The Horace Smith manuscript material in the Pforzheimer Collection consists of writings, correspondence, and artwork. The writings include two holograph poems: "Music" and "Stanzas for the Bazaar held at Brighton for completing the Victoria Fountain on the Steyne;" only the former was published during Smith's lifetime. The bulk of the correspondence is dated 1829-1849. Correspondents include: Thomas Campbell, the poet; Thomas Hood, the poet and humorist; John Murray, the publisher; Robert Southey, the poet; and over thirty others. The artwork consists of one undated watercolor pastoral landscape, titled, "Mill at Lewes."
Horace Smith, English writer and humorist.
This guide considers the Horace Smith manuscript material in the Pforzheimer Collection in three series: Series I: Writings; Series II, Correspondence; and Series III: Artwork. Items treated in Shelley and his Circle are noted with reference.
This guide lists and describes the manuscript material held by the Pforzheimer Collection that was created by Horace Smith. These items have been acquired throughout the history of the Collection and are kept at the New York Public Library.
The first Horace Smith manuscript added to the collection was the letter to his nephew Charles, purchased in 1920, which was laid in to H. Buxton Forman's copy of Smith's Amarynthus. The next was not acquired for another thirty three years, when the letter to John Murray, responding on February 1st, 1833 to a dinner invitation, was purchased through Rosenbach. These were the only two Horace Smith manuscripts in the Collection at the time of Carl H. Pforzheimer's death in 1957.
The majority of the Horace Smith manuscripts in the Collection were acquired under the auspices of the Pforzheimer Library. Between 1966 and 1983 over sixty Horace Smith manuscripts were accessioned, including the 1817 letter to Thomas Hill inviting him to dine with Hunt, Shelley, and others; and the 1821 letter to Charles Ollier offering to forward Shelley's books to him in Italy.
Since the Collection's move to the New York Public Library in 1986, over a dozen Horace Smith letters have been acquired. Because the Pforzheimer Collection collects actively, more Horace Smith letters may be accessioned in the future as they become available for purchase.
Processed by Charles Carter and Timothy Gress, 2022.
In addition to manuscripts in the hand of Horace Smith, the Pforzheimer Collection has over ninety manuscripts in the hand of Horace's brother and co-author of Rejected Addresses, James Smith, including a copy of Horace's poem "Man" in James's hand. Also held is a comprehensive grouping of early editions of Horace Smith's printed works, his copy of the first edition of P. B. Shelley's Queen Mab (1813), and a handful of engraved portraits.
Additional Horace Smith manuscript material is held by the New York Public Library's Berg Collection, just across the hall from the Pforzheimer Collection. For details, Berg collection staff can be reached by e-mail at berg@nypl.org.