Biographical Note: Marian Cabot Putnam was born on April 9, 1893, the daughter of James Jackson Putnam and Marian Cabot.  After receiving the A.B. from Radcliffe in 1917, she earned her M.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1921.  Initially a pediatrician at New Haven Hospital, Marian Putnam later studied psychiatry.  She and Edith Jackson went to Vienna for analytic training in 1929, where both studied child analysis. Returning to her native Boston in 1938, Dr. Putnam focused on the clinical problems of children up to the age of 4.  She lectured on the subject of child development at Boston University and Harvard Medical Schools, M.I.T. and the Simmons School of Social Work.  In 1943 she founded the Children’s Center, described as “the first nursery school-child guidance center in this country.”  The center was renamed the James Jackson Putnam Children’s Center in 1946. A member of BPSI since 1937, Marian Cabot Putnam died in November, 1971

Summary: the collection consists primarily of correspondence and writings of Marian Putnam.  The collection also includes a small number of Putnam family letters.  Of particular note is one folder containing photographs of Sigmund Freud, a card signed by him, and two letters to Marian Putnam from Anna Freud.  Also of note is a folder of correspondence including a letter from Helene Deutsch and one from Erik Erikson.  In addition, our Oral History Transcripts collection includes a transcript of the 1971 interview with Marian (Molly) Putnam.  Many photographs of Marian Cabot Putnam could be found in the Putnam Children’s Center Photographs collection.

Finding Aid for this collection is here (viewing it requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).


Related BPSI Collections
Child Analysis Materials, 1926-1989
Oral History Transcripts, 1961-2018
Putnam Children’s Center Collection (1942-1991)
Putnam Children’s Center Photographs, 1958-1966

Related Archives
Almy Family Papers at Radcliff College (include Putnam’s correspondence)
Erik Erikson Papers at Harvard College Library (include eulogy for Marian C. Putnam)

Related Cites
Medicine at Yale Photo Exhibit (Department of Pediatrics, 1921-22 photograph includes Marian C. Putnam)
Articles by Marian C. Putnam (from Google Scholar)