George Bernard Shaw letters and photographs, 1889-1945 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Title: George Bernard Shaw letters and photographs, 1889-1945

ID: 01/02/02/POST-1650 MS 0656

Primary Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Other Creators: Shaw, Bernard (1856-1950), Walker, Emery (1851-1933)

Extent: 22.0 Items

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following series:

Series I: Correspondence

Series II: Photographs

Series III: Article

The Correspondence and Photographs series are arranged chronologically, with undated items placed at the end.

Date Acquired: 09/04/1953

Subjects: Drama, Esher, Reginald Baliol Brett - Viscount - 1852-1930, Furniss, Harry - 1854-1925, Henderson, Archibald - 1877-1963, Kingsmill, Hugh - 1889-1949, Leigh, Vivien - 1913-1967, Shaw, Bernard - 1856-1950 - Passion, poison, and petrifaction, Shaw, Charlotte Frances - 1857-1943, Squire, John Collings - Sir - 1884-1958, Twain, Mark - 1835-1910, Wilde, Oscar - 1854-1900

Languages: English

This collection (22 items) contains letters and postcards by Irish playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw, as well as photographic portraits of Shaw.

The Correspondence series consists of 13 letters from Shaw to various correspondents, as well as 1 incoming letter to Shaw with his response. Shaw wrote about his and others' works, including Passion, Poison & Petrifaction (George Bernard Shaw), "Wagner at Bayreuth" (George Bernard Shaw), Frank Harris (Hugh Kingsmill), and "The International Fame of Mark Twain" (Archibald Harrison). He also referred to his social life and shared brief opinions on socialism and Frank Harris's representation of Oscar Wilde. See below for more specific information about each letter.

The Photographs series (7 items) includes cabinet cards and prints of various sizes. Most of the photographs are portraits of George Bernard Shaw, including formal portraits taken in 1889 and 1906.

The Magazine Article is a two-page excerpt from The Queen (November 14, 1945), including an article about George Bernard Shaw and Vivien Leigh.

Link to catalog record: https://i-share-uiu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_UIU/gpjosq/alma99380621712205899

George Bernard Shaw (July 26, 1856-November 2, 1950) is best known for his humorous plays, political essays, and other writings. The son of Lucinda Elizabeth Gurly and George Carr Shaw, he was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, along with his two sisters, Lucinda Frances and Elinor Agnes. His mother and sisters moved to London, England, in 1873 with her music teacher, George John Lee; his father remained in Dublin. George Bernard Shaw joined them there in 1876.

During his first years in Dublin, Shaw frequented the British Museum's reading room, where he worked on several unsuccessful novels and short stories, as well as a few early plays. By the mid-1880s he had become committed to Socialism; he regularly delivered political speeches, wrote extensively about political issues, and was prominently involved with groups such as the Fabian Society and the Independent Labour Party. In 1885, he found work as a journalist, publishing criticism of theater, books, fine art, and music. Shaw continued to compose and publish comedic plays and became, by the turn of the century, one of Great Britain's most famous and highly regarded playwrights. Shaw received the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1925 and maintained his literary output until his death from kidney failure in 1950.

Shaw married Charlotte Frances Payne-Townshend (1857-1943), also a native of Ireland, in 1898; they had no children. The Shaws lived at 10 Adlephi Terrace from 1898 to 1927 and then moved into a flat at Whitehall Court; additionally, they maintained a country home in Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, from 1906 until Shaw's death. The site, known as Shaw's Corner, is now administered by the National Trust.

Sources

Weintraub, Stanley. "Shaw, George Bernard." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online edition. Oxford University Press, 2013. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/36047

Drama
Esher, Reginald Baliol Brett - Viscount - 1852-1930
Furniss, Harry - 1854-1925
Henderson, Archibald - 1877-1963
Kingsmill, Hugh - 1889-1949
Leigh, Vivien - 1913-1967
Shaw, Bernard - 1856-1950 - Passion, poison, and petrifaction
Shaw, Charlotte Frances - 1857-1943
Squire, John Collings - Sir - 1884-1958
Twain, Mark - 1835-1910
Wilde, Oscar - 1854-1900

Repository: Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

This collection is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reproduction and publication policies are available here. The library welcomes requests for reproductions made from works in our collections, though restrictions may apply to certain materials. Please contact the library with any questions.

Acquisition Source: Chislett

Separated Materials: Some materials in this collection may have been acquired with the George Bernard Shaw letters to Alma Murray (Post-1650 MS 0126).

Related Materials: The Rare Book & Manuscript Library holds copies of many of George Bernard Shaw's plays, essays, and other writings. Additional manuscript collections include the George Bernard Shaw letters to Alma Murray (Post-1650 MS 0126) and the George Bernard Shaw clippings (Post-1650 MS 0510).

Preferred Citation: George Bernard Shaw letters and photographs, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Other Note: Former Shelfmark: 822 SH26YSL

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Correspondence, 1905-1932

Box 1

Folder 1

Item 1: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, Derry House, Rosscarbery, County Cork, to Harry Furniss, 1905 August 6

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Postmarked from St. John's Wood. Discusses American copyright and mentions the possibility of offering Passion, Poison & Petrifaction to the Actors' Orphanage.

Item 2: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, Derry House, Rosscarbery, County Cork, to Harry Furniss, 1905 August 12

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Photographic postcard with a formal portrait of George Bernard Shaw. With Shaw's caption, "Good old Shaw!". Discusses the possibility of adding illustrations to one of Shaw's works, likely Passion, Poison and Petrifaction.

Item 3: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, 10 Adelphi Terrace, London, to Harry Furniss, 1905 December 9

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Praises the illustrations in Furniss's 1905 Christmas Annual; likely related to Passion, Poison and Petrifaction.

Folder 2

Item 4: Letter from George Bernard Shaw, 10 Adelphi Terrace, London, to Beatty, 1906 April 11

1 item (2 pages): manuscript. Addressed to either Mr. or Mrs. Beatty. Presents, at length, Shaw's objections to visiting a sanitorium run by a female doctor.

Item 5: Letter from George Bernard Shaw, 10 Adelphi Terrace, London, to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 1909 May 4

1 item (2 pages): manuscript. Addressed to "Lord Esher". Affirms Shaw's intention to attend Thursday's committee meeting, despite his complaints about its "babblings + chatterings". Requests that Esher bring his "talented young authoress" to lunch. Affirms his support for Pinero's knighthood.

Item 6: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, 10 Adelphi Terrace, London, to A. L. Simpson, 1909 June 11

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Written on a pre-printed card: "I have received your letter; but my correspondence is too far in arrear to allow me to do more than send you this acknowledgment." Discusses a group of "wretched creatures" who, he believes, discredit Socialism.

Item 7: Letter from George Bernard Shaw, Westarp Strasse, Schoeneberg, Berlin, to Archibald Henderson, 1911?

1 item (2 pages): manuscript. With original envelope. "A Word about Mark Twain" written on envelope in a contemporary hand. "Bernard Shaw" and "F. Meine December 1, 1966" written on envelope in a later hand. Discusses Henderson's North American Review article, "The International Fame of Mark Twain". Mentions some Germans' lingering negative reaction to Twain's characterization of the German language. With original envelope.

Folder 3

Item 8: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, to J. C. Squire, 1927 May 7

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Nominates Mary Webb and Wyndham Lewis to "the Academic Committee" and requests that Squire second his nomination for Lewis. Mentions the committee members' average age.

Item 9: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, to Mrs. Colthurst, 1929 July 16

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Recipient is likely Shaw's niece, Cecily Charlotte Colthurst (née Cholmondeley). Refuses Colthurst's request to autograph a book that will then be sold and alludes to a large number of similar requests. Offers to autograph a book for Colthurst and suggests that she can then donate it to a charitable sale.

Item 10: Letter from George Bernard Shaw, Malvern Hotel, Malvern, Worcestershire, to W. Courthope Forman, 1929 September 9

1 item (1 page): manuscript. With original envelope. Written on Forman's original letter to Shaw, dated 5 September 1929. Responds to Forman's inquiry about the publication of Shaw's article "Wagner in Bayreuth".

Item 11: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, to A. L. Simpson, 1930 March 26

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Notes that Kelmscott Manor still draws tourists and believes that Miss Morris will keep it afloat.

Folder 4

Item 12: Letter from George Bernard Shaw, 4 Whitehall Court, London, to Hugh Kingsmill, 1932 June 16

1 item (1 page): typescript. Discusses Kingsmill's biography of, and his own feelings about, Frank Harris.

Item 13: Postcard from George Bernard Shaw, 4 Whitehall Court, London, to Hugh Kingsmill, 1932 October 5

1 item (1 page): manuscript. Discusses Robert Sherard's intention to write further about Oscar Wilde and encourages Kingsmill to prevent Sherard from further tarnishing Wilde's and Frank Harris's reputations.

Item 14: Letter from George Bernard Shaw to Hugh Kingsmill?

1 item (2 pages): manuscript. Shaw's text is interspersed with extracts from Kingsmill's original letter, which are pasted onto the paper. Defends Frank Harris's biographical treatment of Oscar Wilde and discusses Wilde's activities and trial.

Series 2: Photographs, 1889-1945?

Box 1

Folder 5

Item 15: Emery Walker portrait of George Bernard Shaw, London?, 1889 February 3

1 photograph: albumen print on card mount; mount 17 x 11 cm (cabinet card format). Statement of responsibility from pencil note on back.

Item 16: Emery Walker portrait of George Bernard Shaw, London?, 1891 July

1 photograph: albumen print on card mount; mount 17 x 11 cm (cabinet card format). Includes Shaw's inscription to Grant Richards, "This is not much more than 50 years out of date", dated 26 November 1936. Statement of responsibility from National Portrait Gallery.

Folder 6

Item 17: Portrait of George Bernard Shaw, 1893 March 26

1 photograph: print; 7.5 x 10 cm. Date from pencil note on back.

Item 18: Photograph of George Bernard and Charlotte Payne-Townshend Shaw, 1898?

1 photograph: print; 10 x 13 cm. Image shows Shaw sitting in a wheelchair with his left foot encased in a wrap.

Item 19: Howard E. Gilham reproduction of George Bernard Shaw self-portrait, Byfleet, Surrey, after 1930

1 photograph: print on card mount; mount 24 x 22 cm. Original image, titled "George Bernard Shaw, from a photograph taken by himself and printed by F.H. Evans", taken at Maybury Knoll, Woking, around 1906. Original image includes Shaw's manuscript notes about the portrait, dated 1930 December 1. Printed label on back reads, "this photograph has been reproduced by Howard E. Gilham, 66 Foxberry Road, Brockley, London, SE[?], with the kind permission of George Bernard Shaw. Not to be reproduced". Gilham's London address is crossed out and replaced in a manuscript hand with "at The Oaks. Church Road, Byfleet, Su[rrey]".

Folder 7

Item 20: Photograph of George Bernard Shaw and Vivien Leigh, Shaw's Corner, Hertforshire, 1945?

1 photograph: print; 13 x 20 cm. Location and date from The Queen, November 14, 1945.

Item 21: Photograph of George Bernard Shaw, undated

1 photograph: print, 10 x 13 cm. Image shows Shaw in a grassy field holding a book. Likely late 19th century to early 20th century.

Series 3: Magazine Article, 1945

Box 1

Folder 8

Item 22: Page from The Queen, England, 1945 November 14

1 item (2 pages): magazine clipping. One page numbered 16. Includes a photograph of George Bernard Shaw with Vivien Leigh, taken at Shaw's Corner, Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire. Articles concern the Cockney accent, a complaint against Lord Woolton (partial article), and the training of the thoroughbred Triumphal.