A Midwife's Tale documentary research collection

Collection

Identifier: Coll. 4222

Staff Only

Scope and Content note

Research notes, typescripts, correspondence, printed material, slides, photographs (including negatives and slides), and audiovisual material.

Dates

Creation: 1994 - 2001
Creation: Majority of material found within 1994 - 1996

Creator

Kahn-Leavitt, Laurie (Donor, Person)

Access

Unrestricted

Copyright

Access to collections at Maine Historical Society is not an authorization to publish. Rights and reproduction requests may be submitted in writing to the MHS Image Services Coordinator or Research & Administrative Librarian, subject to format.

Biographical note

Laurie Kahn-Leavitt produced and wrote A Midwife's Tale, a documentary based on the book A Midwife's Tale: the Life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (published in 1990). The book is about Martha Ballard, a frontier midwife in Hallowell, Maine, as reconstructed from her diary and numerous other records. In 1997, the PBS series The American Experience aired A Midwife's Tale. This documentary film was based upon Ulrich's book, and Ulrich served as a consultant, script collaborator, and narrator for the film. It was directed by Richard P. Rogers, and produced and written by Laurie Kahn-Leavitt. Actress Kaiulani Lee played Martha Ballard. It was funded largely by the National Endowment of the Humanities, and also by The American Experience and the humanities councils of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The documentary was filmed at King's Landing Historical Settlement in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island.

References:

Wikipedia contributors. "Martha Ballard." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 5 Dec. 2023.
“A Midwife’s Tale.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 19 Jan. 1998.
"Behind the Scenes." PBS, Public Broadcasting Service.
Martha Ballard's Diary Online. Film Study Center, Harvard University, 2000.

Extent

15 Linear Feet (+ 1 oversized folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

1. Midwife's Tale book
2. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
3. Research
4. Production
5. Post-production
6. Photographs
7. Media
8. Oversized

Provenance

Gift of Laurie Kahn, June 11, 2021 (acc. no. 2021.099).

Processing note

For the most part, original order was maintained for the folders, with titles of folders retained when rehoused. There was not an original order for the overall collection, so it was rehoused into eight series.

Staples should be removed at some point, and post-it notes should be photocopied and removed.