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Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Biographical / Historical

Margaret May Dashiell was an artist from Richmond, Virginia who primarily worked in pen and ink and watercolors. Her work was often steeped in Lost Cause imagery, and she focused on black domestic workers. She illustrated several publications and periodicals. Dashiell also worked for the Richmond division of William & Mary, now known as Virginia Commonwealth University. She is buried in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery. Julia Johnson Davis was a poet and writer from Norfolk, Virginia.

Scope and Contents

Materials include a (3) page letter and (8) sketches sent to Julia Johnson Davis, author of "Gribble's: The Story of a Beloved Penny Shop." In the letter, Dashiell explains her sketches and the decision to set them on Valentine's Day. She offers these to Davis for the "Gribble's" reprint and closes with her price of "$2.00 each for pen and ink drawings." Dashiell also mentions her aversion to decorative page borders, but she ends with "that is a matter of taste." The sketches are pen and ink on brown paper, all signed "M. Dashiell." They correspond to scenes from "Gribble's." Also includes a non-illustrated, first edition copy of "Gribble's," a typed explanatory label and a large brown envelope, postmarked August 6, 1947, Richmond, Virginia, and addressed to Davis.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Design drawings