Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Wilkie, David, Sir, 1785-1841
- Abstract:
- A collection of letters related to the English painter Sir David Wilkie.
- Extent:
- 1.2 Linear Feet (1 box)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. Sir David Wilkie letters, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains a series of letters written by Wilkie to his friend and fellow artist, Abraham Raimbach. Raimbach was an engraver and produced several etchings of Wilkie's paintings. Some letters in the collection refer to the men's collaborative artistic endeavors while others discuss art of the period more generally. Subjects addressed within the letters include the work of Wilkie and Raimbach and the artistic scene of the period. Individuals mentioned in the letters include: John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford; Sir Francis Chantrey; Francis Englehart; Benjamin Robert Haydon; Sir Thomas Lawrence; Francis Graham Moon; John Romney; George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland; Joseph Mallord William Turner; and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
- Biographical / historical:
-
David Wilkie (1785-1841) was a genre and portrait painter who gained enormous popularity in his own lifetime through his renderings of rural life and people. Wilkie was born in Scotland and developed a love of art at a very young age. Two of Wilkie's paintings that exemplify his focus on rural subjects are Pitlessie Fair (1804) and Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Gazette of the Battle of Waterloo (1822). In the mid-1820s Wilkie's style underwent a dramatic shift, progressing from his early genre style to one that contained elements of Romantic boldness. In 1830, Wilkie was appointed painter in ordinary to William IV, King of England, a job previously held by Sir Thomas Lawrence; he was honored with a knighthood in 1836. Wilkie traveled to the Holy Land in 1840 and but died during the ship's return journey. His burial at sea is memorialized in Joseph Mallord William Turner's painting titled, Peace: Burial at Sea.
- Acquisition information:
- Purchased from Mark P. Robinson sale, February 1918.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Sue Hodson in 1982; in November 2023, Gayle M. Richardson created the finding aid.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged chronologically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Artists -- Great Britain -- 19th century
Engraving, British -- 19th century
Painting, British -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) - Names:
- Bedford, John Russell, Duke
of, 1766-1839
Chantrey, Francis, Sir, 1781-1841
Engleheart, Francis, 1775-1849
Haydon, Benjamin Robert, 1786-1846
Lawrence, Thomas, 1769-1830
Moon, Francis Graham, Sir, 1796-1871
Raimbach, Abraham, 1776-1843
Romney, John, 1786-1863
Sutherland, George Granville Leveson-Gower, Duke of, 1758-1833
Turner, J. M. W. (Joseph Mallord William), 1775-1851
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
- Terms of access:
-
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.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. Sir David Wilkie letters, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191