An interesting collection of letters from noteable early New...

Hammer

£750

An interesting collection of letters from noteable early Newlyn School Artists Handwritten letters, consisting of: Stanhope Forbes, 2 x letters. Samuel John Lamorna Birch, 16 x letters including an ink sketch and a Fine Arts Society 1911 exhibition catalogue. All addressed to Woods or 'W H'. John Anthony Park, 3 x letters and one letter written by his wife Margaret. Harold Harvey, 4 x letters, all very chatty, all mentioning Alfred Munnings and his comings and goings in West Cornwall. Julius Olsson, 3 x letters. With the exception of the Forbes, all these letters are written to William Henry Woods, Alderman and one time Mayor of Preston, Lancashire, also one of the owners of WH & J Woods Tobacco Factory in Preston, a major employer in the town. Woods was also a good friend of Alfred Munnings who stayed with him at his house Moore Park in Preston. He was obviously a consistant patron and friend to all these artists and visited Cornwall from time to time. He purchased their work and encouraged friends to do the same. We learn from these letters that John Anthony Park, also from Preston had worked for Woods before coming to Cornwall. Birch wrote to him extensively. Woods died in 1924. This archive provides us with a fascinating and contemporary insight into the working lives of these Newlyn and Lamorna artists, and also their relationship with a man who was clearly an important patron and supporter to all of them. A valuable resource for historical research.