Alberte Spratt Sea of Cortez Illustrations
Scope and Contents
46 original drawings used as illustrations for Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck and Edward Ricketts, 1941.
Dates
- Created: circa 1940
- Other: Date acquired: 05/01/1968
Creator
- Spratt, Alberte (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to all researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
These drawings are in copyright in the United States. Re-use or copying of these works beyond Fair Use may require permission from the rights-holder.
All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Biographical or Historical Information
For nearly a decade before his death in 1968, American author John Steinbeck maintained a steady correspondence and close friendship with Jack Rudloe, founder of Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory in Panacea, Florida. An amateur marine specimen collector, Steinbeck made a six-week collecting trip in 1940 around the Baja Peninsula in the Gulf of California with his friend, Ed Ricketts, a professional marine biologist in Monterey's Cannery Row (and the inspiration for Steinbeck's fictional character, Doc). The famous journey, on the vessel, The Western Flyer—a 75-foot purse seiner—was documented in the 1941 book, the Sea of Cortez, which featured delicate, pencil illustrations of sea urchins, sun stars and bristleworms cataloged and processed on the trip (more than 500 species of fauna were documented on the voyage). As a gesture of friendship, Stenbeck gave Rudloe, the original portfolio of drawings by California artist Alberte Spratt (1893-1950).
Extent
46 items
1 boxes
Language of Materials
English
Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jack Rudloe
Method of Acquisition
Gift from Rudloe and his wife, Anne, a marine biologist and FSU adjunct professor.
- California, Gulf of (Mexico)--Pictorial works. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Florida State University Libraries. Manuscripts Collections Subject Source: Local sources
- Illustrations Subject Source: Local sources
- Marine biology Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Alberte Spratt Sea of Cortez Illustrations
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the FSU Special Collections & Archives Repository
116 Honors Way
PO Box 3062047
Tallahassee FL 32306-2047 US
850-644-3271
lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu