This series consists of various correspondence of Raymond Mortimer with friends and associates, including many members of the Bloomsbury group.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Adeane, Michael, 1960 April 1
Adler, Henry, 1929 September 11
Aldington, Richard (1892-1962), 1926
Arnold, Edward, 1923 October 17
Ayer, A. J (b. 1910), 1955
Banting, John, undated
Baynes, Doreen, January 7
Beaton, Cecil (1904-1980), undated
Bell, Clive (1881-1964), 1920-1960
Bell, Vanessa (1879-1961), 1922-1924
Berlin, Isaiah, 1940 February 16
Bessborough, Lord, 1943 September 13
Birrell, Anothony, 1940 February 1
Blonfield, Reginald, 1921 January 12
Bousquet, Marie-Louise, undated
Brewster, Harry, 1976 March 11
Cameron, Alan, 1939 November 13
Channon, Clovis, undated
Cholmondley, Sibyl, undated
Cicogna, Anna Maria, 1979 May 14
Cocteau, Jean (1889-1963), 1926-1929
Colfax, Sibyl, Lady, undated
Connolly, Cyril (1903-1974), undated
Connolly, Kathleen, 1939 April 9
Conseil Franco-Britannique, 1977
Courtauld, Samuel, 1935 April-May 8
Crevel, Rene, 1960 August 16
Cunard, Nancy (1896-1965), 1925-1960
Curtiss, Mina, 1979 February 2
Darbishire, Helen, 1954 October 18
Druon, Maurice (b. 1918), 1975-1977
Eden, Clarissa, 1978 November 30
Egremont, Lord, undated
Fielding, A.W., 1951 June 1
Firbank, Ronald (1886-1926), undated
Flanner, Janet, 1965 March 17
Freeman, John, 1963 May 7
Fry, Roger (1866-1934), 1923-1932
Fulford, Roger (b. 1902), undated
Fuller, Roy (b. 1912), undated
Gilleux, Robert, 1951 February 18
Grant, Duncan (1885-1978), 1936-1967
Hamilton, Gerald, 1939 October 24
Hankin, John, 1951 March 4
Hartley, Leslie, 1947 September 16
Haynes, E. S. P., undated
Hewison, R.J.P., 1951 May 17
Huxley, Maria (d. 1955), 1938-1941
Jarrett, John, 1951 April 30
Jerrold, Douglas, 1951 June 18
King, Francis (b. 1923), June 24
Knollys, Eardley, circa 1965 June 26
Lane, Margaret, undated
Lascelles, Alan, Sir, 1974-1976
Lehman, John, 1939
Linklater, Eric, undated
MacCarthy, Mary (Molly), undated
MacCowen, Eugene, undated
Massigli, Odette, undated
Mitchson, Naomi (1897-1964), undated
Mitford, Nancy, 1951-1990 July 28
Mitford, Nancy, 1951-1956
Mitford, Nancy, 1957-1960
Mitford, Nancy, 1961-1965
Moore, Henry (b. 1898), 1960 June 3
Morris, Jan (b. 1926), 1978-1979
The New Yorker, 1929 December 27
Newbolt, Margaret, Lady, January 11
Nicolson, Benedict (b. 1914), 1926
Nicolson, Nigel (b. 1917), 1926-1976
d'Ormessan, Jean, comte, undated
Partridge, Eric (1894-1979), 1937
Pryce-Jones, Alan (b. 1908), undated
Rubens, Olive, March 26
Russell, Dora, 1975
Russell, Elizabeth, Countess, 1934
Salisbury, Betty, June 10
Sands, Ethel, June 30-July 7
Shove, Fredegond, undated
Sitwell, Edith (1887-1969), undated
Smith, A. L., 1918 December 9
Sprott, Sebastian, undated
Stephen, Karin, January 17
Storrs, Ronald, 1940 January 23
Strachey, Anne, 1930 November 20
Strong, Eugenie, 1921 January 24
Tallents, Bridget, 1932 February 26
Tallents, Stephen, 1941 March 14
Thackeray-Fuller, Hester, undated
Thayer, Scofield, 1921-1945
Thierry, Berthe M., undated
Thomson, David, 1940 January 6
Thornton, Miss, 1924 April 21
Tree, Iris (1897-1968), undated
Trevelyan, R.C., 1939 October 3
Turner, Reginald, 1920
Urquhart, F. F., 1932
Vanity Fair, 1923 March 7
Vercors (b. 1902), September 22
Waley, Arthur (1889-1966), undated
Waugh, Evelyn (1903-1966), 1953
Wellington, "Gerry", 1969 April 27
Winkworth, William, undated
Winn, Godfrey (1908-1971), undated
Winter, Keith (b. 1906), June 19
Unidentified Autograph Notes, 1939
Invitations and Cards, 1950-1951
Series 2: Writings, 1948-1974
This series includes corrected drafts (primarily typescripts with handwritten corrections) of Mortimer's writings, mostly for his articles and book reviews. Drafts are often accompanied by newspaper clippings of the final published version. There are also general files of corrected proofs and press clippings.
Drafts arranged alphabetically by title, followed by corrected proofs and press clippings.
Abbot Extraordinary, 1958
Aladdin in Paris, 1948
Angkor, undated
Anatole France, 1957
Artist, Critic, Public, undated
Back to Italy and Greece II, undated
Books in General, undated
Bloomsbury, undated
Browning Versions, 1967
The Business of Criticism, 1959
Candid Correspondent, 1957
Chanel, 1972
Chateaubriand, undated
Croquet, undated
A Dash to East Africa, undated
Disraeli, undated
The Dust of Combat, 1960
Emerald and Nancy, 1965-1968
Eminent Without Being Earnest, 1959
Far-flung Festivities, 1967
The Fine Art of Reading, undated
Firbank, undated
First Walk, undated
Fitzgerald, undated
Fowler's Modern English Usage, 1965
The Gabfest, undated
George Meredith, undated
Harold Nicolson, undated
Henry James, The Master, 1972
Ideal Ward, undated
John Keble, 1963
Jowett, undated
Killing English, 1967
Krishnapher's Phenomenon, undated
Laureate's Way, 1969
The Lie in the Soul, 1966
Literature Made Difficult, undated
The Look of Ceylon, undated
The Look of India, undated
Marcel Proust, 1965
Mark Pattison and His Miseries, 1957
The People of India, undated
A Modern Colossus, 1958
Poet of Radiance, undated
Rake's Progress, 1957
The Realm of Colette, 1951
Reflections of a Reviewer, undated
The Rise of English Studies, 1965
The Second King, undated
The Simenon File, 1962-1968
The Spell of Venice, 1957
The Stonemason's Yard, undated
Taste, undated
The Tate versus the Academy, undated
Thomas Arnold, undated
Two Fine Poets in Tandem, undated
Two Highbrow Gossip Writers, 1960
Two Lutyen Ladies, undated
Unhappy Prince, 1974
Useful Hints, undated
The Victorian Background, undated
The Victorian Church, undated
The Victorian Philistines, undated
A Vigorous Victorian, undated
The Waters of Deceit, undated
Unidentified Writings, undated
Proofs and Press Clippings, 1950-1969
This series includes loose manuscript and printed documents and ephemera, including receipts and invoices, a travel permit, transcripts of BBC poetry programs curated by Mortimer, typescripts and galley proofs of writings of others, printed pamphlets Mortimer collected, and clippings about Mortimer.
Roughly grouped by material type.
Writings by Others, 1940-1958
Vogue Clipping, undated
Invoices, 1948-1951
Pamphlets and Propaganda, 1954
Series 4: Photographs, 1905-1979
This series includes loose black-and-white and color photographs, photograph albums, and some negatives, including photographs of Raymond Mortimer with friends, lovers, and acquaintances, as well as travel photographs from his trips across Asia and Europe. Photograph albums include a 1905 album of family photographs taken in Wimereux and three albums from World War I, including photographs of the hospital in Southern France where Mortimer worked.
Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.
Series 5: Notebooks, 1911-1959
This series includes bound manuscript notebooks, diaries, and appointment books. Notebooks contain a range of contents, such as drafts of poems, stories, and essays, including a draft of Mortimer's short story "The Lion's Den"; diary entries; notes and essays on history, literature, art, and religion from Mortimer's studies at Balliol College; research notes and citations on various subjects; and addresses and appointments.
Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.
Poetry Notebook, 1911-1912
Notebook, undated
Appointment Book, 1928
Poetry Notebook, 1915
Diary, 1920 November 9-December 1
Notebook, undated
Notebook, undated
Diary in Italy and Spain, circa 1920
History Notebook, undated
Literature Notebook, 1913
Notebook, undated
"The Baroque" Notebook, undated
Notebook, circa 1950s
- Scope and Contents
The collection consists primarily of letters to Raymond Mortimer, but also includes notebooks, drafts of reviews, photographs and albums, and miscellaneous printed ephemera. The Bloomsbury group is well represented with letters by Vanessa and Clive Bell, Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Lytton Strachey, Maynard Keynes, Desmond and Molly MacCarthy, Roger Fry, and Duncan Grant. There are long series of letters from Harold Nicolson, Vincent "Jimmy" Sheean, and Nancy Mitford. The correspondence concerns literary allusions and criticism, but also social commentary and gossip. Many of the letters, such as those from Rebecca West, also contain references to family matters.
Also included in this collection are photographs of Mortimer, from his youth to old age. Several of the photographs are with friends, such as Clive Bell, Harold Nicolson, and Edward Sackville-West. Photograph albums date from 1905-1919; many of the pictures show the French hospital where Mortimer worked during the war. In addition, there are notebooks and diaries containing early verse, Oxford essays, a manuscript fragment of a novel, stories, and an extensive account of a visit to Italy (circa 1920).
The following standard abbreviations, or their variations, are used to identify materials in this collection: ALS = autograph letter signed, TLS = typed letter signed, ACS = autograph card signed, TCS = typed card signed, ANS = autograph note signed, TNS = typed note signed, AMsS = autograph manuscript signed, and TMsS = typed manuscript signed.
- Arrangement
Arranged into the following five series:
- Collection Creator Biography:
Mortimer
(Charles) Raymond Mortimer (Bell), 1895-1980, writer, literary art critic, and editor, was born at 62 Albert Gate Mansions, Knightsbridge, London on April 25, 1895. His mother dying young, Mortimer was raised by his aunt and uncle in Redhill, Surrey. At age nine he was sent to Eastbourne Preparatory School, but quickly moved on, in 1909, to Malvern College. He studied history at Balliol College at Oxford in 1913. In 1915, medically rejected from active service, he worked at a hospital for French soldiers in the South of France. In 1918, again medically rejected, he returned to England as a cipher clerk in the Foreign Office. After the war, he did not return to his education at Oxford, but rather chose to engage in a brief and fruitless exploration of religion, briefly joining the Catholic Church. Mortimer soon decided the religious life was not for him and became a self-proclaimed hedonist. With the help of a private income, he enjoyed a life of leisure. He indulged in travel, and in Paris he almost established a second home, quickly becoming friendly with such art and literary figures as Jean Cocteau, Tristan Tzara, and Louis Aragon.
In 1922, in collaboration with Hamish Miles (J. E. Miles, a Balliol friend), he published a novel, The Oxford Circus. His short story "The Lion's Den," which was originally published in the London Mercury, was later included in the 1924 edition of The Best British Short Stories. His works were also published in Vogue, the Nation, and New Statesman. However, Mortimer was primarily known for his work as a critic and reviewer of both literature and the visual arts, and for his close association with a circle of artists and literary figures known as the "Bloomsbury Group."
Mortimer became literary editor for the New Statesman in 1935, retaining the post until 1947, with an interlude in 1940-1941, during which period he was at the Ministry of Information, playing a large part in the liaison with the BBC and the establishment of the Free French Service. In 1948 he went to the Sunday Times, and in 1952 obtained the title of Chief Reviewer, a title he would hold until his death. Unmarried, he shared a Bloomsbury flat, and after 1952 a house in Canonbury, Islington, with the architect Geddes Hyslop. In Dorset he shared a country house with his fellow critics Edward Sackville-West and Desmond Shawe-Taylor. Mortimer died at his home in Canonbury, Islington, on January 9, 1980.
Mortimer
(Charles) Raymond Mortimer (Bell), 1895-1980, writer, literary art critic, and editor, was born at 62 Albert Gate Mansions, Knightsbridge, London on April 25, 1895. His mother dying young, Mortimer was raised by his aunt and uncle in Redhill, Surrey. At age nine he was sent to Eastbourne Preparatory School, but quickly moved on, in 1909, to Malvern College. He studied history at Balliol College at Oxford in 1913. In 1915, medically rejected from active service, he worked at a hospital for French soldiers in the South of France. In 1918, again medically rejected, he returned to England as a cipher clerk in the Foreign Office. After the war, he did not return to his education at Oxford, but rather chose to engage in a brief and fruitless exploration of religion, briefly joining the Catholic Church. Mortimer soon decided the religious life was not for him and became a self-proclaimed hedonist. With the help of a private income, he enjoyed a life of leisure. He indulged in travel, and in Paris he almost established a second home, quickly becoming friendly with such art and literary figures as Jean Cocteau, Tristan Tzara, and Louis Aragon.
In 1922, in collaboration with Hamish Miles (J. E. Miles, a Balliol friend), he published a novel, The Oxford Circus. His short story "The Lion's Den," which was originally published in the London Mercury, was later included in the 1924 edition of The Best British Short Stories. His works were also published in Vogue, the Nation, and New Statesman. However, Mortimer was primarily known for his work as a critic and reviewer of both literature and the visual arts, and for his close association with a circle of artists and literary figures known as the "Bloomsbury Group."
Mortimer became literary editor for the New Statesman in 1935, retaining the post until 1947, with an interlude in 1940-1941, during which period he was at the Ministry of Information, playing a large part in the liaison with the BBC and the establishment of the Free French Service. In 1948 he went to the Sunday Times, and in 1952 obtained the title of Chief Reviewer, a title he would hold until his death. Unmarried, he shared a Bloomsbury flat, and after 1952 a house in Canonbury, Islington, with the architect Geddes Hyslop. In Dorset he shared a country house with his fellow critics Edward Sackville-West and Desmond Shawe-Taylor. Mortimer died at his home in Canonbury, Islington, on January 9, 1980.
- Acquisition:
The collection consists of papers of Raymond Mortimer reassembled from several sources. An original group of papers was collected by Geddes (Paul) Hyslop, and given to the Library by Lady Eccles in honor of Richard Ludwig in 1985 (AM 1986-88), with additions in 1986 (AM 86-113) and 1991 (AM 1992-64). Supplemental correspondence and other materials were purchased from John Wilson in 2004 (AM 2004-193). Additional correspondence, writings, photographs, and printed materials that came from the Long Crichel House in Dorset, England, were purchased in 2016 (AM 2017-66).
- Appraisal
No materials were separated during 2016 processing.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by Teresa T. Basler in 2004. Finding aid written by Teresa T. Basler in 2004. The 2016 addition was processed by Kelly Bolding in December 2016, with assistance from Sophia Alvarez '18 and Fiona Bell '18. Finding aid updated by Kelly Bolding in December 2016.
- Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
- Credit this material:
Princeton University Library Collection of Raymond Mortimer Materials; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Permanent URL:
- http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/7p88cg562
- Location:
-
Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA
- Storage Note:
- Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-9; B-000826; B-000827; B-000828; B-000829
- Subject Terms:
- Art critics -- England -- 20th century -- Correspondence.
Art historians -- England -- 20th century.
Artists -- England -- 20th century.
Authors, English -- 20th century.
Authors, French -- 20th century.
Bloomsbury group.
Critics -- England -- 20th century -- Correspondence.
Critics -- United States -- 20th century.
Novelists, English -- 20th century.
Poets, American -- 20th century.
Poets, English -- 20th century.
Women authors, English -- 20th century.
Women novelists, English -- 20th century. - Genre Terms:
- Correspondence -- 20th century
Notebooks -- 20th century
photographs -- 20th century. - Names:
- Mitford, Nancy, 1904-1973.
Nicolson, Harold, 1886-1968.
Sheean, Vincent, 1899-1975