Correspondence from friends to Tom Hardy, 1942-2008

The Tom Hardy papers include materials that document Hardy’s careers as an artist and teacher, his world travels to Africa, Europe, and Tahiti, and personal records from 1937 to 2015. This collection also includes extensive records concerning his father and mother, Orlando Buel (O. B.) “Pete” Hardy and Marie Austin Hardy, and their families from 1894 to 2016. Series I (Art career) contains sketchbooks, loose sketches, sculpture proposals, commission documents, exhibition brochures and fliers for Hardy and other artists, publicity documents including newspaper clippings, award certificates and plaques, and business records for Hardy’s art as well as his book business. Series II (Teaching career) includes class notes, student records, and letters of recommendation. Series III (Correspondence) contains art-related correspondence between Hardy, museums, and patrons. This series also includes correspondence between Hardy and his parents, family, and friends during his service in the Air Force during World War II and throughout his life. Series IV (Photographs, slides, and multimedia) contains photographs, negatives, slides, and film reels of Hardy’s family, his sculptures and art, and his various travels to Africa, Europe, and Tahiti. Series V (Travel) includes travel documentation, passports, itineraries, and foreign currency from Hardy’s travels to Africa, Europe, and Tahiti. Series VI (Personal and family records) includes Hardy’s school records, World War II documents, O. B. Hardy’s military records from World War I, poetry by O. B. Hardy and unidentified friends or students, journals and calendars, and various family records including inheritance and property documentation. This series also includes an extensive collection of newspapers and clippings concerning the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Series VII (Books and periodicals) contains various books and magazines from Hardy’s personal library, including many annotated books.