Jane Fonda Donates Her Papers to Smith College

Smith College, the highly rated liberal arts educational institution for women in Northampton, Massachusetts, has announced that it has acquired the papers of Academy Award-winning actress and social activist Jane Fonda. The archive will be included among the Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History at the college, which includes more than 700 separate archival collections.

The Jane Fonda collection spans the years 1932 to 2016 and includes 132 boxes of materials. Included in the collection are biographical items, correspondence, writings, photographs, audiovisual materials and memorabilia.

In announcing the donation of her archives, Fonda stated that “history sometimes doesn’t do a good job of remembering or sharing women’s stories. As I worked on my book, I became aware that there are chapters of my life that would be of interest to people — people who care about acting or film or education or the anti-war movement. The Sophia Smith Collection is one of the world’s best collections of women’s histories — dedicated to making the stories of women from all walks of life accessible to scholars and the general public.”

Beth Myers, director of special collections at Smith College, said that “Fonda’s papers reflect the extraordinary influence she has had in our nation’s history — not just in the U.S., but around the world. Her collection is critical to our understanding of so many important stories — stories related to women in film, to the Vietnam War, to activism and education, women’s equality and more.”