Expanding Our Digital Collections

August 11, 2020

While nothing can replace the experience of working with archival material directly, we wanted to do everything we could to help our patrons continue their research during this unusual time.  With that goal in mind, the LWL placed a priority of making as much of our material available online as possible. Since we are unable to digitize new material, we decided to spend some time going back through our extensive collection of digital images in search of undiscovered digitized collection material.  This search resulted in the discovery of twenty-five volumes that had been previously digitized but not made available online. Working with the Technical Services staff, we were able to add these volumes to our digital images library and provide links to these volumes in the catalog records. Patrons are now able to page through these volumes and view them as they would in the reading room.
             
The majority of the discovered volumes were bound manuscripts from a variety of our manuscript collections. Most notable were several volumes from the Charles Hanbury Williams Papers and the Henry Seymour Conway military correspondence. We were also able to upload digital copies of the three volumes of Horace Walpole’s Book of Materials. These volumes have always been a very popular and useful resource amongst our fellows. Non-manuscript volumes include an extra-illustrated copy of A catalogue of the classic contents of Strawberry Hill and the Scrapbook of Advertisements, which is a collection of advertisements, broadsides, single sheet verse and newspaper clippings cover the 1740’s -1838.


Full list of volumes added to the digital library:

Copies of seven original letters from King Edward VI to Barnaby Fitz-Patrick

Miscellaneous antiquities …

Scrapbook of advertisements, broadsides, poetry, newspaper clippings, etc., 1745-1838

Drawings faithfully copied from nature at Naples

Catalogue of pictures and drawings in the Holbein-Chamber, at Strawberry-Hill

Pictures, curiosities, &c. in the cabinet of enamels and miniatures…

Curiosities in the glass closet in the Great Bedchamber

The triumphant widow, or The medley of humours : a comedy, acted by His Royal Highnes’s servants

The humorous lovers : a comedy, acted by His Royal Highnes’s servants

A letter to - -, concerning the abuse of Scripture-terms

Horace Walpole’s Book of materials, 1759

Horace Walpole’s Book of materials, 1771

Horace Walpole’s Book of materials, 1786

Books printed at Strawberry Hill

A catalogue of the classic contents of Strawberry Hill collected by Horace Walpole

Sir Charles Hanbury Williams papers, volume 34

Sir Charles Hanbury Williams papers, volume 46

Sir Charles Hanbury Williams papers, volume 69

Sir Charles Hanbury Williams papers, volume 70

Henry Seymour Conway military correspondence, volume 1

Henry Seymour Conway military correspondence, volume 2

Henry Seymour Conway military correspondence, volume 3

Henry Seymour Conway military correspondence, volume 4

Letters to Francis Seymour-Conway

A tour through a part of the counties of Derby and Stafford