Scope and Contents
The Violet Trefusis Papers document the life of Violet Trefusis, particularly her later life of the 1940's-1960's, and her career as a writer. The Papers consist of correspondence, writings, photographs, and a miniature portrait of Trefusis. The material spans the years 1924-1971, and has been organized into four series: Correspondence, Writings, Additional Materials, and January 2003 Acquisition. The January 2003 Acquisition has not been merged with the rest of the collection and is listed separately.
Series I, Correspondence (1939-1956) , contains letters to and from Violet Trefusis. The majority of the correspondence consists of 72 letters to John Phillips, whom Trefusis met in 1960. In them she discusses her life in Florence, Paris and Saint-Loup-de-Naud, her travels around Europe, her health, and her many friends and acquaintances. With these letters is a spiral-bound photocopy of typescripts of many of the letters, including explanatory footnotes by Phillips. The letters to Trefusis include letters from Alice Keppel, detailing Keppel's life during and after World War II, and mentioning money concerns, family matters and acquaintances. There are also several letters from Trefusis' sister, Sonia Keppel (Mrs. Ronald Cubitt), primarily discussing their mother and the sale of their mother's possessions after her death. Also included are letters from the French and British governments regarding Trefusis' return to France after the war, and her nomination to the Légion d'honneur, as well as one letter from Harold Nicolson, husband of Vita Sackville-West. Other correspondence includes letters from Alice Keppel to her husband George Keppel discussing Sonia (whom she calls "Doey") and Violet (called "Bye"), one letter from Frank Ashton-Gwatkin and one from Alice Segodnia, both to John Phillips.
Series II, Writings (1940-1956) , contains holographs and typescripts of novels, memoirs, plays, short stories and other writings by Trefusis, including several of her broadcasts for the BBC, and descriptions of people she knew, including Colette, the Sitwells, and Louise de Vilmorin.
Series III, Additional Materials (1924-1939) , contains a large photograph album with approximately 600 photographs taken in the 1920s and 1930s, primarily by Violet's father, George Keppel, at the Keppels' Villa dell'Ombrellino in Florence. The album contains photographs of many members of the aristocracy, nobility and literary elite of the day, including Lady Clementine Churchill, Antoinette, duchesse d'Harcourt, Raymond Mortimer, Winaretta, princesse de Polignac, Sir George Reresby Sitwell, and Osbert Sitwell. A list of names of individuals appearing in the album is available in the Appendix. A full listing of the contents of the album, including a description of each photograph, is included in the box with the album. Also included in this series is a miniature oval portrait of Trefusis as a child.
The January 2013 Acquisition contains letters written to Violet Trefusis, a photograph of Denys Trefusis, third party correspondence, and two lists of books kept by Violet's friend Gilone (Princesse de) Chimay during the war, with Violet's autograph notes.
Dates
- 1919 - 1971
Creator
Language of Materials
Chiefly in English, some materials in French.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Restricted Fragile materials in box 6 and in the portfolio may only be consulted with permission of the appropriate curator. Preservation photocopies or photographic prints for reference use have been substituted in the main files.
Conditions Governing Use
The Violet Trefusis Papers are the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Maggs Brothers Ltd. and Bertram Rota Ltd. on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund and Starling W. Childs Library Fund, 1994, 1996, and 2003.
Arrangement
Organized into four series: I. Correspondence, 1939-1971. II. Writings, 1940-1956. III. Additional Materials, 1924-1939. IV. January 2003 Acquisition, 1919-1955.
Extent
3.06 Linear Feet ((7 boxes) + 1 portfolio)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
Collection contains correspondence, writings and other materials by or related to Violet Trefusis. The correspondence consists chiefly of approximately 500 letters from Trefusis to John Phillips written in the 1960's. Also included are letters to Trefusis from her mother, Alice Keppel, her sister, Sonia Keppel, and her husband, Denys Trefusis; several governmental departments in France and England concerning Trefusis's re-entry into France after World War II; and her nomination to the Légion d'honneur. Writings include holograph and typescript drafts of Trefusis' memoirs, novels, plays and other writings. Other materials include a photograph of Denys Trefusis; a miniature case portrait of Trefusis as a child; and an album containing photographs of friends of the Keppels, taken by George Keppel between 1924-1939 at the family's Villa dell'Ombrellino in Florence, including many members of European nobility and royalty.
VIOLET TREFUSIS, 1894-1972
Violet Keppel was born in London on June 6, 1894. When Violet was a child, her mother, Alice Keppel, became the mistress of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), until his death in 1910.
In 1904, Violet began an enduring friendship with Vita Sackville-West. The relationship developed into a difficult and tumultuous love affair that lasted from approximately 1918 to 1921, and which for a time alienated Violet from her mother and from society. It also caused problems with her husband, Major Denys Trefusis, whom she had married in 1919. They eventually reconciled publicly, if not privately, and moved to Paris in autumn of 1921. Denys Trefusis died of tuberculosis in 1929, the same year Violet published her first book, Sortie de secours.
In 1927, Violet purchased a medieval ruin in Saint-Loup-de-Naud, outside of Paris. The complex became her home until 1940, when she was forced to flee to England the escape the German invasion. She spent the war years in England, resuming her friendship with Vita Sackville-West, and publishing several more works, including her novelized version of her affair with Vita, Broderie anglaise. She also broadcast for the Free French on the BBC. After the war, she returned to France. In 1950 she was awarded rank of Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur for her wartime broadcasts. She published her autobiography, Don't Look Round, in 1952. Alice Keppel died in 1947, leaving her daughter Violet as the proprietor of L'Ombrellino, the Florentine villa the Keppels had purchased in the 1920's. Violet Trefusis died in Florence on February 29, 1972.
Appendix: Contents of Photograph Album (in Series III)
This album contains approximately 600 black and white photographs, many with partial or full captions. Below are names which appear as captions in the album, in the fullest possible form. Names which appear in quotes are transcribed exactly as they appear in the album. A more detailed listing of each photograph is included in the box with the album.
___________________________________________________________________________
Acton, Arthur Mario
Acton, Harold
Adair, Enid
Aird, Jack
Airlie, Lady
Alaister Innes-Ker, Lady
Albermarle, Lady
Albermarle, Lord
Alington, Lord
Allendale, Lady
Allendale, Lord
Alliem[?], Miss
Allren[?], Laura
Amici-Grossi[?], Jessie
Anglesey[?], Marjorie
Antinori, Marchesa Ethel
Antinori, Marchesa Lucia
Antinori, Marchesa Paola
Arlen, Michael
Atherton, Mrs.
Averta, Conte
Bacchiocchi, Marchese
Balsan, Mme
Barnard, A[illegible]
Bate, Vera
Bearsey[?], Margary
Beaufort, Louise
Beccarei[?], Bridget
[Beck?], Clare
Beck, Mrs.
Belmont, Mrs.
Belmont, Perry
Belvor, Commander
Bengué[?], Marquise de
Bentinck, Freddy
Bentinck, Lady Henry
Bentinck, Lord Henry
Berners, Lord
Bibesco, Elizabeth
Bibesco, Princesse M.
Billy, Comte de
Blow, Mr[?]
Blow, Mrs.
Blundell, Eustace
Bowes-Lyon, Fenella
Bozio[?], L.
Brand, Elizabeth
Branwell[?], Chris
Brassey, Miss
Brassey[?], Margaret
Breteuil, Comtesse de
Brett, Mrs.
Bride, Miss [illegible]
[Brisnen?], Daisy de
Broadmead[?], Anne
Broadmead[?], Philip
Brock, Miss
Brock[?], Sir O.
Brougham[?], Eileen
Buccleuch, Duchess of
Burn, Michael
Burns, Mrs.
Calabrini, Elsie
Cantegalli, [Signor?]
Cantegalli, Signora
Carlisle, Lady
Cawdor, Lady
Cederström, Baron
Cederström, Baroness
Cederström, Hermione
Cederström, Rolf
Cerutti, Signora
Chadourne, Marc
Chambrun, Contesse de
Channon, Sir Henry
Channon, Honor
Chelmsford, Lady
Cheton[?], W.
Chetwode, Lady
Chrichton, Barbara
Christie-Miller, Lavender
Christina, Infanta of Spain
Christopher, Prince of Hesse
Churchill, Lady Clementine
Churchill, Mr. [Winston?]
Churchill, Sarah
Churchills, Diana
Cohen, Elizabeth
Colebrooke, Lord
Colefax, Sir Arthur
Colefax, Lady [Sibyl?]
Collerell[?], Louie
Colville, Lady Joan
Contes[?], Lady
Cora, H. E. Signor
Corsini, Contessa
Cowley, Lady
Crewe, Lady
Cromwell, Mrs.
Cubitt, Rosalind
Curzon-Howe[?], Count
Ajeta, (Blasco?), Marchese d'
Darling[?], Lord
Dashwood, Lady
Dashwood, Sir John
Davidson, Lady Theodora
Decazes, Duc
Dickinson, Oswald
Duff, Sir Michael
Dumfries, Eileen
Dunn[?], Miss
Dunn[?], Mrs.
Dunsford, Lady
Dupré, François
Dupuy, Madame
Dycke, Monseigneur, Arch-Bishop of Hungary
Earle, Mrs.
Edmonstone, Eddie
Edmonstone, Sir Archibald
Elliot, Mrs.
Enniskillen, Lady
Erskine, Hamish
Erskine, Lady
Erskine, Viola
[Erskine?], Sir William
Esher, Lady
Esher, Oliver Sylvain Baliol Brett, Vicount Esher
F. de Villarosa[?], Don
F. de Villarosa[?], Dona
Fagalde[?] , Lucila
Fane, Charmian
Fane, Har
Fane[?], Mrs.
Farinola[?], Marchese
Fauchier-Magnan, M.
Fauchier-Magnan, Mme
Forbes, M[illegible]
Forbes, Mrs.
Fox-Strangways[?], John
Franchetti, Baron
Franchetti, Baronessa
Gaetani[?], Dona Cara
Gage, George
Gage, Lady
Gaigneron, Conte de
Gaigneron, Jean de
Gainford, Lady
Gainford, Lord
Gamba[?], Signor de
Ganford[?], Lady
Garrett, Mrs.
George, Grand Duchess
Gerache, Principessa
Gherrardesca[?], Count B.
Gilmour, Jock
Gilmour, Lady Mary
Ginori, Marchese
Glass, Donald
Glyn, Esmé
Glyn, Lady
Goldsmidt[?]-Rothschild, Comtesse
Gordon-Cumming, Cicily
Graham, Lady Sibyl
Graham, Mrs. Murray
Graham, Sir Ronald
[Grove?], Diana
Gudacheff[?], Princess
Guernsey[?], Gladys
Guest, Ivor Forbes
Guicciardini, Contessa Egeria
Hélène, Contesse Potowska[?]
Haig, Xandra
Hamilton-Spender[?], Lady
Hankey, Colonel
Harcourt, Antoinette, duchesse d'
Harcourt, Lady
Hardinge, Lord
Hare, John
Hare, Patricia
Harmsworth, Lorna
Harris, Bogey
Hartmann, Mrs.
Hayes, Count
Herbert, David
Herbert, Sidney
Heuraux, Mr.
Heuraux, Mrs.
Hindlip, Lady
Hollywell, Mrs.
Hope, Lady Joan
Hornby, Anthony
Hornby, Michael
Howard, Lady
Howard, Lord
Howard, Rachel
Hyde, Martha
Ilchester, Lord
Innes-Ker, Anne
Innes-Ker, Joan
Irene, Princess of Greece
Iveagh, Lady
Iveagh, Lord
James, Mr.
[James?], Venitia
James-Ker, Lady Aleister
Jaucourt, Marquise de
Jebb, [Mr?]
Jebb, Mrs.
Jenkinson, Barbara
Jenkinson, Bobby
Jersey, Lady
Jersey, Lord
Jones, Nancy
Kapurthala, Maharaja of
Karolyi, Contesse
Keppel, Alice
Keppel, Cela
Keppel, Cynthia
Keppel, Derek
Keppel, George
Keppel, Sonia
Kerchove[?], Baron
Koch, Jerry
Lansberg[?], Bertie
Larisch[?], Contessa Maiora
Lasteyrie, Count
Leith, Cuckoo
Leith[?], Mrs.
Leitts[?], Mrs.
Leslie, Mrs.
Leslie, Shane
Levis-Mirepoix, Duchesse de
Lindermann, Professor
Lindsay, Mrs.
Lindsay, Ruby
Linlithgow, Lady
Linlithgow, Lord
Listowel, Lady
Londonderry, Lady [Edith Helen?]
Lorraine, Louise
Lowther, Alice
Lowther, Edith
Lowther[?], Lady
Lützow, Count
Lützow, Countess
Ludlow, Lady
Ludre, Marquise de
Lutyens[?], Mrs. Kev
Lytton, Lady Hermione
M[illegible]dorf, Count
Macdonald, Miss
MacLean, [Mr?]
MacLean, Mrs.
Manners, Lord Cecil
Manners, Lady Ursula
Manningham-Buller, Miss
Marjoribanks, Jean
Marlborough, Duchess of
Marling, Miss
Marling, Sir Charles
Marling[?], Miss
Marshall, Mrs.
Marshall-Roberts, Irene
Massari, Duchessa
Maxwell Scott, Marie-Louise
Mazzachetti[?], Signorina
McBride, Jessie
McClintock, Mrs.
McDonnell, Fox
McKenna, Cicilia
McKenna, David
McKenna, Reginald
McNeill, Barbara
Melson-Smith, Jim
Melson-Smith, Lady Norah
Mendelsohn, Mme
Menzies, Angus
Michelham[?], Lady
Miller, Herbert
Misciatelli, Marchesa
Misciatelli, Marchese
Mittrewsky[?], Contesse
Molete[?], Miss
Molyneux, Dick
Molyneux, R.
Moncrieff, Elizabeth
Moncrieff, May
Moncrieff, Lady
Monson, Lady
Monson, Lord
Montgomery, Lady
Morgan, Evan
Morgan, Loïs
Morrison-Bell, Clive
Morrison-Bell, Lady
Morrison-Bell, Patricia
Mortimer, Raymond
Muir, Lady
Muir, Sir Kay
Mulholland, Olivia
Mundy, Mrs. Miller
Murany[?], Cissy
Murray Graham, Mrs.
Murray, Eve
Myron-Taylor, [Mr?]
Myron-Taylor, Mrs.
Narischkine, Contesse
Neame[?], Lionel
Nelson, Hope
Nelson-Smith[?], G.
Obolensky, Alice
Odom[?], Mr.
Ogilvy, Joan
Origo, Marchesa
Ormsby[?], Miss
Orselli, Signora
Paget, Caroline
Paget, Elizabeth
Panouse, Conte de la
Paul[?], Mrs.
Paul, Prince of Greece
Paul, Prince of Yugoslavia
Pease, Trixie
Pinsent, Cecil
Pirie, Mrs.
Placci, Carlo
Polignac, Winnaretta, princesse de
Poniatowski, Princesse
Ponsonby, Fritz
Ponsonby, Loelia
Ponsonby, Ria
Portman, Colonel
Portman, Mrs.
Pratt, Lady Mary
Priestly, Miss
Primrose, Lady Helen
Princesse de Chimay
Raben, Count
Raben, Countess
Ribblesdale, Lady
Ricasoli, Baronessa
Ridley, Lady
Robeck[?], Mr. de
Robeck[?], Mrs. de
Rochefoucauld, Comte de la
Rodd, Lady
Rodd, Sir Rennell
Rodney, Lady
Ronalds, Bertha
Roseberry, Lady
Rucellai, Theresa
Ruffo, Marinetta
Ruffo[?], Princess
Rumbold, Constantia
Rumbold, Lady
Rumbold, Sir Horace
Ryan, Miss
Sanminiatelli, [Count?]
Sanminiatelli, Contesse
Scott, Elizabeth
Sebright, Lady
Sellairs, Miss
Sermonetta, Victoria
Sharpshanks, Mrs.
Sitwell, Mrs. Sacheverell [Georgia Sitwell]
Sitwell, Sir George Reresby
Sitwell, Osbert
Smith, G. M.
Smith, Jimmy
Sommi, Marchese
Sophia, Queen of Greece
Spalletti, Conte
Spalletti, Contessa
Spinola, Helen
Spinola, Marchesa
St. Just, Lady
Stanley, Alex
Stanley, General
Stanley, Mrs.
Stavordale, Harry
Stavordale, Nell
Stiebel, Baron
Stocko[?], Eric
Stonol[?], Francis
Strafford, Lord
Streatfield, Rosemary
Stuart, Lady Margaret
Suarez[?], Evie
Sutherland, Diana
Sykes, Camilla
Sykes, Christopher
Talleyrand-Périgord, Mlle de
Taveredi[?], Count
Thesiger, Margaret
Thomas, Mrs.
Thorpe, Gerald
Thorpe, Mrs.
Thursby, Poppy
Torreta, Marchesa
Torreta, Marchese
Torrigiani, Marchese
Toutman, Mrs.
Townley, Lady Susan
Townley, Sir Walter
Tree, Nancy
Tree, Ronald
Tree[?], Mrs.
Trefusis, Denys
Trefusis, Violet Keppel
Tuckerman, Miss
Tweedmouth, Lady
van der Berg, Count
van der Berg, Countess
Vay de Vaya, Abbé Mitré
Vickers, [Mr?]
Vickers, Mrs.
Vieugué, [Mr?]
Vieugué[?], Mary
Vigiano, Prince
Villanneve, Marchesa
von Vorst, Marie
von Wedel, Carmen
Warburton, Mrs.
Ward, Muriel
Ward, Peggy
Warren, Miss
Watkins, Lord
Watkins, Mrs.
Weiller, M. Paul-Louis
Weiller, Mme
Wemyss, Lady Victoria
Wemyss, Lilian
Wemyss, Michael
Wentworth, Count[?]
White, Lady
White, Miss
Wiccolini[?], Dona Ada
Wilkinson, Vivienne
Williams, Hester[?]
Williams, Mrs. Hwfa
Wilson, [Mr?]
Wilson, Sarah
Windisch-Graetz, Princess
Winn, Mrs.
Worthey[?], Mrs. Stuart
Wyndham, [Mrs?]
Wynn, Pauline
Y[illegible], Zita
Yendrassek[?], Mrs.
Yorke, Louisa
Yorke, Vangie
Yznaga, Emily
"Arnold,"
"Buddy"
"Bury"
"Calabrini,"
"Carrie"
"Chalmers-Roberts"
"Coletti"
"Colin"
"Dalkeith"
"Dory[?]"
"Gauthier-Vignol"
"Gerty[?]"
"Ginovi"
"Gladgie"
"Gregorini[?]"
"Hedworth"
"Ida"
"Imberiali[?],"
"Lasterie[?]"
"Mosatti"
"Pacini,"
"Pamza[?]"
"Pascini"
"Pascucci[?]"
"Podesta"
"Prince Michael"
"Princess Catherine"
"Princess Helen"
"Rasponi"
"Rolie"
"Rosie"
"Rye"
"Seely"
"Slairy[?]"
"Stanmore"
"Strozzi"
"Tancredi"
"Tortor,"
"Villiers"
"Walkorf"
"Waterfield"
Dogs and pets:
"Fan-Fan" (dog)
"Frisky" (dog)
"G. G." (dog)
"Greta" (dog)
"Jack" (dog)
"Millicent" (monkey?)
"Pete" (dog)
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
The bulk of the collection was processed in 1998. The January 2003 Acquisition received a basic level of processing in 2015, including rehousing and minimal organization. This acquisition has not been merged with the remainder of the collection. Instead, it is described separately in the contents list below, identified by a unique call number and titled according to month and year of acquisition.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
This collection includes materials previously identified by the call numbers Uncat MSS 460 and Uncat MS Vault 328.
- Authors -- England -- 20th Century
- Authors, English -- 20th Century -- Archives
- English literature -- 20th Century
- Keppel, Alice, 1869-1947
- Keppel, George
- Keppel, Sonia, 1900-
- LGBTQ resource
- Lesbian authors -- England
- Lesbians -- England
- Phillips, John (John Nova), 1926-
- Photograph albums
- Photographic prints
- Trefusis, Denys
- Trefusis, Violet, 1894-1972
- Title
- Guide to the Violet Trefusis Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by Kathryn Rawdon
- Date
- December 1998
- Description rules
- Beinecke Manuscript Unit Archival Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
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