The work of sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson has found a new home at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.
The Kinsey Institute, which announced the addition of the collection in a press release Nov. 15, is the only archival center to house their materials, said Liana Zhou, director of library and archives.
“William Masters and Virginia Johnson used to be a couple and one of the most recognizable names in the field of sex research,” Zhou said. “Their collections came to us from Virginia Johnson and her family, and we’ve been working with her family for many years.”
Masters and Johnson were married in 1971 and divorced in 1993. They were known for their research, which spanned from 1957 to the early 1990s and led to their observation and increased understanding of the sexual response cycles. Their work also contributed to the field of sexual therapy.
The Kinsey Institute is still in the process of acquiring materials, and Zhou estimated it will be about a year until the collection is complete. However, researchers can already access what has been processed.
The materials in the collection fall primarily into four categories, Zhou said.
The first is a collection of Masters and Johnson’s published work, containing both English and foreign-language editions of their research.
The second category consists of the researchers’ administrative files, including records of speaking engagements. Organizational files provide insight into the internal workings of the Masters and Johnson Institute in St. Louis, including names of staff members and visitors, as well as the training provided to staff.
The third category reveals correspondences Masters and Johnson maintained while they were researching.
“Masters and Johnson had an extraordinary amount of correspondence with the sex researchers of the time, their publishers and their co-authors,” Zhou said. “Those correspondents reveal what they’re thinking, what their processes and procedures were and how they envisioned the impact of (Masters and Johnson’s) research.”
The collection also includes media coverage of the researchers’ work. Popular magazines of the time, from Psychology Today to Playboy, often sought expert advice from Masters and Johnson, Zhou said. The collection includes magazine and newspaper articles, as well as interviews with the researchers and correspondences with reporters and editors.
Zhou said the collection is important for researchers across many academic
disciplines.
“If you look at the 20th-century sex research, much of the sex research, the landmark research, Masters and Johnson is definitely considered one of the guideposts of studies,” she said. “It’s very important ... for people in biology, people in sociology, people in psychology or people in gender studies, people in communications and culture.”
She said by providing these resources, the Kinsey Institute can help people understand the history of sex research and form their own perspective of the field.
“I think that’s probably the most important thing for people to understand,” Zhou said. “Any knowledge takes a great many people’s contribution, and Masters and Johnson happen to be two of the most significant players.”
New collection of sex research housed at Kinsey
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