Guide to the Papers and correspondence of Henry Handel Richardson, 1852-1983

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Summary

Collection number:
MS 133
Creator:
Richardson, Henry Handel, 1870-1946
Extent:
13.15 metres and (18 ms boxes + 4 archives boxes + 33 security binders + 1 small folio box + 1 medium phase box + 1 large folio box + 2 map folios + 2 volumes + 1 scrapbook + 2 folio packets + 93 books)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Henry Handel Richarson, National Library of Australia, MS 133, [series/item number]'.
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:
Drafts, including manuscripts, of Neils Lyhne, The young Cosima, Myself When Young, The End of a Childhood Ultima Thule. Original typescript versions of: Maurice Guest, The Getting of Wisdom, Myself When Young. Final copies of: Maurice Guest, The Getting of Wisdom, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony The Young Cosima. Notes photos for The Fortunes of Richard Mahony. Letters to writer Oliver Stonor 1929-1946, copies of 50 letters 1931-1933 to Jacob Schwartz photocopies of letters 1911-1946, to Mary Kernot. (Many of the original handwritten drafts of her works were destroyed in Henry Handel Richardson's lifetime). Original manuscript music scores by Richardson; correspondence with Paul Solanges 1910-1914 notes on his translation of 'Maurice Guest'; albums of newspaper cuttings; editions of her books and books used by her in researching 'The young Cosima'. Also, a copy of a record, (1953) of Walter Lindesay Richardson MD at the Yarra Bend Asylum 1878-1879.
Biographical Note:

Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson was born in East Melbourne on 3 January 1870, thedaughter of Dr Walter Lindesay Richardson and Mary née Bailey. She was educated at thePresbyterian Ladies' College in Melbourne. In 1888 she left Australia with her motherand sister and in 1889 began to study music at the Königliches Conservatorium der Musikin Leipzig with the intention of becoming a professional pianist. Richardson receivedher certificate from the Conservatorium in 1892 but decided to concentrate on writingrather than music.

On 30 December 1895 Richardson was married in Dublin to J. George Robertson, who was atthat time studying literature in Leipzig. They lived in Munich and then Strasbourgbefore settling in London in 1904, Robertson having taken up the position of Professorof German Language and Literature at the University of London in 1903. He held this postuntil his death in 1933. In 1934 Richardson moved from London to Sussex, where she spentthe rest of her life.

Richardson's first novel, Maurice Guest, based on herexperiences as a music student in Germany, was published in 1908. It was at this timethat she decided to take the pen-name of Henry Handel Richardson. Her second novel,The getting of wisdom, was published in 1910 and wasto a certain extent autobiographical, being based on her experiences as a pupil at thePresbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne. The writing of her greatest work, The fortunes of Richard Mahony, occupied most of Richardson'stime during the next twenty years. It dealt with the fortunes of an Irish doctor whoemigrated to Victoria in the early 1850s and it followed closely the facts of herfather's life. To gather material for the novels, Richardson and her husband visitedAustralia for a few months in 1912, the only time she returned to Australia. The workwas a trilogy, with Australia Felix appearing in 1917,The way home in 1925, and Ultima Thule in 1929. The three novels were published together in 1930. Withthe completion of the trilogy, Richardson was accorded critical and popular acclaim; thepublication of her earlier novels had attracted little interest.

In 1931 appeared Two studies, a limited editioncontaining the two stories Mary Christina and Life and death of Peterle Luthy, followed in 1934 by thepublication of The end of a childhood and other stories.Richardson's last novel, The young Cosima, based on thelife of Cosima Liszt, was published in 1939. In the same year she began writing herautobiography, Myself when young, in which she intendedto recount the story of her life up to 1903. This work, left unfinished at her death on20 March 1946, was published in 1948, with a final section on the years 1895 to 1903written by her secretary Olga Roncoroni.

Select References

Buckley, Vincent. Henry Handel Richardson. SecondEdition. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1970.

Clark, Axel. Henry Handel Richardson: fiction in themaking. Brookvale, NSW: Simon and Schuster, 1990.

Green, Dorothy. Henry Handel Richardson and her fiction.Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1986.

Howells, Gay, compiler. Henry Handel Richardson: a bibliography to honour thecentenary of her birth. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1970.

Kramer, Leonie. Henry Handel Richardson. Melbourne:Oxford University Press, 1967.

Palmer, Nettie. Henry Handel Richardson: a study. Sydney:Angus and Robertson, 1950.

Purdie, Edna and Roncoroni, Olga, editors. Henry HandelRichardson: some personal impressions. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1957.

Richardson, Henry Handel. Myself when young; together with anessay on the art of Henry Handel Richardson by J.G. Robertson. Melbourne:Heinemann, 1948.

Provenance:

The original collection of Richardson Papers was purchased from Miss Olga Roncoroni,the executrix of Richardson's will, in 1946 and consisted of the typescripts of mostof her books, as well as the notes that she compiled when doing the research forThe fortunes of Richard Mahony. In 1971 a majorconsignment of papers was purchased from Richardson's nephew, Dr Walter Neustatter ofLondon. It comprised correspondence, notebooks, photographs and other items relatingto Richardson's parents. In 1972 another large group of papers was presented by MissOlga Roncoroni. It contained personal papers and documents belonging to Richardson,diaries, letters, articles, and material collected by Richardson when writingThe young Cosima.

Between 1946 and 1971 additional Richardson Papers were received from a number ofsources. They include letters from Richardson to Oliver Stonor, 1929-1946; typedcopies of letters from Richardson to Jacob Schwartz, 1931-1933; and photographicprints of letters from Richardson to Mary Kernot, 1911-1946, the originals of whichare held by the Mitchell Library. Papers relating to Richardson's husband, ProfessorJ.G. Robertson, include his biographical notes about Richardson, photocopies oflectures, and galley proofs of a book. The letters from Richardson to Mary Kernotwere closed until 20 March 1996.

In 1983, the Library received Richardson's correspondence with Paul Solanges,1910-1914, about his translation of Maurice Guest, andnotes on the translation, as well as diaries and albums of newspaper cuttingsmaintained by Richardson and her heirs, and a number of editions of Richardson'sbooks. In 1993, the Library acquired from the University of Tasmania the collectionof books used by Richardson in researching her book The youngCosima.

In 1996, 44 letters to Richardson from her sister Lilian were acquired from thelatter's granddaughter, along with two letters from Walter Neustatter and additionalphotographs.

In 2001, original manuscript scores of music composed by Richardson donated under the Cultural Gifts Program by Professor Clive Probyn and Dr Bruce Steele. They in turn had acquired them from Margaret Capon as part of the Monash University Henry Handel Richardson Project in 1996. The music was used for the publications Henry Handel Richardson: the music and Songs of Henry Handel Richardson, both of which were edited by Bruce Steele and Richard Divall and published in 2000.

Container List:
Series Items Folders Container
1 1-100 Security binder 1
1 101-200 Security binder 2
1 201-267 Security binder 3
1 268-269, 272 Box 1
1 270-271, 273-291 Security binder 3
1 292, 294-296, 299 Box 1
1 293 Folio box 5
1 297-298, 300-308 1 Box 2
2 1-25 Security binder 3
2 26-171 Security binder 4
2 172-345 Security binder 5
2 346-483 Security binder 6
2 484-528 Security binder 7
3 1-922 Box 25
4 1-179 Security binder 6A
4 80-239 Security binder 7
4 240-320 Security binder 8
4 321-326 Box 6
4 327-420 Security binder 8
4 421-579 Security binder 9
4 580-729 Security binder 10
4 730-898 Security binder 11
4 899-1059 Security binder 12
4 1060-1219 Security binder 13
4 1220-1385 Security binder 14
4 1386-1564 Security binder 15
4 1565-1730 Security binder 16
4 1731-1885 Security binder 17
4 1886-2045 Security binder 18
4 2046-2199 Security binder 19
4 2200-2429 Security binder 20
4 2430-2589 Security binder 21
4 2590-2744 Security binder 22
4 2745-2909 Security binder 23
4 2910-3035 Security binder 24
4 3036 TW map drawer 1
4 3037-3050 Security binder 24
4 3051-3053A Box 3
4 3054-3149 Security binder 25
4 3150-3239 Security binder 26
4 3240-3329 Security binder 27
4 3330-3419 Security binder 28
4 3420-3504 Security binder 29
4 3505-3580 Securty binder 30
4 3581-3703 Security binder 31
4 3704-3888 Security binder 32
4 3889-3920 26 Box 7
4 3921-3924 Box 7
4 3925-3949 27 Box 7
5 1-33 1 Box 8
5 34-70 2 Box 8
5 71-156 3 Box 8
5 157-310 4 Box 8
6 1-54 1 Box 8
7 1-53 1 Box 8
7 54-56 2 Box 8
7 57-86 Folio box 5
8 1-70 1 Box 9
8 71-86 2 Box 9
8 87-102 3 Box 9
8 103 Box 9
8 104-118 Box 13
9 1-273 1 Box 10
9 244-369 2 Box 10
9 370-504 3 Box 10
10 1-22 1 Box 10
10 23-24 Box 10
10 25-138 2 Box 10
10 139-262 3 Box 10
10 263-394 4 Box 10
10 395-417 5 Box 10
10 418-420 6 Box 11
10 421-607 7 Box 11
10 608 Folio drawer 1
11 1-48 1 Box 11
11 49-64 2 Box 11
12 1-64 1 Box 12
12 65-117 2 Box 12
12 118-181 3 Box 12
12 182-253 4 Box 12
12 254-316 5 Box 12
12 317-411 6 Box 12
12 412-474 7 Box 12
12 475-537 8 Box 12
12 538-592 9 Box 13
12 593-680 10 Box 13
12 681-687 11 Box 23
12 688-881 12 Box 23
12 882-977 13 Box 23
12 14-17 Box 23
12 18-23 Box 24
13 1-6 Box 21
13 7-8 Folio box 1
13 9-10 Folio box 2
13 11-12 Folio box 3
13 13 Folio box 4
13 14-18 Box 22
14 1-9 Box 14
14 10-19 Box 15
14 20-29 Box 16
14 30-38 Box 17
14 39-46 Box 18
14 47-59 Box 19
14 60-69 Box 20
15 1-72 TW bookcase

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
Available for research. Since May 1986 the original manuscripts of MS 133 have been withdrawn from use and readers are asked to use the microfilm copies in the Main Reading Room. A list of these films (mfm G 22,962 - 22, 993) is attached to this finding aid as Appendix 3. Microfilms can be ordered by reel number via their catalogue record at https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn567873
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Henry Handel Richarson, National Library of Australia, MS 133, [series/item number]'.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact:
Contact us