Russell: The Journal of Bertrand Russell Archives

Bibliographies/archival . . InventorIes Kate Amberley's album by Carl Spadoni McMASTER UNIVERSITY RECENTLY purchased an album of approximately sixty-five photographs and ninety-five letters, c. 184070 , which was once owned by Bertrand Russell's mother, Katharine, Viscountess Amberley. It would appear that Russell never owned the album, at least at the time that he edited the two volumes of The Amberley Papers (1937) with his third wife, Patricia, since none of the material from the album is quoted or cited in that work. Lady Amberley compiled many such albums in the course of her short life. Some of her albums contain photographs of family, friends and contemporaries and are located in Russell's library, which arrived at McMaster in 1978. Other albums included both photographs and letters. The contents, removed from the albums at one time, are listed in Barry Feinberg's Detailed Catalogue of the Archives of Bertrand Russell in the section devoted to the Amberley Papers. (This fact is not evident from the Catalogue itself but can be ascertained from detached album covers inside the archival boxes.) Russell, of course, regarded the papers of his parents as more than mere artifacts. For him, the papers represented a severed connection caused by the premature deaths of the Amberleys. Yet, in 1936, four months before the typescript of The Amberley Papers went to the printer, Russell apparently sold several letters from these papers. He had been approached by a man called Harry Wells who wanted to purchase the letters Russell had received from D.H. Lawrence. Russell was quite willing to sell his Lawrence letters and told Lady Ottoline Morrell: "I have other letters I should be glad to sell: 2 very characteristic from Mrs. Carlyle, 2 or 3 from Herbert Spencer, 2 nice letters from Huxley, I Palmerston, etc."l Several of the Amberley letters were I 10 March 1936, no. 1,747, Morrell papers, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center , University of Texas at Austin. 71 72 Russell summer 1987 undoubtedly sold in this way, particularly the ones from Mrs. Carlyle and Lord Palmerston, since they are printed in The Amberley Papers but are not be found in the Russell Archives. Lady Amberley's "new" album was auctioned by Christies on 4 November 1981 and was sold to an American manuscript and book dealer. Mr. John Lenz, a collector of Russelliana, saw the album for sale at a book fair. He informed the American dealer that the Russell Archives would probably be interested in purchasing the album. Unfortunately, by the time we were notified by the dealer, the album leaves had been cut and the contents offered for sale individually. We purchased all the album material still in the dealer's possession, tracked down and bought material sold elsewhere, and obtained photocopies of most of the letters in the hands of owners not willing to sell.2 The album covers have a brass clasp and measure 270 x 215 mm.; the binding is in red morocco, embossed and gold-tooled, with "KATE" stamped on the front board in Gothic lettering. All the leaves except two have been cut and removed, and the only item that now remains is an obituary newsclipping of Richard Cobden. On the front endpaper in pencil is written "Foster W Bond 19481 formerly the property ofC. Bertrand Thompson Esq". There is other writing, apparently in Thompson's hand, which identifies the Amberleys and the Stanleys and lists some of the correspondents. According to Mrs. Bond, it would appear that her husband, a philatelic collector, purchased the album sometime between 1933 and 1940 at a stamp auction either from Frank Maggs, Harmer Rooke & Co., or Robson Lowe. No further information is available about the album's provenance. What follows is a description in alphabetical order of the contents of this recently acquired album of Lady Amberley, filed as Recent Acquisition 754. With the exception of two photographs, all the material has been identified. Although there have been a few articles and chapters of books devoted to Russell's parents, no major study has been undertaken on their contribution to Victorian society since the publication 2 The only items that were not recovered in any form are...