Summary
Overview
0.4 linear feet, 1 archival box
Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections
Manuscripts Division
One Washington Road
Princeton, New Jersey 08544 USA
Abstract
Consists of correspondence, manuscripts, and miscellanea of the nineteenth-century English art critic, social reformer, and educator John Ruskin.
Description
Description
The collection consists primarily of selected letters and manuscripts by Ruskin. Correspondents include Jean Ingelow, Constance and Eva Layton, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. There are seven letters to George Allen, Ruskin's publisher, in which the author discusses his work. Of the manuscripts included in the collection, one is a three-page portion from chapter three of Unto This Last; and other is one page from The Queen of the Air. Both have holograph corrections and emendations. Furthermore, there is a small watercolor of a mountain scene painted by Ruskin, with autograph annotations on the verso. Also present are a few letters to Princeton librarian Laurence Heyl from other librarians, discussing the Ruskin material.
The following standard abbreviations, or their variations, are used to identify materials in this collection: ALS = autograph letter signed, AMs = autograph manuscript, AN = autograph note, and DS = document signed.
Collection Creator
Biography
John Ruskin, English writer, artist, art critic, and collector, was born on February 8, 1819, in London, England. Educated at Oxford University, Ruskin met J. M. W. Turner in 1840. Ruskin wrote Tuner's entry in the 1843 Modern Painters, and later became his patron. After leaving Oxford, Ruskin began lecturing and writing about art and society, and quickly became an eminent critic. In the 1850s he supported the Pre-Raphaelites, who had been influenced by his writings on"truth to nature." Ruskin’s 1849 book, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, argued that art represented the moral state of society. In the 1870s, he established the Guild of St George, an idealistic social group. Later in life, Ruskin suffered multiple mental breakdowns, and was insane for the last ten years of his life.
Collection History
Acquisition
Letter from Ruskin to "My dear Sir" purchased from Xerxes Books purchased in 2008. 6 Letters by Ruskin and Charlotte M. Yonge, Letters by Ruskin and Wornum purchased from Christopher Edwards in 2008, 2003 respectively. Letters from Burne-Jones, Millais, etc. purchased in 1996..
Custodial History
This collection was formed as a result of departmental practice of combining into one collection manuscript material of various accessions relating to a particular author.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Karla J. Vecchia in 2004 . Finding aid written by Karla J. Vecchia in 2004.
Biography written by Alyxandra Cullen, '09.
Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during preparation of biographical note: Grove Art Online.
Access and Use
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research use.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the Associate University Librarian for Rare Books and Special Collections. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.
Preferred Citation
John Ruskin Collection; 1840s-1933, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
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