Algernon Swinburne collection, 1860-1909

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Summary

Creators:
Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 1837-1909
Abstract:
A collection of material related to Algernon Charles Swinburne, British poet and writer.
Extent:
1.2 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Algernon Swinburne collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of manuscripts, correspondence, and ephemera related to the British poet and writer Algernon Charles Swinburne. The manuscripts include essays, ballads, poems and a new introduction to a new edition of William Blake: A Critical Essay. The poems include Atlanta in Calydon, On a Country Road, Hymn to Proserpine, and Changes of Heart; and the subjects of the poems and essays include Geoffrey Chaucer, William Blake, Sir Richard Francis Burton, and James McNeill Whistler. Correspondents in the collection include Ford Madox Brown, Sidney Colvin, Paul Hamilton Hayne, John Camden Hotten, Harry Quilter, Richard Herne Shepherd, Edmund Clarence Stedman, and George Frederick Watts. The ephemera includes a small number of printed portraits and other printed material.

Biographical / historical:

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He was born in London into a wealthy family and grew up on the Isle of Wight. Swinburne attended Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford, though he never received a degree. He began writing poetry at Eton and began publishing his verse drama in 1860; he continued to publish poetry and criticism throughout his life. Swinburne struggled with alcoholism and was a controversial in his own time for writing about lesbianism, sadomasochism, and anti-theism; he was a member of the Decadent literary movement and friends with members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Acquisition information:
Provenance unknown. In library as of 1935 (mssHM 2785-2786), 1929 (mssHM 2832); 1963 (mssHM 16285-16286); Purchased in Quinn sale, Anderson catalogue, 1924 (mssHM 2989); Purchased in Clawson and Wilson sale, Anderson catalogue, 1917 (mssHM 2990-2991); Purchased in Gable sale, American Art Association, 1923 (mssHM 2992-2997, 16287); Purchased in William K. Bixby sale, 1918 (mssHM 16283-16284, 16296); Purchased in Anderson sale, lot 3075, 1918 (mssHM 16288); Purchased in Hellman sale, Anderson catalogue, 1919 (mssHM 16289-16295; Removed from rare book 26660, April 1957 (mssHM 19466); Removed from rare book 16286, October 1963 (mssHM 27231); Purchased from Maggs Bros. Ltd, June 1971 (mssHM 34993-34996).
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff in approximately 1917-approximately 1972; in April 2025, Gayle M. Richardson created the finding aid. This collection includes multiple acquisitions acquired and assembled by Huntington Library staff over many years.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by title and addressee.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

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]. Algernon Swinburne collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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