Fellows Find: Gloria Swanson biographer discovers rich material in Ransom Center’s archive | Cultural Compass When I took
an exploratory trip to the Ransom Center to see if there was enough
material to support a biography of Gloria Swanson (1899-1983), I was
floored by the breadth and depth of the collection as well as the
exceptional helpfulness and insightfulness of the staff. The Center’s
holdings cover Swanson’s personal and professional life, from the first
pictures she made in 1915 with Charlie Chaplin in Chicago through her
movie stardom and her work in theater, television, radio, publishing,
fashion, politics, and health activism.