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Finding Aid for the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Artists Collection, 1756-1838 MS.27
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives10 East 71st Street
New York, NY, 10021
archives@frick.org
© 2012 The Frick Collection. All rights reserved. - Creator
- Hart, Charles Henry, 1847-1918.
- Title
- Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Artists Collection
- ID
- MS.27
- Date
- 1756-1838
- Extent
- 0.25 Linear feet (1 box)
- Abstract
- Correspondence and other material from eighteenth and nineteenth century British artists believed to have been assembled by author and art authority Charles Henry Hart.
Preferred Citation
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Artists Collection. The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives.
Biographical Note
Charles Henry Hart (1847-1918), lawyer, author, and art authority, was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1869, and practiced law until 1894. Hart served as the director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1882 to 1902, and in 1893 chaired the committee on retrospective American art for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After suffering injuries in a railway accident in 1894, Hart turned his full attention to art scholarship. He was an authority on historical portraiture and author of numerous publications on the subject.
The collection is believed to have been part of a larger gift of material donated to the Frick Art Reference Library by Charles Henry Hart's wife, Anita, in 1926. It is assumed that Charles Henry Hart assembled the correspondence and other material.
Scope and Content Note
Collection of material from eighteenth and nineteenth century British artists most likely compiled by Charles Henry Hart. The collection contains 30 manuscript letters and 29 other documents, including engraved portraits, invitations, receipts, and printed material. The collection was previously titled "Autographs and Letters of British Artists from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries."
Most of the letters are written to either Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) or to Ozias Humphry (1742-1810). Many of the correspondents were students or professors at the Royal Academy, Associates of the Royal Academy, or Royal Academicians. Collection includes several letters concerning the acceptance of artists to the Royal Academy, as well as autographed admission tickets to Royal Academy exhibitions and lectures. The correspondence includes mentions of artwork commissions, descriptions of artwork and artists, impressions of art in Venice, and letters of recommendation for artists. Other topics include acceptances and regrets to invitations, travel, health, finances, and politics. The collection contains nine engravings, five of which are portraits, as well as several pencil and ink drawings.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by the creator of the document.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
These records are open for research under the conditions of The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives access policy. Contact the Archives Department for further information at archives@frick.org.
Provenance
Collection believed to be part of a larger gift of material from Anita Hart (wife of Charles Henry Hart), 1926.
Processing Information
Arranged and described by Susan Chore, 2000; Shannon Yule, 2012.
Location of Copies
Bound photocopy of material available in the Frick Art Reference Library.
Related Materials
Related Materials
Additional unprocessed Charles Henry Hart material. The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives.
Charles Henry Hart Autograph Collection, 1731-1912. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Royal Academy of Arts (Great Britain).
Personal Name(s)
- Alefounder, John, d. 1795.
- Arminger, William, 1752-1793.
- Baillie, William, 1723-1810.
- Bone, Henry Pierce, 1779-1855.
- Bromley, William, 1769-1842.
- Brown, Mather, 1761-1831.
- Caulfield, J.
- Clint, George, 1770-1854.
- Cooper, Abraham, 1787-1868.
- Douce, Francis, 1757-1834.
- Edwards, Edward, 1738-1806.
- Fittler, James, 1758-1835.
- Gahagan, Laurence, b. 1735.
- Grignon, Thomas, d. 1821.
- Hamilton, Gavin, 1723-1798.
- Harlow, George Henry, 1787-1819.
- Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of, 1754-1826.
- Hearne, Thomas, 1744-1817.
- Heath, James, 1757-1834.
- Hoare, Prince, 1755-1834
- Humphry, Ozias, 1742-1810.
- Ireland, John, d. 1808.
- Ireland, W. H. (William Henry), 1777-1835.
- Kitchiner, William, 1775?-1827.
- Legat, Francis, 1755-1809.
- Newton, Francis Milner, 1720-1794.
- Nollekens, Joseph, 1737-1823.
- Nulty, Matthew, d. 1778.
- Paine, James, 1717?-1789.
- Porter, Robert Ker, Sir, 1777-1842.
- Richards, John.
- Smith, John Thomas, 1766-1833.
- Steevens, George, 1736-1800.
- Tatham, Frederick, 1805-1878.
- Turner, J. M. W. (Joseph Mallord William), 1775-1851.
- Westmacott, Richard, Sir.
- Woodforde, Samuel, 1763-1817.
Subject(s)
- Art, British--18th Century
- Art, British--19th Century.
- Artists--Great Britain--Correspondence.
Collection Inventory
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Alefounder, John, d. 1795
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Burgh of Barber re payment owed to Humphreys(ries, ry?) for frames, 1791. |
1791 | |||
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Arminger, William, 1752-1793, assistant to Joseph Nollekens
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) written while vacationing in Margate, England, September 25, 1791. |
1791 | |||
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Baillie, William, 1723-1810, etcher and engraver
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) re plan to meet on Mortimer Street, September 7, 1812. Manuscript letter, initialed by Joseph Nollekens, in response to September 7th letter re a print Baillie wishes to make, answered on reverse of original, September 16, 1812. |
1812 | |||
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Bone, Henry Pierce, 1779-1855
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, re permission for grandsons to draw at the British Museum, October 17, 1825. Engraving of bust of Bone, published by Lupten Relfe for European Magazine, 1822. |
1822, 1825 | |||
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Bromley, William, 1769-1842, engraver
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Abraham Cooper (1787-1868) congratulating him on his acceptance to the Royal Academy, February 21, 1820. |
1820 | |||
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Brown, Mather, 1761-1831
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter to Ozias Humphrey (1742-1810) re thank you for "recipe" and invitation to view nearly completed historical picture, undated. |
undated | |||
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Caulfield, J.
Scope and Contents note
Letter discussing the late Francis Legat (1755-1809), engraver, with personal recollections, February 26, 1828. |
1828 | |||
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Clint, George, 1770-1854
Scope and Contents note
Signed admission ticket to Royal Academy Exhibition, May 1, 1829. Manuscript letter, signed, to Abraham Cooper (1787-1868) asking him to provide letter of recommendation for a young man to the "Council," December 27, 1827. |
1827, 1829 | |||
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Douce, Francis, 1757-1834
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) regarding Douce's health and the financial situation of a mutual acquaintance, March 27, 1822. |
1822 | |||
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Edwards, Edward, 1738-1806
Scope and Contents note
Engraved portrait with Edwards' name and title, "Associate and Teacher of Perspective in the Royal Academy," 1808. Manuscript letter, signed, to Humphries in Rome, July 19, 1776. Letter gives Edwards' impressions of Venice, including the artwork he saw. |
1776, 1808 | |||
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Fittler, James, 1758-1835, engraver
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Abraham Cooper (1787-1868) asking Cooper to view his engravings, April 10, 1838. Signed admission ticket to Royal Academy Exhibition, April 29, 1831. |
1831, 1838 | |||
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Gahagan, Lawrence, b. 1735
Scope and Contents note
Broadside addressed "To the Nobility, Gentry, and Encouragers of the Polite Arts" accusing other artists of piracy of his bust of Spencer Perceval (including J. Nollekens and S. Joseph), undated. |
undated | |||
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Grignon, Thomas, d. 1821, watchmaker
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to John Thomas Smith (1766-1833), September 9, 1809. Annual subscription receipt for the Society for the encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce, 1756-1757. |
1756-1757, 1809 | |||
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Hamilton, Gavin, 1723-1798
Scope and Contents note
Engraved portrait of Gavin Hamilton, 1793. Signed receipt for 50 crowns to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823), March 15, 1769. Payment for renunciation of "all pretentions to the fragment of the wrestlers." Engraving of Hamilton's work "Achilles and Briseis" with descriptive text, undated. Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens re display and care of Hamilton's statue of Crispina, May 5, 1786. |
1769, 1786, 1793 | |||
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Harlow, George Henry, 1787-1819
Scope and Contents note
Copy of mezzotint of "Wolsey receiving Cardinal's hat at Westminster Abbey" with descriptive text (printed), undated. |
undated | |||
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Hearne, Thomas, 1744-1817
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter to Cadell and Davis re bookbinding and book order, May 29, 1806. Engraving titled "Antiquities of Great Britain, The West Front of Malmesbury Abbey" published by T. Hearne and W. Byrne, London, undated. Ink drawing of a tree by T. Hearne, 180[?]. Signed invitation to Hearne's wake from J. Edmond, undertaker, April 20, 1817. Death notice, Thomas Hearne (calligraphic copy of tombstone inscription?), undated. |
1806, 1817 | |||
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Heath, James, 1757-1834, engraver
Scope and Contents note
Signed admission ticket to Royal Academy Exhibition, 1831. Manuscript letter, signed, regarding progress of plate engraving, with mention of Shakespeare publication, undated. |
1831, undated | |||
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Hoare, Prince, 1755-1834
Scope and Contents note
Descriptive notes on monument in Roman church, 1775. Manuscript letter, signed, to Ozias Humphrey (1742-1810), April 26, 1778. |
1775, 1778 | |||
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Humphry, Ozias, 1742-1810
Scope and Contents note
Signed receipt for dinners, 1765. Signature, Rome, September 12, 1774. Signature, Rome, 1776. Engraving of portrait of Hussein Reza Khan, painted by Ozias Humphrey in 1786, undated. Short note and signature by return address, June 20, 1805. Manuscript letter from Mrs. (John) Zoffany, undated. |
1765, 1774, 1776, 1805 | |||
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Ireland, John, d. 1808
Scope and Contents note
Engraved portrait, undated. Manuscript note, signed, June 18, 1800. |
1800, undated | |||
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Ireland, William Henry, 1777-1833
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, September, 1826. |
1826 | |||
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Kitchiner, William, 1775?-1827
Scope and Contents note
Engraved portrait of Dr. Kitchiner, painted by Rubridge, engraved by Woolnoth, undated. Manuscript letter, signed, to George Soane (1790-1860), 1822. |
1822, undated | |||
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Earl of Moira: Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of, 1754-1826
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823), re a time to call, undated. |
undated | |||
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Newton, Francis Milner, 1720-1794
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) notifying him he was elected one of forty Academicians of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, February 3, 1772. |
1772 | |||
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Nollekens, Joseph, 1737-1823
Scope and Contents note
Printed meeting notice regarding election of officers of the Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, April 20, 1818 with pencil sketch of three figures on verso. Manuscript description by Joseph Nollekens of his statue of Justice to be placed in Cotsfield Church, undated. Signed admission ticket to Royal Academy lecture, 18__. Manuscript note, signed by J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), inviting John Thomas Smith (1766-1833) to Joseph Nollekens funeral, April 29, 1823. |
1818, 1823, undated | |||
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Nulty, Matthew, d. 1778, artist and antiquarian
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) from Rome recommending Giuseppe Ceracchi (1751-1801), a Roman sculptor, September 20, 1773. |
1773 | |||
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Paine, James, 1717?-1789, architect
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Ozias Humphry (1742-1810), re impending trip to Italy, 1779. |
1779 | |||
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Porter, Robert Ker, Sir, 1777-1842
Scope and Contents note
Pen and ink drawings of Alexandria skylines, old and new, undated. |
undated | |||
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Richards, John
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) re Napoleon's defeat and a related event, May 8, 1814. |
1814 | |||
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Steevens, George, 1736-1800, literary editor and scholar
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, assuring recipient that he did not send negative letter to the St. James Chronicle regarding Mr. Bell's new edition of Shakespeare, December 27, 1773. Facsimile of manuscript letter written March 6, 1774, signed, with engraving of Steevens' residence in Hampstead Heath. Published by John Murray, London, 1836. |
1773, 1836 | |||
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Tatham, Frederick, 1805-1878
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed to John Thomas Smith (1766-1833) notifying him of death of William Blake's widow, Catherine, 1831. |
1831 | |||
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Westmacott, Richard, Sir, 1775-1856
Scope and Contents note
Printed questionnaire gathering information for publication, "The Knight-Age of Great Britain and Ireland. Completed and signed by Westmacott, and providing information on his knighthood and family, undated. |
undated | |||
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Woodforde, Samuel, 1763-1817
Scope and Contents note
Manuscript letter, signed, to Ozias Humphry (1742-1810) thanking him for his support at the Royal Academy election, February 12, 1807. Signed admission ticket to Royal Academy of London lecture, 18__. |
1807, undated | |||
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