Alfred Austin letters, 1892-1911 0.5 linear feet
- Creator
- Austin, Alfred, 1835-1913
- Abstract Or Scope
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Letters written by command of members of the British Royal family to Alfred Austin both before and during his service as Poet Laureate of England. The greatest number of letters is from Sir Arthur John Bigge, Equerry and briefly secretary to Queen Victoria, but there are also letters on behalf of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, and George V written by members of their staffs. All but 5 of the 33 letters are of the period following the appointment of Austin as Poet Laureate, January 1896. Although it is almost entirely made up of brief notes thanking the poet for gifts of printings of his poems, the correspondence as a whole is interesting as a vignette of life within the royal household.