Fieldnotes
The 307 pages of fieldnotes, prepared by John and Ruby Lomax during and shortly after their recording trip, contain their itinerary, notes on the geography and culture of the regions visited, biographical and anecdotal information on some performers, historical and descriptive information on some recordings, excerpts from correspondence, lists of song titles, typed portions of song text, and handwritten song text. The original typed document was duplicated by the insertion of carbon between pages. When these duplicate pages contain different handwritten annotations, they have been included in this online presentation.

Trip Report
A draft of a 4-page report about the trip written by John Lomax.

Song Text Transcriptions
Transcriptions for 37 of the songs collected by the Lomaxes. In addition to the date and location of recording, notations include the names of performers from whom the texts were collected.

Dust Jackets
Images and transcriptions of the 104 extant record dust jackets with notations by Ruby Lomax made on site as the discs were being recorded. These include the date and place of the recording, fragments of song text, and information about the songs and performers. There are also identifying Archive of American Folk Song (AFS) numbers in the upper left-hand corner.

Correspondence
Images and transcriptions of 57 items (110 pages) of correspondence written in the weeks before, during, and after the recording trip. The correspondence included in this collection comprises typed and handwritten manuscripts, telegrams, delivery receipts, and one business-size envelope. Much of the communication is between John Lomax and Harold Spivacke (1896-1983), chief of the Music Division from 1937 to 1972, regarding the progress of the expedition.

Photographs
381 images from the Lomax Visual Image Collection housed in the Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. These photos were made on various recording trips undertaken by John Lomax, his son, Alan, or wife, Ruby, for the Library of Congress between 1934 and 1940. Because the Lomaxes frequently revisited performers and folklorists who had assisted them before, these photos document performers who were recorded during the 1939 recording trip.

Annual Report
A ten-page excerpt from the Annual Report of the Librarian of Congress, this document provides contextual information about this trip and other activities at the Archive of American Folk Song undertaken in 1939.