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Sitwell family collection

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0886

Content Description

The Sitwell family collection, approximately 1921-1962, contains letters, a notebook, photographs, newspaper clippings, and books related to the siblings Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (1887-1964) and Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969), and their cousin by marriage, Constance Sitwell (1887-1974). There are four letters from Osbert Sitwell and one from Edith Sitwell: two of the letters are addressed to Constance Sitwell. Written in pencil and ink, the notebook belonged to Constance Sitwell. There are five photographs of Edith Sitwell and one of Edith and Osbert Sitwell. The newspaper clippings are reviews of Constance Sitwell's books.

Dates

  • Creation: approximately 1921-1962

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

The Sitwells were a literary family with a country estate at Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire, England. Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (1887-1964), Sir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell, 5th Baronet (1892-1969), and Sir Sacheverell Reresby Sitwell, 6th Baronet (1897-1988), were the children of Sir George Reresby Sitwell, 4th Baronet (1860-1943), and Lady Ida Denison Sitwell (1869-1937). Edith Sitwell is best known for her poetry and related performances, but also wrote popular biographies, literary criticism, and a novel. Osbert Sitwell wrote poetry and an extensive, four-volume autobiography, while Sacheverell Sitwell wrote poetry and books on art, architecture, and music. The siblings attracted much publicity and remained active on the avant-garde scene in London. Their respective and collective contributions to British modernism have been the subject of recent scholarship.

Their cousin by marriage, Constance Evelyn Mary Talbot Sitwell (1887-1974), was the daughter of Gustavus Arthur Chetwynd Talbot (1848-1920) and Susan Frances Elwes Talbot (1853-1934). Born in Sri Lanka (British Ceylon), she married Brigadier General William Henry Sitwell (1860-1932). She published travelogues, poetry, and a novel.

Source: A. Pero and G. Phillips, eds., The Many Facades of Edith Sitwell (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2017).

Extent

0.24 Cubic Feet (1 legal half-sized box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Sitwells were a literary family with a country estate at Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire, England. The collection contains letters, a notebook, photographs, newspaper clippings, and books related to the siblings Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell (1887-1964) and Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969), and their cousin by marriage, Constance Sitwell (1887-1974). The material dates from approximately 1921 to 1962.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Lord Durham Rare Books in December 2019.

Separated Materials

This collection includes four books to be catalogued separately: Constance Sitwell, Flowers and Elephants, 1927; Constance Sitwell, Lotus and Pyramid, 1928; Constance Sitwell, Petals and Places, 1935; and Edith Sitwell, A Notebook on William Shakespeare, 1948, inscribed to Sydney Goodsir Smith. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

Processing Information

Processed by Brooke Shilling in July 2021.

Title
Guide to the Sitwell family collection
Author
Brooke Shilling
Date
2021 July
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA