Pearl Mary Teresa Richards Craigie papers
Biographical / Historical note
Pearl Craigie (1867-1906) was the daughter of a New York merchant who settled in London soon after she was born. She was educated in England, and was married for a brief time to an Englishman, Reginald Walpole Craigie, with whom she had a son. In 1891, she published her first book, a short epigrammatic novel, under the pseudonym of John Oliver Hobbes, a name she continued to use to the end of her career. Her novels of society life were very popular, but by 1897 the tone had begun to change. She then produced novels which contained Roman Catholic themes, reflecting her deep commitment to the Catholic Church, which she joined in 1892, shortly after she left her husband. She also wrote critical essays and plays. The most successful of the plays was the comedy The Ambassador, produced by Sir George Alexander in 1898.
Scope and Contents
The Pearl Mary Teresa Richards Craigie Papers are comprised of two boxes consisting of letters written to Mrs. Craigie by various members of London society, and of the London theatrical and literary worlds concerning her novels and plays. The largest groups are those from James E. C. Welldon, headmaster of Harrow and Bishop of Calcutta, and those from Sir George Alexander, who produced her plays. There are also letters addressed to Mrs. Craigie's father, John Morgan Richards, concerning the "Life" of Mrs. Craigie which he edited after her untimely death at age 38.
Notable correspondents include Edith Wharton, Thomas Hardy, the mother of Winston Churchill, Lady Randolph Churchill, and Victoria Mary, Consort of George V.
Names represented in collection:
The Ambassador. St. James's Theatre, June 2, 1898.
A Repentance and The Ambassador. St. James's Theatre, Feb. 28, 1899.
The Wisdom of the Wise, St. James's Theatre, Nov. 22, 1900.
Alexander, Sir George
Benson, Arthur Christopher
Bigelow, Poulteney
Boucicault, Dion (1859-1929)
Bourchier, Arthur
Brackenbury, Sir Henry
Brown, Curtis
Cambon, Paul
Chamberlain, Sir Austen
Choate, Joseph Hodges
Churchill, Jennie (Jerome), Lady Randolph Churchill
Clifford, Lucy (Lane)
Cook, Sir Theodore Andrea
Craigie, Mrs. Pearl Mary Teresa (Richards)
Craigie, Reginald Walpole
Field, Henry Martyn
Forbes-Robertson, Sir Johnston
Godson, Dr.
Gosse, Sir Edmund William
Harcourt, Lady Elizabeth Cabot (Motley) Ives Vernon
Hardy, Thomas
Harland, Henry
Irving, Sir Henry
Ker, William Paton
Lovat-Fraser, James Alexander
Mary, Queen Consort of King George V of England
Mary Adelaide Wilhelmina Elizabeth Duchess of Teck
Moore, George
Moore, Mary
Nevill, Lady Dorothy Fanny (Walpole)
Parker, Joseph
Paterson, William Romaine
Reid, Whitelaw
Richards, John Morgan
Seaman, Sir Owen
Shorter, Clement King
Smalley, George Washburn
Spencer-Churchill, Charles Richard John, 9th Duke of Marlborough
Strachey, John St. Loe
Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander Louis
Terry, Dame Ellen
Terry, Marian
Welldon, James Edward Conwell
Wharton, Edith Newbold (Jones)
Wood, Evelyn
Wyndham, George.
Creator
- Hobbes, John Oliver, 1867-1906 (Person)
- Welldon, J. E. C. (James Edward Cowell), 1854-1937 (Person)
- Alexander, George, Sir, 1858-1918 (Person)
Dates
- Creation: 1888-1911
Language of Materials
English
Extent
.75 cubic feet (2 containers)
Access
The Pearl Mary Teresa Richards Craigie Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books, Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.
Use
In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was the purchased on the Fletcher and Myers Funds, 1961 and 1969. Further accruals are not expected.
Preferred Citation
[Item title, item date], Pearl Mary Teresa Richards Craigie Papers, D.12, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
Subject
- Hobbes, John Oliver, 1867-1906 (Person)
- Welldon, J. E. C. (James Edward Cowell), 1854-1937 (Person)
- Alexander, George, Sir, 1858-1918 (Person)
- Title
- Pearl Mary Teresa Richards Craigie papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
- Date
- undated
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Library Details
Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library
