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The postcard collection of the artist Tom Phillips

 Collection

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This archive is comprised of 111 albums of photographic postcards which were collected by Tom Phillips. They are organised by theme, with the content of each box spanning several decades. Some postcards have written messages, however the majority are blank.

Some of these postcards were included in a 2004 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery entitled 'We Are The People'.

Note: This archive contains instances of racism, including blackface; discriminatory language, including racial slurs; antisemitism; 'othering' of disabilities; images of human remains; images of dead animals; and images of the mistreatment of animals.

Boxes have been individually labelled with content warnings where relevant. However, some instances pertaining to subject areas similar to the above may have been missed during the cataloguing process.

Dates

  • Creation: c.1890s-1960s

Extent

7.77 Linear metres (111 boxes)

Language of Materials

  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Welsh

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. 19966/1].

Please see our help page for further guidance on citing archives and manuscripts.

Full range of shelfmarks:

MSS. 19966/1-111

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 19966

Abstract

Photographic postcards collected by Tom Phillips and arranged by theme.

Biographical / Historical

Tom Phillips (1937-2022) was an English painter, printmaker, illustrator, sculptor, translator, composer, librettist and set designer. He studied English Literature and Anglo-Saxon at St. Catherine's College, Oxford, and was taught by Frank Auerbach while studying art at Camberwell School of Art from 1961 to 1963.

During his early career, Phillips taught art and art history at Ipswich, Bath and Wolverhampton art schools, teaching, among others, the musician Brian Eno. A notable portrait artist (several of his paintings hang in the National Portrait Gallery), Phillips' other works include tapestries for St. Catherine's College, sculpture for the Imperial War Museum, and art and memorials for churches, including both Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. His musical works include the experimental opera Irma (1970) and translating and designing Verdi's Otello for the English National Opera in 1998.

Phillips curated a 2004 National Portrait Gallery exhibition (We Are The People) of his collection of postcard portraits from the early 20th century, following his book on the subject, The Postcard Century (2000). He was lead curator for the 'Africa: The Art of a Continent' exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1995, and also published a book on African goldweights.

A translator and book creator/publisher, Phillips' longest-running project was his transformed version of W H Mallock's 1892 novel A Human Document, which he has altered with drawing, painting and collage and published in various forms as A Humument (1966-), including as an iPad app in 2010. Phillips also illustrated, translated, and published a version of Dante's Inferno and worked on a televised version, A TV Dante, directed by Peter Greenaway.

He served as exhibitions committee chairman for the Royal Academy (1985-2007), and as a trustee at both the British Museum (1999-2006) and the National Portrait Gallery. In 2005-2006 he served as the Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Oxford and from 2005-2011 he was invited as an annual Director's Visitor to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

Arrangement

This archive has been maintained in original order, as organised by Tom Phillips. This includes retention of original album titles and so some titles are not fully representative of content (please see subject tags for further insight) and some can be considered anachronistic, for example, the boxes entitled 'Make believe' and 'Enigma' both contain subject matter which includes racist imagery and 'othering'.

Other Finding Aids

The principle Tom Phillips archive can be found at MSS. Tom Phillips 1-304 and MS. Photogr. c. 570.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased from Tom Phillips in 2020.

Title
Catalogue of the postcard collection of the artist Tom Phillips
Status
Published
Author
Bethany Goodman
Date
2024
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Edition statement
First edition

Repository Details

Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository

Contact:
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom