography. A significant portion of the material is related to the “Selene” project.

The personal papers series contains material related to Alexander’s personal life. This series includes biographical material, journals, student material, ephemera, and photographs.

The work by others series contains published and unpublished writings, art, and audiovisual materials collected by Alexander. This series includes Southern Oregon Women Writers’ Group material, Tee Corinne material, and collected writings and clippings.

Dates

Creation: 1916-2023

Creator

Alexander, Jean Tangren, 1940-2021 (Creator, Person)
Corinne, Tee, 1943-2006 (Creator, Person)
Southern Oregon Women Writers' Group, Gourmet Eating Society and Chorus (Creator, Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Access to the correspondence series folder "O'Sullivan, Sherry, 1988" is closed until 2063 due to the presence of student records of a third-party individual.

Access to the correspondence series folder ""Oswaldo," international foster child, 1971-1976" is closed until 2061 due to the presence of child welfare records.

Access to the correspondence series folder "Siegel, Thyme, 1988" is closed until 2063 due to the presence of student records of a third-party individual.

Access to the personal papers series folder ““Karen Dudenhoeffer interview of me,” 1997” is closed until 2072 due to the presence of student records of a third-party individual.

Conditions Governing Technical Access

Collection includes sound recordings, moving images, and digital files to which access is restricted. Access to these materials is governed by repository policy and may require the production of listening or viewing copies. Researchers requiring access must notify Special Collections and University Archives in advance and pay fees for reproduction services as necessary.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Tangren Alexander (1940-2021) was a lesbian feminist philosopher, professor, writer, and doll photographer.

Dr. Jean Tangren Alexander was born October 22, 1940, in Medford, Oregon, and raised by her parents Chester and Jessie Fitch in Ashland, Oregon. She attended several colleges and received a B.A. in mathematics, an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Oregon, and became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Oregon in 1975. She was a professor of philosophy at Southern Oregon University from 1974 to 2006. She taught and developed a variety of courses, including cross-disciplinary courses in women’s studies, such as Feminism & Philosophy and Women & Ethics. She was married to Southern Oregon University faculty colleague John Alexander, with whom she had a daughter, Marcella. The couple separated in the 1970s.

In 1976, Alexander came out as a lesbian and began a prolific writing career. She produced a voluminous amount of writing in a variety of forms, both published and unpublished. Her writing has been published in Teaching Philosophy; Hypatia: The Journal of Feminist Philosophy; Sinister Wisdom; WomanSpirit Magazine; The Encyclopedia of Women in World History; Adventures in Lesbian Philosophy, Claudia Card, ed.; and Our Lives: Lesbian Personal Writing, Frances Rooney, ed. Under the pseudonym “Pearl Time’sChild,” she was the author of short stories in several of Tee Corrine’s erotic anthologies. The actor Deborah Kerr was a lifelong muse for Alexander and was a frequent topic of her writing.

Alexander was active in the lesbian land movement community and the creative women’s community in Southern Oregon. She was a co-founding member of the Southern Oregon Women Writers’ Group, Gourmet Eating Society, and Chorus, which continues to this day.

Having been interested in dolls her entire life, Alexander spent much of her later years photographing dolls and using doll photography to portray feminist stories.

Alexander died at her home in Ashland, Oregon, on March 26, 2021.

Extent

28.75 linear feet (21 containers) : 16 record storage boxes; 2 flat boxes; 1 flip-top photo box; 1 photo box; 1 half-manuscript box

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Tangren Alexander (1940-2021) was a lesbian feminist philosopher, professor, writer, and doll photographer. The papers include correspondence; writings; teaching materials; event, workshop, and conference materials; doll photography; personal papers; and works by others.

Arrangement

The Tangren Alexander papers are arranged in seven series:
1. Correspondence, 1935-2020
2. Writings, circa 1950-2020, undated
3. Teaching material, circa 1988-2001, undated
4. Events, workshops, and conferences, circa 1977-2020, undated
5. Doll photography, circa 1990-2012, undated
6. Personal papers, circa 1943-2023, undated
7. Work by others, 1916-2021, undated

Series 1. Correspondence is arranged in two subseries:
1.1. By correspondent, 1968-2017
1.2. By date, 1935-2020

Series 2. Writings is arranged in six subseries:
2.1. Book length, circa 1980-2009, undated
2.2. Article and short story length, 1976-2016, undated
2.3. Poetry and music, circa 1974-1998, undated
2.4. Notes and fragments, circa 1950-2020, undated
2.5. Chronological files, 1974-2018
2.6. Material about publishing, circa 1978-2010, undated

Series 6. Personal papers is arranged in five subseries:
6.1. Biographical material, circa 1943-2023, undated
6.2. Journals, circa 1953-2020
6.3. Student material, 1948-1989
6.4. Ephemera, circa 1950-2020, undated
6.5. Photographs, circa 1950-2010, undated

Series 7. Work by others is arranged in three subseries:
7.1. Southern Oregon Women Writers' Group, 1983-2021, undated
7.2. Tee Corinne material, circa 1968-2008, undated
7.3. Collected writings and clippings, 1916-2020, undated

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Tangren Alexander estate and Marcella Alexander, 2021-2023.
Gift of H. Ní Aódagaín, 2023.

Existence and Location of Copies

Selected items are available online in the Tangren Alexander Papers in the Internet Archive.

Related Materials

Related materials are found in the following collections:
Southern Oregon Lesbian Land Communities Oral History Collection (Coll 429).
Ruth Mountaingrove papers (Coll 309).
Tee A. Corinne papers (Coll 263).
SO CLAP! (Southern Oregon Country Lesbian Archival Project) Collection (Coll 266).
Tangren Alexander publications (MSS.058), Southern Oregon University, Hannon Library.
Tangren Alexander papers (MSS.066), Southern Oregon University, Hannon Library.