Miscellaneous Letters I

An artificial collection of letters from John Ruskin to various correspondence, acquired by the Library from several sources. The material comprises:

• (a) numbers 1-115, letters from Ruskin to various correspondents, arranged in chronological order (1842-87). No large groupings to individual recipients occur;
• (b) numbers 116-128, letters from Ruskin to Sir Arthur Helps (numbers 116-125, 1857-?74) and Alice Helps (numbers 126-127, 1867, 1875), and from (Sir) Arthur Helps to Henry Austin Bruce (number 128, 1871);
• (c) numbers 129-140, letters from Ruskin to Messrs Christie, Manson and Wood (number 129, 1883), (?) Frederic Harris (number 130, c 1884) John Richardson, his cousin (number 131, c 1871), Georgina Cowper-Temple (numbers. 132-133, 1870, 1875), and copies of letters to Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury (number 134, 24 May 1885), Lewis Hartley (numbers 135-136, 1863), B. Winckley (number 137, 1886). Number 138 is a delirium note (1878) and numbers 139-140 are signatures dated January 1898;
• (d) numbers 141-145, letters from Ruskin to Helen Ormerod (3 January 1878 - 9 March 1879);
• (e) numbers 146-150, letters from Ruskin to (?) E.S. Dallas (number 146, c 1855), and Arthur Mackmurdo (numbers 147-150, 1878-82);
• (f) numbers 151-158, letters from Ruskin to Thomas Richmond, 2 September - 5 December 1871. Numbers 155-6 are in the hand an amanuensis;
• (g) numbers 159-174, letters from Ruskin to various correspondents (c 1850-86), arranged in alphabetical order. They include letters to Dante Gabriel Rossetti (number 165, [?1854]) and William E. Wilcox respecting Rossetti's illustrations to Tennyson's Poems, 1857 (number 169). Number 164, to Thomas Richmond (1871), is in the hand of Joan Severn;
• (h) number 175, letter from Ruskin to John R. Broadhurst (29 October 1874);
• (i) numbers 176-177, letters from Ruskin to A.J. Hewins (1884).

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

• Numbers 1-115, purchased from Emily Driscoll of New York, dealer in autographs and manuscripts, in September 1959;
• Numbers 116-128, purchased at auction at Sotheby's on 12 December 1961 (Lot 157);
• Numbers 129-140, purchased at auction at Christie's on 22 April 1959 (Lot 186);
• Numbers 141-145, acquired from the bookseller H.M. Fletcher in May 1959;
• Numbers 146-150, purchased from Emily Driscoll in October 1959;
• Numbers 151-158, purchased at auction at Sotheby's on 30 May 1961 (Lot 535);
• Numbers 159-174, purchased at auction at Sotheby's on 30 May 1961 (Lot 537);
• Number 175, donated by J.K. Broadhurst of Manchester, son of John R. Broadhurst, in April 1963;
• Numbers 176-177, acquired from the Rev. G. Shaw Hewins in August 1963.