La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

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La Femme Bibliophile Female Book Collectors in An Age of Bibliomania

Transcript of La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

Page 1: La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

La Femme Bibliophile

Female Book Collectors in An Age

of Bibliomania

Page 2: La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

Title page of The bibliomania : or, Book-madness; containing some account of the history, symptoms and cure of this fatal disease, in an epistle addressed to Richard Heber, esq. / By Thomas Frognall Dibdin, F.S.A. 1809. Source: http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/pwp/browse.php?p=001

"Bibliomania is the term of Art used for the particular phenomenon of the late 18th century to the early

19th in which very rich men spent unfeasibly large sums

of money on books which they had no interest in

reading“

Caroline Murray, ‘Bibliomania’, Cambridge Library Collection Blog,

2013

1775-1830 – The Age of Bibliomania

Page 3: La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

Portrait of Sophia Banks by Nathaniel Hone I Source: National Gallery of Ireland.

Male Collectors:• Formed homosocial

groups• Eroticised their books by

comparing them to women or binding them in

women’s clothing• Positioned books against

women

Women as collectorsFemale Collectors:• Were seen to collect

decoratively, sentimentally, not

understanding the true value of what they had• Had their collections

subsumed into the contents of the

household• Were excluded from

institutions and social groups

Page 4: La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

"The New Woman may develop into a genuine book-lover; it is certain

that the old one will not. The Chinese article of

belief that women have no souls has, after all,

something in its favour."

W. Roberts The Book Hunter in London

William Roberts – Foremost Expert on Female Collectors?

Front cover of The Book Hunter in London / by Williams Roberts 1895. Source: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/special/minor/hague/

Page 5: La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

"You think wrong!—I have as much soul as you,—and full as much heart!"

- Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre

The Femme Bibliophiles

Frances Mary Currer

Richardson (1785 -1861)

Portrait by John James Masquerier. 1807.

Source: North Craven Building Preservation

Trust.

Lady Frances Vernon Harcourt

(1805-1872)Portrait by Henry Collen. 1839.

Source: Artnet

Lady Sydney Morgan

(1778-1859)Portrait by René Théodore Berthon. Source: National Gallery of Ireland.

?Miss

MargaretBothwell

Drummond (1795-1862)

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David Pearson’s Framework for Studying Private Libraries

ContentsAcquisition

Design and StorageMotivations

Destruction and Loss

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Subject Percentage of Collection

Religion 3%Jurisprudence 1%Philosophy (Including Science)

9%

Arts 3%History (including Geography)

43%

Literature 41%

Physical Feature Number of Books

On Large Paper 75In Black Letter 3Proofs on Normal Paper

2

Proofs on India Paper 17Manuscripts 28

Language Make-Up of MBD's Collection

LatinFrenchEnglishSpanishItalianGermanChinesePersianArabicHindostani

Location Printed

Percentage

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Date Printed

Miss Margaret Bothwell Drummond (1795-1862)

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Lady Frances Vernon Harcourt(1805-1872)Subject Percentage

of CollectionReligion 8%Jurisprudence 0%Philosophy (Including Science)

18%

Arts 12%History (including Geography)

44%

Literature 17%

Physical Feature Number of Books

On Large Paper 3In Black Letter 0Proofs on Normal Paper

0

Proofs on India Paper 4Manuscripts 0

Location Printed

Percentage

Non-Dated 16th Century 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century0

10

20

30

40

5060

70

80

Date PrintedLanguage Make-Up of FVH's Collection

Latin

French

English

German

Italian

Dutch and Spanish

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Lady Sydney Morgan 1778-1859Subject Percentage

of CollectionReligion 3%Jurisprudence 1%Philosophy (Including Science)

9%

Arts 3%History (including Geography)

43%

Literature 41%

Physical Feature Number of Books

On Large Paper 4In Black Letter 0Proofs on Normal Paper

0

Proofs on India Paper 1Manuscripts 1

Language Make-Up of SM's Collection

LatinFrenchEnglishGreekItalianGerman

Non-Dated 16th Century 17th Century 18th Century 19th Century0

1020304050607080

Date Printed

Location Printed

Percentage

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"Oh the happy, splendid and spiritual hours I have

passed with this book in my hands-with Him beside me - and all that was sublime in nature and art around me. Alas, alas! &c. 1845, Sept.

3d.“

-- Annotation in Lady Morgan’s copy of Itinerario Istruttivo di Roma, 1819.

Lady Sydney Morgan 1778-1859

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Frances Mary Richardson Currer1785-1861Subject Percentage

of CollectionReligion 14%Jurisprudence 2%Philosophy (Including Science)

8%

Arts 4%History (including Geography)

45%

Literature 28%

Physical Feature Number of Books

On Large Paper 301In Black Letter 84Proofs on Normal Paper

50

Proofs on India Paper 17Manuscripts 23

Language Make-Up of FMRC's Collection

LatinFrenchEnglishSpanishItalianOther

Non-Date

d

15th C

entur

y

16th C

entur

y

17th C

entur

y

18th C

entur

y

19th C

entur

y0

1020304050607080

Date Printed

Location Printed

Percentage

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Frances Mary Richardson Currer1785-1861

Currer’s Bookplate. Source: http://anguslibraryandarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/leading-female-book-collector.html

Lithograph of the Library at Eshton Hall. Source: A Catalogue of the Library Collected by Miss Richardson Currer at Eshton Hall / by Charles James Stewart and Frances Mary Richardson Currer. 1833.

Photos of the same room today. Source: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-31438870.html> [Accessed 1st of July 2014].

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• [regarding books in the Heber sale]"most valuable to many Bibliomaniacs, but not much in my style of books"

• "Moderate notoriety is by no means desirable for a woman" • [in response to Dibdin's request for her portrait for his

Reminiscences] "I don't doubt the Book will be an amusing one - and to have the Portraits of Gentlemen in it is very proper, but I don't think it would be pleasant for me to be in the Gallery - the only Lady- so very conspicuous!"

• " I must feel flattered by all you are pleased to say of me, though I am perfectly sincere when I tell you I had rather it had been less laudatory - I feel I don't deserve it & I fear others will be of the same opinion. The more Euphemia keeps her veil down, the better, or she may chance to be laughed at.“

• "with regard to me I have no objection to the dedication - I have only one request of matter & that is that as little may be said as possible - to do otherwise would only bring evidence to ill natured remarks upon me."

Frances Mary Richardson Currer1785-1861

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What Did I Learn?

• Female book collectors of this period are interesting.

• Collect one thing, collect lots of things.

• The display’s the thing.• Family is important.• It’s not what you know, it’s

who.

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Where do we go from here?

• Further research into the listed collectors

• Digitally reconstructing Currer’s library

• Subscription publishing• Book collecting amongst

more typical women

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Questions?

[email protected]@LucySaintSmith

Page 17: La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

Questions?

[email protected]@LucySaintSmith

Page 18: La Femme Bibliophile: Female book collectors in an age of bibliomania - Lucy Saint-Smith

Questions?

[email protected]@LucySaintSmith