Scope and Content Note
The papers of George Pope Morris (1802-1864) span the years 1832-1862 and consist of correspondence, poems, invitations, calling cards, financial records, contracts, advertisements, publication subscriptions, and lithographs.
In 1823 Morris founded and edited the literary magazine, New-York Mirror and Ladies' Literary Gazette, which became a means of public expression for the early Knickerbocker school. Morris also edited a number of other literary magazines, the most important of which were Evening Mirror and Home Journal, both edited jointly with his close friend, Nathaniel Parker Willis. In addition to his literary career, Morris was also an officer in the Third Artillery Regiment of the New York state militia.
Correspondence in the collection chiefly concerns Morris's publishing and social affairs. Writers include his son, William Hopkins Morris, and W. H. C. Bartlett, Robert Bonner, James Shields, Grant Thorburn, and L. B. Wyman. The papers contain a lithograph of Morris and many of his poems, including his well-known work, "Woodman, Spare That Tree," as well as material concerning the Mercantile Library Association of Clinton Hall, New York, the New York Public School Society, and New York Samaritan Society.