The archives of Helen Anrep and Roger Fry, including the papers and drawings of the mosaicist, Boris Anrep

This material is held atTate Archive

  • Reference
    • GB 70 TGA 200611
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1883-2001
  • Language of Material
    • English French Russian
  • Physical Description
    • 47 boxes, 2 solander boxes and 3 oversize volumes Bound volume - diaryDocument - writingsDocument - correspondenceDocument - financialBound volume - scrapbookBound volume - exhibition catalogueBound volume - photograph albumArtwork - on paper, uniquePhotograph - print

Scope and Content

This collection comprises the papers of Helen Anrep and Roger Fry, as well as papers of, and relating to Boris Anrep, Anastasia Anrep and Igor Anrep.

Administrative / Biographical History

The critic and artist, Roger Fry (1866-1934) met Helen Anrep (nee Maitland) at a party at Vanessa Bell's studio in 1924. Helen Anrep (1885-1965) was born in California to Scottish parents, who tried their hand at wine making. On the disappearance of her father, she lived a Bohemian existence with her mother, travelling around Europe and dallying with a career in music. After an affair with Henry Lamb, she married the Russian mosaic artist, Boris Anrep (1883-1969) in 1918. Helen and Boris had two children together, Anastasia, who was born in 1912, and Igor, who was born in 1914. Anrep's views on marriage were unconventional, and he insisted on his distant relative and mistress, Maria Volkova, also know as Maurussia [Marussia], sharing their home in London. Helen's meeting Roger Fry was the catalyst of the Anrep's separation, and she and Fry eventually set up house at 48 Bernard Street, where they lived together until Fry's death in 1934. As a couple, they were intimately connected to the Bloomsbury Group, being particularly close to Vanessa Bell, Gerald Brenan and Dora Carrington.

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged as follows:

TGA 200611/1: Papers of Helen Anrep and Roger Fry

TGA 200611/2: Papers of and relating to Boris Anrep

TGA 200611/3: Papers of and relating to Anastasia Anrep

TGA 200611/4: Papers of and relating to Igor Anrep

TGA 200611/5: Additional papers of Helen Anrep and Roger Fry

Access Information

OPEN

Custodial History

These papers were formerly held by Igor Anrep, son of Boris and Helen Anrep. Six boxes of correspondence were originally loaned to Tate Archive by Igor Anrep in 2000 (TGA 200611/5). These letters, toegther with further material making up the main part of the collection (TGA 200611/1-4) were given n lieu of inheritance tax by the executors of Igor Anrep in 2006.

Related Material

For further correspondence of Helen Anrep see TGA 200916. This collection was formerly held by her daughter, Anastasia Anrep.