Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [1879], 2010-2011 (Creation)
Level of description
Ffeil / File
Extent and medium
1 folder
Context area
Name of creator
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Material relating to Tony Curtis's proposal to edit an anthology of poetry and writing on the themes of orphans and childhood in support of the former Foundling Hospital, now the Foundling Museum, in London, comprising: correspondence from Tony Curtis to the Foundling Museum, to Curtis from potential contributors to the anthology, card to Curtis from textile artist Rozanne Hawksley, with examples of prints to accompany the poem 'Coram's Cloths', and letter from Curtis to Seamus Heaney, one of the contributors; poetry submitted to the anthology; framed copy of engraving, c. 1879, titled 'Gateway of the Foundling Hospital' and signed 'P. Justyne' (Percy William Justyne (1812-1883)), taken from printed source; leaflets detailing the history and contents of the Foundling Museum, events and guided tours; press cutting relating to the Foundling Hospital; and artist Mary Husted's account of her handing over her ten-day-old infant for adoption aged 17, together with printed invitation to an exhibition by Husted in Barry town hall and a list of her art works.
Correspondents and contributors include Tony Curtis, Lawrence Sail, Dannie Abse, Seamus Heaney and Ruth Bidgood, together with copies of poems by, amongst others, William Wordsworth and William Blake. Tony Curtis's contributed poems 'Megan's First Snow' and 'Coram's Cloths' are published in, respectively, Crossing Over (Seren Books, 2007) (see February 2006 papers under heading Crossing Over (Seren Books, 2007)) and From the Fortunate Isles: New & Selected Poems (Seren Books, 2016) (see April 2018 papers under heading From the Fortunate Isles (Seren Books, 2016)).
See also letter to Tony Curtis from Pauline W. Macauley under heading Letters to Tony Curtis.
Contributors to the anthology are not indexed. For access to full range of correspondents, it is recommended that this section of the archive be requested for viewing.
WARNING: SOME POEMS CONTAIN THEMES OF CHILD ABUSE AND DEATH; TWO POEMS DESCRIBE VIOLENT ANIMAL DEATHS (DOG AND RABBIT) Warning marked on envelope. MARY HUSTED'S ACCOUNT OF HANDING OVER HER NEWBORN BABY FOR ADOPTION MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME READERS Warning marked on attached 'post-it' note.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Dated correspondence arranged chronologically; undated items kept at rear of dated sequence and marked with 'post-it' note. Both dated and undated correspondence kept in marked envelope. Tony Curtis's letter to Seamus Heaney kept with undated correspondence.
Poems kept in marked envelope, with warning of some distressing content (see note above).
Copy of engraving kept in marked envelope.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
The Foundling Hospital, situated in Brunswick Square, London, was founded by the philanthropist Thomas Coram in 1739 as Britain's first home for infants who would otherwise have been abandoned by their parents. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundling_Museum).
The Foundling Museum, situated on the site of the former hospital, was opened in 2004 (see https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundling_Museum).
For Percy William Justyne see, for example: https://museum.aber.ac.uk/object/PL2306; https://search.worldcat.org/search?q=au=%22Justyne%2C%20Percy%20William%22 For the print included here, see https://wellcomecollection.org/works/axkv7nnk/items.
For Mary Husted see, for example: https://womensart.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/artist/mary-husted/; https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/28/mary-husted-son-adoption
For Rozanne Hawksley see, for example: https://embroiderymagazine.co.uk/inspiration/rozanne-hawksley/
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- The Foundling Museum (London, England) (Subject)
- Husted, Mary. (Subject)
- Justyne, Percy William, 1812-1883 (Subject)
- Foundling Hospital (former site) (London, England) (Subject)
- Blake, William, 1757-1827 (Subject)
- Wordsworth, William, 1770-1850 (Subject)
- Hawksley, Rozanne, 1931- (Subject)