A collection of notes by Horace Walpole over the course of three years -- 1759, 1771, 1786 -- on a very wide range of topics. The volumes for 1759 and 1771 include: notes on books he is reading; observations about historical events and historical figures are interspersed with observations about current political topics and prominent social figures. His strong interest in art is reflected in the predominance of his observations on architecture, painters, paintings, prints, and printmakers; descriptions of fine houses, their contents and owners; clippings from newspapers: notices of forthcoming auctions and newly published books of or about art and artists; poems celebrating artists; death notices of artists and printmakers as well as poetry celebrating the lives of artists. The volume for 1786 also includes observations about books that Walpole is reading, generally on antiquarian topics, English history, etc.; anecdotes about his friends and prominent society figures; comments on historical events, including debates on the slave and trade and the events in France; thoughts on Samuel Johnson, Shakespeare, Joshua Reynolds, Fanny Burney, Lady Lyttleton, Lord North, Lord and Lady Salisbury, Mrs. Clive, and other prominent public figures of the period; fragments of epigrams and poems
Description:
Horace Walpole (1717-1797), fourth earl of Orford, author, politician, and patron of the arts, youngest son of Robert Walpole, first earl of Orford (1676-1745), Britain's longest-serving prime minister., In English., Available in pdf format, Two volumes (1759 and 1771) bound in green vellum, one volume (1786) in red morocco with clasps. With Walpole's bookplate 2, in early state, in the 2nd volume and his seal as Lord Orford, type, in the 3rd volume. Each volume signed and dated., Photostat of vol.1 available, Unverified and incomplete transcripts of v. 1 (1759) and v.2 (1771)., and Two volumes in green vellum; one in red morocco with clasps. Bookplate 2 early state, in the second volume (1771); and seal as Lord Orford, type 1, in the third volume. Each volume signed and dated.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain. and Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797.
Subject (Topic):
Artists, Art, British, Art, Private collections, Historic buildings, Manors, Castles, Aristocracy (Social class), Homes and haunts, Politicians, Authors, English, Kings and rulers, History, and Social life and customs
No. 1 of 5 works bound together with binders' title: Strawberry Hill records. Ms. annotations. Possibly owned by Lowndes and Vade-Walpole., Caption title., Authorship and private printing attributed by Harvard to William T. Lowndes. Cf. RLIN., and PDF version available.
Publisher:
William Lowndes?
Subject (Geographic):
England and London
Subject (Name):
Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797. and Strawberry Hill Press (Twickenham, London, England)
Volume 1, page 9. Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Alternative Title:
Bishop Wainfleet and Bishop Waynflete
Description:
Title written in pencil below image., Date supplied by cataloger., Laid down on an ink line mount., and Mounted on page 9 in a volume of ca. 50 drawings that was assembled from works purchased by Horace Walpole at the Vertue sale of 1757. Now bound in red morocco, this volume has Walpole's manuscript title-page: Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue and others.
Volume 1, page 39. Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Alternative Title:
Bishop of Worcester
Description:
Title from note in ink below image., Date supplied by cataloger., Laid down on an ink line mount., and Mounted on page 39 in a volume of ca. 50 drawings that was assembled from works purchased by Horace Walpole at the Vertue sale of 1757. Now bound in red morocco, this volume has Walpole's manuscript title-page: Original drawings of heads, antiquities, monuments, views, &c. by George Vertue and others.
Wash drawing depicting one face of a bridge spanning a stream, with a depiction of the bridge's footprint drawn below. A scale bar is present at the bottom
Description:
Title from note below image in Thomas Kirgate's hand., Attribution to James Essex from annotation in Horace Walpole's hand on verso: Design for the face of a bridge over the rivulet at Twickenham which runs by Mr. Walpole's flower-garden and crosses the road between that and Mr. Briscoe's garden. Drawn by Mr. Essex., Date of production from local catalog card., Annotated in a later hand on verso: N. the back woud. run[?] to the angle of Mr. Briscoe's pole & the front woud. look sideways towards Mr. Walpole's garden, so as to be seen from the window of the Great Bedchamber., and Mounted on page 3 (formerly B) of Horace Walpole's extra-illustrated copy of his: A description of the villa of Mr. Horace Walpole. Strawberry Hill : Printed by Thomas Kirgate, 1784. See Hazen, A.T. Bibliography of the Strawberry Hill Press (1973 ed.), no. 30, copy 12.
Subject (Name):
Walpole, Horace 1717-1797 and Strawberry Hill (Twickenham, London, England)
Opposite page 131. Catalogue of the classic contents of Strawberry Hill.
Image Count:
1
Resource Type:
still image
Description:
Title engraved below image., Date of publication based on reference within design to Richard Cumberland's Anecdotes of eminent painters in Spain ..., first published in 1782., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Probably an illustration to a book or periodical., Temporary local subject terms: Mythology: Truth -- Literature -- Cherubs -- Symbols: Art -- Reading angel., Mounted to 28 x 22 cm., and Bound in opposite page 131 in an extra-illustrated copy of: A catalogue of the classic contents of Strawberry Hill.
Publisher:
publisher not identified
Subject (Name):
Walpole, Horace, 1717-1797., Cumberland, Richard, 1732-1811., and Dufresnoy, Charles-Alphonse, 1611-1668.
A headless Brissot, with his right arm stretched forward and his head under his left arm, runs toward Lord Lauderdale who is sitting on a rocking horse. Lauderdale turns back his head on a snake-like neck to look in surprise at his guillotined friend. From Brissot's neck cavity issues a warning "To lead the crowd midst faction's storm, I rode your hobby horse Reform, And found my arts prevail,Till other Lev'llers ruled the mob, And then I lost my seat and nob, Take warning L........." The rockers of the horse are inscribed "Reform" and move over a document with an attached seal, titled "Nolumus leges Angliae mutari."
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., One of a set of seven prints "Outlines of the Opposition ..."; see British Museum catalogue., and Mounted on page 79 with one other print.
Publisher:
Pubd. 17 March 1794 by H. Humphrey
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Brissot de Warville, J.-P. 1754-1793 (Jacques-Pierre), and Lauderdale, James Maitland, Earl of, 1759-1839
Subject (Topic):
Hobby horses, Decapitations, and Politics and government
A headless Brissot, with his right arm stretched forward and his head under his left arm, runs toward Lord Lauderdale who is sitting on a rocking horse. Lauderdale turns back his head on a snake-like neck to look in surprise at his guillotined friend. From Brissot's neck cavity issues a warning "To lead the crowd midst faction's storm, I rode your hobby horse Reform, And found my arts prevail,Till other Lev'llers ruled the mob, And then I lost my seat and nob, Take warning L........." The rockers of the horse are inscribed "Reform" and move over a document with an attached seal, titled "Nolumus leges Angliae mutari."
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., One of a set of seven prints "Outlines of the Opposition ..."; see British Museum catalogue., 1 print : etching on wove paper ; plate mark 29 x 23.8 cm, on sheet 31.7 x 25.9 cm., and Mounted on leaf 60 of James Sayers's Folio album of 144 caricatures.
Publisher:
Pubd. 17 March 1794 by H. Humphrey
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Brissot de Warville, J.-P. 1754-1793 (Jacques-Pierre), and Lauderdale, James Maitland, Earl of, 1759-1839
Subject (Topic):
Hobby horses, Decapitations, and Politics and government
A headless Brissot, with his right arm stretched forward and his head under his left arm, runs toward Lord Lauderdale who is sitting on a rocking horse. Lauderdale turns back his head on a snake-like neck to look in surprise at his guillotined friend. From Brissot's neck cavity issues a warning "To lead the crowd midst faction's storm, I rode your hobby horse Reform, And found my arts prevail,Till other Lev'llers ruled the mob, And then I lost my seat and nob, Take warning L........." The rockers of the horse are inscribed "Reform" and move over a document with an attached seal, titled "Nolumus leges Angliae mutari."
Description:
Title etched below image., Signed with the monogram of James Sayers., One of a set of seven prints "Outlines of the Opposition ..."; see British Museum catalogue., and Mounted to 42 x 35 cm.
Publisher:
Pubd. 17 March 1794 by H. Humphrey
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain
Subject (Name):
Brissot de Warville, J.-P. 1754-1793 (Jacques-Pierre), and Lauderdale, James Maitland, Earl of, 1759-1839
Subject (Topic):
Hobby horses, Decapitations, and Politics and government
Design for a Gothic building Lord Strafford's castle Wentworth in Yorkshire, with scale and measurements and notes on the design. In a letter dated 1 September 1760 Walpole wrote to Montagu: " Lord Strafford has erected the little Gothic building which I got Mr. Bentley to draw; I took the idea from Chichester cross -- It stands on a high bank in the menagerie, between a pond and a vale, totally bowered over with oaks."
Description:
Title from Horace Walpole's manuscript note in ink in upper left corner. and Formerly mounted on leaf 45 in an album assembled by Horace Walpole: Drawings and designs by Richd. Bentley ... [Strawberry Hill], [circa 1760].
