Edward Carpenter: A Glimpse of a Legacy Through Letters
Our AFTER DARK/SPRING catalog is graced by a collection of ephemera surrounding the late life of a monumental figure of the Victorian and Edwardian Eras, Edward Carpenter.
Text by Barry Oliver, Vallot’s Researcher and Cataloger
Lot 32 in our upcoming sale, is an important archive of correspondence and related ephemera illuminating the life and legacy of Edward Carpenter (1844–1929), the celebrated poet, philosopher, socialist and early advocate for gay rights.
Highlights include an address presented to Carpenter on the occasion of his 70th birthday, accompanied by a two-page list of signatories, comprising prominent literary figures, labour leaders, and trade unionists of the period. A congratulatory letter and Carpenter’s reply add a personal note to this moment of public recognition.
*Among the signatories, note Magnus Hirschfeld, who’s contemporaneous writings can be found in lot 49 of the sale.
The bulk of the collection comprises the wartime correspondence between Carpenter and his close friend Wilson Plant (1883–1954). Wounded in action near El Arish during the First World War, Carpenter referred to Plant’s ordeal—ten pieces of shrapnel lodged in both legs, requiring multiple surgeries—as a form of "martyrdom."
At Carpenter’s urging, Plant was visited by E.M. Forster who was then serving with the Red Cross in Alexandria. Their letters touch on the Russian Revolution, Carpenter’s hope for similar political upheaval in Germany, the trial and imprisonment of E.D. Morel for his anti-war views. On personal matters, Carpenter writes of the ineligibility of Carpenter’s life partner, George Merrill (1891 - 1928), for military service, and his wish to send a bedridden Plant a copy of The Intermediate Sex.
Also included is a letter from Robert Murray Gilchrist, the novelist and friend of Carpenter and a typescript of an “Oration composed by Edward Carpenter for delivery at his funeral.” The collection further contains E.M. Forster’s typescript contribution to a posthumous Edward Carpenter memoir published by George Allen & Unwin. The real-life relationship of Carpenter and Merrill inspired Forster’s novel Maurice.
Find first edition’s of Carpenter’s most prominent books and this collection of letters as lots 31 & 32 in our upcoming sale AFTER DARK/SPRING, and register to bid live for May 22nd at 7:30 PM EST here.