Kennedy Family Correspondence Archive to Auction

An archive of correspondence relating to the Kennedy political dynasty is expected to sell for £2,000-£3,000 when it goes up for auction in the Books, Maps & Manuscripts Sale on November 25 at Tennants Auctioneers.

The archive comprises mainly autograph and typed letters signed by Rose Kennedy, matriarch of the family and mother to John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy. Most of the letters are to her English friend and travel partner Marie Bruce. Although much of the correspondence is relatively brief and focused on practical arrangements, the collection presents the opportunity to learn about the relationship between Kennedy and Bruce.

Kennedy was known to have spent much of her time alone and did not have confidants. Bruce said in an oral history about Rose that she was surprised that she asked her to travel with her because their relationship wasn't that close. These letters hint at a slightly closer relationship than was previously thought, particularly those written soon after the deaths of her son and husband. Examples in the archive include a printed note of thanks from Rose following the death of Robert F Kennedy, with a handwritten note updating Marie on the family.

Also going under the hammer is a collection of historical and heraldic manuscripts dating from the 16th and 17th centuries relating to Sir Henry St George, Garter King of Arms (1625-1715) and Sir Richard St George, Clarenceaux King of Arms (d.1635). In amongst the documents that make up the volume are orders of proceedings to Parliament in 1614, and documents relating to the funerals of William Cecil, and a fine description of the coronation of Charles I. It has an estimate of £300-500.

Joining it is a scarce copy of Prelude by the New Zealand writer and critic Katherine Mansfield (estimate: £800-£1,200). Written in the midst of a love affair in Paris, this book was one of around 300 printed, and only the third book to be published by the Hogarth Press. The author had moved to London aged just 19, and became part the Bloomsbury Group before dying aged just 35. 

Another rare work is a 1935 printing of Andreas Vesalius’s anatomical treatise Bruxellensis Icones Anatomicae, printed using the original 16th century woodblocks (estimate: £1,500-£2,000). The volume was produced by the New York Academy of Medicine and the University of Munich shortly after the rediscovery of the printing blocks in Munich. The blocks were later destroyed during the Second World War. 

In the photography section of the sale is a collection of glass slides of images taken by Harold Bryce Thomson (1896-1981), an amateur photographer and trichologist from Leeds which will be offered with an estimate of £300-£500. The majority of the images were taken in and around Wensleydale in Yorkshire and offer a fascinating insight into the rural community in the 1940s. The archive comprises approximately 475 slides, and includes portraits, images of village life, landscapes and beautifully lit depictions of the photographer’s family and friends.