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COLLECTION Identifier: MS Fr 411

Alphonse de Lamartine papers

Overview

Letters from the French poet and statesman Alphonse de Lamartine to his executor, and other related papers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1713-1890

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in French.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.

Extent

0.5 linear feet (1 boxes)

Letters of Lamartine to his executor, Èdouard Dubois, and to other correspondents as well as some financial records of Lamartine including an account book. There are engravings by Tony Johannot and other engravers which may have been created to illustrate Lamartine's books, among other items.

Biographical / Historical

Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869) was born in Mâcon, France into the aristocracy. His father was imprisoned during the French Revolution but escaped the guillotine. After briefly serving in the military, Lamartine joined the diplomatic corps as secretary to the French embassy at Naples. His first collection of poetry, Méditations poétiques, was published in 1820, establishing him as one of the key figures in the Romantic movement in French literature. Lamartine entered politics and was elected to the National Assembly in 1848 only to be thrown out when the Bourgeoisie discovered he was acting as a spokesman for the working class. After leaving politics, Lamartine published several poetry collections and historical works. He died in Paris.

Arrangement

Arranged into two series:

  1. I. Correspondence
  2. A. Letters from Alphonse de Lamartine
  3. B. Other letters
  4. II. Other papers

Physical Location

b

Immediate Source of Acquisition

89M-40. Purchased with funds from the Amy Lowell fund from Thierry Bodin, bookseller; received: 1989 August 13.

Processing Information

Processed by: Jackie Dean.

Title
Lamartine, Alphonse de, 1790-1869. Aphonse de Lamartine papers, 1713-1890: Guide.
Author
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hou00115

Repository Details

Part of the Houghton Library Repository

Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

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