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Buckland Wright (John), Collection of Letters to Christopher Sandford
MS.1960.028
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Contributing Institution:
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Title: Collection of John Buckland Wright letters to Christopher Sandford
Identifier/Call Number: MS.1960.028
Physical Description:
.42 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1937-1955
Abstract: This collection is comprised of hand written and typed letters, postcards, and a few pieces of inserted works/proofs sent
from the engraver John Buckland Wright to Christopher Sanford, the owner of the Golden Cockerel Press.
Physical Location: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Language of Material:
English
.
This collection is open for research.
Materials arranged in the collection by recipient and then chronologically.
John Buckland Wright (1897-1954) was an eminent 20th century book illustrator, printmaker and engraver known for producing
engraved works for numerous private presses. Born in New Zealand where he spent most of his childhood, he and his mother later
moved to England in 1908. Though he briefly studied history in college and considered becoming an architect, he ultimately
became a self-taught wood engraver. In the mid-1920s, John Buckland Wright moved to Brussels to experience its vibrant artist
community, joining groups such as the Gravure Originale Belge and the Xylographes Belges. While at Brussels, he met the Scottish-Canadian
musician Mary Bell Anderson whom he later married. After 1929, he went to Paris and spent the next decade working at the avant-garde
printmaking shop Atelier 17 with its founder Stanley William Hayter, becoming its director in 1936. During this time, he collaborated
with a number of illustrious artists including Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Miró, and Dali. Returning to London in 1939 with
the outbreak of WWII, he continued to be active in the printmaking and engraving scene during the war. In his later years,
he started to teach printmaking at the Camberwell School of Art and the Slade School of Art up until his unexpected death
in 1954.
He illustrated 16 books for the Golden Cockerel Press and became close friends with its then owner Christopher Sandford. The
most notable of his works from this period included illustrations for Pervigilium Veneris: The Vigil of Venus (1939) and John
Keats' poem Endymion (1947). Most of his engravings dealt with themes of environmental beauty and the sensuality of the nude
female body, particularly as epitomized in Greek mythos. His preoccupation with producing works of grace and tranquility was
arguably a cathartic one that can be traced to his experiences in the Scottish Ambulance Service where he witnessed scenes
of devastation while stationed at Verdun during WWI. In 1953, Buckland Wright published Etching and Engraving: Techniques
and the Modern Trend which remains a seminal work in the field. Holdings of his engravings can be found in the British Museum,
the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Tate Gallery.
Purchased from Bertram Rota Booksellers, 1960.
[Identification of item], John Buckland Wright Letters to Christopher Sandford, MS.1960.028, William Andrews Clark Memorial
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Items were originally part of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library's Misc Mss collection and were recataloged and described
in 2017 by Joyce Wang.
A collection of letters sent by John Buckland Wright, mostly to Christopher Sandford, during their many years producing books
together at the Golden Cockerel Press. The letters primarily deal with work-related issues such as layout and the production
of engravings, although more casual, family-related letters become increasingly frequent towards the later years.
One folder in the collection contains letters sent by Buckland Wright's wife Mary Bell Anderson to Christopher Sanford.
The Clark Library owns the property rights to its collections but does not hold the copyright to these materials and therefore
cannot grant or deny permission to use them. Researchers are responsible for determining the copyright status of any materials
they may wish to use, investigating the owner of the copyright, and obtaining permission for their intended publication or
other use. In all cases, you must cite the Clark Library as the source with the following credit line: The William Andrews
Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Letters--England--20th century
Small presses -- England -- 20th century