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Lucy R. Jackson letters to Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 0099-F0896

Scope and Content Note

These three letters, written by Philadelphia poet Lucy R. Jackson to American illustrator Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott, together with two of her poems, were originally laid in a copy of Jackson's book, Verses, which she inscribed to Elizabeth and Huger Elliott.

Jackson's letters were written to accompany poetry, to inquire of the Elliott's well being, and generally to continue a friendship. With her letter dated February 24th, Jackson enclosed a printed copy of her poem, "Willowgate Speaks," mentioning that she heard Elizabeth Elliott want a copy of it. In the same letter, she sent word to Huger Elliott that she was working on a poem based on seeing the "The Rospigliosi Cup," which belonged to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where Huger worked in 1930.

The March 27th letter regarded Jackson's poem, "Portrait od [of?] a Ten-year-old," which remains in the back of Verses, and complimented Elizabeth on being "a great addition to the club."

On April 2, Jackson wrote to note a change to her poem, "Portrait od [of?] a Ten-year-old" and to suggest that the last phrase might be changed in a later edition.

Although another Jackson poem, "To Mira: In Memoriam," (dated March 21, 1926) accompanied these letters, it is not mentioned in any of the letters.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1930

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

Lucy R. Jackson

Lucy R. Jackson was a resident of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who wrote a book of poems titled Verses, in which these letters and poems were laid.

Lucy Jackson had established a friendship with Huger and Elizabeth Elliott, which is evident in the affectionate inscription in Verses, and the tone of her letters which are addressed to Elizabeth but occasionally refer to Huger.

Biographical information regarding Lucy R. Jackson derived from the collection.

Elizabeth Elliott (1871-1954)

American illustrator Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott (1871-1954) illustrated children's books and worked for many years for Harper's Magazine.

Elliott studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1889 to 1893, and then began study with Howard Pyle at Drexel Institute, where she met Violet Oakley and Jessie Willcox Smith. The three artists would form a lifelong friendship and at times shared a common residence. They lived together first at the Red Rose Inn, which caused Howard Pyle to call them "the Red Rose girls," and later at Cogslea, their home in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia.

In 1911, Green married Huger Elliott, an architecture professor, and moved away from Cogslea. In 1920, the Elliotts returned to the Philadelphia area until 1925, when Huger Elliot accepted a position at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Following Huger's death in 1948, Elizabeth Elliott returned to live in the area of Cogslea near her artist friends and remained there until her death in 1954.

Carter, Alice A. The Red Rose Girls: an Uncommon Story of Art and Love. New York: harry N. Abrams, 2000.

Extent

5 item (9 pages)

Abstract

These three letters, written by Philadelphia poet Lucy R. Jackson to American illustrator Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott, along with two of her poems, were originally laid in a copy of Jackson's book, Verses, which she inscribed to Elizabeth and Huger Elliott.

Arrangement

Arranged in chronological order.

Source

Originally laid in a copy of Jackson's Verses (Spec PS 3610 .A3448 V47x 1923).

Related Materials in this Repository

This item forms part of MSS 0099 Miscellaneous Literary and Historical Manuscripts.

Shelving Summary

Box 62, F0896: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes.

Processing

Processed and encoded by Anita Wellner, October 2011. Further encoded by George Apodaca, October 2015.

Title
Finding aid for Lucy R. Jackson letters to Elizabeth Shippen Green Elliott
Status
Completed
Author
University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
Date
2011 October 14
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository

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