2017-04-14 Preliminary Inventory of the Roland Elderkin Papers, 1878-1888, circa 1940s-1990s SPEC.RARE.CMS.0149 Finding aid prepared by Zoe MacLeod, Elizabeth Hubbard Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2017 April; 2019 September This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2019-09-24T11:35-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Roland Elderkin Papers SPEC.RARE.CMS.0149 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 1.12 Cubic feet 1878-1888, circa 1940s-1990s Roland Elderkin attended Ohio State University, Boston University, and Columbia University, and served in the military during World War II. He worked as a minister, researcher, and professor, much of that time under William Herbert Sheldon (1898-1977). Sheldon was a then-popular American psychologist who created the fields of somatotype and constitutional psychology, linking a person’s temperament to their body type. The Roland Elderkin Papers contains writings, research, lectures, photographs, and clippings related to the life and work of William Herbert Sheldon. The collection also contains Elderkin’s writings on his time working with Sheldon and Sheldon’s life overall, and four Leslie "Spy" Ward prints which were chosen as depictions of Sheldon's somatotypes. A VHS videocassette on Sheldon’s life and work with interviews from those who worked with him, including Roland Elderkin and Emil Hartl, is also included. The collection is dated 1878-1888, and circa 1940s-1990s. (1) 5" letter document box; (1) 2.5" letter document box; (1) 2.5" legal document box; (1) oversize flat box English Elderkin, Roland D. Arrangement of Materials

This collection is unprocessed. Materials are arranged in the order received.

 Acquisitions Information

Donated by Roland Elderkin, 1995

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains a VHS videocassette.

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Roland Elderkin Papers, SPEC.RARE.CMS.0149, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only. Audio/visual materials and computer media may need a use copy produced before access is allowed.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

This collection is unprocessed. Finding aid written by: Zoe MacLeod, 2017 March, Elizabeth Hubbard, 2019 September

 Biographical Note

Roland Elderkin attended Ohio State University (B.A., 1934), Boston University (M.S. Social Work, 1941), and Columbia University (M.S.L.S., 1953) and served in the military during World War II. He worked as a minister, researcher, and professor. Elderkin spent much of his professional life working under William Herbert Sheldon (1898-1977), a then-popular American psychologist who created the fields of somatotype and constitutional psychology, linking a person’s temperament to their body type. Elderkin assisted both Sheldon and Emil M. Hartl on their research and publications in these fields, contributing to Hartl’s publication Physique and Delinquent Behavior: A Thirty Year Follow Up of William H. Sheldon’s Varieties of Delinquent Youth, which was published in 1982. Since the basis for these judgements was visual and tended to be highly subjective, the theory and methodology has been largely discredited by the scientific community, though some of the stereotypes the study perpetuated have persisted in popular culture.

 Scope and Contents

The Roland Elderkin Papers contains writings, research, lectures, photographs, and clippings related to the life and work of William Herbert Sheldon in the somatotype and constitutional psychology fields. The collection also contains Elderkin’s writings on his time working with Sheldon and Sheldon’s life overall, and four late 19th century Leslie "Spy" Ward prints which were chosen as depictions of Sheldon's somatotypes. A VHS videocassette on Sheldon’s life and work with interviews from those who worked with him, including Roland Elderkin and Emil Hartl, is also included. The collection is dated 1878-1888, and circa 1940s-1990s.

 Related Materials Emil M. Hartl Papers Elderkin, Roland D. Hartl, Emil M. Sheldon, William Herbert, 1899-1977 Human beings--Constitution--20th century Psychologists--United States--20th century Psychology--Research--United States--20th century Somatotypes--Psychological aspects--20th century Sheldon photographs and negatives 1 circa 1940s-1950s Handwritten notes 1 circa 1970s-1990s Donated books handwritten catalog notes 1 circa 1970s Handwritten bibliographic notes 1 1979 Sheldon photographs 1 1944-1990 Panel IV: Humorand whimsical vulgarity 1 circa 1987-1991 Research notes, clippings, photocopies 1 1975-1995 Heath (Barbara Honeymoon) Somatotyping: Development and Applications photocopy and notes 1 1991 Panel IV: Orientation, education, and religion 1 circa 1987-1991 Writings and lectures on Sheldon (various authors) 1 1954-1989 Panel II: Societal 1 circa 1987-1991 Clippings, handwritten notes 1 1963-1995 Panel V: Artifactual and natural aesthetics 1 circa 1987-1991 Clippings, photocopies, booklet 1 1951-1980s Lyrics photocopies 1 1980s Clippings, writing, Emil Hartl memorial program 1 1996-1997 Panel V: Books and reading 1 circa 1987-1991 Appendix writings, clippings, photocopies 1 circa 1987-1991 William Sheldon: A Forgotten Giant of American Psychology VHS tape 2 circa 1990s Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements VHS videocassette; color, sound, approximate run time: 40:00 minutes Reprints, photocopies, lectures 2 circa 1951-1990s Panel I: Economic sustenance 2 circa 1987-1991 Elderkin biographical notes, writings 2 circa 1987-1991 Handwritten bibliographic notes 2 circa 1980s Book donation lists 3 1990 Elderkin library inventories 3 circa 1980s-1990s Panel III: Sex, family, and marriage 3 circa 1987-1991 Panel V: Sheldon and music 3 circa 1987-1991 Biographical notes, writings on Sheldon 3 circa 1987-1991 Writings, clippings, photocopies 3 circa 1987-1995 Forward, table of contents, handwritten notes 3 circa 1987-1991 "Caricature of Sheldon's extreme ectomorph" by Leslie "Spy" Ward 4 1888 "Caricature of Sheldon's extreme mesomorph" by Leslie "Spy" Ward 4 1878 "Caricature of Sheldon's high gynic" by Leslie "Spy" Ward 4 1881 "Caricature of Sheldon's extreme endomorph" by Leslie "Spy" Ward 4 1883