Skip to main content
COLLECTION Identifier: MS Hyde 6

David Garrick papers

Overview

Sixteen autograph letters by Garrick and ten letters received by him, mostly concerning theatrical and literary matters; and drafts of three poems.

Dates

  • Creation: 1749-1778

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.

Conditions Governing Use

Images linked to this finding aid are intended for public access and educational use. This material is owned and/or held by the Houghton Library, and is provided solely for the purpose of teaching or individual research. Any other use, including commercial reuse, mounting on other systems, or other forms of redistribution requires the permission of the curator.

Extent

.5 linear feet (1 box)

Series I, Correspondence, includes sixteen autograph letters by Garrick, and ten letters received by him. Prominent correspondents include Oliver Goldsmith, John Hawkesworth, Samuel Johnson, Hannah More, Arthur Murphy, and Thomas Percy. Many of the letters concern Garrick's theatrical career, and the literary efforts of other authors.

Series II, Manuscripts, consists of drafts of epitaphs which Garrick composed for Charles Holland and William Hogarth, as well as a transcript of his poem Upon Dr. Cadogan's Blaspheming Shakespear.

Biographical / Historical

David Garrick (1717-1779) was raised in Lichfield, England, where he briefly studied under Samuel Johnson. Johnson and Garrick relocated in London together in 1737. Garrick soon became a leading actor, playwright and theatrical producer. From 1747 to 1776, he was a partner in the Drury Lane Theatre. He married Eva Marie Veigel in 1749.

Arrangement

Arranged into the following series:

  1. I. Correspondence
  2. II. Manuscripts

The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Letters to and from Garrick are interfiled chronologically where both sides of the correspondence are represented.

Physical Location

b (shelved with bMS Hyde 7)

Immediate Source of Acquisition

2003JM-58 (part). Bequest of Mary Hyde Eccles, Four Oaks Farm, Somerville, New Jersey; received: 2004.

Related Materials

Several related items are also part of the Hyde Collection, including two letters from Samuel Johnson to Garrick in MS Hyde 1, item (36); a letter from James Boswell to Garrick in MS Hyde 2, item (16); a letter from Elizabeth Robinson Montagu to Garrick in MS Hyde 7, item (4); Garrick's manuscript Why Goldsmith Wrote Retaliation, MS Hyde 18; a presentation manuscript of Garrick's satire Lethe, MS Hyde 19; and a letter from Giuseppe Baretti to Garrick in MS Hyde 66, item (5).

Bibliography

  • Boaden, James, ed. The Private Correspondence of David Garrick (London: Colburn & Bentley, 1831)
  • Garrick, David. Poetical Works of David Garrick (London: George Kearsley, 1785)
  • Knapp, Mary E. Checklist of Verse by David Garrick (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1955).
  • Little, David M.; and George M. Kahrl, eds. The Letters of David Garrick (Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1963)

Processing Information

Processed by: Rick Stattler

Title
Garrick, David, 1717-1779. David Garrick papers, 1749-1778: Guide.
Author
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hou01759

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.

Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.

Contact:
Harvard Yard
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2440