Emily Kimbrough papers

Emily Kimbrough was born in Muncie on October 32, 1898. In 1910 she moved with her parents to Chicago. The move was later described in her book Innocents in Indiana (1950). After attending girls’ schools in Chicago, Kimbrough went on to Bryn Mawr College, where she received her B.A. in 1921. Following Bryn Mawr, she continued her studies with graduate work at the Sorbonne. During this same period, Kimbrough and her friend, Cornelia Otis Skinner, traveled extensively throughout Europe. These travels formed the basis of her first book, Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1943), which she co-authored with Skinner.

Praised by one reviewer as "the indefatigable pride of Muncie, Indiana," Kimbrough authored fourteen books, including We Followed Our Hearts to Hollywood (1943); How Dear to My Heart (1944); Through Charley's Door (1952); Forty Plus and Fancy Free (1954); Forever Old, Forever New (1964); and Now and Then (1972). Much of her work was autobiographical and largely based on her travel experiences and observation of the foibles of actual people and events. In addition to writing books, Kimbrough was also a contributor to The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and other magazines. She was also a noted lecturer, a fashion editor for Ladies Home Journal, and a commentator for CBS radio. She died in 1989.