Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1851-1975 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent, medium and format
When digitisation is completed, 5790 letter in pdf files.
Collecting area
Archival/Digitisation history
The Autograph Letter Collection is a result of various donations of letters to Women’s Service Library (now The Women’s Library) between 1930 and the early 2000s. The collection is arranged into 30 groups either by theme or by prominent individuals. The letters were numbered sequentially in the 1980s with an ALC number and then catalogued in an Archives Management System (CALM) with referencing as indicated in the ‘Information on originals’ field. The collection has been digitised at LSE Digitisation Suite by the in-house digitisation team in 2023 and gradually more series will be released as digitisation progresses.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Description
This collection contains letters of prominent correspondents dating from 1851 to 1975. They cover themes eg suffrage, education, medicine, women and the Church, literature, employment, temperance, scholarship, industry, travel and the art. Many of these letters were considered 'Autograph' letters by famous correspondents such as William Gladstone, Queen Victoria, Florence Nightingale, the Pankhursts, Annie Besant, Thomas Hardy, Keir Hardie and John Stuart Mill to name but a few. The entire collection is arranged into 30 groups either by themes mentioned above or by individual eg Constance Lytton, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Access information
Copyright and licencing
As of May 2023, many of the items in this collection are still in copyright. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions page for more information on copyright and re-use of material.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Information on originals
Existence and location of originals
The original collection is held at LSE Library. To browse the catalogue, explore the Archives catalogue of Autograph Letter.
Existence and location of copies
Related material
Note
The presence of any material within our collections does not imply an endorsement of the ideas or opinions expressed within the content.