Finding Aid for the Frank Harris Collection 1896-1928
Processed by Rebecca Fenning.
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
University of California, Los Angeles
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Phone: (323) 731-8529
Fax: (323) 731-8617
Email: rfenning@humnet.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/clarklib/
©2010
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Frank Harris Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1896-1928
Collection number: MS.2010.005, and others
Creator: Harris, Frank,
1855-1931
Extent:
.75 linear feet
(2 boxes and other items)
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles.
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
Abstract: This finding aid describes the Clark
Library's collection of material created by and related to Frank Harris,
and includes correspondence, manuscripts, news clippings, typescripts
and proofs.
Physical location: Clark Library
Language of Material: Collection materials in English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark Memorial
Library, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Clark Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the William Andrews
Clark Memorial Library, UCLA as the owner of the physical items and is
not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Frank Harris Collection, MS.2010.005, and
others, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of
California, Los Angeles.
Acquisition Information
This finding aid gathers together material from multiple accessions.
The exact provenance of some materials is unclear. Other material
described here originated in accessions and Clark Library purchases
MS.1982.004 and MS.2010.005.
Processing History
Processed by Rebecca Fenning, March, 2010.
Biography
Frank Harris was born James Thomas Harris in Galway, Ireland,
February 14, 1856. He emigrated alone to the United States in 1869 and
after years of study and adventure both in America and on the European
continent, he returned to London in 1882. Harris become the editor of
the London Evening News in 1883. In 1886, he left the Evening News for a
post editing the Fortnightly Review, which he would continue to do until
1894. From 1894 to 1898, he edited the Saturday Review. In his posts at
these publications, he became friends (and enemies) with many of the
notable figures of fin-de-siècle London, including Oscar Wilde.
A difficult personality, Harris struggled with financial stability
often after this period, and moved a great deal, living in the south of
France and in London in the years before World War I. In 1915, he
returned to New York, where he wrote a number of anti-British articles
as well as his volumes of Contemporary Portraits. He was the editor of
Pearson's Magazine from 1915-1922 and got into many clashes with
American censors and others who found him and his work offensive. During
this period, he also began dictating his sprawling and sexually explicit
memoirs, My Life and Loves, which was published in various forms
(expurgated and not) after 1922.
In 1923, he settled permanently in Nice with his longtime mistress
and companion, Nellie O'Hara, who he married in 1927. He died in Nice in
1931.
Scope and Content
This finding aid describes the Clark Library's collection of material
created by and related to Frank Harris, and includes correspondence,
manuscripts, news clippings, typescripts and proofs.
Materials in this collection are not all physically housed together,
because of the different acquisition dates and because of various
organization schemes developed over time by the Clark. Box numbers
listed below indicate the collection with which each item is physically
placed.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Correspondence, 1895-1928, undated
- Series 2. Manuscripts and Proofs, 1915-1925
Related Material
The Clark holds a great deal of material related to Frank Harris and
his professional and social circles, particularly during the 1890's. The
list below is not exhaustive, but contains links to online finding aids
for the papers of Oscar Wilde and his circle, as well as to the papers
of Harris's friend and colleague in the 1880s and 1890s, John
Verschoyle.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Adey,
More, ca. 1859-1942
Douglas, Alfred Bruce, Lord, 1870-1945
Holland, Vyvyan Beresford, 1886-1967
Millard, Christopher, 1872-1927
Richards, Grant, 1872-1948
Rosenfeld, Samuel, Dr.
Ross,
Robert Baldwin, 1869-1918
Secker,
Martin, 1882-1978
Turner,
Reggie, 1869?-1938
Editors--20th century
Genres and Forms
Letters--United
States--20th century.
Proofs--20th
century.
Series 1.
Correspondence
1895-1928, undated
Arrangement
Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the
correspondent.
Subseries 1.
Acworth, E. Cecil,
undated
Call no. *PR5823 H314 1918 vol. 1 (copy 3)
To Acworth
Scope and Content Note
Tipped in at the beginning of a bound volume, Clark call number
*PR5823 H314 1918 vol. 1 (copy 3).
Subseries 2.
Adey, More,
1895-1897
Box Wilde 30, Folder 25
To Adey,
November 13, 1895
Physical Description: Telegram.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 25
To Adey,
December 24, 1895
Box Wilde 30, Folder 25
To Adey,
November 4, 1896
Box Wilde 30, Folder 25
To Adey,
November 20, 1896
Box Wilde 30, Folder 25
To Adey,
February 2, 1897
Subseries 3.
Cumberland, Gerald,
1919
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Cumberland,
November 15, 1919
Subseries 4.
Davray, Henry-D.,
1926
Box Wilde 44, Folder 3
To Davray,
June 10, 1926
Physical Description: Typed copy of a letter dated, Mar. 1, 1926.
Subseries 5.
Douglas, Lord Alfred Bruce,
1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Douglas,
March 21, 1925
Physical Description: Typed copy of letter, with two carbon copies
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Douglas,
June 1, 1925
Physical Description: Typed copy of letter, with two carbon copies
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Douglas,
July 30, 1925
Physical Description: Typed copy of letter, with two carbon copies
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Douglas,
August 12, 1925
Physical Description: Typed copy of letter, with two carbon copies
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Douglas,
August 20, 1925
Physical Description: Typed copy of letter, with two carbon copies
Subseries 6.
Hancock, Ernest La Touche,
1916-1917
Physical Description: 2 items
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Hancock,
April 22, 1916
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 1
To Hancock,
December 31, 1917
Scope and Content Note
Friendly letter declining the use of Hancock's poems in Pearson's
Magazine.
Subseries 7.
Holland, Vyvyan Beresford,
1926-1927
Box Wilde 44, Folder 3
To Holland,
June 10, 1926
Physical Description: Typed copy of a letter dated, Mar. 1, 1926.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Holland,
November 10, 1926
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Holland,
November 23, 1926
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Holland,
August 8, 1927
Box Wilde 30, Folder 26
To Holland,
December 10, 1927
Subseries 8.
Hughes, Colonel,
1920
Call no. *PR5823 H314n copy 3
To Hughes,
July 9, 1920
Scope and Content Note
Bound in the
New Preface to the Life and Confessions of Oscar Wilde,
Clark Library call no. *PR5823 H314n copy 3
Subseries 9.
Leverson, Ada,
1904-1907
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Leverson,
November 2, 1904
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Leverson,
June 1, 1907
Subseries 10.
Millard, Christopher,
1913-1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
October 23, 1913
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
October 24, 1913
Box MS.1982.004, Folder 1
To Millard,
July 1, 1914
Scope and Content Note
Typed letter, signed.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
July 11, 1914
Box MS.1982.004, Folder 2
To Millard,
September 19, 1916
Scope and Content Note
Typed letter, signed.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
December 4, 1916
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
March 20, 1919
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
April 22, 1919
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
June 26, 1919
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
July 11, 1919
Call no. *PR5823 H314 1918 vol. 1 (copy 3)
To Millard,
August 14, 1919
Scope and Content Note
Bound in at back of *PR5823 H314 1918 vol. 1 (copy 3)
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
October 28, 1919
Box MS.1982.005, Folder 1
To Millard,
February 11, 1920
Scope and Content Note
Typed on Pearson's Magazine letterhead, signed by Guido Bruno.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
April 21, 1920
Scope and Content Note
Telegram.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
April 21, 1920
Box MS.1982.004, Folder 3
To Millard,
May 20, 1920
Scope and Content Note
Typed letter with holograph amendments, signed.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
May 29, 1920
Physical Description: Telegram.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 27
To Millard,
August 9, 1925
Subseries 12.
Morley, Christopher,
1918
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Morley,
August 8, 1918
Subseries 13.
Plarr, Victor Gustave,
1898
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Plarr,
November 30, 1898
Subseries 14.
Richards, Grant,
1915-1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Richards,
July 6, 1915
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Richards,
September 11, 1915
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Richards,
November 13, 1916
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Richards,
October 24, 1924
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Richards,
April 3, 1925
Physical Description: Telegram.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 28
To Richards,
May 22, 1925
Subseries 15.
Rosenfeld, Samuel,
1925-1927
Physical Description: 10 items
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order.
Scope and Content Note
Letters to Dr. Samuel Rosenfeld of Philadelphia, as well as one
carbon copy of a letter from Rosenfeld to Harris. Harris evidently first
contacted Rosenfeld after Florence Schmidt ordered a copy of My Life to
be sent to Rosenfeld.
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 2
To Rosenfeld,
November 4, 1925
Scope and Content Note
Accompanying printed lists of publications and excerpted reviews.
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 3
To Rosenfeld,
December 3, 1925
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 4
To Rosenfeld,
January 6, 1926
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 5
From Rosenfeld,
February 11, 1926
Scope and Content Note
Very brittle carbon copy of a letter to Harris.
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 6
To Rosenfeld, accompanying a copy of Stories of Jesus the
Christ (1919),
November 27, 1926
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 7
To Rosenfeld,
March 10, 1927
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 8
To Rosenfeld,
March 17, 1927
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 9
To Rosenfeld,
April 21, 1927
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 10
To Rosenfeld,
May 4, 1927
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 11
Envelope from Bennett Book Studios to Samuel
Rosenfeld,
December 23, 1950
Scope and Content Note
Pencil note on envelope says "Letter Frank Harris, to La Touche."
Subseries 16.
Ross, Robert Baldwin,
1913-1917
Box Wilde 30, Folder 29
To Ross,
December 28, 1913
Box Wilde 30, Folder 29
To Ross,
December 18, 1913
Box Wilde 30, Folder 29
To Ross,
December 21, 1913
Box Wilde 30, Folder 29
To Ross,
October 24, 1916
Box Wilde 30, Folder 29
To Ross,
November 10, 1916
Box Wilde 30, Folder 29
To Ross,
November 20, 1916
Box Wilde 30, Folder 29
To Ross,
December 12, 1916
Subseries 17.
Schmidt, Florence,
1925
Physical Description: 2 items
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order.
Scope and Content Note
An acquaintance of Dr. Samuel Rosenfeld's living in Paris, when she
ordered copies of Harris' work from him directly.
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 12
To Schmidt,
September 16, 1925
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 13
To Schmidt,
October 8, 1925
Subseries 18.
Secker, Martin,
1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 30
To Secker,
March 25, 1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 30
To Secker,
April 13, 1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 30
To Secker,
April 23, 1925
Subseries 19.
Turner, Reggie,
1923-1928
Box Wilde 30, Folder 30
To Turner,
October 31, 1923
Physical Description: With press announcement of
My Life and Loves.
Box Wilde 30, Folder 30
To Turner,
September 9, 1924
Box Wilde 30, Folder 30
To Turner,
March 20, 1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 30
To Turner,
March 11, 1928
Subseries 20.
Unknown correspondent,
1919-1921
Box MS.2010.005, Folder 14
To unknown correspondent,
June 8, 1921
Scope and Content Note
On Pearson's Magazine letterhead, responding to being accused of
"scurrility," and making a derogatory reference to Theodore Dreiser, of
whom the unknown correspondent is a fan.
Box MS.1982.005, Folder 2
Letter and ephemera soliciting purchases of Pearson's
Magazine stock,
July 23, 1919
Scope and Content Note
Typed letter, signed, with attachments.
Subseries 21.
Viereck, George Sylvester,
1925
Box Wilde 30, Folder 31
To Viereck,
December 1, 1925
Subseries 22.
Wilde, Oscar
1900
Physical Description: 1 item
Box Wilde 30, Folder 32
To Wilde,
September 26, 1900
Series 2.
Manuscripts and Proofs
1915-1925
Bound item MS.2010.007
Uncorrected proofs of
The Life and Confessions of
Oscar Wilde,
printed for D.J. Rider,
[ca. 1915]
Physical Description: 530 p.
Scope and Content Note
Proofs for the D.J. Rider printing of
Oscar Wilde,
which was not published.
Box MS.1982.005, Folder 3
"James Thomson: An Unknown Immortal," from Pearson's
Magazine,
March 1919
Scope and Content Note
pp. 217-222.
Call no. H314M3 S4455
[1925]
A Second Preface to "The Life and Confessions of Oscar
Wilde,"
1925
Physical Description: Typescript
Scope and Content Note
With holograph corrections by Lord Alfred Douglas. H314M3 S4455
[1925]
Call no. H314M3 S4455 [1925]a
A Second Preface to "The Life and Confessions of Oscar
Wilde,"
1925
Physical Description: Typescript
Scope and Content Note
Clark shelfmark H314M3 S4455 [1925]a
Box MS.1982.005, Folder 4
Proofs of Volume 2, Chapter 1 of My Life,
ca. 1925
Scope and Content Note
With holograph note by Harris at the top, directing the reader to
return it to him at Nice when finished reading.
