Stephen Tennant Papers, 1929-1977

Overview of the Collection

Title
Stephen Tennant Papers
Dates
1929-1977 (inclusive)
Quantity
.5 linear feet of shelf space, (1 box)
Collection Number
Cage 643 (collection)
Summary
Letters, including some original covers, sent to Stephen Tennant by various friends and acquaintances. Includes holograph version of "Daphne" by Edith Sitwell, and postcards, clippings, and photographs.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

The Honorable Stephen James Napier Tennant (1906-1987) was an English artist and author. He was part of a London social circle popularly known in the 1920s as the Bright Young Things or Bright Young People, and he had many friends and acquaintances in the Bloomsbury set as well.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection consists primarily of correspondence, including some original covers, sent to Stephen Tennant by various friends and acquaintances. It includes a holograph version of "Daphne" by Edith Sitwell, postcards, clippings, and photographs. Some of the letters are incomplete, and many are undated. Among the notable correspondents are Cecil Beaton, Edith and Osbert Sitwell, Virginia Woolf, Nancy Mitford, E.M. Forster, Juliet Huxley, and Daphne du Maurier. Some items are annotated by Tennant.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]

Stephen Tennant Papers, 1929-1977 (Cage 643)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by correspondent name. Items from unidentified correspondents (illegible signatures, signed with initials or first name only and not identified during collection processing, or unsigned) are filed under Miscellaneous (folder 23).

Acquisition Information

The Washington State University Libraries purchased this collection in 1990 (MS.1990.10).

Processing Note

Initial processing was performed by staff in 1996. Beth Blakesley and Cheryl Gunselman performed additional processing in 2013 and 2017.

Related Materials

Stephen Tennant Papers, 1945-1953 (Cage 4722)

Thomas Balston Papers of the Sitwells, 1924-1960 (Cage 9)

Siegfried Sassoon Papers of the Sitwells, 1918-1957 (Cage 165)

Edith, Osbert, and Sacheverell Sitwell Papers, 1917-1972 (Cage 531)

Nina Hamnett Papers, 1914-1953 (Cage 534)

Ada Leverson Letters from the Sitwells, circa 1920-1935 (Cage 4669)

Edith Sitwell Correspondence, 1922-1964 (Cage 4793)

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Christabel [Aberconway]. undated
1 2 Princess Alexandra. 1968 and undated
1 3 Cecil Beaton (letters, postcards, notes, and photographs). 1929-1973 and undated
1 4 Marthe [Bibesco?]. undated
1 5 Edmund [Blunden]. 1965
1 6 [?] Bryant. 1970
1 7 David Cecil. undated
1 8 E.M. Forster. 1933
1 9 Leslie [L.P. Hartley]. 1970-1971 and undated
1 10 Michael Holroyd. 1972
1 11 Eileen [Hose]. 1973
1 12 Barbara Hutton. undated
1 13 Juliette and Julian Huxley. 1959-1977 and undated
1 14 Daphne du Maurier. 1973-1977
1 15 Nancy [Mitford]. 1952-1956
1 16 Angus Ogilvy. 1965
1 17 Ruth Pitter. 1966-1973 and undated
1 18 Edith Sitwell (letter and "Daphne" holograph). undated
1 19 Osbert Sitwell. undated
1 20 Lucile Thurber. undated
1 21 Laurie [Laurence Whistler]. 1966-1972
1 22 Virginia Woolf. undated
1 23 Miscellaneous (items from unidentified correspondents, including Margaret, Violet, Aunt Violet, David, and Rosamund; also items signed with initials only, with illegible signatures, or unsigned). 1929-1972 and undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Authors, English -- 20th century -- Correspondence

Personal Names

  • Tennant, Stephen, 1906-1987 -- Archives

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Beaton, Cecil, 1904-1980. (creator)
    • Blunden, Edmund, 1896-1974. (creator)
    • Du Maurier, Daphne, 1907-1989. (creator)
    • Hutton, Barbara, 1912-1979. (creator)
    • Huxley, Julian, 1887-1975. (creator)
    • Huxley, Juliette, 1896-1994. (creator)
    • Morrell, Ottoline Violet Anne Cavendish-Bentinck, Lady, 1873-1938. (creator)
    • Pitter, Ruth, 1897-1992. (creator)
    • Sitwell, Osbert, 1892-1969. (creator)
    • Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941. (creator)