Two scrapbooks containing a collection of mostly 18th century engravings and etchings, some of which are purported to have belonged to Horace Walpole, organized thematically. With four original drawings, including a watercolor and wash drawing of the Neapolitan painter Luca Jordano signed by J.B. Catenaro, an unsigned portrait in red crayon of Cornelius Jansen, a pencil portrait of an unknown woman, and another small pencil drawing of a landscape. The first volume contains etchings and engravings of English villages and rural scenes including the farm house and printing house at Strawberry Hill and two vignettes of Strawberry Hill; topographical scenes in Surrey and Twickenham; etchings of Roman scenes; portraits of eminent historical and contemporary political figures and The second volume begins with a series of 192 small French engravings of women, which document the hair styles and hat fashions in the 17th and 18th centuries, all engraved by Dupin or Desrais. A second series of the 48 engravings from Wenceslaus Hollar's Theatrum mulierum depict the costumes of 17th century women (mostly) in Europe. These prints are followed by 29 small engravings by C. Heath of prominent British politicians and writers of the 18th century. The final pages include several portraits of contemporary British and French figures as well as the plates drawn and engraved by Henry Moses for A series of twenty-nine designs of modern costume published in London by E. and C. M'Lean in 1823
Description:
In English and French. and Recovered in cloth with marble boards.
Subject (Geographic):
Europe, Great Britain, Europe., Great Britain., and England
Subject (Name):
Damer, Anne Seymour, 1748 or 1749-1828., Giordano, Luca, 1634-1705, and Janssen van Ceulen, Cornelius, 1593-1661.
Subject (Topic):
Costume, History, Hairstyles, Authors, English, Politicians, Fashion, Clothing and dress, and Social life and customs
Manuscript, in Walpole's hand, of a brief autobiography from the date of his birth to his activities in 1779. He begins with information about his childhood, including his godparents, the date of his innoculation against smallpox, and his education; and continues with biographical information about his college years; his first employment; his travels with Thomas Gray; and his Parliamentary activities. Much of the manuscript concerns the pieces he wrote, both published and unpublished, and those he published with the Strawberry Hill Press, as well as his reactions to the reviews he received. He also includes anecdotes concerning his attack by highwaymen in 1749; the family quarrel with his uncle Horace Walpole; and his disagreements with David Hume and Voltaire
Description:
In English., Title from first page., Typed transcript available., and Leaves are contained in a paper cover, unstitched.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Gray, Thomas, 1716-1771., Hume, David, 1711-1776., Voltaire, 1694-1778., Walpole family., Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797., Walpole, Robert, Earl of Orford, 1676-1745., Great Britain. Parliament., and Strawberry Hill Press (Twickenham, London, England)
Subject (Topic):
Autobiographies (literary genre), English literature, English poetry, Nobility, and Social life and customs
Holograph diary recording Macartney's embassy to China between September 11, 1792 and January 15, 1794. The first volume narrates his journey to China; embarking on board a man-of-war from London, he lists the members of his train; describes his stop in Madeira, where he dines with the governor, visits the gardens, and attends a ball. He then stops at Tenerife, where he learns of "barbarities committed by the blacks" in St. Domingo; and continues with stops at St. Iago; Rio de Janeiro; and the islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul. Throughout, he provides summaries of the island's history, inhabitants, agriculture, and interesting flora and fauna. The volume concludes with two essays on trade and commerce, one on avarice and the other explaining differences of custom and manners between Chinese and Europeans which cause difficulties in conducting trade. This latter treatise is preceded by a petition by "Tong-Foo and Buble-me-qua" asking for aid in recovering debts owed them by English merchants and The second volume begins with a brief summary of the journey from England, but focuses primarily on his time in China. He describes, in detail, the reception he receives from the local dignitaries upon his arrival in China; the activities and machinations of the court and courtiers; the architecture; social life and customs; missionary work in China; British foreign relations with China; and especially his own opinions concerning cultural differences in negotiating with various members of the court. The volume concludes with his opinion on how to preserve the diplomatic ground lately gained in China. At the beginning of the first manuscript is an inscription, "This journal was written by Lord Macartney on board the Lion merely for his own amusement and to pass away some tedious hours of a very long sea voyage."
Description:
In English., Watermark on paper: 1803., Marbled endpapers in vol. 1., and Binding: vol. 1: full vellum. Vol. 2: half vellum; back board is covered with marbled paper. Written on spine of vol. 2: Embassy to China.
Subject (Geographic):
Amsterdam Island (Terres australes et antarctiques françaises), China, Great Britain., Great Britain, China., Madeira Islands, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Saint Paul Island (Indian Ocean), and Tenerife (Canary Islands)
Subject (Name):
Macartney, George Macartney, Earl, 1737-1806.
Subject (Topic):
Diplomatic and consular service, British, Travelers' writings, English, Commerce, Court and courtiers, Description and travel, Foreign relations, Politics and government, and Social life and customs
Holograph diary recording Macartney's embassy to China between September 11, 1792 and January 15, 1794. The first volume narrates his journey to China; embarking on board a man-of-war from London, he lists the members of his train; describes his stop in Madeira, where he dines with the governor, visits the gardens, and attends a ball. He then stops at Tenerife, where he learns of "barbarities committed by the blacks" in St. Domingo; and continues with stops at St. Iago; Rio de Janeiro; and the islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul. Throughout, he provides summaries of the island's history, inhabitants, agriculture, and interesting flora and fauna. The volume concludes with two essays on trade and commerce, one on avarice and the other explaining differences of custom and manners between Chinese and Europeans which cause difficulties in conducting trade. This latter treatise is preceded by a petition by "Tong-Foo and Buble-me-qua" asking for aid in recovering debts owed them by English merchants and The second volume begins with a brief summary of the journey from England, but focuses primarily on his time in China. He describes, in detail, the reception he receives from the local dignitaries upon his arrival in China; the activities and machinations of the court and courtiers; the architecture; social life and customs; missionary work in China; British foreign relations with China; and especially his own opinions concerning cultural differences in negotiating with various members of the court. The volume concludes with his opinion on how to preserve the diplomatic ground lately gained in China. At the beginning of the first manuscript is an inscription, "This journal was written by Lord Macartney on board the Lion merely for his own amusement and to pass away some tedious hours of a very long sea voyage."
Description:
In English., Watermark on paper: 1803., Marbled endpapers in vol. 1., and Binding: vol. 1: full vellum. Vol. 2: half vellum; back board is covered with marbled paper. Written on spine of vol. 2: Embassy to China.
Subject (Geographic):
Amsterdam Island (Terres australes et antarctiques françaises), China, Great Britain., Great Britain, China., Madeira Islands, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Saint Paul Island (Indian Ocean), and Tenerife (Canary Islands)
Subject (Name):
Macartney, George Macartney, Earl, 1737-1806.
Subject (Topic):
Diplomatic and consular service, British, Travelers' writings, English, Commerce, Court and courtiers, Description and travel, Foreign relations, Politics and government, and Social life and customs
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a description of summer tours, in the author's phaeton, through England, Wales, and Scotland, both alone and accompanied by family members. Each journey begins and ends in Wanstead; along the way, the author records the quality of the roads; houses he visits; and the names of significant inhabitants. In Llangollen, he admires the library of Miss Ponsonby and Miss Butler; in Aberystwyth, he describes the sea and the bathing procedures of women there. In Edinburgh, he writes approvingly of a Presbyterian service he attends but complains of the dark taverns, "and the Stair Cases are nasty & very dark when perhaps your room is 3 or 4 stories high." He visits several factories in Birmingham, including Mr Bolton's, whose factory produces ormolu, silver plate, boxes, and buttons; and Mr Clay's, "who has a Patent for making paper pannels for Coaches tea boards &c." The volume also includes several charts listing mileages from Wanstead to the author's various destinations
Description:
George Bowles (1732-1817) of Wanstead Grove, Essex, and Burford House, Salop, was High Sheriff of Essex in 1785. He died unmarried and left Wanstead Grove to his niece, Anne Rushout, whose bookplate is pasted into the volume., In English., Pasted in on flyleaf: envelope front addressed to "The Lady Rushout"; with Windsor postal stamp; 1-penny postage; and a drawing of a black figure playing tennis., Bookplate of Honorable Anne Rushout., Marbled endpapers., and Binding: full calf. Printed on spine: Travels.
Subject (Geographic):
Aberystwyth (Wales), Birmingham (England), Edinburgh (Scotland), and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Bowles, George, 1732-1817.
Subject (Topic):
Gentry, Conduct of life, Travelers' writings, English, Description and travel, and Social life and customs
Manuscript, in Walpole's and others' hands, of a collection of several dozen scraps of notes, verse fragments, sketches, and drawings, collected from Walpole's papers. The notes are primarily epigrammatic or anecdotal, on such topics as printing books; British monarchs; Waldegrave's time as ambassador at Paris; Lady Mary Coke's affectations; and Sir W. Draper's gambling. The collection also includes several riddles and verses. Some of the notes have been transcribed, on the same page, by Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis and The manuscript also contains 29 drawings, including pencil sketches of Strawberry Hill some done by Walpole and others possibly by John Chute; a pen-and-wash drawing of a scene from The Castle of Otranto accompanied by a note of thanks from Mrs Susanna (Highmore) Duncombe; a pen drawing of the actor William Kemp copied from the frontispiece of a book; numerous busts; a detailed pastoral landscape scene in pencil, possibly by Agnes Berry; pencil sketches of a pig, cow, and dog; pen sketches by Sir John Fenn; and a woodcut title page to a book of John Skelton's works, dated 1523
Alternative Title:
Walpoliana mss and drawings
Description:
In English., Laid in: scrap of paper with faded ink writing, possibly Walpole's., Marbled endpapers., Binding: full calf; gilt decoration. In gilt on spine: Walpoliana mss and drawings., and For further information, consult library staff.
Manuscript, in a single hand, of a collection of descriptions of residences of English nobility. The author focuses on descriptions of the views from each seat and the landscape in which the house is situated; occasionally he also describes the architecture and furnishings of the houses and provides anecdotes about the owners. He calls Winander Meer in Westmoreland "the largest water of the kind in England," and notes its picturesque promontories and shrub-decorated shores. At Raby Castle in North Riding, Yorkshire, the seat of the Earl of Darlington, he praises the Gothic taste of the windows; provides the dimensions of the "rendezvous apartment"; and explains how the dog-kennel, "rising out of a wood," beautifies the scene. He also speaks approvingly of Sir James Lowther's project in Cumberland of "building a town to consist of 300 houses, for the use of such of his Domesticks, and other people as are married," which he calls "a most incomparable method of promoting population."
Description:
In English., Alphabetical table of contents at beginning of manuscript., At end of manuscript: "The following table of Rooms in the Noblemen & Gentlemen's Seats mentioned in this Vol[u]me do not give the exact proportion of any whole house ... .", Title from title page., Bookplate of Philip Shirley., Bookplate of Ettington Manuscript Library. Written in ink in center: No. 62., Steel engraving pasted on preliminary leaf, opposite clipping with description: Ickworth House near Bury St. Edmunds : the seat of the most noble the Marquess of Bristol / engd. on steel by Alfred Adlard. 50 Dorset Street, Salisbury Square., and Binding: quarter calf over marbled boards. Printed on spine: Noblemens Seats.
Subject (Geographic):
England., England, and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Young, Arthur, 1741-1820.
Subject (Topic):
Architecture, Domestic, Gentry, Homes and haunts, Nobility, Social life and customs, Travelers' writings, English, and Description and travel
Manuscript copies of letters from Denison to her friend "Mary" in Bath, describing the last stages of an extended Continental tour. The first volume begins with the author's description of her family's three month tour of Switzerland, including their encounter with Lady Bute and a visit to the "English Gardens" at Arlesheim. It continues with letters detailing the journey to Naples, via Milan, Florence and Rome. The second volume concerns the Dennison's three months in Naples and their return to England via Mont Cenis and Paris and Throughout her letters, Denison includes information on galleries, churches, and works of art she has viewed. She also discusses the events of daily life; servants; the manners and conversation of other travelers and new acquaintances; social gatherings, balls, and conversazioni; and such matters as the reported outbreak of plague at Noja, a destructive fire at the San Carlo Opera, and the Duke of Wellington's ball at Versailles
Description:
Binding: half morocco with marbled boards.
Subject (Geographic):
France, Italy, Naples (Italy), and Switzerland
Subject (Name):
Denison, Harriet.
Subject (Topic):
Grand tours (Education), Women travelers, Travelers' writings, English, Description and travel, Social conditions, and Social life and customs
Manuscript copies of letters from Denison to her friend "Mary" in Bath, describing the last stages of an extended Continental tour. The first volume begins with the author's description of her family's three month tour of Switzerland, including their encounter with Lady Bute and a visit to the "English Gardens" at Arlesheim. It continues with letters detailing the journey to Naples, via Milan, Florence and Rome. The second volume concerns the Dennison's three months in Naples and their return to England via Mont Cenis and Paris and Throughout her letters, Denison includes information on galleries, churches, and works of art she has viewed. She also discusses the events of daily life; servants; the manners and conversation of other travelers and new acquaintances; social gatherings, balls, and conversazioni; and such matters as the reported outbreak of plague at Noja, a destructive fire at the San Carlo Opera, and the Duke of Wellington's ball at Versailles
Description:
Binding: half morocco with marbled boards.
Subject (Geographic):
France, Italy, Naples (Italy), and Switzerland
Subject (Name):
Denison, Harriet.
Subject (Topic):
Grand tours (Education), Women travelers, Travelers' writings, English, Description and travel, Social conditions, and Social life and customs
Autograph diary of a six-month visit in Rome with "Charlotte and Papa." The author comments on art and architecture, gardens and fountains, and ancient monuments. The author, probably a woman, is interested in Catholic ceremonies and practices and describes the final profession ceremony of a nun, the lying in state and funeral of Cardinal Freschi, the celebration of the Festival of the Conception, Christmas services at St. Peter's, the Roman Carnival, and Papal processions and The author also details social encounters with such figures as Cardinal Antonelli, Sir Charles and Lady Lyell and the sculptor Benjamin Spence
Description:
Binding: contemporary half red morocco with marbled boards and endpapers.
Subject (Geographic):
Italy., Italy, and Rome (Italy)
Subject (Name):
Antonelli, Giacomo, 1806-1876., Lyell, Charles, Sir, 1797-1875., Lyell, Mary., Spence, Benjamin., and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Customs and practices, Tourism, Travelers' writings, English, Women travelers, Description and travel, Festivals, etc, and Social life and customs