The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, DE 19735

302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: R. W. Symonds (Robert Wemyss), 1889-1958

Title: Research Papers

Dates: 1910-1958

Call No.: Col. 57

Acc. No.: 75x69, 65x35, 98x71, 98x72; 07x126

Quantity: 24 boxes, 13 volumes

Location: 17 C 1-2 and D 1-5

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Robert Wemyss Symonds was the pre-eminent 20th century scholar and authority on English furniture. As well, he served as a consultant to museums and private collectors, including Colonial Williamsburg and Francis P. Garvan; was a prolific writer; and was an architect (F.R.I.B.A. and F.S.A.), working for a time in partnership with Robert Lutyens, the son of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Although he wrote much about antique furniture, Symonds designed pieces in a modern style and tried to promote a “Modern English Traditional School.” He was active from 1910 to 1958. His many books and articles cover subjects such as collecting English furniture, clocks, interior design, craftsmen, and fakes.

Robert Symonds was born on December 31, 1889, the son of the artists William Robert and Margaret Hogg Swan Symonds. He was educated at St. Paul’s School and then trained as an architect. Symonds married Daphne Loveland in 1921, and they had two daughters. His daughter Virginia served as a research assistant for him. Following Daphne’s death, he married Monica Sheila Harrington, who survived him after his death in September 1958.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

This collection contains notes and correspondence collected by R. W. Symonds, with the assistance of his daughter Virginia Evans. Extracts, mostly typescript copies, of items gleaned from various early British and Irish newspapers, ca. 1660-1742, contain information about various craftsmen, their bills, advertisements, and some inventories. Notebooks contain information on the various forms of furniture and decorative arts. Photo albums show early forms of English furniture. Symonds’ correspondence, much of it from the 1950s, documents efforts to publish books, conduct research, build collections for private individuals and museums, especially Colonial Williamsburg, and his efforts to judge the authenticity of antique furniture. Scrapbooks of clippings include articles written by Symonds, as well as articles on topics of interest to him, including furniture, clocks, and postwar city planning. Several articles are about interiors designed by Symonds, mostly with a modern (1930s) flair.

Also included in the collection are three volumes of photographs published by the London decorating firm of Lenygon & Co., Ltd., ca. 1908. One volume features views of the firm’s place of business, while the second and third volumes show armchairs, tables, and desks available from the company. Some of these photos appear in the books The Decoration of English Mansions during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries and Furniture in England from 1660 to 1760, both by Francis Lenygon. A trade catalog from the Irish furniture makers Arthur J. Jones, Son, and Co. and a catalog from the Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris were probably collected while doing research for a book about Victorian furniture, which was completed by B. B. Whineray after Symonds’ death.

ORGANIZATION

The papers are roughly in accession number order.

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

The materials are in English.

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.

PROVENANCE

65x35: purchased from Malcolm Stearns, Jr.

75x69: Purchased from Sotheby & Co., London, England.

98x71 and 98x72: Transferred from DAPC.

07x125: gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ian Evans (Mrs. Evans is daughter of Mr. Symonds.).

RELATED MATERIALS

Photographs collected by Symonds are located in the Decorative Arts Photographic Collection.

Related materials are found on microfilm rolls 270-285.

Books by Symonds may be found by consulting WinterCat.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Tompion, Thomas, 1639-1713.

Wynn family.

Topics:

Lenygon & Co., Ltd.

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation – Art collections.

Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris

Great Exhibition (1851 : London, England)

Retail trade - England.

Furniture making.

Furniture – Photographs.

Furniture industry and trade.

Interior decoration.

Textile fabrics - England.

Inventories of decedents' estates - England.

Inventories of decedents' estates – Virginia.

Clocks and watches - England.

Invoices - England.

Newspapers.

Artisans - England.

Business records - England.

Antiques – Expertising.

Art deco – Great Britain.

Synagogues – England - London.

Furniture, Victorian.

Publishers and publishing.

England - Social life and customs - 17th century.

England - Social life and customs - 18th century.

England - Social life and customs – 1066-1485.

Notebooks.

Photoprints.

Trade catalogs.

Artisans.

Architects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 17 C 1-2 and D 1-5

(Note: all accession numbers begin with 75x69, unless otherwise specified.)

Box 1:

.1 Notebook: Almeries, cupboards, presses, cupboard cloths, cabinets, chests of drawers

.2 Notebook: Clocks & watches

.3 Notebook: Joiners, furniture, carvers, clocks

.4 Notebook: Beds, chairs, stools, forms, benches & settles, coverings

.5 Notebook: Bedsteads, chair coverings, beds,

.6 Notebook: Chests, cupboards, etc. (chests, arks, forcers, coffers, trunks, standards, males, almaries & ambrys, cup-boards and cupboards, court cupboards, presses, livery cupboards, hutches, boxes, cradels [sic], cupboard cloths,

Box 2:

.7 Notebook: Chests, coffers, drawers

.8 Notebook: Chairs, stools, forms

.9 Notebook: livery cupboards, court cupboards, almeries, tables, chairs, cupboards, forms & benches, beds, clocks

.10 Notebook: Tables, tablecloths & carpets, dressers, tables – pictures, boards & tables

.11 Notebook: Tables: trestle frame & drawer, folding & gate-leg tables, round tables, tables – various, counters, tables – playing, chair-tables, dressing boards, sideboards, table cloths, desks, games,

.12 Notebook: Furniture & craftsmen: joiners, chimneys, forcer-maker, coffer maker, painter, gilder, turner, writing, eating, embroidery, tapicier, stainer, dressing, beds & sleeping, close-stools, carver, lighting, library, games, children, carpets, tapestry, Renaissance, livery, Flanders [no notes], transport, London, domestic comfort

Box 3:

.13 Notebook: Bills of various craftsmen, especially joiners, cabinetmakers, coffer makers, upholsterers, carvers, and gilders (late 1500s-1600s)

.14 Notebook: Bills of various craftsmen; Great Wardrobe, 1699-1700s

Box 4:

.15 Notebook: Bills of various craftsmen; Great Wardrobe, 1729-1768

.16 Notebook: Bills of various craftsmen, 1500s-early 1600s

Box 5:

.17-.18 Notebooks: Bills of various craftsmen, 1600s-1700s; lists of furniture sold at auction; transcriptions of papers from the Public Record Office (1600s); lists of ships’ cargoes sold

Box 6:

.28 Notebook: Bills for furniture, textiles, furnishings, etc.; 15th century inventories; court records, late 1600s

.31 Newspapers (London Gazette and others): 1726-1742 (3 folders)

Box 7:

.20 Advertisements of cabinetmakers (see also .19 in Box 10)

.21-.22 Newspaper advertisements for furniture

.23-.24 Newspaper advertisements for clocks & watches, 18^th century

.25 Notebook: Inventories of cabinetmakers and joiners; wardrobe accounts; craftsmen bills; Carpentry Guild regulations, late 1500s

Box 8:

.26a notes extracted from the journal of the House of Burgesses of Virginia; notes on the English Plantations in America, especially concerning the exchange of raw materials and manufactured products, ca.1697-1770

.26b Notebook: early English inventories

.27 Bills of craftsmen, especially cabinetmakers and joiners, ca.1678-1708

.29 Newspapers (London Gazette and others), 1660-1708

Box 9:

.30 Newspapers (London Gazette and others), 1709-1725 (2 folders)

.33 Newspapers, ca.1694-1750, some in regard to wood from North America (e.g. black walnut from North Carolina) (3 folders)

.39 Norfolk Chronicle (1776-1781), Norwich or Norfold Chronicle (1781-1783), York Chronicle (1774-1784), York Courant (1774-1775), plus other newspapers: citations to furniture

Box 10:

.19 Advertisements of cabinetmakers

.32 Notebook: Newspapers (ca.1660-1760), notes from public works, shipping costs (ca.1725-1746)

.35 Ipswich-Journal or the Weekly Mercury, etc., newspaper citations to furniture, ca.1730-?

.36 Kentish Post (1726-1769), Newcastle Chronicle (1768), Nottingham Journal (1783-1785), Ipswich Journal (1721-1747), Leeds Intelligencer (1777-1779), Oxford Gazette and Reading Mercury (1771-1773), Jacksons Oxford Journal (1751-1779): citations to furniture

.37 Bury & Norwich Post (1794-1796), Bristol Journal (1772-1799), Manchester Mercury (1766-1767), Prescott’s Manchester Journal (1771-1774), Ariss Birmingham Gazette (1801), Stamford Mercury (1722-1728), Lincoln Rutland & Stamford Mercury (1785-1792): citations to furniture

Box 11:

.34 extracts from Irish and Scottish newspapers, especially regarding furniture, clocks and watches, ca.1709-1761; an inventory (3 folders)

.41 Derby Mercury (1790-1795), Northampton Mercury (1720-1745), Oxford Gazette and Reading Mercury (1753-1771), York Mercury & York Chronicle (1770-1774), Ipswich Journal (1720-1747), Lincoln Rutland & Stamford Mercury (1785-1792), Schofield’s Middlewich Journal or Cheshire Advertiser (1756-1784), Nottingham Journal (1783-1785), Jacksons Oxford Journal (1751-1779): citations to furniture

Box 12:

.38 Bury Post (1782-1784), Bristol Gazette (1855), Kentish Gazette (1830), and various printed book and magazine extracts: citations to furniture (2 folders)

.40 Derby Mercury (1789-1795) and other newspapers: citations to furniture

.42 Notebook: Craftsmen and objects, including a section on glass (most references are to 17^th century or earlier)

Box 13:

.43 Notebook: Craftsmen and objects

.46 Notebook: Reference to United States and other areas in western hemisphere, primarily form printed sources

Box 14:

.44 Notes - Craftsmen and objects

.45 Notebook - References to United States and other areas in western hemisphere, primarily from printed sources

.54 Correspondence: Duke and Duchess of Chandos with John Wood, re: houses they planned for the site of St. Johns Hospital, 1727 [originals at Huntington Library]

[part of 75x69] Miscellaneous materials, mostly about clocks and watches

Box 15:

.47 Notes from 14th century craftsmen bills

.48 newspaper ads for lost or stolen items, chiefly small objects of gold or silver, ca.1662-1705

.49 alphabetical list of English tradesmen, gleaned form newspapers, ca.1716-1794, mostly watch and clock makers

.50 Symonds' report on furniture at Colonial Williamsburg, ca.1950

.52 Letters to Symonds and others about clocks; plus typescripts of Symonds’ comments on Thomas Tompion clocks

.53 Magazine clippings, especially about clocks

65x35 Correspondence between Newton C. Brainard and R.W. Symonds, May-Sept., 1941. Concerns the national origin of decorative designs on the "Sunflower" and "Hadley" chests.

Box 16:

98x72 Portfolio of photographs, etc., contents as follows:

2 pages showing different kinds of furniture joins;

photo of a page from an illuminated manuscript;

four photos of a petition signed by members of the Company of Clockmakers during the reign of William and Mary;

printed photo showing front and back of a chest;

photos of various clocks, mounted on 11 leaves;

2 photos of a rococo wall sconce;

number of loose, blank leaves;

photo of a carpet, with an inscription on back, dated 1931;

photo of a mirror on a stand;

photo of a model sailing ship;

pamphlet entitled “Origine de l’Horloge a poids,” by Ch. Fremont, Paris, 1915, with a letter pasted inside (Allan Gomme, Patent Office Library, to Mr. Robertson, June 6, 1924)

postcard of an unidentified mansion (perhaps in England) and its formal garden

“suggestions for framing”

small engraving with caption “What brought Sr. Visto’s ill got wealth to waste? Some Daemon whispered, Visto! Have a taste”; showing a man being offered paintings, mummies, tusks, and other objects

small engraving, captioned Cinna, showing a scene in ancient Rome

small engraving, showing a dying man in his bed, attended by his family and a priest, pointing to a saw hanging on the wall

The album has a trade card for Marcus Adams, photographer of children, London

Box 17 (acc. 07x126):

Folder 1: Article: “Masterpieces of Neo-Classic Furniture,” with photos and correspondence

Folder 2: Articles, picture captions, notes, including notes about medieval England

Folders 3-4: Articles by R.W.S.: typescripts and drafts

Folder 5: Chairs: articles by R.W.S. from The Connoisseur

Folders 6-7: Clock and watch research and correspondence

Folder 8: Clock book

Box 18 (acc. 07x126):

Folder 1: Clock book: draft

Folder 2: Clocks (talk or article)

Folders 3-4 : Colonial Williamsburg: acquisitions correspondence

Folder 5: Colonial Williamsburg: correspondence

Folder 6: Colonial Williamsburg: photos and notes, invoices

Folder 7: The Connoisseur: R.W.S. correspondence, 1949-1958

[includes letter from Joseph Downs, 1952]

Folder 8: Correspondence, A

Box 19 (acc. 07x126):

Folder 1: Correspondence, B

Folder 2: Correspondence, C-F

Folder 3: Correspondence, G

Folder 4: Correspondence, H

Folder 5: Correspondence, Heal, Ambrose, & B.T. Batsford, Ltd., re: The London Furniture Makers

Folder 6: Correspondence, I-J

Folder 7: Correspondence, K-L

Box 20 (acc. 07x126):

Folder 1: Correspondence, Lee, Morton (including correspondence about Mr. Lee)

Folder 2: Correspondence, Lee, R.A.

Folder 3: Correspondence, M-O

Folder 4: Correspondence, P-Q

Folder 5: Correspondence, R-Z

Folder 6: Country Life: Correspondence (folder 1 of 3, continued in next box)

Box 21 (acc. 07x126):

Folders 1-2: Country Life: Correspondence (folders 2-3 of 3)

Folder 3: Evans, Virginia: correspondence

[Mrs. Evans is a daughter of R.W.S.]

Folder 4: Fassio silver collection and typescript about handicrafts

Folder 5: Furniture Making in 17^th and 18^th Century England: correspondence about publishing book, 1952-1953

Folder 6: Furniture Making in 17^th and 18^th Century England: correspondence about publishing book, 1954

Folder 7: Furniture Making in 17^th and 18^th Century England: correspondence about publishing book, 1955-1956, and undated

Folder 8: History of Technology: correspondence and proof copy of R.W.S. article

Box 22 (acc. 07x126):

Folder 1: Inventories: Fauquier (1768) and Botetourt (1770), from Virginia

Folder 2: Medieval life: unpublished book by R.W.S.

Folders 3-5: Messer, Samuel: correspondence and invoices, 1953-1958

Folder 6: Newspaper advertisements, 18^th century (transcripts), with many references to clocks and watches, but also references to houses and furniture

Folder 7: Newspaper advertisements, references to paintings and pictures, 17^th to early18^th centuries (transcripts)

Folder 8: Newspaper advertisements, references to textiles, clothing, and dress accessories, 17^th to early18^th centuries (transcripts)

Folder 9: Nostell Priory and Winn family: R.W.S. correspondence

Box 23 (acc. 07x126):

Folder 1: Nostell Priory and Winn family: Thomas Chippendale accounts and correspondence [photostatic copies]

Folder 2: Nostell Priory and Winn family: typescripts of 18^th century letters and documents

Folder 3: Pictures, photos, and miscellaneous notes

Folder 4: Queries about antiques: responses by R.W.S.

[These answers were apparently prepared for the “Collectors’ Questions” column in Country Life.]

Folder 5: Royal yachts, late 17^th century: furnishing documents [transcriptions]

Folder 6: S.W. Wolsey, Ltd.: correspondence

Folder 7: Silver: typescripts of receipts, 17^th century, and other notes

Folder 8: Tompion, Thomas (clockmaker): research notes and correspondence

Folder 9: Victorian furniture research

Box 24 (07x126): oversize items:

Arthur J. Jones, Son, and Co. (Dublin). Description of a Suite of Sculptured Decorative Furniture, Illustrative of Irish History and Antiquities, Manufactured of Irish Bog Yew. Dublin: Hodges and Smith, 1853. Includes a price list of “staple articles, as are always kept in stock.” (acc. 07x126.8)

Extract from the “Weekly Dispatch” of Sunday, January 17, 1841, “Tricks of the Trades,” about watches. London: Parsonage, 1841. Sheet addressed to Henry Gunton, watchmaker, Norwich, from [name illegible]. (acc. 07x126.11)

Extracts from The Times, & Morning Chronicle, Relative to the “British Clock and Watch Company.” [London]: Hornblower, 1842. Signed: from [name illegible]. (acc. 07x126.12)

The Illustrated Exhibitor. July 12, 1851 (no. 6, p. 93-108). Includes articles on the precious stones, the building itself, the railway ticket printing machine, a visit from Queen Victoria, cabinetwork on exhibit (including Elizabethan furniture), “The Ladies’ Department,” with a description a lace trophy, and Maltese contributions. (acc. 07x126.9)

[Note: Thirty numbers were issued for this title, published by J. Cassell of London in 1851. Number 6 is the only one present in this collection.]

Art Journal (London). The Illustrated Catalogue of the Universal Exhibition, published with the Art Journal. London: Virtue and Co., [1868]. An unbound copy of this work about the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867 (Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris). Pages ix-x are missing. (acc. 07x126.10)

Symonds, R. W., and Whineray, B. B. Victorian Furniture. Book jacket, some photocopied pages, and colored plates for a reprint of this book.

A group of printed photographs and drawings, mostly of clocks and furniture, perhaps illustrations from books or articles by Symonds.

A group of photographs of furniture, plus one letter from Morton Lee which accompanied one of the photos.

Certifications (carbon copies) attesting to genuineness of various pieces of furniture, including descriptions of the pieces, 1941-1943; in folder labeled Certificate, R. W, Symonds, architect.

VOLUMES ON SHELF:

75x69.56 photo album labeled “Furniture, Sandridgebury, No. 1”; photos of the house and furniture of Percival Griffiths near St. Albans, Hertfordshire, with notes about the furniture, a few of which are identified as being fakes, ca.1910-1929

75x69.57 photos and a drawing of 20^th century furniture pieces: bedroom suite, desk, dining table, chairs, telephone table, cocktail cabinet, settee, etc.; furniture may have been designed by Symonds, ca.1935

75x69.58 photos of 20^th century bathroom, bedroom, and exterior of a house, probably 1930s, possibly designed by Symonds

98x71.1 Volume I in a series of books published by the London decorating firm of Lenygon & Co., 31 Old Burlington Street. This volume contains views of the firm’s place of business, showcasing items available from them, such as mantels; carved woodwork, plasterwork, and painted scenes for walls and ceilings; tapestries; paneling; furniture; etc. Published ca.1908

98x71.2 Volume V from the same series of books, this one featuring armchairs, many of which are in 18^th century styles. The photos are not labeled, although a few have numbers. From correspondence associated with the volumes, it seems that at least some of the chairs, if not all, are reproductions being sold by Lenygon, not originals.

98x71.3 Volume XI from the same series of books, this one featuring tables, and a few desks, with marble or wood tops, most in styles dating from the Renaissance through the 18^th century. One table is labeled as being a dressing table from Ham House; the others are not labeled or identified. Two pages have had their photographs removed.

07x126.1 “Articles and Press Cuttings,” scrapbook of magazine and newspaper clippings about English furniture, especially including advertisements for and reviews of two of Symonds’ books, The Present State of Old English Furniture and Old English Walnut & Lacquer Furniture, 1921-1923

(a later note attached to this volume refer to it as volume 43)

07x126.2 “Articles and Press Cuttings,” scrapbook of magazine and newspaper clippings about English furniture and interior decoration; also includes some correspondence, 1923-1927

(later notes attached to this volume refer to it as volume 56)

07x126.3 “Articles and Press Cuttings, 1928” scrapbook of magazine and newspaper clippings about English furniture and interior decoration; includes articles and photos of the Bearsted memorial almemar in London’s Central Synagogue, which was designed by Symonds, as well as articles on homes decorated by him; also includes order forms for Symonds’ book English Furniture from Charles II to George II and letters written to him after the publication of the book; as well, there is an article about the decoration of the Symonds’ house at 22 Cheyne Row;1927-1932

(later notes attached to this volume refer to it as volume 55)

07x126.4 “Press Cuttings and Notices, 1932, 1” scrapbo