Finding Aid for the Laurence Binyon Papers, 1912-1937

Processed by Brooke Whiting; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé
© 2003
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Finding Aid for the Laurence Binyon Papers, 1912-1937

Collection number: 404

UCLA Library Special Collections

UCLA Library Special Collections staff



Los Angeles, CA
Processed by:
Brooke Whiting, June 1959
Encoded by:
Caroline Cubé
Online finding aid edited by:
Josh Fiala, October 2003
© 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Laurence Binyon Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1912-1937
Collection number: 404
Creator: Binyon, Laurence, 1869-1943
Extent: 1 box (0.5 linear ft.)
Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: Laurence Binyon (1869-1943) was a British Museum official for 40 years as well as a art historian, critic, translator, playwright, and poet. The collection consists of 7 versions of Binyon's play, Arthur, which was composed by Binyon in 1923 in collaboration with Sir John Martin-Harvey. There is also a folder of notes about Arthur, a folder of notes and sketches for the production by Martin-Harvey, 16 original drawings of costumes by M.L. Blood, and 61 letters to Martin-Harvey.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Laurence Binyon Papers (Collection 404). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 709368 

Biography

Binyon was born August 10, 1869 in Lancaster, England; British Museum official for 40 years, as well as art historian, critic, translator, playwright, and poet; author of numerous works on art, including Painting in the Far East (1908); professor of poetry at Harvard; published many collections of poetry, including The winnowing fan: poems on the Great War (1914), The sirens (1924), The idols (1928), and Collected poems of Lawrence Binyon (1931); wrote a play, Arthur (1923), whose original title was “Launcelot”; died in March 1943 in Reading, England.

Scope and Content

Collection consists of 7 versions of Binyon's play, Arthur, which was composed by Binyon in 1923 in collaboration with Sir John Martin-Harvey. Also contains a folder of notes about Arthur, a folder of notes and sketches for the production by Martin-Harvey, 16 original drawings of costumes by M.L. Blood, and 61 letters to Martin-Harvey, several of which are addressed to Lady Martin-Harvey.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Binyon, Laurence, 1869-1943--Archives.
Arthur, King--Drama.
Dramatists, English--Archival resources.
Martin-Harvey, John, Sir, 1863-1944.
Binyon, Laurence, 1869-1943. Arthur.


Note

Description derived from in-house card files.
 

Arthur, [originally called “Launcelot”], London, 1912-1923

Creator/Collector: Binyon, Laurence, 1869-1943
Physical Description: 7 versions. Holograph (original version in 7 notebooks, 20 × 16 cm.), and 6 typescripts with corrections by Binyon and Sir John Martin-Harvey.

Scope and Content Note

  • A play in 8 scenes, composed by Binyon in close cooperation with Martin-harvey.
  • First published by William Heinemann, London 1923.
  • First produced by Robert Atkins at the Old Vic, March 1923.
Also, 2 folders of related materials:
  • Miscellaneous notes about Arthur by Binyon and Martin-Harvey
  • Notes and sketches for the production of Arthur by Martin-Harvey.
 

Costumes [by M.L. Blood] for the play on “King Arthur.” Sutton Coldfield, 1912.

Physical Description: 16 original drawings, one to a page, numbered 1 through 17. no.15 is missing. 4 are watercolors. Bound in wrappers.

Scope and Content Note

With this: invoice for drawings from M.L. Blood to Mrs. Martin Harvey for £3-3-0. Sutton Coldfield, November 30, 1912.
 

Letters, signed, to Sir John Martin-Harvey. v.p., 1913-1937.

Physical Description: 61 items. Holograph.

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of these letters have to do with the writing of Arthur, 1913-1923. Several of them are addressed to Lady Martin-Harvey.