Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton), 1841-1904. Collection of autograph letters, documents, and photographs related to the completion of his first trans-Africa expedition, August-December 1877
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries) Search this
Extent:
8 Items (Correspondence; Documentary photographs, 5 x 8 in. - 8.5 x 11 in.)
Container:
Item M155d
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1877
Scope and Contents note:
Includes two handwritten letters from Stanley to Edward Levy-Lawson dated 17 August 1877(6 pages on three folded sheets) and 16 September 1877 (3 pages on one folded sheet), a memorandum on Charles Blandy's printed stationery, signed by Stanley and dated 17 October 1877; a letter to Stanley from J. L. Clifford Smith expressing admiration for Stanley's courage and congratulating him on having sourced the Congo; an account of remittance supplied from the Daily telegraph (1 folded sheet of tissue paper); a handwritten letter from Charles Blandy to Stanley dated from Madeira 19 October 1877 (1 page on 1 folded sheet); and a handwritten copy of the text of a telegram sent to Stanley dated London, 16 October 1877, from John Merry Le Sage of the Daily telegraph. Also included are 7 sepia-toned photographs of Stanley landing at Kabinda, his expeditionary force, and local African people with a letter of explanation dated December 1877 and signed by J.R. Phillips, the brother of the Manchester photographer, R.C. Phillips, who apparently took the photographs.Stanley's letters to Levy-Lawson asks for money to pay his men's wages and transport for them to return home, and comments on the unpopular nature of his "style of exploring", also noting several attacks made on him in the press and mentioning the death of a friend.
General note:
Edward Levy-Lawson was the son of Joseph Moses Levy (proprietor of the Sunday times newspaper) and was the editor of the Daily telegraph. In 1875 he added "Lawson" to his surname. In 1892 Levy-Lawson was created a baronet, and in 1919 he was created Viscount Burnham. He was also a member of Parliament. M155d is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
Collection Rights:
The collection is housed in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, which is open to researchers Monday through Friday in the afternoons, from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.; morning visits are by appointment only. Please call (202) 633-1184 or email AskaLibrarian@si.edu for an appointment.
