Overview of the Collection
Administrative Information
Access
Biographical note on John Ruskin
Biographical note on Louise Blandy
Scope and Content
Related materials in the Huntington Library
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Overview of the Collection
Title: John Ruskin and Louise Blandy Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1874-1882
Collection Number: mssHM 57251-57339
Creator:
Ruskin, John, 1819-1900.
Extent:
Approximately 90 items in 3 boxes
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: Eighty-seven letters primarily from English art critic and author John Ruskin (1819-1900) to his pupil Louise Blandy (1860-1870),
discussing her studies and chronicling their relationship.
Language: English.
Note:
Finding aid last updated on September 3, 2015.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
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]. John Ruskin and Louise Blandy Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Provenance
Purchased from Christie's, lot 196, June 23, 1993.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Biographical note on John Ruskin
John Ruskin (1819-1900), an English critic of art, architecture, and society, as well as an artist and a teacher, was born
February 8, 1819, in
London, England. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1843. After gaining wide recognition as an author, artist,
and social reformer,
he moved from London to Brantwood, Coniston Water, in 1872, where he remained until his death. Ruskin was elected first Slade
Professor of Art at Oxford in 1870 and held the post until 1878 and then again from 1883 to 1884.
From 1878 until his death, Ruskin was plagued with recurring brain attacks. He made many trips abroad, several in an attempt
to cure himself of his illness. However, by 1889 his literary career was at an end. Ruskin died January 20, 1900, and was
buried at Coniston.
Blandy
Biographical note on Louise Blandy
Louise Virenda Blandy (1860-1890) was the daughter of a London dentist. John Ruskin began tutoring Blandy in drawing
and painting in 1873. Initially, Ruskin met and corresponded with Blandy regularly, though he began limited their interactions
in the late 1870s,
as his illness intensified and she appeared to grow more dependent on him. Blandy married Ronald MacDonald, an American, in
1888, and she died two years later
from tuberculosis in North Carolina.
Scope and Content
This collection contains eighty-seven letters, primarily written from English art critic and author John Ruskin to his drawing
and painting pupil Louise Blandy, discussing her studies and chronicling their relationship.
There is one letter to Ruskin from Edward Burne-Jones and a letter from Joan Severn to Mrs. Blandy. Included also are a sketch
by Blandy, two photographs, and Louise Blandy's album where the letters were originally kept.
Preserved in the album are three page of pressed leaves, flowers, and mosses.
Related materials in the Huntington Library
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in 3 boxes in the following order:
- Correspondence and drawing (arranged alphabetically by author
- Photographs and ephemera
- Empty scrapbook volume
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Blandy, Louise, 1860-1890.
Ruskin, John, 1819-1900 -- Archives.
Art critics -- Great Britain -- 19th century.
Authors, English -- 19th century -- Archives.
Art -- Study and teaching. -- England
Forms/Genres
Drawings -- Great Britain -- 19th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- Great Britain -- 19th century.
Manuscripts -- Great Britain -- 19th century.
Contributors
Blandy, Louise, 1860-1890.
