Amelia Alderson Opie correspondence, 1794-1854, bulk 1820-1840

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Summary

Creators:
Opie, Amelia, 1769-1853
Abstract:
Correspondence belonging to British Romantic poet and author Amelia Alderson Opie.
Extent:
5.83 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Amelia Alderson Opie Correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of correspondence, most of which are from Amelia Alderson Opie, to her cousin, Eliza Alderson Briggs (173 letters) and husband Henry Perronet Briggs (100 letters). Many of the remaining letters in the collection are to other Alderson family members. Subjects discussed include the life and affairs of Amelia Alderson Opie and her family and friends, local trips to the country, their social lives and activities, current plays and books, several brief trips to Paris and the Rhineland, local elections, the Quaker philanthropist and writer Joseph John Gurney, and the paintings of Henry Briggs Other individuals represented in the collection include Pierre-Jean David d'Angers (26 pieces) and William Godwin (1 letter to Amelia Alderson Opie)

Biographical / historical:

Amelia Alderson Opie was a British Romantic poet and author. She was born in Norwich in 1769 to physician James Alderson and Amelia Briggs. Her mother died when Opie was 15. She anonymously published her first novel, The dangers of coquetry in 1790 at the age of 21. She married painter John Opie in 1798. Opie was the author of over a dozen novels and eight volumes of poetry. She was an active abolitionist and joined the Quakers in 1814. She died in Norwich in 1853.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Sotheby's, June 1953.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2020, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically.

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]. Amelia Alderson Opie 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
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