Additional Owen family pictures

Single Item

MS. 16204

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Contains:

Later copy printouts of black and white photographs of Wilfred Owen (one in group), c.1914-1918, plus copy of '5th Manchesters'.
Watercolour by Susan Owen of Plas Wilmot, Oswestry, 'Evening', 27 Jul 1876. The house was built by her grandfather in 1829 and Wilfred Owen was born there in 1893.
Two watercolours by Harold Owen of 'Brines Cottage Happy Valley Pontesbury' [Shropshire], 1910.
Three etching prints by Harold Owen: Woodcock Breaking Covert, 1930 [2/100]; River Esk, 1929 [7/50]; and African Death Swamp, early 1920s. The last two etchings are reproduced in Harold Owen's book, Aftermath (1970). Print of woodcock removed from frame, original mount and backing retained.

Dates

Creation: 1876-1930

Extent

0.2 Linear metres

Language of Materials

English

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. 16204].

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

Shelfmark:

MS. 16204

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 16204

Additional Description

Abstract

Additional Owen family pictures, 1876-1930.

Biographical / Historical

(William) Harold Owen (1897-1971) was the younger brother of the war poet, Wilfred Owen (1893-1918). Prior to the First World War, he joined the Merchant Navy; he was transferred to the Royal Navy Reserve in 1916. After the war, Harold studied at Saint Martin's College of Art.

Custodial History

Harold Owen's 'Woodcock Breaking Covert' etching was bought at Owen's one-man London exhibition in 1930 by Glyn Philpot, RA, whose family gave it back to the artist in 1966 to form part of the Owen collection.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These items were transferred from the English Faculty Library to the Bodleian Library in 2019. They were associated with the Archive of Wilfred Owen, some were on display. The watercolour of Plas-Wilmot had been donated by Mrs Joan Squire [nee Bowen] in 1983. It is not clear whether any of the other items formed part of the original archive presented in 1975 or whether they were later donations [two items have descriptions of provenance]. The copies of the photographic prints were presumably solely decorative.