Archives: The Huntington Library

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The Huntington Library
www.huntington.org
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
+1 626.405.2100

The Huntington Library holds four collections of major importance to Elizabeth von Arnim scholars: the Elizabeth Mary Russell, Countess Russell papers: 40 boxes, 1,787 pieces (1890-1962); the Countess Russell – Henry Norman Papers: 1 box, 23 pieces (1931-1938); the Henry Herron Beauchamp Papers: 7 boxes, 121 pieces (1870-1942); and the W. Graham Robertson Papers: 3 letters by Elizabeth to Robertson (1910-1911). In addition, the library holds The Elizabeth Library, hundreds of books that were originally in Elizabeth von Arnim’s personal library.

Elizabeth Mary Russell, Countess Russell papers: 40 boxes, 1,787 pieces (1890-1962)
Finding Aid (pdf)
The collection consists of mHuntington-Archivesanuscripts, journals (scattered years between 1896-1941), journal typescripts, ephemera, and correspondence by Countess Russell. There is also correspondence addressed to Countess Russell in the collection, and manuscripts by
Mathilde Blind (Love’s completeness : a poem), E.M. Forster (Nassenheide), Geoffrey Kerr (A scenario), and Katherine Mansfield (Poems). Correspondents in the collection whose letters are addressed mostly to Countess Russell include: Augustine Birrell (23 letters), Alexander Stewart Frere (48 letters), E.M. Forster (4), Katherine Mansfield (copies of 27 letters), Rudyard Kipling (1), George Moore (22), Bertrand Russell (9), George Santayana (5), John S. Skidmore (16), and H.G. Wells (2). Of the letters by Countess Russell in the collection, the majority are addressed to the following persons: Kathleen Arnold (28 letters), Marie Luise Backe (61 letters), Elizabeth von Arnim Butterworth (687), Alexander Stewart Frere (237), Olive Guthrie (copies of 16 letters), Katherine Mansfield and John Middleton Murry (42 copies of letters and autograph letters), Margery Waterlow Norton (copies of 14 letters), Maud Ritchie (copies of 87 letters), and Sir Hugh Walpole (112).

Countess Russell – Henry Norman Papers: 1 box, 23 pieces (1931-1938)
Finding Aid (pdf)
The collection consists of letters written by Elizabeth Russell, Countess Russell, to her friend and neighbor, Henry Norman. The letters span the years 1931 to 1938, and discuss her life, family and friends, the current authors of the day, including Michael Field, James M. Cain, Rebecca West, and Virginia Woolf, as well as current political events and the rise of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.

Henry Herron Beauchamp Papers: 7 boxes, 121 pieces (1870-1942):
Finding Aid (pdf)
The collection consists of H.H. Beauchamp’s Journals with typewritten transcriptions for the years 1870-1907, in which he wrote extensively about family matters, as well as, his travels, often pasting in photos, newspaper clippings and other printed material about the places he visited; the collection also includes letters written by Beauchamp, mainly to his wife, Elizabeth Lassetter Beauchamp, and other family members. A second major part of the collection is the Elizabeth Mary, Countess Russell, Address book, correspondence, with one letter by George Moore, ephemera and manuscripts, which consist of two typewritten copies and printed proof sheets of her novel, “Mr. Skeffington.”

Graham Robertson Papers: 3 letters by Elizabeth to Robertson (1910-1911), WR 505-507

The Elizabeth Library:
Held in the Rare Books collection at the Huntington Library, these volumes were part of the author’s personal library. The call numbers of the volumes in the Elizabeth Library are 644801-645129. Records for the whole library are available on the Huntington Online Catalogue; do an author search for: “von Arnim, Elizabeth, former owner”. These books were originally held by Ann Hardham and her siblings, but more importantly, they had a book dealer go through the volumes and he took an unknown number of volumes to sell on behalf of the family; the volumes which remained were donated to the Huntington.

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