]> swinburne_ac Algernon Charles Swinburne Collection An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University ASE &su_name; &su_address; May 1994 AMCon 18 Apr 2007 English 21 Dec 2010 - ink portrait, P-10-389 (MRC)18 Apr 2007 - converted to EAD (AMCon)21 Dec 2010 - added portrait (MRC)15 Aug 2018 - 2 missing items noted (MS) Overview of the Collection &su_name; &su_address; Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 1837-1909. Algernon Charles Swinburne Collection 1858-1948 1 linear ft. Papers of the English poet, author. 76 outgoing letters; 8 items of incoming correspondence; 32 letters by Swinburne's contemporaries, some mentioning him; ms. poems and miscellaneous writings by Swinburne; 6 ms. items by others; and a small amount of Swinburne miscellany, including a photograph, a watercolor drawing by Pauline Trevelyan, and a reproduction of a Swinburne caricature by Carlo Pellegrini. Includes letters by William Allingham, Laurence Alma-Tadema, Edward Burne-Jones, Edmund Gosse, Victor Hugo, Benjamin Jowett, E. Lynn Linton, Frederick Locker-Lampson, William M. Rossetti, Richard Herne Shepherd, and Ellen Terry. 149652 English Biographical History

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was a Victorian era English poet. He was born in London to Admiral Charles Henry Swinburne and Lady Jane Henrietta, a daughter of George, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham, but grew up on the Isle of Wight. Swinburne attended Eton college and then Balliol College, Oxford where he took several prizes for French and Italian but was "rusticated" (temporarily expelled) from the university in 1859. 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. Two early works, Atalanta in Calydon (1865) and Poems and Ballads, First Series (1866), established him as England's premier poet, though critics have noted with disfavor his florid style and his tendency to choose words for their fitness to rhyme scheme rather than their contribution to the meaning of a piece.

Besides his poetry, Swinburne was active as a critic, and authored several volumes of literary criticism including Note on Charlotte Brontë (1880), Study of Shakespeare (1877), and The Age of Shakespeare (1909). His criticism was less reasoned than passionate, being strongly influenced by his personal likes and dislikes.

His personal life was chaotic owing to his excitable temperament, which was not improved by his excessive drinking, and a fondness for portraying himself as a master of vices of all kinds (though Oscar Wilde alleged that Swinburne's vices were all invented fictions, calling him "a braggart in matters of vice, who had done everything he could to convince his fellow citizens of his homosexuality and bestiality without being in the slightest degree a homosexual or a bestializer."). In 1879 his legal advisor Theodore Watts-Dunton persuaded him to adopt a healthier lifestyle; as a result of this and of his increasing deafness he saw less of those of his friends who were a negative influence. Swinburne lived the rest of his days at "The Pines," Watts-Dunton's house outside London. He died of influenza in 1909.

[Portions of this biographical sketch adapted from "A. C. Swinburne: Biography" by Glenn Everett, Associate Professor of English, University of Tennessee at Martin.]

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Spanning 1858 to 1948, the Algernon Charles Swinburne Collection consists of Correspondence, Writings, and Miscellany pertaining to the 19th century English poet and author (1837-1909). The Correspondence comprises 76 outgoing letters, 10 incoming letters, and 32 letters, some referring to Swinburne, written by his contemporaries. Manuscript poems and miscellaneous writings (41 items), writings by others (6 items), and assorted material relating to Swinburne constitute the remainder of the collection. Cecil Y. Lang's The Swinburne Letters (1959-1962), as well as the curatorial files of John S. Mayfield housed in the Department of Special Collections, were used to establish many of the names and dates found in this inventory.

Subject and Genre HeadingsLiterature -- British Allingham, William, 1824-1889. Alma-Tadema, Laurence, -1940. Burne-Jones, Edward Coley, 1833-1898. Gosse, Edmund, 1849-1928. Hugo, Victor, 1802-1885. Jowett, Benjamin, 1817-1893. Linton, E. Lynn (Elizabeth Lynn), 1822-1898. Locker-Lampson, Frederick, 1821-1895. Rossetti, William Michael, 1829-1919. Shepherd, Richard Herne, 1842-1895. Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 1837-1909. Terry, Ellen, Dame, 1847-1928. Pellegrini, Carlo. Trevelyan, Pauline, 1905- Authors, English. English literature -- 19th century. English poetry -- 19th century. Poets, English. Letters (correspondence) Manuscripts (document genre) Poems. Authors. Poets. 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.

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Algernon Charles Swinburne Collection &su_name;

Acquisition Information

Assembled through gifts by John S. Mayfield and Library purchases.

Inventory Correspondence

Correspondence is arranged chronologically.

Correspondence of Swinburne Charlemont (Lady) no year Jun 20 1 Appleton, C. E. no year Dec 18 1 Gosse, Edmund undated 1 Hatch, Edwin undated 1 Meredith (Mrs.) undated 1 Tupper, Martin F. undated 1 Venturi, Emilie Ashurst no year Jan 9 1 Watts-Dunton, Theodore undated 1 "Dear Sir" (2) undated 1 Hatch, Edwin 1858 Feb 17 1 Brown 1864 Jul 5 1 Ruskin, John 1866 Mar 21? 1 Knight, Joseph 1866 Aug 4 1 Hotten, John Camden 1866 Sep 20 1 Rossetti, William Michael (fragment) 1866 Oct 15 1 Hotten, John Camden 1866 Nov 4 1 Hotten, John Camden 1866 Nov 6 1 unidentified (fragment) 1866? 1 Stoddard, Richard Henry 1867 Jan 1 1 Taylor, Bayard 1867 Mar 18 1 Routledge, Edmund 1867 Dec 11 1 Collingwood, J. Frederick? 1868 Jan 31 1 "My Dear Sir" 1868 May 14 1 Haweis, Hugh Reginald 1870 Feb 13 1 Haweis, Hugh Reginald 1870 May? 1 Ellis, F. S. 1870 Aug 26 1 Forman, H. Buxton 1872 Jan 22 1 Watts-Dunton, Theodore 1875 Jan 20 1 Jeremiah, John 1875 Nov 20 1 Hueffer, Francis 1875 Dec 11 1 "Sir" 1876 Jan 15 1 Watts-Dunton, Theodore 1876 Apr 19 1 Bentley, Richard 1876 Jul 27 1 Hayne, Paul Hamilton 1877 Mar 20 1 Pfeiffer, J. E. 1877 Mar 22 1 "Dear Sir" 1877 Jun 12 1 Chatto, Andrew 1878 Jan 31 1 Watts-Dunton, Theodore 1878 Feb 7 1 Forman, H. Buxton (subscription) 1878 Apr 23 1 Forman, H. Buxton 1878 Dec 8 1 Chatto, Andrew 1879 Jul 14 1 Rossetti, William Michael 1879 Nov 15 1 Rossetti, William Michael 1879 Nov 27 1 Pearson, John 1880 Oct 12 1 "Dear Sir" 1880 Oct 14 1 Gosse, Edmund 1881 Mar 1 1 Chatto, Andrew 1881 Apr 4 1 "Sir" 1881? 1 Chatto, Andrew 1882 Feb 26 1 Forman, H. Buxton 1882 Apr 17 1 Forman, H. Buxton 1882 Jul 29 1 Purnell, Thomas 1884 Feb 14 1 Locker-Lampson, Frederick 1886 Mar 24 1 Pollington (Lord) 1887 Jan 11 1 Patrick, David 1887 Jan 27 1 Arnold, Edwin 1887 May 1 1 Nutt, Alfred T. 1888 Apr 22 1 unidentified 1888 Oct 4 1 Black, William 1888 Nov 4 1 Every, Frederic 1889 Mar 14 1 Graves, Charles L. 1889 Jul 29 1 "Dear Sir" 1892 Oct 10 1 Knowles, James Thomas 1895 Mar 19 1 Watts-Dunton, Theodore 1896 Jul 20 1 Grosart, Alexander Balloch 1898 Jun 16 1 "Dear Sir" 1898 Jun 25 1 Gosse, Edmund 1899 Mar 1 1 Swinburne (Lady) 1899 Jun 9 1 Ingersoll, Eva Farrell 1899 Dec 5 1 Heinemann, W. 1901 Jan 10 1 Saturday Review (receipt) 1901 Jan 12 1 Swinburne sisters (postmarked Apr 9) 1901 Apr 16 1 Payne, John 1902 Sep 28 1 Grainger, H. A. 1903 Jul 27 1 Earle, Algie 1906 Jun 7 1 Incoming correspondence Aubertin, John James 1878 Jun 2 1 Black, William 1888 Nov 7 1 Dalston & Son 1867 Jan 1 1 Gosse, Edmund 1879 Dec 31 1 Harrison, Edwin 1876 May 22 1 Lytton-Bulwer, Edward 1866 Aug 5 1 Morley, John 1874 Aug 15 1 Morley, John 1880 Jul 11 1 Powell, George 1877 Aug 9 1 Venturi, Emilie Ashurst 1886 Jun 5 1 Correspondence of others Allingham, William (to Knowles) no year Jun 9 1 Alma-Tadema, Laurence (to Young, W. P.) 1893 Mar 28 1 Buchanan, Robert (to Clarke, Campbell) 1872 Aug 22 1 Burne-Jones, Edward (to Shaw, R. Norman) 2 letters 1886 1 Currie, James (to Swinburne, John) 1803 Aug 8 1 Gosse, Edmund (to Stuart (Mr.)) 1884 Sep 24 1 Gosse, Edmund (to Ward, William C.) 1892 Apr 9 1 Gosse, Edmund (to Ward, William C.) 1892 Apr 11 1 Gosse, Edmund (to Ward, William C.) 1893 Feb 23 1 Greene, Fannie H. (to Hotten, John Camden) undated 1 Hugo, Victor (to Haweis, Hugh Reginald) 1870 Apr 24 1 Jowett, Benjamin (to Holland, H. M.) 1877 Dec 21 1 Lambe, John Lawrence (to Ellis (Mr.)) 1920 Mar 8 1 Linton, E. Lynn (to unidentified) 1868 May 23 1 Linton, E. Lynn (to unidentified) 1890 Nov 27 1 Linton, E. Lynn (to unidentified) 1893 Jan 19 1 Locker-Lampson, F. (to unidentified) no year Feb 24 1 Masefield, John (to Mayfield, J. S.) 1952 Dec 2 1 Moreton, R. L. (to Gosse, Philip) 1948 Aug 14 1 Morley, John (to Austin (Mr.)) 1881 May? 5 1 Mosher, Thomas Bird (to unidentified) 1902 May 30 1 Rossetti, Christina (to Heimann (Mrs.)) 1864 Dec 14 1 Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (to Shorter (Mr.)) no year Nov 11 1 Rossetti, William M. (to unidentified) 1850 Feb 18 1 Rossetti, William M. (to Sandys, Frederick) 1884 Apr 8 1 Rossetti, William M. (to Anthony, Constance) 1895? Apr 12 1 Shepherd, Richard Herne (to Kitton, F. G.) 1884 Jan 23 1 Shepherd, Richard Herne (to Kitton, F. G.) 1885 Dec 5 1 Shepherd, Richard Herne (to Kitton, F. G.) 1886 Jan 6 1 Shepherd, Richard Herne (to Kitton, F. G.) 1886 Mar 8 1 Terry, Ellen (to Watts-Dunton, T.) 1904 Sep 2 1 Writings Writings of Swinburne "Adieux a Marie Stuart" 2 Ah, what is it to give up all! . . . 2 "Autumn in Cornwall" 2 Ballad of Life (fragment) 2 "Before Dawn" 2 "Birthday Ode" [to Victor Hugo] 2 "Chanson" (photostat only) 2 Chastelard 2 Chastelard (fragment) / Italian poem (verso) 2 The Cup of God's Wrath (photostat only) 2 "The Death of Richard Wagner" 2 "Elegy 1869-1891" 2 "Frank Fane" ; "Will Drew and Phil Crewe" 2 "Government of Florence" 2 "Hawthorne Tide" 2 "In San Lorenzo" (photostats only) 2 "An Interlude" 2 Lines from a respectable rat-catcher 2 "The Litany of Nations" 2 Love's Cross Currents / A Year's Letters 2 Lyrical poem - untitled 2 "Mary Beaton" 2 "Nell Gwyn" 2 Nevertheless there was. . . 2 "A New Year's Message to Joseph Mazzini" 2 Notes on Aeschylus 2 "An Old Saying" 2 "On the Death of Louis Blanc" 2 "On the Death of Sir Henry Taylor" 2 "On the Distinction between Annals and History" 2 Pocket notebook 2 "Rondel" 2 "Satia te Sanguine" 2 The sun & the wind & the spring. . . 2 Untitled play 2 "What He Was Not" 2 "Will Drew and Phil Crewe"

See "Frank Fane" ; "Will Drew and Phil Crewe"

"William the Ranter on William the Canter" 2 The Young Tamlane 2 Miscellany Quotations of others in Swinburne's hand 2 John Heath book [MISSING Aug 2018] 2 The Standard (London, England) [MISSING Aug 2018] 17 Mar. 1884 2 Writings of others Gosse, Edmund Life of A. C. Swinburne (ms. notebook) 2 Gosse, Philip Henry "Sanguinaria" 2 Hugo, Victor "Les Enfants Pauvres" 2 Rossetti, Dante Gabriel "The entail"; also "Venus Verticordia" 2 Scott, Clement William "Quid Foemina Possit" 2 unidentified prose fragment (French) 2 Miscellaneous Bank check signed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti 2 Caricature of A. C. Swinburne by Carlo Pellegrini 2 Certificates (4) - Balliol College (copies only) 2 List of Poems and Ballads recipients 2 Material relating to Lesbia Brandon assembled by R. Hughes 2 Photograph of A. C. Swinburne by Thomas Ashburnham 2 Portrait of A. C. Swinburne, artist unknown, pen and ink 2 Watercolor drawing of A. C. Swinburne by Pauline Trevelyan. 2