Reference code
RAA/SEC/1
Title
Royal Academy scrapbook
Date
1765-1984
Level
Series
Extent & medium
3 vols
Content Description
A mixture of correspondence and other items illustrating the history of the Royal Academy, selected for special preservation.
Acquisition Details
A large proportion of the material is derived from the official papers of the Academy, but an important proportion has come form various donations and purchases, usually of single items or small groups of material. Major donors include Mrs. Lionel Cohen (1938) and Reginald Pound (1965 & 1967). All donors, where known, are stated in the item descriptions.
Arrangement
Three of the captions in the first scrapbook are signed "H. E." This is
Henry Eyre, and it means that the scrapbooks were probably first compiled during Eyre's clerk/registrarship, 1849-1884. As some of the letters in the book retain their old pencil reference and include a C and Ws, it means he had all the letter groups available to him when he made his selection. [See SEC/2]. Eyre was also thanked by the Council for compiling the index to the books and transactions of the Royal Academy in 1853. Subsequent to this it is clear that individual items were added to the book as and when they arrived, from both internal and esternl sources..
Physical Characteristics
These items were originally housed in a leather binding measuring 440mm x 265mm. Conservation work carried out in 1984 resulted in the disposal of the binding, treatment and hinge mounting of items within it, and re-housing in two bespoke clam-shell enclosures.