Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Artists Collection
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.
Dates
- Creation: 1756-1838
Creator
- Hart, Charles Henry, 1847-1918 (Person)
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.
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.
Extent
0.25 Linear feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
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.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by the creator of the document.
Provenance
Collection believed to be part of a larger gift of material from Anita Hart (wife of Charles Henry Hart), 1926.
Location of Copies
Bound photocopy of material available in the Frick Art Reference Library.
Processing Information
Arranged and described by Susan Chore, 2000; Shannon Yule, 2012.
Subject
- Turner, J. M. W. (Joseph Mallord William), 1775-1851 (Person)
- Cooper, Abraham, 1787-1868 (Person)
- Westmacott, Richard, Sir (Person)
- Caulfield, J. (Person)
- Porter, Robert Ker, Sir, 1777-1842 (Person)
- Steevens, George, 1736-1800 (Person)
- Kitchiner, William, 1775?-1827 (Person)
- Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of, 1754-1826 (Person)
- Tatham, Frederick, 1805-1878 (Person)
- Woodforde, Samuel, 1763-1817 (Person)
- Richards, John (Person)
- Smith, John Thomas, 1766-1833 (Person)
- Ireland, John, -1808 (Person)
- Ireland, W. H. (William Henry), 1777-1835 (Person)
- Fittler, James, 1758-1835 (Person)
- Edwards, Edward, 1738-1806 (Person)
- Newton, Francis Milner, 1720-1794 (Person)
- Nollekens, Joseph, 1737-1823 (Person)
- Nulty, Matthew, -1778 (Person)
- Paine, James, 1717?-1789 (Person)
- Gahagan, Laurence, 1735- (Person)
- Grignon, Thomas, -1821 (Person)
- Hamilton, Gavin, 1723-1798 (Person)
- Harlow, George Henry, 1787-1819 (Person)
- Douce, Francis, 1757-1834 (Person)
- Clint, George, 1770-1854 (Person)
- Legat, Francis, 1755-1809 (Person)
- Brown, Mather, 1761-1831 (Person)
- Bone, Henry Pierce, 1779-1855 (Person)
- Arminger, William, 1752-1793 (Person)
- Baillie, William, 1723-1810 (Person)
- Hoare, Prince, 1755-1834 (Person)
- Humphry, Ozias, 1742-1810 (Person)
- Hearne, Thomas, 1744-1817 (Person)
- Heath, James, 1757-1834 (Person)
- Bromley, William, 1769-1842 (Person)
- Alefounder, John, -1795 (Person)
- Royal Academy of Arts (Great Britain) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century British Artists Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Shannon Yule
- Date
- © 2012 The Frick Collection. All rights reserved.
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Frick Collection Archives Repository
