Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Gordon N. Ray Collection of Victorian Autographs
An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University
Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Ray, Gordon Norton, 1915- |
| Title: | Gordon N. Ray Collection of Victorian Autographs |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1721-1926 |
| Quantity: | 0.25 linear ft. |
| Abstract: | Collection of autographed letters, many of British politicians and statesmen of the Victorian period. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
Gordon Norton Ray (1915-1986) was a noted Victorian scholar, professor, and author. He was professor of English, specializing in Victorian literature, at Harvard (1940-1942) and then, after a brief period in the U.S. Navy during World War II, at the University of Illinois (1946-1957), where he also served as vice president and provost (1957-1960). He was also President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1963-1985). His two-volume biography of William Makepeace Thackeray and a four-volume edition of Thackeray's letters were critically acclaimed, and his accomplishments as a major book collector led to the publication of three volumes on English and French book illustration. He also wrote extensively on H. G. Wells.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Gordon N. Ray Collection of Victorian Autographs contains autographed correspondence and autographs only, of a wide range of notable Victorian-era personalities, including authors, politicians, diplomats, churchmen, scientists, and many more. While the majority are British citizens, there are a number of Irish individuals as well as a few more exotic, such as the Turkish Ambassador to England. Dates are given as written on the document; the majority are in European format with the day preceding the month (e.g. 27/3/09 = March 27, 1909). Where possible, additional identifying information is provided for names. Some names are illegible. An original index cmopiled by Ray is also in the collection but it does not reflect what was actually acquired by Special Collections Research Center,
Arrangement of the Collection
The autographs are arranged alphabetically, with unidentified items at the end.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
Special Collections Research Center has several other collections of autographs. See for example the Argosy Autograph Collection, Frances Ward Harrington Autograph Collection, Graeme O'Geran Presidential Autograph Collection, and the Howes Norris Jr. Autograph Cartoon Collection.
Subject Headings
Persons
Subjects
Places
Genres and Forms
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Gordon N. Ray Collection of Victorian Autographs,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Finding Aid Information
Created by: -
Date: Jan 2001
Revision history: 4 Aug 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC);
25 Jun 2024 - rehoused, inventory and extent adjusted (MRC)
Inventory
| Autographs | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Donor's index to the collection - handwritten, date of creation unknown; does not match existing collection | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | A | ||||||||||
| Aziseel Ali (President, British Red Crescent Society), to F. Temple Esq., 24/10/25 L.H. Amerg, to Miss Olive Mcleod, 9/2/00 L.H. Amerg, to Miss Olive Mcleod, 27/7/03 L.H. Amerg, to Miss Olive Mcleod, 22/10/03 L.H. Amerg, to Miss Olive Mcleod, 20/11/03 Margot Asquith, 11/5/06 |
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| Box 1 | B | ||||||||||
| A.J. Balfour (Premier), 9/1/85 Henry Balfour, to Wm. Temple, 11/6/1919 Lord Balfour of Burleigh (Statesman) Bishop of Durham, 11/2/1870 Bramwell (doctor?), to Macleod, 28/12/04 Sir Bernard Burke, to Miss Northcote, 18/12/1874 Mr. Issac Butt (Leader of the Irish 1876), 6/26/1876 S.H. Butcher (classics Professor and writer), to Miss Olive Mcleod, 5/11/05 |
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| Box 1 | C-D | ||||||||||
| Joseph Chamberlain (tax Reformer), 5/28/? Sir John Chichester, 2/28/1921 Lord Cromer, 9/7/1905 Viscount, to F. Temple, 1/8/13? Danneuthier (pianist), to Miss Mcleod, 12/15/00 W. Dargan (capitalist, railroad contractor), to F. W. Stokes Esq., 9/14/1831 Davidson, to Miss Mcleod, 6/29/08 Lord Derby (foreign secretary), to Northcote, 21/?/78 Monseiur de Lesseps (engineer of the Suez Canal), 21/?/1876 Charles Scott Dickson, to Dear Lady Agnes, 3/29/1910 Benjamin Disraeli (prime minister) Bishop Doyle (artist), to C. Stuart, 14/8/1829 |
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| Box 1 | F-J | ||||||||||
| E. M. F. ?, to Miss Forbes, 1/31/1896 Lord George, to Miss Macleod, 7/2/? Mr. Gibson, Lord Ashbourne (Irish Chancellor), to Miss Macleod, 5/?/1882 R.S. Haldane (War Office), to Miss Macleod, 8/11/1906 Charles Halli, to Northcote, 6/27/? Baron Friedrich von Heigel, 8/12/1919 Lord James of Hereford, 11/6/1906 Jenny, to Miss Mcleod, 3/9/08 William Jones, to Miss Mcleod, 2/1/066 |
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| Box 1 | K-L | ||||||||||
| Kent, to Sir Bernard Burke, 12/18/1870 Marie Krebz (pianist), to Miss Northcote, 5/9/187 C. Lang (Bishop of Stepney), to Sir Reginald, 11/11/1886 Mr. Holkar, Sir John (lawyer, Lord Justice), 1/28/1876 Sir Wilfred Lawson (Temperance 1878), to Sir Stafford Northcote, 3/22/1878 Lillian, to Mcleoud, 12/23/1888 Sir Francis Lugard, to Wm. Temple, 12/4/1919 |
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| Box 1 | M | ||||||||||
| S. MacNaughtan, to Olive Mcleod, 6/19/? S. MacNaughtan, to Olive Mcleod, 2/10/? S. MacNaughtan, to Olive Mcleod, 11/15/? S. MacNaughtan, to Olive Mcleod, 6/3/15 John Manners (statesman), to Miss Mcleod, 2/15/1883 Mayo, Earl of (Governor General of India, assassinated), to Sir Bernard, 5/17/1869 Reginald McKenna (1863-1943, English lawyer, financier, politician), to Miss Macleod, 6/4/1906 Viscount Milner, to Miss Macleod, 6/4/1909 Mushrees[?] (Turkish Ambassador), to Sir Strafford, Oct/16/1876 |
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| Box 1 | O-P | ||||||||||
| Mr. John O'Donovan (Home Ruler), to Sir Bernard, May 23, 1855 O'Hagan (Irish Chancellor), to Sir Bernard, June 14, 1874 Lord Plunkett (Mr. Wm Plunkett), to Deed, May 26, 1797 |
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| Box 1 | R | ||||||||||
| Sir Henry Rawlinson (India Office, Asiatic researcher), to Sir Stafford Northcote,
Feb. 29, 1872 Lord Hugh Richard Heathcote Cecil (1869-1956, M.P., etc), to Sir Reginald Mcleod, Dec. 10, 1906 Fernando De los Rios, to Oliva Temple, April 14, 1926 Fernando De los Rios, to Mrs. C. L. Temple, May 19, ? Lord Roberts, to Mrs. Macleod, Mar. 1908 Lord Rosse (astronomer), to Mrs. Macleod, Feb. 20, 1865 |
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| Box 1 | S | ||||||||||
| Lord Salisbury (Prime Minister), to Miss MacLeod, Aug. 14, 1887 Col. Sanderson (M.P., Irish politician), to Wm. MacLeod, Feb. 5, 1888 Count Schowalobf (Russian Ambassador, Russo-Turk War), June 5, ? Earl of Selborne, to Olive MacLeod, Jan. 2, 1900 Earl of Selborne, to Olive MacLeod, Feb. 20, 1901 B.K.C. Sen, to Mrs. Hobhouse, 1/7/1873 Tom Shaw (1872-1938, Labor leader), to Mrs. Hobhouse, ? 20/ 1906 Mrs. Sidgwick, to Mrs. Hobhouse, Sept. 8, 1903 Sir John A. Simon, to Mrs. Hobhouse, Mar. 1, 1908 Sir John A. Simon, to Lady Agnes ?, June 22, 1909 Sir John A. Simon, to Mrs. Temple, May 31, 1915 W.H. Smith (Leader of the House) and Miss Cornelia Sorabji (First Woman advocate) (enclosed phamplet), to W. Macleod, Feb. 6, ? Dean Stanley (author), Mar. 5, ?77 Lord Strathcona, to Lady MacLeod, Mar. 21, 1906 Mr. R. S. Strutt (scientist), to Miss MacLeod, Feb. 25, ? D. of Sutherland, to Miss MacLeod, Ap. 27, 1905 |
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| Box 1 | T, W, Y | ||||||||||
| Violin Tree, to Olive MacLeod J. B. Trend, to Mrs. Temple, May 15, 1923 J. B. Trend, to Mrs. Temple, Sept. 15, 1926 Sir Charles Walston (orginally Waldstein, 1856-1927, born New York City, archaeologist and naturalist, British subject, to Miss MacLeod, Ap. 29, 1909 Baron Ward (diplomat in Duke of Lucais[?]'s service at Parma), to B. Burke Esq., Nov. 29, 1868 Weil, to Miss MacLeod, Nov. 19, 1906 Sir George S. White, to Miss MacLeod, Mar. 11, 1908 [Samuel] Wiberforce (Bishop of Winchester) [Richard] Yeo (medallist and engraver), to Robert Pitt Esq., Feb. 29, 1721 |
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| Box 1 | Unidentified or illegible | ||||||||||