Crawhall (Joseph II) Collection
Subject strengths: Art, Printing
The Crawhall Collection is a wonderfully-diverse and visual collection of material by and relating to local businessman, artist and patron of the arts, Joseph Crawhall II (1821-1896). It comprises chapbooks, such as Olde ffrendes with newe faces (1883), A Jubilee Thought (1887) and Old Aunt Elspa's ABC [1884]; proof copies, original sketches and watercolours by Crawhall; correspondence from his friends and publishers; and family ephemera including his marriage certificate and children's vaccination certificates, family history information, programmes from plays in which his children appeared, a Christmas card which Crawhall designed for his wife to send and much more.
The collection boasts an album of watercolour sketches which Crawhall gave to Charles Keene, some of which sketches Keene then refined and published in Punch and we even have c.260 of Crawhall's original woodblocks. There are also some childhood drawings by Joseph Crawhall III, watercolours by George Edward Crawhall (brother) and illustrated letters from Mary Crawhall (sister).
Finding Aid:
Published material available via library catalogue.
Archival catalogue available via Archives Hub.
Other Resources:
The Crawhall Collection has been selectively digitised and images can be viewed at CollectionsCaptured.
An exhibition to compliment this collection is available to view here.
Material from this collection was used in our Treasures of the Month feature for December 2003, February 2006, December 2007 and February 2013.
