Alicia Rhett papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 0226

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Papers of Alicia Rhett, artist and actress, best known for her role as India Wilkes in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind and for her career as an artist. The collection includes materials documenting her family and family line, personal scrapbooks documenting her career, materials relating to Gone With the Wind including fan letters, photographs, clippings, published materials, and character pencil drawings. Also included are her advertising work scrapbooks, original art consisting of sketchpads, finished and partial sketches, brochure layouts and designs, and materials related to her career as a professional portraitist. There are also notebooks and daybooks, personal correspondence, and photographs that acted as reference for her career as a portrait artist. In addition, there are a few items left to her by Marguerite C. Miller, a fellow Charleston artist who left her Tradd Street house to Rhett in her will.

Dates

Creation: approximately 1890s-2012
Creation: Majority of material found within 1930-2012

Creator

Rhett, Alicia, 1915-2014 (Person)

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biographical Note

Alicia Rhett, artist and actress, was born 1915 in Savannah, Georgia, into the prominent Rhett family of South Carolina; she died in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2014. As an actress, she was best known for her role as India Wilkes in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind. After growing up in Charleston, she became involved in local theater before being invited to audition for Gone with the Wind. When filming was complete, she returned to Charleston, where she worked as an accent coach and an announcer at Charleston radio station WTMA. Her last career was as a commercial and sketch artist, illustrator, and portrait painter. Active in the United Service Organizations during World War II, she helped establish the Charleston Artists Guild in 1953. She had a keen interest in antiques, the preservation of historic buildings, and the encouragement of young artists.

Extent

39.0 linear feet (25 cartons, 10 index card boxes, 3 flat boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 portfolio)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of Alicia Rhett, artist and actress, best known for her role as India Wilkes in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind and for her career as an artist. The collection includes family and biographical material as well as materials related to her careers as both an actress and an artist.