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Biographical Sketch of Robert Vavra

Robert Vavra is an American-born photographer, who is considered to be the world’s premier photographer of horses. Vavra was born on March 9, 1935 in Glendale, California. In 1958, with little money and no local contacts, he moved to Seville, Spain to pursue his interest in studying Spanish bulls. Vavra has written over 30 books, and his expertise has been used by a wide-variety of corporations, organizations and individuals ranging from the Walt Disney Company to Bo Derek to the Russian Republic. He has worked within the film industry on such films as Lawrence of Arabia, Patton and The Horse Whisperer.

Vavra meet James Michener in Seville, and the two developed a life-long friendship. Vavra often served as Michener’s photographer and his photographs illustrated Michener’s Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into three series. The series are as follows:

Series 1, Correspondence, 1965-1995

Series 2, Photographs, ca. 1965-1995

Series 3, Michener's the Name, ca. 2000-2005

Scope and Content

The collection primarily consists of correspondence between Vavra and Michener, miscellaneous correspondence from fans addressed to Michener, photographic images (negatives and contacts) of Michener, his wife and friends that provide a very candid look at Michener's life, and photographic prints of the images used in the book Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections. The correspondence concerns a wide variety of topics ranging from publication issues to world travel.

The collection also contains some restricted materials associated with Vavra's book entitled Michener's the Name. The materials include negatives, photographs and copies of the manuscript. The restricted material will be available for research in 2011.

Restrictions

Restrictions on access:

Usage of certain portions of the collection is restricted until 2011. These materials are clearly identified within the finding aid.

Restrictions on use:

None of the material in the collection is within the public domain. Researchers are responsible for ensuring copyright compliance. Please speak with a representative from the Archival Services Department for further information.

Preferred Citation

[Description of Item], Robert Vavra photographs and correspondence related to James A. Michener, 1965-2005, Archival Services, James A. Michener Library, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado.

Processing

Inventory edited by Jay Trask, July 2009. Originally prepared by Shirley Soenksen on 2007 January 23. This inventory is partly based on an original inventory created in 1999 by Roiann Baird and partially processed by Julia Remsik, a graduate assistant, in 2005.

Acquisition

Purchased from Robert Vavra in 2005-2006

Documentation relating to the acquisition is on file in Archives, RG 13 S1 F11-2.

Access Terms

Black-and-White Negatives.

Contact Sheets.

Correspondence.

Michener, James A., (James Albert), 1907-1997 -- Correspondence.

Michener, James A., (James Albert), 1907-1997 -- Photographs.

Michener, James A., (James Albert), 1907-1997. Iberia.

Subject Terms:

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University Libraries catalog, the Source. Researchers seeking materials about related subjects, persons, organizations or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Vavra, Robert -- Correspondence.

Vavra, Robert. Michener's the name.

Inventory

Series 1: 
Correspondence,  1965-1995

Series scope and content

The series contains correspondence addressed to Robert Vavra from James A. Michener, Mari Michener and Nadia Orapchuck (Mr. Michener's secretary for many year), letters from Robert Vavra addressed to Michener and letters from Michener to John Fulton. These letters contain both personal and professional communication between Michener and Vavra, and specifically detail Vavra's work with Michener on a variety of projects including a great deal of discussion of Michener's Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections.

The series also contains selected fan letters addressed to and occasionally answered by Michener. At least one letter dated from 1965 includes attached photographs from members of a rock band called the Peppertones, who appreciated Michener's defense of rock music. The majority of the fan mail dates from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. Vavra intended these letters to comprise a book of fan mail addressed to Michener. The book, however, never went beyond the planning stages.

Series 2: 
Photographs,  ca. 1965-1995

Series scope and content

The series contains negatives, prints and contact sheets taken by Vavra during his long association with Michener. The eighty-nine prints are the images used in Michener's Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections. The approximately 3,000 negatives (and related contact sheets) document Michener's life covering a thirty-five year span.

Series 3: 
Michener's the Name  ca. 2000-2005

Series scope and content

The series contains the manuscript of Vavra's book, Michener's the Name and negatives and photographs that were used in the book.

All materials in this series are restricted until 2011.