This series comprises alphabetical files of correspondence relating to Marcia Pointon’s research into William Dyce, initially in connection with her PhD, awarded by the University of Manchester in 1974, and later developed into the monograph William Dyce RA 1806-64: A Critical Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979). In her quest to track down the current locations of Dyce’s paintings and drawings and to identity sitters, Pointon corresponded with a wide range of custodians (both institutional and private), descendants of Dyce, and fellow art historians. Among the most notable correspondents was Quentin Bell, author and art critic, who was particularly supportive of Pointon’s work on Dyce.
The Dyce correspondence sheds light on methods of art historical research in a pre-internet era, the development of a female early-career art historian in what was still a male-dominated discipline, and networks of ownership and connoisseurship.
Punched holes in many of the items indicate that they were originally stored in a ring binder.
There is further material on Dyce in MRP/2/31-32 and MRP/3/3 below.