Letters to Constance Oldham

  • Reference
    • GB 133 Eng MS 1248
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1866-1889
  • Name of Creator
  • Physical Description
    • various sizes. 142 items;

Scope and Content

Comprises:

  • (a) 137 letters (November 1866 - May 1889), some with envelopes, from Ruskin to Constance Oldham, including 9 fragment (numbers 29-30, 119, 123, 133-137); enclosed in number 121 is a letter to Ruskin from Francesca Alexander (October 1887);
  • (b) 5 miscellaneous items, viz. letters to Constance Oldham from Sir William Gull (number 138, April 1882) and Mrs M.E. Townsend (number 139, October 1883); an extract from a letter of April 1869 to Anna Oldham from Ruskin (number 140); a fragment of a letter from Ruskin to his mother Margaret Ruskin (number 141, n.d.); and an Oxford book-bill of Ruskin (number 142, 1839).
 Also included are 65 additional envelopes, now empty, of which 63 contained letters (March 1875-August 1889) from Ruskin to Constance Oldham and 2 letters to her from other correspondents (1891, 1900).

Acquisition Information

Purchased by the John Rylands Library at auction at Sotheby's on 27 October 1959 (Lot 333).