Charlotte Norman worked the for the Lowie Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. While visiting the UK in 1973 she became interested in well dressing in Buxton Derbyshire and began a PhD on her return to the US. Her interest in well-dressings continued beyond the completion of her thesis, and it is evident from the large number of colour transparencies she collected (approximately 1800) that she continued recording photographically the Derbyshire well-dressing custom throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. It was during the early part of the 1980s that Charlotte Norman’s second major phase of collecting took place. This was fresh research, building on her earlier work, which she hoped would lead to a PhD degree. During this phase she undertook extensive research in the offices of Derbyshire newspapers, dictating onto audiocassettes articles relating to well-dressings and well-blessing ceremonies covering the period 1834-1963. She also undertook the creation of several indexes, relating to the geographical location of well-dressings and their subject and title. At this time she was collecting printed material relating to the custom, including contemporary newspaper articles, pamphlets, posters, postcards and smaller ephemeral items. Charlotte Norman’s research was cut short by her death in 1988.