Letters to Margaret Ruskin

Nine letters written to Margaret Ruskin (1781-1871), mother of John Ruskin, and nine letters written by John James Ruskin (1785-1864), father of John Ruskin, as follows: 

• (a) numbers 1-6 (1865), from John Ruskin to Margaret, his mother, with 5 envelopes (letters 3-5 are imperfect);
• (b) numbers 7-9 (1866), from Joan Agnew to Margaret Ruskin;
• (c) numbers 10-18 (1813-63), from John James Ruskin to his mother, Catherine Ruskin (number 10, 1813, imperfect); his son, John Ruskin (number 11, 1852); Margaret Tweddale (numbers 12-14, 1854-60); Mrs Monkhouse (number 15, 1853); Ernest Gambart (number 16, 1863); G.P. Popkin (number 17, 1856); and Miss Telford, sister of Henry Telford (number 18, 1859).

The letters were acquired by the John Rylands Library as follows:

• Numbers 1-6, purchased at auction at Sotheby's on 27 October 1959 (Lot 332);
• Numbers 10-15, purchased at auction at Christie's on 22 April 1959 (Lot 186);
• Numbers 7-9, 16-18, purchased from Emily Driscoll of New York, dealer in autographs and manuscripts, on 12 October 1959.

Numbers 1-2 and 4-6 are printed in Van Akin Burd (ed.), The Winnington Letters: John Ruskin's correspondence with Margaret Alexis Bell and the children at Winnington Hall (London: Allen & Unwin, 1969) .