Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Correspondence, 1840-1909

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Title:
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood correspondence
Dates:
1840-1909
Abstract:
A collection of material related to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in England from 1840 to 1909.
Extent:
3.52 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of letters, pen and ink drawings, etchings, sketches, diary pages, manuscripts, and poems by members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The material was originally housed in one volume which was disbound by Huntington Library staff in 1975; the original binding (mssHM 12961) is housed in Box 3. The material is still wondow-mounted on original pages from the volume; many of the letters with envelopes.

Biographical / historical:

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a loose association of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848; founding members inlcuded William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Frederic George Stephens, and Thomas Woolner, among others. Other artists and critics who were aligned with the Botherhood included William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, and John Ruskin. The members sought a return to the abundant detail, intense colours and complex compositions of Quattrocento Italian art. The Brotherhood believed the classical poses and elegant compositions of Raphael in particular had been a corrupting influence on the academic teaching of art, hence the name "Pre-Raphaelite".

Acquisition information:
Provenance unknown. In library as of March 1940.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff in approximately 1940; in February 2026, Gayle M. Richardson created the finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged in call number order; possibly the original order of material in the volume.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Gayle M. Richardson
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-23 07:48:15 -0800 .

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]. Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood correspondence, 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
Website