The Ralph Ginzburg Papers, 1848-1964, consist of three series: THEODORE SCHROEDER FILES,
WRITINGS, and RESEARCH FILES. The bulk of the collection consists of material Ginzburg
collected while researching a never published book on Anthony Comstock, an anti-vice
crusader. Much of the material consists of copies, not original source material. Ginzburg
collected the copies and the original material from a variety of sources. It is often not
noted where items came from, but it is likely that Ginzburg was the first researcher to have
access to much of the original material. The bulk of the material dates from 1873 to 1915,
and documents the activities and cases of people brought to trial under the federal
anti-obscenity laws (”Comstock laws”) of 1873.
The THEODORE SCHROEDER FILES were originally collected by Schroeder, a civil liberties
lawyer and a founder of the Free Speech League. It appears that Arnold Maddaloni, a friend
of Schroeder's, gave this material to Ginzburg. The series consists of correspondence,
photographs, newspaper clippings, and near-print material about and by people and
publications in which Schroeder was interested. The vast majority of these people were
brought to court under anti-obscenity laws, but there are also files for people who merely
wanted Schroeder's advice on how to avoid prosecution, and on people who were active in the
anti-obscenity movement. These files document well the effect that arrest under obscenity
charges had on people, especially the harassment they received from their neighbors and the
press. They also discuss the manner in which anti-vice workers dealt with suspected
violators of the law and their families. The series also provides researchers with an idea
of the wide variety of publications and other works targeted by anti-vice societies. Several
of the folders contain examples or excerpts of these works. The activities of and
communication between members of the turn-of-the-century radical movement, including Emma
Goldman, Moses Harman, Ezra Heywood, and Margaret and William Sanger, are also well
documented in this series.
The series is arranged alphabetically by name of person or publication. A few folders
contain information on two or more people. In these instances, all the material is filed
under the person whose name comes first alphabetically, although all parties are listed in
the folder title. Several folders at the end of the series contain information on
miscellaneous and unidentified cases, and one folder appears to be a draft of an article or
speech by Schroeder in which he denounces the Comstock Laws.
The WRITINGS series contains very early drafts of Ginzburg's never-published book on
Anthony Comstock. There are drafts for the first three chapters of the book and several
unidentified pages. In the drafts, Ginzburg mainly discusses early convictions under the
Comstock Laws, and Comstock's personality and psychology.
The RESEARCH FILES contain material Ginzburg collected for background information when
researching his book. It includes his correspondence, original and photocopied articles from
newspapers and magazines, citations, Ginzburg's notes, photographs, copies of portions of
the arrest blotters of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, and partial
transcripts of interviews Ginzburg conducted. Many of the citations are handwritten on note
cards. Most of these probably were created by Theodore Schroeder. The folders listed under
“Targets of Comstock laws” complement the THEODORE SCHROEDER FILES, as the two
series contain information on many of the same people and events.
Some of the most valuable material in the series is the interview transcripts and
correspondence scattered throughout the files. These often document the feelings and
attitudes of people who worked for or were active in the New York Society for the
Suppression of Vice. They also contain the views and reflections of relatives of Society
employees that document how the Society affected their lives. Interviewees and
correspondents often comment on how their views have changed since the days when they worked
for the Society.
Of special note in this series is the material related to Harry Kahan, an agent for the
Society. These folders contain Kahan's arrest journals for the years 1940 through 1942. In
these journals he meticulously recorded the time, date, and place of every arrest, and
biographical information about the person arrested. This journal also documents the way
Society agents performed their daily work because Kahan often recorded his activities before
and after each arrest.
