Arrangement
Items related to Margaret Ruskin and Arthur Severn are followed by John Ruskin's letters to Joan Severn, which are arranged chronologically.
Abstract
This collection consists primarily of letters that John Ruskin wrote to his cousin, Joan Severn, while traveling in France, Italy, and Switzerland in the fall of 1888.
Administrative/Biographical History
A native of London and Surrey, England, John Ruskin (1819-1900) matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1837 and received his MA in 1843. He became an influential art and social critic and founded the Ruskin School of Drawing at Oxford in 1871; he held the Slade professorship there from 1871-1878 and 1883-1884. In June 1888, Ruskin traveled to France with Arthur Severn; he later continued on to Italy, Switzerland, and back to France before returning to England that December.
Joan Severn (née Agnew) (1846-1924), a cousin of John Ruskin, nursed him through several mental health difficulties in his later years. She and her husband, Arthur, were close friends of John Ruskin and the Ruskin family.
Source
Hewison, Robert. "Ruskin, John (1819-1900)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online edition. Oxford University Press: 2016. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/24291.
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