Description
This collection contains research files of English art historian R. B. Beckett (1891-1970),
chiefly consisting of study photographs collected from the late 1940s to early 1960s documenting the works of John Constable
and other English artists.
Background
Ronald Brymer Beckett (1891-1970) was an art historian and English administrator in India. Beckett was born in Yorkshire,
England, on January 17, 1891, and studied at Lincoln College, Oxford, before joining the Indian
Civil Service and serving in India until returning to England in 1917. In England, he joined the Middle Temple before returning
to India in 1918, where he served as city magistrate of Amritsar before being transferred to
other government positions. In 1946, Beckett retired from service in India and moved back to England where he studied English
artists and published catalogues of the works of William Hogarth (1949) and
Peter Lely (1951) and the edited correspondence of John Constable (London : H.M.S.O., 1962-1975), as well as Constable and the Fishers: the Record of a Friendship (1952). Beckett died on December 1, 1970.
Extent
6.5 linear feet (16 boxes)
Restrictions
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities.
The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the
researcher.
Availability
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.