W. P. Barrett correspondence

Collection

Call Number: BKP 142

Scope and Contents

The collection contains letters written by W. P. Barrett to bookplate collectors and designers R.W. Irwin and H. Harden.

Dates

1918-1932

Creator

Barrett, William Phillips, 1861-1938

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired by purchase, 2014.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Extent

8 Items (letters)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/arts.bkp.0142

Additional Description

Abstract

The collection contains letters written by W. P. Barrett to bookplate collectors and designers R.W. Irwin and H. Harden.

Biographical / Historical

William Phillips Barrett (1861-1938) was an employee of John & Edward Bumpus Ltd. and managed their ex-libris orders. According to Brian North Lee: “The extent to which [Barrett] personally engaged in design has been a matter of debate, but he deserves acclaim as an entrepreneur.” Barrett’s initials appear on hundreds of bookplate designs produced by the Bumpus firm, though several bookplate engravers worked for Bumpus under an anonymity clause, including J.A.C. Harrison, Robert Osmond, John Edward Syson, Charles Bird, and George Ernest Vize.

Reference: Lee, Brian North, FSA. “The Renaissance of Copper-Engraved Bookplates in Britain.” In Coat of Arms No.187, Autumn 1999. Accessed October 31, 2014. http://www.theheraldrysociety.com/articles/heraldry_as_art/Copper_engraved_bookplates.htm