Friends and colleagues

The material in this sub-collection was found scattered across Sewell's papers and brought together during the process of cataloguing. It comprises correspondence, newspaper cuttings, notes, photographs, sent to and collected by Sewell over a period of approximately 70 years. It has been arranged into the following groups:

-correspondence and newspaper cuttings concerning Anthony Blunt

-correspondence relating to Transatlantic Review, a London-based quarterly journal founded by Joe McCrindle, and material relating to McCrindle's art collection

-correspondence from friends, colleagues, artists, and readers of his articles

Any correspondence which was sent to Sewell in response to specific articles he had written are filed with the relevant articles (see BS/5 - Articles).

Friendships were hugely important to Sewell: he had a large circle of friend with whom he corresponded regularly. He also sustained long-lasting and intensely loyal relationships with a core group of individuals: Anthony Blunt and Joe McCrindle were amongst this latter group. For these individuals his interest often spanned beyond their lifetime, and he regularly collected material about them from other sources.

In addition to long-standing friendships, Sewell's role as a critic and writer meant that he also had many other friends and acquaintances associated with the art world. Much of the correspondence he received and kept in this capacity was generated in response to his work as a journalist.

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