About the Collection
The Watson Lewis papers were donated to the University Archives in 1998 by Marjorie Lewis (PhD ’69), Watson Lewis’s daughter. At the time of the donation, University of Chicago Russian scholar Johnathan Bone noted how rare it was to find letters and other first-person accounts in English of this part of Asia in the early 20th century.
In addition to letters, the Watson Lewis papers also feature dispatches and other information from the YMCA offices to secretaries out in the field. While some of these were intended for use as press releases, others shared internal information. Souvenirs from Lewis’s travels around Asia and Europe are also in the collection, including postcards, entrance cards, souvenir books, and a belt buckle. There are also newspaper clippings in English and Russian and several of Lewis’s own books.
The Watson Lewis papers offer researchers a first-hand view of Russia and China in the aftermath of World War I, the political climate of Russia, the presence of the YMCA in Asia, American perceptions of foreign cultures and customs, and observations on American politics. This exhibit explores a few of the highlights of this fascinating set of materials.
