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Scope and Contents |
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The Aubrey Beardsley materials comprise a large group of letters
Beardsley wrote to his patron André Raffalovich and others between 1893 and
Beardsley's death in 1898, together with a larger body of letters art scholar
R. A. Walker wrote to Beardsley collector A. G. M. Severn between 1943 and
1959. |
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The Beardsley letters to Raffalovich represent virtually the entirety of
those transcribed in
The Letters of Aubrey Beardsley; the
correspondence with others number fewer than ten pieces. |
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The Walker-Severn correspondence deals broadly with Beardsley as an
artist and as a subject of collector interest with an occasional aside on the
personal lives of the two correspondents. |
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Series Descriptions |
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Series I. Beardsley correspondence, 1893-1898 (1 box) |
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The 165 letters Beardsley wrote to André Raffalovich in the last
three years of the artist's life form the core of the series. In these
Beardsley discusses his work, health, social life, and religious beliefs. The
artist's appreciation of Raffalovich's financial and moral assistance is
regularly expressed. |
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Other recipients of Beardsley's correspondents include T. Dove
Keighley, David Nutt, and Leonard Smithers. These men are represented by a
half-dozen letters of the years 1893 to 1897 dealing with business matters. |
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Series II. Severn materials, 1897-1959 (1 box) |
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A shared interest in the art and person of Aubrey Beardsley was the
basis of Dr. Severn's extensive correspondence with Rainforth Walker. The
250-odd letters Walker wrote Severn comprise the majority of the correspondence
in the series, supplemented by a small number of letters Severn received from
others in the years 1942-52. Also included are a number of third party letters
dating from 1908 to 1951 written by Ellen Beardsley, Frederick H. Evans, Robert
Ross and others. |
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The miscellaneous materials present in the series relate to
Beardsley and were probably separated from Walker's correspondence to Severn.
Included are clippings, dealers' lists, photographic prints and negatives, wax
seal impressions, and notes. |