The papers provide a record of Pierce's associations with friends and family, primarily between the years 1925 and 1998. The most valuable material in this collection is the incoming correspondence, in which Pierce's associations detail their lives and sexuality, and his photographs, which provide a rare visual record of an African-American middle class
family, during the 1920s and 1930s. Information about Pierce's own life is less prominent in the collection, and there is very little about Pierce's work among political leaders of Wisconsin in the state capitol. Instead his career must be gleaned from published reminiscences in the clippings, from inferences in the incoming correspondence, and from his writings. Also useful is the oral history interview with Pierce that is part of the Historical Society's Brian Bigler Papers.
The Pierce collection is arranged as BIOGRAPHICAL CLIPPINGS, CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITINGS, FAMILY HISTORY, MEMORABILIA, PHOTOGRAPHS.
The BIOGRAPHICAL CLIPPINGS include a series of rambling, reminiscent interviews that were published in the Mad City Renter's Rag in September-December, 1995. The CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITINGS include over one half foot of incoming letters from friends, outgoing correspondence, and one folder of writings. Some of the incoming letters are from individuals who were correspondents for fifty years, including Gordon Boardman, an abstract painter and lawyer, and Harold W. Lindemann, an electrician in Miami Beach. Many of the letters are from individuals who also were homosexuals and intimate relationships and sexuality are frequently discussed. Notable correspondents for researchers interested in sexuality include Harold W. Lindemann (who signed his letters “Linde”), Robert Andersen, Ronnie J. Olson, and Donald Pryse Jones. Some letters refer to Pierce's longing for the “Golden Age” of Madison homosexuality. The exact time of the Golden Age uncertain, but it probably refers to the late 1940s and early 1950s, and it probably centered around his friends Keith McCutcheon and Joe Koberstein. During that period many prominent ballet dancers were entertained in the homes of Pierce and his friends. Pierce's interest in and continued relationship with the ballet is evident in the correspondence and throughout the collection. Unfortunately, there are no letters from McCutcheon and Koberstein other than a postcard which Pierce saved in a scrapbook and a handmade 1941 Christmas card.
An interesting subset is 43 incoming letters from David Zellmer that span the years from 1940 to 1947. During the time Zellmer corresponded with Pierce, he took classes with Martha Graham in New York City, served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and lived in New York City as a CBS News writer. His letters detail interactions between members of Martha Graham's Dance Company during the early 1940s and express his view that homosexuality had negatively influenced the dance world. During the war, Zellmer reflected on his concerns about losing his individuality. Also in the collection are a few letters from other associates of Martha Graham, including Merce Cunningham and Eric Hawkins.
Other prominent correspondents include the actor Canada Lee and the actress Rose McClendon, with whom he apparently had a close relationship. A few letters from Taliesin fellow Ralph James Drought, as well as a few items elsewhere in the collection establish the fact that Pierce was known at Taliesin, but provide few details. All of Pierce's correspondence with Willard Motley is held by the UW-Madison's Department of Special Collections. The SHSW collection includes a number of letters from prominent individuals such as Nelson Rockefeller and Marshall Fields. Pierce apparently initiated the correspondence with these people with whom he was unacquainted in order to recommend books, to offer condolences, etc. Their responses were generally in the nature of form letters.
The outgoing correspondence is a single folder. It includes letters to Gordon Boardman which detail Pierce's relationship with Milton Lee Winans II, the junior pastor at Shalom Christian Church. On the whole, however, the content of the outgoing correspondence folder is sketchy and incomplete. It is possible that these letters, which are noticeably affected by Pierce's advancing age, were intended as drafts or were letters that were never mailed. It is also possible that the letters were intended as a preliminary phase of an autobiographical writing project, as they are similar to the folder of writings which follow the correspondence. The chief distinction between the two folders is that the correspondence is addressed to specific individuals; the writings are not. The writings folder includes references to Pierce's family, an account of his dismissal by the governor, and a number episodes with “Mickey Willie” that were apparently modeled on Milton Winans II.
The FAMILY HISTORY series is material collected by Theodore Pierce, rather than an organic set of papers, concerning Hettie, John, Mollie, and Samuel Pierce. Most of the material in this series concerns his uncle and adoptive father, Samuel Pierce, who was executive messenger to several governors, after working as a Pullman porter for several years. Included are biographical clippings; an inventory and appraisal of his home and estate; an affidavit concerning the Freedman's Savings and Trust Co. that contains biographical information about Samuel and John Pierce; deeds and insurance forms; and formulae apparently used in his tailoring and dry cleaning business in the Loraine Hotel. Sam Pierce's correspondence is fragmentary, but one letter which alludes to his interest in establishing a community house for Madison Blacks is of special interest.
The material concerning John Pierce includes several documents from the Louisiana Legislature, in which Pierce served, including a copy of the Rules of Order (ca. 1867); an 1867 form certifying his status as an elector for Bophin Parish; a printed political appeal (ca. 1872) that was received by Pierce from a “country member;” and two letters concerning Theodore Pierce's search for a photograph of the Louisiana Legislature. The clippings on Hettie Pierce, who was born a slave in 1829, center on her advanced age, and the correspondence to Mollie Pierce is mostly from relatives. An exception is the Christmas card from the artist Marion Choinska apologizing for not having completed the portrait of Sam Pierce on schedule.
The MEMORABILIA is material collected by Pierce over his lifetime. Included are typed poems, autographs of ballet dancers, invitations and official Christmas cards from governors, an invitation from Taliesin, and sketches of actresses made by Pierce in the 1920s. From his childhood years are grade school assignments, a 1924 East High School yearbook, and a reunion program. The folder on Gordon Boardman includes material collected about his friend's artistic career, including programs and clippings. Also included are folders of clippings on Canada Lee and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Other clippings collected by Pierce on topics such as Black history were not comprehensive, and consequently they were discarded. The conscientious objector letter is a draft from Glenn L. Evans to Frank Clock, of the Ashland Selective Service Board. It presents the argument that Evans should be excused from military service because of the history of injustice to African-Americans. It is not known why Pierce owned this letter.
The PHOTOGRAPHS primarily consist of photographs of Pierce himself from childhood to old age; portraits and candid photographs of the Pierce family, their relatives, and their home at 1442 Williamson Street where Pierce lived from 1910 until his final illness in 1998; and numerous candid photographs of Pierce's friends, chiefly from the 1960s through the 1980s. Most of the friends whose images are included were not significant correspondents and consequently their relationship to Pierce is not defined. Among the notable photo subjects are Gordon Boardman, Walter S. Goodland, Canada Lee, Ruth Page, and the Ted Shawn Dance Company. The photographs were originally arranged as four albums. Because of their unstable format, the albums were disassembled and sorted and many poor quality photographs were discarded. Photocopies of the albums in their original order are included.
