On this “Primary Sources” page, I have collated some of the most important primary sources which help construct our understanding of Ida Tarbell. While the following list spans a range of different media, it is in no way an exhaustive list, and I have tried to focus on sources that are accessible (particularly for text sources).

The sources are arranged under Archive Collections and Online Textual Sources (including biographies, non-fiction works, fiction work and autobiography).

Archive Collections

Chautauquan Magazine Archives

The Chautauquan was the first publication Ida Tarbell wrote for professionally. Tarbell began at The Chautauquan in 1882, becoming a managing editor in 1886, and leaving the magazine after 1887. The magazine is a fascinating primary source for exploring Tarbell’s early style of writing, as well some of her journalistic interests. The Chautauquan archives are also important for understanding the journalistic environment Tarbell emerged into, and questioning how this may have shaped her career.

Both HathiTrust and Project Gutenberg offer online issues of The Chautauquan magazine, ranging from 1880 to 1914 –

Ida Tarbell Papers, 1896-1943, at Smith College

Part of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History, Smith College’s Ida Tarbell Papers contain a range of sources, including correspondence, memorabilia and other text documents.

Ida Tarbell Papers at Smith College

Online Textual Sources

Tarbell researched and wrote several biographies throughout her career, often published in series for publications such as McClure’s Magazine, and The American Magazine. Tarbell’s biographies are valuable in exploring her style of investigative writing, as it was her combination of traditional history-writing practices with the evocative and contemporary focus of journalism that made her work so impactful.

Many of Tarbell’s biographies can be found online for use at Project Gutenberg.

Madame Roland: A Biographical Study

Tarbell, Ida M. Madame Roland: A Biographical Study. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1896.

Madame Roland: A Biographical Study – Project Gutenberg

The Early Life of Abraham Lincoln

Tarbell, Ida M. The Early Life of Abraham Lincoln. New York: S. S. McClure Limited, 1896.

The Early Life of Abraham Lincoln – Project Gutenberg

Tarbell’s Non-fiction Works

Some of Tarbell’s most significant investigative journalism series were published as books across her career. The most famous of these is The History of the Standard Oil Company, which was so popular during its serial publication in McClure’s Magazine, that publishers decide to reprint the investigation as a single, stand-alone work. Some of Tarbell’s other important works, including The Business of Being a Woman, which offers insight into Tarbell’s anti-suffrage views, were also published in book format.

Like her biographical works, many of Tarbell’s published books are now available online via Project Gutenberg.

The History of the Standard Oil Company

Tarbell, Ida M. The History of the Standard Oil Company. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co., 1904.

The History of the Standard Oil Company – Project Gutenberg

The Business of Being a Woman

Tarbell, Ida M. The Business of Being a Woman. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1912.

The Business of Being a Woman – Project Gutenberg

Tarbell’s Fiction Work

While most recognition for her writing typically goes to her illustrious non fiction career, Ida Tarbell did also make a foray into fiction. The Rising of the Tide, published in 1919, is fascinating in representing the kind of narrative Tarbell wanted to tell her audience, free from the subject constraints of journalism or history. The novel describes two friends, during the prelude to the USA entering the First World War, who differ politically and in their attitude to the state of the country. Tarbell focuses on themes such as sacrifice, cooperation and community, revealing, as discerningreaders.com describes, her frustration with the contentious Muckraker movement. The novel, as a primary source, is highly valuable in offering a variation on Tarbell’s non fiction works, as well as a somewhat intimate insight into Tarbell’s literary desires; her dexterity with multiple forms of writing, the kinds of stories she wanted to tell, and the messages she hoped readers would take away.

The Rising of the Tide

Tarbell, Ida M. The Rising of the Tide: How the War came to Sabinsport. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1919.

The Rising of The Tide – Project Gutenberg

Tarbell’s Autobiography

Having written several biographies of historical and contemporary figures, in 1839 Tarbell published her autobiography. As you’d expect, the book offers Tarbell’s account of her life and career, noting how her opinions on aspects such as Standard Oil, Suffrage and Women’s role in society were formed. The biography is also fascinating in showing us how Tarbell wanted to be remembered, the way she wanted to represent herself and the influence she had.

All in The Day’s Work

Tarbell, Ida M. All in The Day’s Work: An Autobiography. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1939.

All in The Day’s Work – Project Gutenberg