Seherr-Thoss, Hans Christoph, 1912-1992

The papers of Sonia P. Seherr-Thoss (1919-2006), writer, photographer, dairy farmer, philanthropist, and long-time Litchfield, Conn., resident. The majority of the papers document the foreign travels she made with her husband Hans Christoph Seherr-Thoss (1912-1992) and family members and friends to Europe, Russia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, India, China, Japan, Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, the Galapagos Islands, and other places. The papers also relate to her involvement in local organizations, such as the Litchfield Historical Society; her philanthropic activities in the region; and Butternut Brook Jerseys, the dairy farm she ran with her husband. Documentation relating to her books: Design and Color in Islamic Architecture: Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, which includes photographs taken by Hans, Human to Be and Other Essays, And the River Runs Red, Black and White and Red, and Ideas and Adventures. Among the papers are more than 10,000 photographic images that fully record her travels, her life and residences in Litchfield, Conn. and Ariz., and her family and friends. Some of the trips are chronicled by diaries and notebooks. The collection also includes detailed architectural plans and drawings made by Hans for the construction of their houses in Litchfield, Conn. and Ariz.