The Papers of Sonia H. Davis

The Papers of Sonia H. Davis is an archive of the personal materials of Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis. Sonia was a businesswoman of the 20th century, specifically in the millinery trade. She is primarily known for her short marriage to the weird fiction writer, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, but she is a woman of her own renown in intelligence, art, and beauty.

[soniahdavis]

"Sonia wearing hats" appreciation post 🖤 It is safe to assume the hats she wore were made by her own hands.

This one is for you, @macne-nanna

[soniahdavis]

This will always be my favorite post 🩶

[soniahdavis]

Nov. 29, 1966 | A letter to August Derleth.

[soniahdavis]

Reblogging for quick reference…

[soniahdavis]

This small snippet was taken from Sonia's letter addressed to her half-brother, Sidney, his wife Florence, and his daughter Leonore. It was dated August 25, 1964.

Leonore had expressed an interest in Sonia's life, and she was the one Sonia had wished would ultimately write her biography. Much of the information provided in this 11-paged letter helped build the autobiography, Two Hearts The Beat as One.

[soniahdavis]

I’m currently drafting an essay on the courtship, marriage and the dissolution of HPL and Sonia’s marriage. It’s facts like these that brings a fresh perspective to a very complicated relationship.

[soniahdavis]

The April Monthly is now live: Sonia’s Uncles: Harris and Joseph Haft in Liverpool.

This final Monthly post tracing their lives in Liverpool.

Sonia’s Uncles: The Haft Family in Liverpool

In this final post of the site, I trace the lives of Harris and Joseph Haft in Liverpool, drawing from census records, family accounts, and

[soniahdavis]

The site recently experienced a 404 error affecting all articles, and all previously shared links are no longer accessible. The issue has now been resolved, and the research page is running normally again. Thank you for your patience.

Studies

This section gathers ongoing research on the life and work of Sonia H. Davis. Each piece draws from primary sources and historical context.

[soniahdavis]

In honor of Sonia H. Davis’s birthday, I’ve published Part II of Sonia H. Davis: A Documentary Record. The post continues the timeline of her appearances in the press and includes the full transcript of her 1948 memoir of H. P. Lovecraft, along with newly uncovered clippings and letters from the 1940s–1960s.

Sonia H. Davis in the Press: A Documentary Record (Part II)

The concluding installment of the two-part documented record of every available newspaper reference to Sonia.

[soniahdavis]

Two are One: Mrs. H.P. Lovecraft (100th Anniversary)

“Howard Phillips Lovecraft and Sonia Haft Greene announce their marriage on Monday the third of March, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-

March 3rd is not only an important date in Lovecraft scholarship, but also a meaningful one in the life of Sonia H. Greene.

Here’s my celebratory post from 2024.

[soniahdavis]

Sonia H. Greene in the Press: A Documentary Record

The first installment of a two-part documented record of every available newspaper reference to Sonia.

This month I’m sharing Part I of a project I’ve been steadily building: a documented record of every available newspaper mention of Sonia. What was once scattered across archives is now gathered into a single timeline.

[soniahdavis]

New year, new post! I’m really excited to share about a new project I’ve been developing for The Papers of Sonia H. Davis!

2026: New Year, New Way of Scholarship

In the first post of the year, I explain what is next for The Papers of Sonia H. Davis.

[soniahdavis]

Happy Birthday, Sonia! 💜

[genericswordsmaiden]

some questions I wanted to ask for a long time (for a novel I'm writing)

First question: does E. A. Poe have some kind of published correspondence, and is it available somewhere on the internet? I would like to understand his personality a bit more, of course from reading his works and general wikipedia info I gather he had baggage™, but that's not enough.

Second question: @soniahdavis I hope my mind isn't making stuff up, but I remember reading here on tumblr about a theory Bobby Derie exposed to you, in regards to the letters Sonia destroyed after she divorced from HPL. Could you please elaborate on that? You could do that by reblogging this post or writing a direct message, I'd be immensely grateful!

Third question: anyone reading this who currently lives in Providence or has family there, how's it like? I need info especially on how it was during the '70s and '80s. Info about any local festivities, bar names and locations, points of interest and, idk, local legends are greatly appreciated! ( @actualblanketgremlin I summon thee!)

[soniahdavis]

No, you didn’t imagine it! 😊 When I first started studying Sonia’s life, I took everything that she wrote as truth, unless I could proof it otherwise. There were times I couldn’t prove if something was right or wrong because lack of evidence. And the burned letters was that one thing that could’ve been either one—she could’ve easily burned the letters in NY after coming from Los Angeles, after all, she had to return to collect her things when relocating to LA. Then I met Bobby Derie, and we talked a lot about Sonia and HPL. He shared the theory that she had likely burned the letters in LA, at a much later date than before 1934, the year she went to LA. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I began reading her letters to Winfield Townley Scott in the Brown Digital Repository, and the letter dated November 4, 1947, she wrote:

“Here is what I propose to do with the H.P. material. I’ll send you my version of his biography but not his letters.”

Further she adds:

“[Derleth] wants the story and the letters. And as he has stated that the letters belong to the H.P. estate he would probably copy them and return the original.”

She clearly had his letters in 1947. In his post “Her Letters to Lovecraft: Sonia H. Greene”, Bobby suggests she probably burned the letters at the end of 1947 or in 1948, and honestly that checks out. Especially when one considers the hell that Derleth gave Sonia over her memoir “The Private Life of HPL”, which was published in August 1948. Derleth threatened to sue her for the letters, and if she was afraid, (which rightfully so!), she would’ve burned the letters before the publication of the memoir. Bobby includes other anecdotes to the letter burning in his post that I recommend checking out. Sorry for the lengthy response but I hope it helps!

[soniahdavis]

This is the last post for The Papers of Sonia H. Davis blog, and I take the time to reflect on the year and what’s next for the new year.

Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025?

It’s that wonderful time of the year, in which I reflect on what has been accomplished in Sonia scholarship.

[soniahdavis]

The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society’s Solstice Sale is going on now! When you use discount code: SOLSTICE2024 you get 20% off everything in their store, including Sonia’s autobiography, TWO HEARTS THAT BEAT AS ONE 💜

Discount expires on December 1, midnight PST.

Two Hearts That Beat As One - Collector's Edition

The remarkable life of Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis is explored in remarkable depth by editor Monica Wasserman in this elegant autobiog

Two Hearts That Beat As One - Hardcover Edition

The remarkable life of Sonia Haft Greene Lovecraft Davis is explored in remarkable depth by editor Monica Wasserman in this elegant autobiog

[soniahdavis]

For this month, I focus on Sonia’s time as a historical researcher during the Great Depression. Her research papers are presented in full for the first time.

The Historical Researcher

In this unique post, I delve into Sonia’s time as a historical researcher, and share her actual research.

[soniahdavis]

Two Hearts That Beat As One (2024) by Sonia H. Davis & Monica Wasserman (ed.)

In the small village of Itchno, which is on the outskirts of the town of Konotop, in the small Province of Chernigov, on the cold and wintry

The autobiography is finally released, and I’m so thankful for all the love! A huge thank you to my good friend, Bobby Derie, for this review 😊

[soniahdavis]

For this month, I focus on Sonia’s daughter, Florence.

Florence Carol Greene

We know Sonia H. Davis, but do we really know who Florence Carol Greene is?

[soniahdavis]

Lot #45119

This month, we get to look at some very unique materials!

This was a dream come true!