Please Continue: Literary Correspondence as Conversation

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In Summary

The letters in this exhibit span a century of English literature, from the 1880s to the 1980s, and each one was sent with the hope that it would bring a response in return, continuing the conversation. Because the fiction writers and poets who wrote this correspondence were all devoted to the craft of writing, their missives are works of art in themselves, albeit more personal and playful than their published volumes had the freedom to be. Each author’s epistles express personality not only through the chosen text, but also through paper color, handwriting, choice of writing utensil, and the many other physical details required to complete and mail a letter. The messages also hint at the lives on the receiving end of the correspondence, prompting us to imagine responses to the questions asked, praises doled out, and affections expressed.

[Photograph of Arthur Conan Doyle]

Pirie MacDonald explained his photographic technique n the December 1941 issue of Popular Science: “to make a true portrait you must try to analyze and understand your subject’s character, and deliberately aim to reflect that character in the picture.” He took this photograph of Arthur Conan Doyle when the author visited the United States in 1923.

Title	[Photograph of Arthur Conan Doyle]
Creator	Pirie MacDonald
Date	1923
Source	Ralph Morrissey Collection