Manuscript, in a single hand, of a collection of excerpts of letters, in four volumes, from Mary Berry to Damer, transcribed and edited by Damer. The notes refer primarily to their passionate friendship and confidence in each other; their ill health, both mental and physical; and introspective commentary upon the reasons for their melancholy moods. Few of the entries are dated, and mutual acquaintances are left unnamed or else mentioned by initials only. Berry describes their friendship as having "become such a part of myself, or rather of something much dearer than myself, that I can neither live without it, nor dissatisfied with it, nor with the idea of ever being deprived of it." In Vol. 2, she mentions she has waited all day for her correspondent to visit her, having hoped that each carriage passing by will stop at her door. Elsewhere, she complains that her friend is leaving for Tours without her and of feeling "continual pains in my head, restless nights & miserable feels of weakness & langour." Other excerpts address Berry's thoughts on William Fawkener, Damer's suitor; Damer's persecution by the press; a crisis in their friendship at the end of July 1794 resulting in Berry's desire to distance herself from Damer socially, and then her decision to weather out the public attacks on their relationship; and Berry's secret courtship by General Charles O'Hara and its disintegration
Description:
Anne Seymour (Conway) Damer (1749-1828), sculptor and author, was born on 8 November 1749, the only child of Field-Marshal Hon. Henry Seymour Conway (1719-1795), and his wife, Caroline Bruce, Lady Ailesbury (1721-1803), the daughter of John, fourth duke of Argyll. In 1767 she married John Damer, the son of Lord Milton, later the 1st Earl of Dorchester. They separated after seven years, and he died by suicide in 1776. Her artistic career developed during her widowhood, though the development of her youthful interest in sculpture is credited to her father's secretary, David Hume, and to the encouragement of Horace Walpole, who was her guardian during her parent's frequent trips abroad; in 1789, Walpole introduced Damer to Mary Berry (1763-1852), with whom she developed a passionate and lasting friendship. At his death, Walpole bequeathed her Strawberry Hill as his executor and residuary legatee. Damer exhibited 32 works at the Royal Academy and produced keystone sculptures for the bridge at Henley-on-Thames, a 10-foot statue of Apollo, now destroyed, for the frontage of Drury Lane theatre, and two bas-reliefs for the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. Damer also wrote one published novel, Belmour (1801)., In English., Available on microfilm, Available as pdfs, The original letters, from which these excerpts are transcribed, have apparently not survived., Notebooks are numbered on the front covers and dated on the inside front covers., Vol. 1 includes a sketch of a tree., and Binding: cardboard covers.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain. and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Berry, Agnes, 1764-1852., Berry, Mary, 1763-1852., Damer, Anne Seymour, 1748 or 1749-1828., Fawkener, William., and O'Hara, Charles, 1740-1802.
Subject (Topic):
Female friendship, Nobility, Social life and customs, Women, and Conduct of life
Manuscript, in a single hand, of twelve letters written during a tour of London and addressed to "dear Elvira." In the letters, the author (Mrs. Percivall or Percival?) describes the social sights of London, including parties and dinners she attends, music she hears, and nobility she sees, including a masquerade at Somerset House where her friend dresses up as an Indian princess; a dinner which the Queen gave to the Ambassador; a military show by soldiers in Hyde Park; and, at the end of the volume, a masquerade ball in which she meets "a very agreeable gentleman." In addition, "being almost smothered with the thick air of London," she and her acquaintances take a trip into the country, where they visit Hatfield and attend a concert of music hosted by Italian marquis, where "there was an eunuch who sang." Throughout, she provides detailed descriptions of paintings, furniture, silverware, food, equipages, and the dress of the nobility
Description:
In English., Title from first page., Leaves are numbered and written on the rectos only, except for pages 6, 8, and 44 which are numbered and written on versos., Binding: half morocco over machine-grain morocco boards., and An unvetted transcript is available in the object file. For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
England, London., England., Great Britain., Great Britain, and London
Subject (Name):
Percivall, Mrs.
Subject (Topic):
Amusements, Country homes, Courts and courtiers, Nobility, Social life and customs, and Description and travel
Manuscript on vellum, in a single hand, of 21 elaborately illuminated pages, each with a unique decorative boarder, illustrating the ancestry of Lady Henrietta Pomfret and Thomas Fermor, 1st Earl Pomfret as descended from King Edward I. The genealogy appears on each recto; on the facing-page verso is painted a sprouting pineapple plant decorated with coats of arms. On the first page, opposite a portrait of Edward I, are letters illuminated with gold leaf
Description:
In English., Note, in 19th century hand, pasted on front flyleaf: From Horace Walpole's letters to Sir Hor. Mann, Sept. 1st, 1750, "I have seen one [a pedigree] infinitely richer and better done, it is for my Lady Pomfret. She and my Lord both descend from King Edward I by his two Queens. The Pedigree is painted in a book; instead of a vulgar genealogical tree, she has devised a pine-apple plant, sprouting out of a basket on which is King Edward's head; on the leaves are all the intermediate arms." v. 2, p. 222. 1857 ed., Binding: full calf with marble endpapers; elaborately tooled in gilt with the initials "HP" tooled on front cover; new spine., and For further information consult library staff.
Subject (Geographic):
England
Subject (Name):
Edward I, King of England, 1239-1307, Pomfret, Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys Fermor, Countess of, 1700?-1761., and Pomfret, Thomas Fermor, Earl 1698-1753.
A commonplace book, bound in vellum., With the armorial bookplate of William Frederick, 9th earl Waldegrave., and Fifteen of the papers were printed in Old England, three in the Remembrancer.
A receipt on engraved letterhead with a vignette demonstrating the creation of wallpaper and with the name and address of the merchant (Grant); receipt made out to Mr. Bowen (Bowers?), dated 1 June 1820, and signed by Chs. Grant. Also engraved in vignette is the name of the merchant and a patriotic appeal: "Grant, paper-stainer, near the Old Market, Boston ... Americans encourage the manufactories of your country if you wish for its prosperity."
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
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
Manuscript in a single hand, with examples of bookplates of Horace Walpole's friends and correspondents, arranged alphabetically and mounted on leaves interspersed with brief biographies of the bookplate owners and excerpts from Walpole's letters about the subjects. Written as a wedding present for Townley's wife, Bella Madden Townley and Two letters tipped in; one a fragment from 'Orford' and dated from London January the nineteenth 1795 to Richard French, Esq.; the second from Lady Pomfret, to Lady Sundon, dated 1737 Nov. 22 in which she expresses her sorrow at the sudden death of Queen Caroline and concern over Lady Sundon's own recent illness
Description:
W.R. Townley, bookplate collector and contributor to The miscellany., Horace Walpole (1717-1797), fourth earl of Orford, author, politician, historian and patron of the arts; owner of Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, England., In English., Mounted frontispiece: Lithograph portrait of Horace Walpole from the Catalogue of Sale of the Strawberry Hill Collection by Mr. Geo. Robinson in 1842. Lithograph by G. Madeley, 3 Wellington St., Strand, from a painting at Strawberry Hill by Eckhardt in 1754., Stamped on the edge of the inside back cover: Arthur Hertzberg & Craftsmen. Bound in full burgundy morocco, boards with gilt borders; spine lettered and panelled; silk linings. Spine title: The book plates of Horace Walpole and his contemporaries / Wellington R. Townley. With slip case., Bookplate of Wellington Reid Townley, numbered '246' and inscribed "This book belongs to Bella.", Ex libris bookplate of Mazinaw Lake Library: Barbara de Remo Lester [and] John Albert Lester., Pagination as follows: a-h, [1], i-x, [2], 201 [i.e., 298] leaves., and For further information, consult library staff.
Subject (Name):
Caroline, Queen, consort of George II, King of Great Britain, 1683-1737., Sundon, Charlotte Clayton, Baroness, d. 1742., Pomfret, Henrietta Louisa Jeffreys Fermor, Countess of, 1700?-1761., Townley, W. R. b. 1861. (Wellington Reid),, and Walpole, Horace, 1727-1797