Series 32 - Letters to Lilly Frazer A-E

1 box

FRAZ/32-33 consists of three boxes containing over 750 letters, most of them addressed to Lilly Frazer and almost half of them written in her native French. The letters span 1895-1941, but the bulk date from the 1920s and 1930s. An alphabetic sequence of letters spans the three boxes. Many correspondents may be represented not only by one or two letters here but also by letters addressed to James Frazer elsewhere in the collection. The largest group of letters is from François Ceccaldi in Corsica, a French préfet who signs himself 'Jack' and addresses Lilly as 'Flaminica' (FRAZ/32/85-201). The next largest collection of letters is from Noémi Renan Psichari, the daughter of Ernest Renan (FRAZ/33/270-305). Other principal correspondents in these boxes are Lauro de Bosis; Lillian de Bosis; David Lindsay, the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres; Arundell Esdaile; Aimé Joseph de Fleuriau; Matthieu Gorce; Arthur Gray; Pauline de Broglie, Comtesse de Pange; Pierre Sayn; Rose Thomson; and Dorothy Young. An original letter from Lilly to Alexandre Moret appears here (Item 26), and a copy letter from Lilly to Hermann Braunholz of the Council of the Anthropological Institute dated 1937 is also here (Item 25).

There are two writings housed with these letters. The first is the corrected draft of "Le bois qui chante", an operetta by Margaret Rose and Stuart Young, based on Lilly Frazer's "The Singing Wood" (FRAZ/32/266) which bears no apparent relationship to the letters around it. The second is a printed copy of a letter from Elise Révoire to 'Madame', undated, which according to a note in Lady Frazer's hand, appears in facsmilie in "Famille Troisel"; a version of the letter also appears in "Pasha the Pom" (FRAZ/33/315).

Another cache of general letters to Lilly Frazer may be found at FRAZ/18-19. Letters of thanks for the Downie biography sent to Lilly are housed as FRAZ/16/1-51, and Letters of Congratulation on the Order of Merit sent to Lilly are housed as FRAZ/14/1-35.