Catalog Record:
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.
The papers of Louise Bates Ames, child psychologist and educator, were given to the Library of Congress by Ames and Frances Lillian Ilg in 1964. Ames made subsequent gifts between 1966 and 1996.
The Ames Papers were processed in 1996. The finding aid was revised in 2010.
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some photographs were transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. Sound and video recordings were transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Louise Bates Ames Papers.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Louise Bates Ames in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
The papers of Louise Bates Amers are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Louis Bates Ames Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Louise Bates Ames (1908-1996) span the period 1915-1989, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 1975. The collection consists primarily of correspondence and manuscript material relating to Ames's career as a child psychologist, cofounder and codirector of the Gesell Institute of Child Development, and author of numerous books and articles on child behavior and child development. Included in the collection are family correspondence, correspondence with friends and professional associates, a sampling of letters related to the syndicated newspaper column Parents Ask, and manuscripts and related correspondence for several of Ames's books and articles. The collection is organized in six original series and five additions. The original series include Family Correspondence, Special Correspondence, General Correspondence, “Parents Ask” Newspaper Column, Writings, and Miscellany. The additions are dated according to the year of their arrangement and contain material organized in the same schema as the original part.
Ames's career as a child psychologist began in 1933 when she joined the staff of the Yale Clinic of Child Development as research secretary and personal assistant to the director, Arnold Gesell, with whom she worked until 1948. She received her doctorate in psychology from Yale University in 1936; was curator of the Yale Films of Child Development, 1944-1950; and participated in the development of articles, books, and research projects in the field of child psychology. Material in the collection which relates to this period may be found in the following series: Family Correspondence, especially letters to Annie E. Bates; Special Correspondence, in particular correspondence with James T. Culbertson, Paul H. Elicker, Guy S. Métraux, and Ruth W. Métraux; Writings File, "Guide to the Yale Films of Child Development" by Louise Bates Ames; and Miscellany containing a diary, 1928-1937, and annual reports, 1939-1949.
After Gesell's retirement, the clinic separated from Yale University, and in 1950, Ames and her associate, Frances Lillian Ilg, founded the Gesell Institute of Child Development. The institute's name changed to the Gesell Institute of Human Development in 1978. The Gesell Institute is a private, nonprofit corporation for clinical research in the field of child psychology. Ames was Director of Research at the Institute until 1968 when she became codirector. In conjunction with her study of children's behavior at successive age intervals, Ames became one of the pioneers of rorschach psychological testing. References to this and other aspects of her work may be found in the Family and Special Correspondence series, in particular, the letters of Annie E. Bates, Joan Ames Chase, Len Lye, Guy S. Métraux, Ruth W. Métraux, and Evelyn Goodenough Pitcher. More detailed information about rorschach testing may be found in Ames's numerous books and articles, bibliographies of which are in Miscellany.
As the work of the Gesell Institute became increasingly recognized, requests for lectures, television appearances, and articles began to increase as well. This aspect of Ames's career is well documented in her papers. In the Special Correspondence series are files relating to her two television series,
Ames corresponded with numerous friends, colleagues, and associates, many of whom were prominent in their fields. Among those whose letters are contained in the Special Correspondence series are Fitzhugh Dodson, Arnold Gesell, Gerhard Alden Gesell, Len Lye, Margaret Mead, Daniel P. Moynihan, Vance Packard, and Benjamin Spock. Also in the Special Correspondence series are files concerning Ames's work with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the White House Conference on Children and Youth in 1970-1971.
Among the papers are drafts, readers' proofs, and publishers' correspondence for seven of Ames's books:
The collection is arranged in eleven series:
Correspondence to and from family members, in particular Ames's mother, Annie E. Bates, and daughter, Joan Ames Chase. Included are Bates's rorschach responses that became the basis for Ames's
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.
Correspondence to and from friends, colleagues, child psychologists, authors, newspaper editors, television producers, and government officials.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent.
Letters to and from the general public regarding the column Parents Ask and from psychologists and students concerning research projects and books. Some business correspondence is also included.
Arranged chronologically.
A sampling of letters to and from readers of the syndicated column Parents Ask (called Child Behavior until 1962) and a set of columns for the years 1967-1968.
Letters are arranged chronologically by year and thereunder alphabetically by name of correspondent. Columns are arranged chronologically.
Drafts, proofs, and publishers' correspondence relating to Ames's books and a small collection of articles written by others. Books are arranged alphabetically by title.
Articles are arranged alphabetically by name of author.
Annual reports, awards, a diary, appointment calendars, lists of lectures, newspaper clippings, and receipts.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, publishers, and the public; a subject file concerning the television program
Arranged by family correspondence, special correspondence, general correspondence, subject file, writings file, miscellany, and the Robert M. Zingg Papers and alphabetically thereunder by name of person, subject, or type of material.
Correspondence with friends, colleagues, publishers, and the public; diary excerpts, photographs, biographical material, and printed matter; condolence letters on the death of Ames's daughter; correspondence of Frances Lillian Ilg; research, lectures, and writings by Ames and Arnold Gesell; and files concerning the Gesell Institute of Child Development, White House Conference on Children and Youth, and Ames's radio and television programs.
Arranged by special correspondence, condolences, general correspondence, diary excerpts, subject file, speeches and lectures file, writings file, and miscellany and alphabetically thereunder by name of person, subject, title, or type of material.
Correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, publishers, and the public; dream diaries; articles; lecture schedule; and biographical and genealogical information.
Arranged by subject file, correspondence, writings file, and miscellany and alphabetically thereunder by name of person, subject, title, or type of material.
Correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, and publishers.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent. Also includes Ames's Parents Ask newspaper column, 1986-1988.
Correspondence, biographical information, dream diaries, family history, fan letters, interviews, photographs, reminiscences, and writings.
Arranged by family correspondence, general correspondence, subject file, and writings and alphabetically thereunder by name of person, subject, title, or type of material.