Finding Aid for the Joseph Kelly Vodrey Collection on Robert Gibbings
MS.1986.009
Processed by Ashley Johnston
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
©2010
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles 90018
clark@humnet.ucla.edu
Contributing Institution:
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Title: Joseph Kelly Vodrey Collection on Robert Gibbings
Identifier/Call Number: MS.1986.009
Physical Description:
4.6 Linear Feet
3 boxes, 1 shelf of bound volumes
Date (inclusive): 1919-1989
Abstract: This collection contains
correspondence, artwork, bound manuscripts, ephemera, photographs and other materials by
Robert Gibbings and related to his work.
Physical Location: Clark Library
Language of Material:
English .
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA. All
requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to
the Clark Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the William Andrews
Clark Memorial Library, UCLA as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Joseph Kelly Vodrey Collection on Robert Gibbings, MS.1986.009,
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Acquisition Information
This collection, compiled over time by Joseph Kelly Vodrey, was purchased by the Clark
Library in 1986 from Zeitlin and Ver Brugge.
Processing History
This collection was previously processed and described in a paper-based finding aid in the
1980s. From January to February 2010 portions of this collection were processed and this
finding aid was written by Ashley Johnston.
Biography
Robert Gibbings (1889-1958) was an Irish author and artist best known for his wood
engravings. He bought and ran the Golden Cockerel Press in Berkshire, England from
1924-1933, when the stresses of the Great Depression forced him to sell the press. During
and after World War II he wrote and illustrated several books on the landscape and natural
history of various rivers (among them, 'Sweet Thames Run Softly', 'Going Down the Seine' and
'Lovely is the Lee') which resonated with readers concerned about the effect of war on the
changing countrysides.
Scope and Content
This collection contains correspondence to and from Robert Gibbings's friends and
colleagues, including Eric Gill, as well as ephemera and photographs related to his work.
Artworks in this collection include copper engravings, wood engravings and drawings in
pencil. Bound manuscripts include original paste-ups, notebooks, and early or unpublished
drafts of books. There is also correspondence between Joseph Kelly Vodrey and booksellers
regarding the compilation of this collection.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Correspondence and Ephemera, 1919-1989. 1 box (.42 linear feet)
- Series 2. Artworks and Proofs, 1921-1959. 1 oversize box (1.67 feet)
- Series 3. Bound Manuscripts, 1924-1958. 1 shelf of bound volumes (2.5 linear
feet)
Related Material
Additional books by Robert Gibbings are held in the William Andrews Clark Memorial
Library's Press Collection and can be found through the UCLA library catalog.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ephemera -- Ireland -- 20th century
Manuscripts (document genre) -- Ireland -- 20th century
Correspondence -- Ireland -- 20th century.
Engravers -- Irish -- 20th century.
Correspondence and Ephemera Series 1.
1919-1989
General Physical Description note: 1 box (.42 linear
feet)
Scope and Contents note
This series contains personal and professional correspondence to and from friends and
colleagues, as well as ephemera and photographs related to Robert Gibbings and his work.
Also included is correspondence from Joseph Kelly Vodrey, the primary compiler of this
collection, to booksellers showing how he built this collection.
Arrangement note
The correspondence in this series was arranged alphabetically by sender and further
sorted chronologically where possible. The ephemera is arranged thematically.
Robert Gibbings Correspondence and Ephemera Subseries 1.1
1919-1989
Arrangement note
This series was originally arranged alphabetically by correspondent and further
arranged chronologically where possible. The ephemera is arranged thematically.
Scope and Contents note
This subseries contains correspondence from Gibbings to friends and colleagues as
well as ephemera related to his work. Also included is correspondence from friends
discussing his obituary and preparation for an exhibit after Gibbings death.
box 1, Folder 1
Robert Gibbings to Thomas Balston,
1922-1930
Scope and Contents note
Letters to Thomas Balston, concerning the Golden Cockerel Press.
General note
Includes comments by Robert Gibbings on his engraved books.
box 1, Folder 2
Robert Gibbings to 'Monsieur' Brault,
ca. 1931?
Scope and Contents note
A letter in Gibbings's hand concerning the publication of Paul Gauguin's
correspondence.
General note
Originally laid in 'Iorana!, a Tahitian journal'.
box 1, Folder 3
Robert Gibbings to F. Close,
1952
box 1, Folder 4
Robert Gibbings to Dunster House Bookshop,
1919-1924
Scope and Contents note
Letters concerning the sale of prints and of publications of the Golden Cockerel
Press.
General note
Includes list of prints signed and 'hand printed by myself.'
box 1, Folder 5
Robert Gibbings to Eric Gill,
1927-1930
box 1, Folder 6
Robert Gibbings to Mary Gill,
1940
box 1, Folder 7
Robert Gibbings to Mary O'Sullivan Kavanagh,
1932-1942
box 1, Folder 8
Robert Gibbings to Hubert Pike,
1931
box 1, Folder 9
Robert Gibbings to Charles Spencer,
1945-1947
Scope and Contents note
Includes letters and postcards written while traveling in New Zealand and
Samoa.
General note
Items originally laid in Blue Angels and Whales (1946).
box 1, Folder 10
Robert Gibbings to Unnamed Bookseller,
1926
General note
Includes the dealer's description.
box 1, Folder 11
Robert Gibbings to Unnamed Bookseller,
1932
General note
Originally laid in Michael Ernest Sadler's copy of 'Fourteen Wood Engravings'.
box 1, Folder 12
Robert Gibbings to C.D. Wyatt,
1937
box 1, Folder 13
Patience Empson to Hubert Pike,
1958-1960
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence concerning the loan of materials for an exhibit on Robert Gibbings's
work.
box 1, Folder 14
David Low to A.J.A. Symons,
1935
General note
Originally laid in Symons's copy of 'Sermons by Artists'.
box 1, Folder 15
Christopher Sandford to the Times,
1958
Scope and Contents note
Draft of a letter correcting the Times' obituary of Robert Gibbings.
General note
Enclosed with the Society of Wood Engravers 29th Exhibition pamphlet.
box 1, Folder 16
Autograph album,
1927
Scope and Contents note
Mary O'Sullivan Kavanagh's autograph album, including two wood engravings by
Gibbings and verses by A.E. Coppard and others associated with the Golden Cockerel
Press.
box 1, Folder 17
Biographical Pamphlet,
1989
Scope and Contents note
Biographical pamphlet on Gibbings from the Reading Borough Council.
box 1, Folder 18
Book jacket fragments,
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes 'Robert Gibbings: A Bibliography' (by A. Mary Kirkus, Patience Empson and
John Harris) and Gibbings's own 'Lovely is the Lee'.
box 1, Folder 19
Notes on Melville's 'Omoo',
undated
Scope and Contents note
Typed transcription of Gibbings's manuscript notes on Melville's 'Omoo'.
General note
Includes dealer's description.
box 1, Folder 20
Photographs,
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes two photographs, one of Gibbings and his family and another of Andrew C.
Cooper, pressman.
General note
Photos identified by Martin Andrews in 'Matrix 9' article, September 11, 1995.
box 1, Folder 21
'Rivers Are Roads' Draft,
ca. 1953
Scope and Contents note
'Rivers Are Roads' typescript with Gibbings's holograph additions and
corrections.
box 1, Folder 22
Theater Program,
1929
Scope and Contents note
Theater program from the Gate Theatre Studio of 'Maya' by Simon Gantillon with a
wood engraving by Robert Gibbings, not in Balston or Kirkus.
box 2, Folder 1
Oversized book jacket,
1927
Scope and Contents note
'The Chester Play of the Deluge', published by the Golden Cockerel Press.
Joseph Kelly Vodrey Correspondence Subseries 1.2.
1958-1973
Arrangement note
This subseries was arranged alphabetically by correspondent and further organized
chronologically where possible.
Scope and Contents note
This subseries includes invoices and correspondence between Joseph Kelly Vodrey,
booksellers, and friends of Robert Gibbings which chronicle the acquisition of some of
the materials in this collection.
box 1, Folder 23
Miscellaneous Dealers
1959-1973
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence and invoices from booksellers as well as Vodrey's 'List of
Additional Gibbings Items Earnestly Sought'.
box 1, Folder 29
Aimee Gibbings,
1964-1968
General note
Includes 'The Wood Engravings of Robert Gibbings' with introduction by Thomas
Balston, Spring 1960.
box 1, Folder 30
Mary O'Sullivan Kavanagh,
1963-1964
General note
Includes family photographs of Gibbings.
box 1, Folder 31
Joseph Kelly Vodrey Miscellaneous,
1973
box 2, Folder 35
Newspaper clippings,
1944-1969, undated
General note
Includes articles and obituaries on Robert Gibbings and articles discussing
Vodrey's collection of Gibbings' work.
Artworks and Proofs Series 2.
1921-1959
General Physical Description note: 1 oversize box (1.67
feet)
Scope and Contents note
Objects in this series include copper engravings, drawings and proofs of individual
artworks as well as for artworks included in Gibbings's books.
Arrangement note
Items in this series are arranged alphabetically by title.
box 2, Folder 2
Bermudian Fish proof wood engraving,
1940
General note
Signed with presentation inscription ("To Helen Waddell"), dated 18 Feb 1940.
box 2, Folder 3
Collection of two copper engravings and 22 proof wood engravings,
undated
General note
Interleaved in portfolio on which is mounted a wrapper from 'The Perfect Wife'.
box 2, Folder 4
Design of country buildings and implements proof wood engravings,
1933
box 2, Folder 5
Design of foreign newspaper headings proof wood engraving,
1935
box 2, Folder 6
Elephants copper engraving,
ca. 1928
General note
Signed and numbered 1/10 for 'A Circle of the Seasons' (1929).
box 2, Folder 7
Fish proof wood engraving,
ca. 1934
General note
For 'Glory of Life.'
box 2, Folder 8
Forest scene pencil drawings,
undated
box 2, Folder 9
Letter to Eric Gill on pencil drawing of reclining nude,
1930
General note
Includes dealer's description.
box 2, Folder 10
'Maugaia' original drawing in pencil and proof wood engraving for 'Journal
of...the Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle',
ca. 1946-1956
box 2, Folder 11
Mediterranean Calm proof wood engraving for 'Fourteen Wood
Engravings',
ca. 1932
General note
Signed and numbered 14/20.
box 2, Folder 12
Mediterranean Calm proof for 'Fourteen Wood Engravings',
ca. 1932
General note
Signed and numbered 19/20.
box 2, Folder 13
Minaret and village with mountains in distance original drawing in
pencil,
undated
box 2, Folder 14
Morea, Tahiti proof wood engraving,
ca. 1931
General note
Signed and numbered 9/20 for 'Iorana! a Tahitian journal'.
box 2, Folder 15
Old London Bridge proof wood engraving,
1921
box 2, Folder 16
Open-air market original drawing in pencil,
undated
box 2, Folder 17
Otter and leaping fish proofs of two wood engravings in 'The Twelve
Months',
ca. 1937
box 2, Folder 18
Photograph of a sculpture in Portland stone, nude lovers
embracing,
undated
box 2, Folder 19
Poplar hawk moth original drawing in pen and pencil,
undated
General note
With annotations in pencil.
box 2, Folder 20
Proof of 'Lines on the Mermaid Tavern' by John Keats,
ca. 1927
General note
From 'Lamia, Isabella, The eve of Saint Agnes, & other poems' by John Keats; with
engravings by Robert Gibbings (1928).
box 2, Folder 21
Proofs of the front matter for Gustave Flaubert 'Salambo',
ca. 1931
General note
Includes a separate proof of the title page border
box 2, Folder 22
Proofs of the ten wood engravings in 'The Voyage of the Bounty's
Launch',
1959
General note
Includes a note indicating these were pulled from the original 'Bounty' blocks for
the collector Joseph Kelly Vodrey.
box 2, Folder 23
Proofs of twenty-one wood engravings for 'Trumpets from Montparnasse' and two
unidentified proofs,
ca. 1955
General note
The two unidentified proofs are a river scene and a tropical bird.
box 2, Folder 24
Proofs of wood engravings for 'Beasts and Saints',
ca. 1934
box 2, Folder 25
Proof of wood-engraved initial from 'Le Morte d'Arthur',
ca. 1936
General note
Signed and numbered 1/15.
box 2, Folder 26
Reclining nude, 'Nicole',
ca. 1955
General note
Oil painting on artists' board reproduced facing page 155 in 'Trumpets from
Montparnasse'.
box 2, Folder 27
River scene original drawing in pencil,
undated
box 2, Folder 28
Sailing ship in South Pacific original drawing in pencil,
undated
box 2, Folder 29
Storm at sea in the South Pacific original drawing in pencil,
undated
box 2, Folder 30
Studies of seabirds for 'Glory of Life' original drawings in
pencil,
1933
box 2, Folder 31
'Till I End My Song' proof wood engravings,
ca. 1957
General note
Mounted in cartridge paper by Gibbings.
box 2, Folder 32
Undersea scene drawn on xylonite,
ca. 1956
General note
Possibly a preparatory drawing for 'The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle'. Pencil note on back
of mat calls this piece 'Down Underneath the Sea'.
box 2, Folder 33
Water flea original drawing in pencil with annotations,
undated
box 2, Folder 34
West Cork original drawing in pencil for 'Sweet Cork of Thee',
ca. 1951
Bound Manuscripts Series 3.
1924-1958
General Physical Description note: 1 shelf of bound volumes (2.5 linear
feet)
Scope and Contents note
This series includes original paste-ups, notebooks, proof engravings and original
drawings of Robert Gibbings's work.
Arrangement note
This series is arranged alphabetically by title.
box 3-4
Batty Kit, Llewelyn & Theodore: two unpublished typescripts,
undated
General note
With six leaves of an unpublished illustrated story on the South Seas and dealer's
description.
box 3-4
'Blue Angels and Whales' original drawings in pencil,
ca. 1938-1946
box 3-4
'Blue Angels and Whales' original drawings in pencil,
ca. 1946
General note
Eight are annotated with instructions to the printer.
box 3-4
'Coconut Island' sequel preliminary drafts,
undated
General note
An incomplete and unpublished manuscript with a synopsis and revised version of
chapters one through four and three sketches laid in.
box 3-4
'Coconut Island' sequel revised draft with twelve chapters.
undated
General note
An incomplete and unpublished manuscript with holograph corrections and
additions.
box 3-4
'Coming Down the Seine' engravings,
ca. 1953
Scope and Contents note
Proof wood engravings made for 'Everybody's Magazine'.
General note
Includes dealer's description.
box 3-4
'Coming Down the Seine' final page proofs,
1953
General note
Annotated by Gibbings with additions and corrections and includes proof wood
engravings and original paste-up.
box 3-4
'Coming Down the Seine' original typescript marked for the
printer,
ca. 1953
box 3-4
'Journal of Researches by Charles Darwin...during the Voyage of the H.M.S.
Beagle' proof wood engravings,
ca. 1956
General note
In box with dealer's description and typed note by Patience Empson laid in.
box 3-4
'Over the Reefs and Far Away' original drawings in pencil,
1945-1947
General note
With annotations in Gibbings's hand.
box 3-4
'Over the Reefs and Far Away' original typescript,
1948
General note
With additions and corrections in typescript and in Gibbings's hand. Includes a
drawing in pencil on p. 1.
box 3-4
Pacific notebook,
ca. 1946
General note
Notes in typescript and in Gibbing's hand on history and wildlife of Samoa, some used
in 'Over the Reefs' and some marked as unpublished.
box 3-4
South Seas drawings and manuscript notes,
1946-1947
box 3-4
'Sweet Cork of Thee' paste-up and proofs of wood engravings,
1951
General note
Annotated by Gibbings.
box 3-4
'Sweet Thames Run Softly' manuscript notebook,
ca. 1937-1940
box 3-4
'Till I End My Song' manuscript notes and rejected drafts,
ca. 1957
General note
Includes three proof impressions of wood engravings.
box 3-4
'Trumpets from Montparnasse' carbon of original typescript,
ca. 1955
Scope and Contents note
With holograph corrections and some inserted leaves with additions in typescript.
box 3-4
'Trumpets from Montparnasse' paste-up,
ca. 1955
General note
With proof wood engravings, drawings in pencil, and additions and corrections in
typescript and in Gibbings's hand.
box 3-4
'Twelve Months' proof wood engravings,
ca. 1936
General note
All annotated by Gibbings and most inscribed to Llewelyn Powys. In folder with
dealer's and Joseph Kelly Vodrey's descriptions.
box 3-4
Unpublished original drawings,
undated
General note
In pencil with captions, in typescript and in Gibbings's hand.
box 3-4
Letter to Colette,
1924
General note
Illustrated with proof wood engravings by Gibbings and with note by G.F. Sims laid
in.
box 3-4
Letters to Kenneth Hopkins,
1937-1955
General note
10 holograph and 11 typewritten letters, mostly concerning the publication of
Gibbings's work in 'Everybody's Magazine'.
box 3-4
'Sweet Cork of Thee', 'Trumpets from Montparnasse' and 'Coming Down the
Seine' original drawings,
undated
box 3-4
'Sweet Thames Run Softly' wood proof engravings,
1958
General note
For paging: Shelved in Press Coll Gibbings G43swe 1958.
box 3-4
'Till I End My Song' proof wood engravings,
1957
General note
For paging: Shelved in Press Coll Gibbings G43ti 1957.