Yale University -Yale Center for British Art

Yale University -Yale Center for British Art

1080 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06510-2302, USA

Our Collections

Henry Perlee Parker collection, 1822-1970

The collection includes two albums containing Parker's own record of the sale of his paintings and prints from his paintings.
Collection ID: MSS 20

Hester Lynch Piozzi Letters to Dr. William Makepeace Thackeray, 1795-1816

The collection comprises 98 autograph letters from Hester Lynch Piozzi to her friend and physician, Dr. William Makepeace Thackeray, dated between April 16, 1795, and September 10, 1816, compiled and bound together in a single album.
Collection ID: MSS 29

Ellen Fenton Diaries of Travels to Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1854-1862

The collection comprises illustrated manuscript diaries of Ellen Fenton of Haven Green House, Ealing, which chronicle her summer family vacations to Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1854-1862, in nine volumes.
Collection ID: MSS 28

Letters to Richard Redgrave, 1840-1880

The archive comprises approximately 400 autograph letters, from upwards of 120 correspondents, addressed to Richard Redgrave (1804-1888).
Collection ID: MSS 22

John Bastin archive, 1840-1851

The collection comprises proofs for book illustrations engraved on wood by John Bastin.
Collection ID: MSS 55

Bainbridge deer park management archive, 1760-1821

The collection includes correspondence and other manuscript material concerning the management of deer parks at Newburgh Priory, Yorkshire; Cassiobury Park, Hertfordshire; and Paultons, Hampshire.
Collection ID: MSS 43

Charles Robert Leslie Collection, 1812-1900

The collection comprises sketchbooks, writings, and correspondence by Charles Robert Leslie (1794-1859) and his family.
Collection ID: MSS 15

Matthew Shepperson archive, 1810-1869

The collection comprises manuscript material concerning Matthew Shepperson, portrait copyist, art instructor to elite lords and ladies, and collector of portraits
Collection ID: MSS 32

Pease family collection of sketchbooks and exercise books, 1814-1909

The collection comprises sketchbooks and exercise books belonging to the Pease family of Durham and Yorkshire Counties, England. The Peases were part of an important network of Quaker industrialists in the northeast of England, and established the nation's first railroad in 1825. Items in the collection date from the early nineteenth to the early twentieth century.
Collection ID: MSS 6

John Ruskin letters to John Henry Le Keux, 1854-1860

This collection comprises 53 items, including 42 letters from John Ruskin to John Henry Le Keux, 1 letter from John James Ruskin to John Henry Le Keux, 7 stand-alone sketches related to Le Keux's engraving work for Ruskin, annotated printed proofs made by Le Keux for Ruskin and 1 letter from Henry W. Acland to John Ruskin which pertains to Le Keux's work on the frontispiece for Acland and Ruskin's The Oxford Museum. While the majority of the items are undated, the letters appear to have been authored between 1854 and 1860, with dated items ranging from 1855 to 1860. The items primarily pertain to Le Keux's engraving work for illustrations for Volumes 3-4 of Modern Painters and for The Oxford Museum
Collection ID: MSS 37

Joshua Reynolds Archive, 1749-1816

The collection comprises correspondence, notebooks, writings, and other manuscript material by or about the artist Joshua Reynolds.
Collection ID: MSS 30

Botanical collages from the circle of Booth Grey, 1790-1800

The collection comprises 139 hand-cut paper collages on paper prepared with watercolor, created by Booth Grey (1740-1802) or those in his circle of acquaintances, in the manner of the well-known "paper mosaics" made by Mrs. Delany.
Collection ID: MSS 65

Thomas Woolner Letters to John Frederick Lewis, 1863-1914, bulk 1874-1876

The collection comprises 15 letters from Thomas Woolner to John Frederick Lewis, written between 1874 and 1876. It also includes 5 letters from Woolner to Lewis's wife, Marian Harper, one letter from Lewis to dealer William Vokins, and several letters from Woolner's wife and daughter. The letters primarily concern Lewis's declining health—he died several months after the last letter in the collection—Woolner's admiration for Lewis's painting, updates on the politics of the Royal Academy and Woolner's ongoing artistic projects, and current exhibitions. Woolner comments on several works, including: J.M.W. Turner's, Van Goyen, Looking Out for a Subject; Elizabeth Thompson's Calling the Roll after an Engagement, Crimea; Lewis's Lion & Lioness and In the Bey's Garden; and his own monuments to Bishop John Patteson, Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier Readymoney, and Captain James Cook.
Collection ID: MSS 53

Edward Burne-Jones Letters to John Ruskin, 1862-1889

The collection comprises letters from Edward Burne-Jones to John Ruskin, written from 1862 to ca. 1889.
Collection ID: MSS 56

Edgar Hockley collection, 1886-1924, bulk 1886-1897

This collection comprises costume and set design drawings by Edgar Hockley depicting late-Victorian London stage productions. Also present are theatre programs and clippings from the same period.
Collection ID: MSS 9

John Britton archive, 1839-1851

The collection comprises correspondence, articles, cuttings, and other related material, concerning the English antiquary and topographer, John Britton (1771-1857).
Collection ID: MSS 41

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Letters to William Houghton Clabburn, 1863-1865

The collection comprises 11 letters from Dante Gabriel Rossetti to William H. Clabburn written from 1863 to 1865. The last of these is addressed to Clabburn's wife, Hannah Louisa. The letters are accompanied by 8 envelopes addressed to Clabburn by Rossetti. Rossetti's letters primarily relate to Clabburn's commission of an oil replica of Rossetti's Mary Magdalen at the door of Simon the Pharisee. The correspondence records in detail Rossetti's artistic process pertaining to this work. In his letter on 6 July 1865, Rossetti provides an extensive interpretation of the work.
Collection ID: MSS 31

Keith Marshall collection of photographs, 1880-1920

The collection comprises 147 photographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with representative images of Great Britain, South Africa, New Zealand, Madeira, East Asia, and other locations (many unidentified).
Collection ID: MSS 12

Edwin Augustus Porcher Collection, 1849-1861

The collection comprises the drawings, diary, and log books of Edwin Augustus Porcher, from tours of duty to South and East Asia (1849-1853) aboard the HMS Cleopatra and the Mediterranean and North Africa (1857-60) aboard the HMS Hibernia, HMS Kertch and HMS Boxer.
Collection ID: MSS 38

Robert Provo Norris Collection, 1846-1854

The collection comprises personal diaries, watercolors, and drawings by Robert Provo Norris, most of which were created while he was a soldier stationed on the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa during the Frontier ("Kaffir") Wars of the 1840s and 1850s.
Collection ID: MSS 11

John Ruskin Letters to Ellen Heaton, 1850-1864, bulk 1855-1864

The collection comprises letters from John Ruskin to Ellen Heaton, written from 1855 to 1864.
Collection ID: MSS 46

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Letters to Ellen Heaton, 1855-1875

The collection comprises 57 letters from Dante Gabriel Rossetti to Ellen Heaton written from 1855 to 1875 (the bulk from 1855 to 1864). The letters primarily pertain to works by Rossetti, including a number of his works commissioned by Heaton. Works referenced include: Beata Beatrix, Beloved, Bethlehem Gate, Dante's dream at the time of the death of Beatrice, Dante's vision of Rachel and Leah, How Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Percival were fed with the Sanct Grael; but Sir Percival's sister died by the way, Joan of Arc, Mary in the house of St. John, Salutation of Beatrice, and St. George and the Princess Sabra. The letters reflect Heaton's reputation as an important collector and patron. Rossetti recommends (and, in some instances, requests) that she acquire work by many other artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, including Arthur Hughes, William Holman Hunt and Ford Maddox Brown.
Collection ID: MSS 47

Miss Rowe collection of botanical specimens, 1861

The collection comprises over 500 dried flower specimens from the area around Liverpool, assembled by Miss Rowe, of 2 Elizabeth Street, in 1861.
Collection ID: MSS 35

Backhouse and Mounsey collection, 1819-1856

The collection comprises etchings, lithographs, and drawings by Edward Backhouse, Edward Backhouse Mounsey, and other members of the Backhouse and Mounsey families of Darlington (County Durham) in the early 19th century.
Collection ID: MSS 13

James Wales archive, 1786-1797

The collection comprises diaries, notebooks, and other manuscript documents concerning the travels of James Wales in India, with a particular focus on antiquities of Poona and the nearby cave temples of Ellora.
Collection ID: MSS 26

Pugin family archive, 1790-1870

The collection comprises correspondence and other manuscript material concerning the family of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852).
Collection ID: MSS 44

Whyte family Correspondence, 1880-1892

The collection comprises correspondence sent to Eva, Lizzie Hester, and Sylvie Whyte by family and friends in the 1880s and 1890s, and provides insight into the lives of adolescent girls growing up in Victorian England in the fashionable Midlands town of Malvern, and their travels abroad.
Collection ID: MSS 19

John Christie archive, 1975-1995

The collection comprises material concerning the production of seven artist's books by John Christie.
Collection ID: MSS 21

Mary Leighton Collection, 1824-1860

The collection comprises ten original sketchbooks, albums, and scrapbooks compiled by Mary Leighton and her children, 1824-1860.
Collection ID: MSS 16

Carr family collection of travel sketches, scrapbooks, and genealogical material, 1699-1981, bulk 1811-1899

The collection comprises travel sketches, scrapbooks, and genealogical material concerning the Carr family of Northumberland, England.
Collection ID: MSS 8

Fred Mallender Collection of British Commonwealth postage stamps, 1937-1992

Consists of about 40,000 postage stamps from countries or territories of the British Commonwealth, from 1937-1992, collected by Fred Mallender.
Collection ID: MSS 1
Collection ID: MSS 49

Edward Lear archive, 1840-1973

The collection comprises correspondence, manuscript writings, lists of drawings, and printed material concerning the author and artist Edward Lear.
Collection ID: MSS 59

Extra-illustrated Life of Nollekens, 1708-1875, bulk 1768-1836

This collection comprises an extra-illustrated copy--with many engravings and original manuscript letters--of the second edition of John Thomas Smith's Nollekens and his times, comprehending a life of that celebrated sculptor: and memoirs of several contemporary artists, from the time of Roubillac, Hogarth, and Reynolds, to that of Fuseli, Flaxman, and Blake (London : Henry Colburn, 1829).
Collection ID: MSS 10

John Ruskin: Letters to Thomas Goff Lupton, 1845-1873

This collection comprises letters sent by John Ruskin to Thomas Goff Lupton (or his family) from 1850 to 1873. It also includes one ALS to Lupton from Benjamin Haydon, sent in 1845.
Collection ID: MSS 5

Stanley Wootton archive, 1933-1934

The collection comprises letters addressed to Stanley Wootton, 1933-1934, concerning horse racing and the race course at Epsom, England (home of the Derby horse race)
Collection ID: MSS 40

Miles & Edwards and Charles Hindley & Sons correspondence, 1832-1875

Collection of letters from notable clients sent to the London interior decoration firm Miles & Edwards and its successor, Charles Hindley & Sons, from 1832 to 1875.
Collection ID: MSS 4

Postcards of the British royal family, 1897-2013

The collection comprises approximately 1000 postcards depicting members of the British royal family.
Collection ID: MSS 51

Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant letters to Kenneth Clark and Jane Clark, 1920-1969

The collection comprises correspondence from the artistic partners, Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, to the art historian Kenneth Clark and his wife, Elizabeth "Jane" (née Martin).
Collection ID: MSS 39

Roger W. Moss Collection of Manuscript, Original Art and Printed Material by and about Richard Shirley Smith, 1961-2011

The collection comprises manuscripts, original art and printed material by and about Richard Shirley Smith, collected by Roger W. Moss.
Collection ID: MSS 17

Edward Burne-Jones Letters to Cormell Price, 1852-1862

This collection comprises 16 items, including 15 letters from Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones and Cormell Price and 1 autograph envelope from Burne-Jones addressed to Price. The correspondence was written over the course of a decade, between 1852 and 1862. The letters are indicative of Burne-Jones and Price's long and close friendship and are very affectionate and personal in nature. The letters are rich in detail, with Burne-Jones sharing news of mutual friends, his Oxford lessons, his social life and his artistic and literary endeavors.
Collection ID: MSS 45

Jones family archive, 1805-1945

The collection comprises correspondence, photographs, sketchbooks, travel journals, notebooks, and printed material concerning Charles Jones (1780-1850) and his descendants. The correspondence spans the better part of the nineteenth century (1805-1878), with the bulk of the letters dating from the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s; it offers a window into the life of a large middle-class dissenting family in mid nineteenth-century London.
Collection ID: MSS 18

Sam Smith Collection, 1972-1996, bulk 1972-1979

The collection comprises original work by Sam Smith including ink drawings, mock-ups, hand-carved wooden boats, paper model sets, typescripts, and correspondence.
Collection ID: MSS 14

John McHale archive, 1950-1978

The collection comprises collage books, collages, drawings, palettes, and posters by John McHale, with related printed material, including catalogs, periodicals, ephemera, and small posters.
Collection ID: MSS 60
Collection ID: MSS 48
Collection ID: MSS 25

Philip Hermogenes Calderon correspondence from John Everett Millais and Frederic Leighton, 1886-1896

This collection includes letters sent by John Everett Millais and Frederic Leighton to Philip Hermogenes Calderon from 1886 to 1896.
Collection ID: MSS 3

Cathy Courtney collection of artists' books ephemera, 1982-2003

The collection comprises printed and manuscript material concerning contemporary British artists' books, compiled by Cathy Courtney. It includes exhibition invitations and announcements; press releases; prospectuses; catalogs; curricula vitae; correspondence; newsletters; interviews; artist's statements; brochures; and news articles.
Collection ID: MSS 23

Clare Leighton collection, 1949-1953

The collection comprises original artwork and manuscript material by Clare Leighton for a series of 12 Queen's ware plates representing New England industries, produced by Josiah Wedgwood & Sons in 1952.
Collection ID: MSS 7

Grimston family correspondence, 1872-1889

The collection comprises Grimston family correspondence, primarily written by Rose Armatrude Frances Grimston (1859-1927) to her sister "Effie" (Florence Maria Grimston), 1872-1889.
Collection ID: MSS 27

Paul Nash Letters to Mercia Oakley, 1909-1951, bulk 1909-1912

This collection comprises letters from Paul Nash to Mercia Oakley, written from 1909 to 1918.
Collection ID: MSS 24

Royal College of Art Sketch Club Collection, 1934-1937

The collection includes the correspondence of and with various secretaries of the Royal College of Art (RCA) Students' Group, or Sketch Club, and contains 79 letters and postcards and 11 draft letters, written between 1934 and 1937. The materials focus primarily on the group's annual exhibition, and discuss the facilities, invite prominent figures, and solicit donations and judges for special prizes. The letters' authors include, in addition to the groups' secretaries, several notable artistic and literary figures in 1930s England, such as Wyndham Lewis, Kenneth Clark, Vanessa Bell, Clive Bell, and John Gielglud.
Collection ID: MSS 54

Collection of Cabaret Theatre Club and Cave of the Golden Calf printed ephemera, 1912-1914

The collection comprises 11 items of printed ephemera concerning the Cabaret Theatre Club and the Cave of the Golden Calf. The items include: a preliminary prospectus (April, 1912); a general program (May, 1912); a prospectus for the second season (September, 1912); a preliminary announcement of the performance season of the Intimate Theatre Society (late 1912?); a program for June 17, 1913, featuring a performance of Bastien und Bastienne; membership application forms for the Cabaret Theatre Club and the Intimate Theatre Society, along with a form for requesting the membership application form (1912 or 1913); and three printed envelopes, addressed to Robert Bevan, the last of which may be from the Rebel Art Centre.
Collection ID: MSS 50

Clayton family papers, 1814-1871

Papers related to the Clayton family house in London and the estate of its first owner, Dorothea Clayton. Includes an inventory of the house and its library; receipts for repairs, household expenses; lease and sales offers; and documents relating to Dorothea Clayton's estate.
Collection ID: MSS 2
Collection ID: S009