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Clara Watts-Dunton Scrapbook

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 24 Sep 2018

Biographical History

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was a Victorian era English poet. He is considered one of the Pre-Raphaelites, a collective term for a group of English artists, poets, critics and writers which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, and William Holman Hunt.

Clara (Reich) Watts-Dunton was the wife of English critic and poet Theodore Watts-Dunton, a close friend of Swinburne's. She is the author of The Home Life of Swinburne (1922), a first-person account of her observations on the poet's domestic habits and routines.

John S. Mayfield (1804-1983) was a prolific collector of manuscripts, first editions and other rare materials, focusing later in life on the English poet Algernon Charles Swinburne. In 1961, Mayfield was appointed as a curator of the division of manuscripts and rare books at Syracuse University.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Clara Watts-Dunton Scrapbook consists of a scrapbook, apparently compiled by Dunton and purchased by Mayfield, containing items pertaining to English poet Algernon Charles Swinburne and in particular to Watts-Dunton's book The Home Life of Swinburne (1922). Material includes reviews, letters to the editor, correspondence, etc. Laid in is additional material, including a signed photograph of Watts-Dunton and copies of her birth, marriage, and death certificates, evidently acquired by John S. Mayfield.

Arrangement of the Collection

The scrapbook is a bound volume, as compiled by the creator. Laid-in material is foldered chronologically.

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

See also the Algernon Charles Swinburne Collection. Special Collections Research Center also has an extensive collection of published Swinburne material in our Rare Books holdings; please refer to Libraries Search to locate these items.

Subject Headings

Persons

Mayfield, John S., 1904-1983.
Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 1837-1909.
Watts-Dunton, Clara.

Subjects

Authors, English.
English literature -- 19th century.
English poetry -- 19th century.
Poets, English.

Genres and Forms

Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Legal documents.
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.

Occupations

Authors.
Biographers.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Clara Watts-Dunton Scrapbook,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Presumably acquired and donated by John S. Mayfield.

Table of Contents

Memorabilia

Inventory