RUSKIN AND VICTORIAN INTELLECTUAL LIFE

Manuscripts of John Ruskin (1819-1900) from the Ruskin Library, University of Lancaster

Part 1: Diaries, 1835-1888

Part 2: Correspondence with Joan Severn, 1864-1899

Detailed Listing - Part 2

The letters are mainly from John Ruskin (1819-1900) to his cousin Joan Severn (née Agnew) (1846-1924). Some of the letters are addressed to Arthur Severn, Joan’s husband. Also included are a number of items such as newspaper cuttings, plants, photographs and letters to Ruskin from other people, which he enclosed in his letters to Joan.

There are seven reels of letters from Ruskin to Joan Severn (L 33 – L 54, totalling 2,734 dated and 283 undated letters) and four reels of letters from Joan Severn to Ruskin (L 55 – L 62, totalling 549 dated and 117 undated letters). Also included are a number of letters from Arthur Severn, and from Joan’s children.
The letters are from a variety of locations ranging from Paris and Venice to Matlock and Kirkcudbright. Many are addressed from Herne Hill in South East London, where his family had lived until relocating to Denmark Hill, Camberwell, in 1842, and where he maintained a house from 1852 onwards; and from Brantwood, near Coniston, in the Lake District, where he purchased a lakeside residence in 1871. The letters are written in a familiar tone using their own pet names for each other. Early letters refer to Joan as ‘wee cozie’ and ‘wee pussie’ and to Ruskin as ‘my darling coz’ or ‘wee cozie’, but by the 1880s they settle to calling Joan ‘Doanie’, ‘wee Doanie’, ‘ownie Doanie’ or ‘Di Ma’ and Ruskin as ‘Di Pa’.

Arrangement

A target appears at the beginning of each year giving the date. There are also year tags at the bottom of each frame.

The letters are arranged in date order starting in 1864 – the last dated letter being in 1895. Letters that are thought to be from a specific year, but are not clearly marked as such, are placed at the end of that year’s sequence. Two further packets of letters (completely undated) are marked as undated and have been filmed at the end of the letter sequence.

Appearance

For the most part we have filmed letters as they are without addition of backing which may interfere with the true perception of the item. Accompanying envelopes are placed before the letter, with the reverse only included after the last page or enclosure of that letter if there is sufficient space in the frame. Enclosures appear after the letter they were found with.

Many of the letters have been marked in pencil with the initials AW [Alexander Wedderburn, joint editor with Edward T Cook of The Works of John Ruskin [Library Edition: 39 Volumes, (1903-1912)] and some have subjects and names in the same hand. Years and dates have also been added to letters in pencil. Other marks (usually on envelopes) are commonly lists or addresses in the hand of Joan Severn. These marks may not always be visible due to the difficulty in contrast between ink and pencil markings when filming.

There are over 3,683 letters in total, mostly unpublished, and covering the period 1864-1899. Starting as a correspondence between a teenager and an established icon of Victorian society, we witness the evolution of the relationship, with Joan Severn ending up as Ruskin's primary carer. These letters are perhaps the best source we have for the latter years of Ruskin's life.

REEL 9

Letters: John Ruskin to Joan Severn 1864-1870

L 33 – L 35

REEL 10

Letters: John Ruskin to Joan Severn 1871-1873

L 36 – L 38

REEL 11

Letters: John Ruskin to Joan Severn 1874-1877

L 39 – L 41

REEL 12

Letters: John Ruskin to Joan Severn 1878-1882

L 42 – L 44

REEL 13

Letters: John Ruskin to Joan Severn 1883-1886

L 45 – L 47

REEL 14

Letters: John Ruskin to Joan Severn 1887-1888

L 48 – L 52

REEL 15

Letters: John Ruskin to Joan Severn 1889, 1894-1895 and undated

L 53 – L 54

REEL 16

Letters: Joan Severn to John Ruskin 1867-1890

L 55 – L 56

REEL 17

Letters: Joan Severn to John Ruskin 1891-1899

L 57 – L 60

REEL 18

Letters: Joan Severn to John Ruskin undated

L 61 – L 62

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