Brownell, Gladys M., 1904-1985

(Giles) Lytton Strachey, a critic and essayist, was born in 1880 in London to Lieutenant-General Richard and Jane Maria Strachey. From 1897-1899 he attended Liverpool University where he studied history. He spent the next four years at Trinity College, Cambridge. He later became part of the Bloomsbury literary/artistic circle. His first book, "Landmarks in French literature," was published in 1912. He published many other books until his death on January 21, 1932, in Hungerford, England. Vanessa Bell, artist and illustrator, was born in 1879 to Leslie Stephen and Julia Jackson. She attended Sir Arthur Cope's School of Art from 1896-1901, when she gained admission to the Royal Academy Schools. In 1905 she founded the Friday Club, a meeting place for artists. Here she met Clive Bell, whom she married in 1907. In 1913 Roger Fry founded the Omega Workshops in which Bell was a collaborator. From 1913 onwards, Vanessa Bell lived with Duncan Grant and her children. She illustrated dust jackets for her sister Virginia Woolfe's books. She died on April 7, 1961, in Charleston, England. Roger Eliot Fry, an artist, was born in 1866 in Highgate, England to Sir Edward and Lady Mariabella Fry. He studied at Clifton College, and in 1891 he left for Italy. In 1892 he studied at the Academie Julian in Paris, but left after a brief period. In 1894 he returned to Italy to study art. For the next two years he lectured and painted. In 1896 he married Helen Coombe, a painter. From 1900 on, Fry wrote many articles and reviews. He worked as the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for five years. He founded the Omega Workshops and worked closely with Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. He died in London, on September 9, 1934. E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster, author, was born on January 1, 1879 in London, England to Edward Morgan Llewellyn and Alice Clara Forster. His father died when he was an infant, and he was raised by his mother and aunts. In 1897 he began attending King's College, Cambridge where his advisor Nathaniel Wedd encouraged him to write. After leaving King's College, Forster travelled through Greece and Italy. He published his first novel in 1905, entitled "Where Angels Fear to Tread." He wrote many other novels and short stories. Forster died on June 7, 1970, at Coventry, England. Duncan (James Corrowr) Grant, artist, was born in 1885 at Rothiemurchus, Inverness, Scotland. He lived primarily in Burma until 1893 when he began preparatory school in England. In 1902 and 1903 he visited Italy, and he spent 1906-7 in Paris studying under Jaques Emile Blanche. From then onwards, he became part of the Boomsbury group in London. In 1918 he had a daughter with Vanessa Bell, also a member of the group. In 1941, he received his most important commission, decorating the interior of the church at Upper Berwick in Sussex. He died at Aldermaston, England, on May 8, 1978.

From the guide to the Collection of papers by Bloomsbury authors MS 0020., 1913-1959., (Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections)

Edith (Louisa) Sitwell was born in 1887 at Scarborough. Her father was Sir George Reresby Sitwell and her mother was Lady Ida Emily Augusta Denison. Her governess introduced her to the enjoyment of art and in 1914 they rented an apartment together in London. Sitwell published her first poems in 1913. She received many honorary degrees and became a Companion of Literature in 1963. Her most famous book is a poem cycle entitled "Facade", written in collaboration with William Walton. Edith Sitwell died on December 9, 1964 in London. (Francis) Osbert (Sacherverell) Sitwell was born in London 5 years after his sister Edith. He attended Eton from 1900-09 and obtained a commission in the Army in 1912. In 1916 he published his first poems, and in 1919 he left the Army and moved to London. Between World War I and World War II he wrote three satires. His autobiography, "Left Hand, Right Hand", is considered to be his finest work. He died on May 4, 1969 in Montegufoni, Italy.

From the guide to the Sitwell collection MS 0021., [192-?]-1941., (Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections)