A recording of the lecture, “Horace Walpole and Philanthropy in Eighteenth-Century England”, given by Dr. Andrew Rudd (University of Exeter, UK) at the Lewis Walpole Library in September 2022, is now available on the Yale University Library Youtube channel. In this talk, Dr. Rudd explored the rich and exciting world of philanthropy in eighteenth-century England. The talk focused on the collector and man of letters Horace Walpole (1717-1797), who was a generous, if sometimes eccentric, supporter of the era’s good causes. Walpole’s giving habits illuminate a thriving culture of charitable relief which still finds echoes in philanthropy today.
This lecture, which was given in connection with the exhibit, Knight Errant of the Distressed: Horace Walpole and Philanthropy in Eighteenth-Century London, was presented in partnership with the Farmington Libraries as part of the ongoing series of public talks by exhibition curators.