Letitia Elizabeth Landon papers
Overview
Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L.E.L.) was an English poet and novelist in the early 19th century. This collection contains several poems, as well as letters sent and received by Landon. Additional letters written by Landon's mother Catherine Jane (Bishop) Landon and a family friend, Katherine Thomson (1797-1856), are included.
Dates
- Creation: 1822-1844?
Creator
- L. E. L. (Letitia Elizabeth Landon), 1802-1838 (Author, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of Letitia Elizabeth Landon
Letitia E. Landon was born in 1802 at 25 Hans Place, Chelsea, London to John and Catherine Jane (Bishop) Landon. She had a younger brother, Whittington Henry, and a younger sister who died at age thirteen.
In 1815, the family moved to Old Brompton in London and next door to William Jerdan (1782-1869), the editor of the Literary Gazette. Jerdan took notice of Landon, and she was able to publish many poems in the Literary Gazette, when she began signing her work "L.E.L."
In the 1830s, Landon was the center of a series of rumors claiming she was involved in romantic affairs with various men. Resulting from these rumors, her engagement to John Forster was broken off in 1835. In 1838, she married George MacLean, the governor of Cape Castle Colony on the African Gold Coast. Later that year, she was found dead, apparently of prussic acid poisoning.
Extent
.25 Linear Feet (1 document case)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
The collection includes five poems written and signed by L.E.L.; sixteen letters written by L.E.L. to William Jerdan, Anna Maria and S.C. Hall, and others; one letter to L.E.L. from a "Mr. Emerson," and letters written by Catherine Jane Landon and Katherine Thomson. The collection also includes two engraved portraits of L.E.L, probably cut from books or periodicals.
Physical Location
MS 223
Other Finding Aids
More detailed information on individual items, including summaries of many letters, is available in the attached Pdf: ksrl.sc.landonletitia.pdf.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Unknown (most of collection).
MS 223 Bc:2 Arthur Rogers (Rose Morgan Fund), June 20, 1956.
- Title
- Guide to the Letitia Landon Collection
- Subtitle
- Letitia Elizabeth Landon papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by sda, 2013.
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in<language encodinganalog="language">English</language>
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/6996587078
- Preferred citation
-
Letitia Landon Collection, Department of Special Collections, MS 223, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository