Upcott, William, 1779-1845

Epithet: of Collumpton

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000506.0x000155

Upcott was a British antiquarian and collector.

From the description of Johnsoniana, or supplement to Boswell : scrapbook, ca.1750-1836. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 77584551

From the guide to the William Upcott scrapbook of Johnsoniana, or supplement to Boswell, ca.1750-1836., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

Upcott was a British antiquarian, collector, artist, and librarian.

From the description of William Upcott papers, 1650-1881. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 612375861

From the guide to the William Upcott papers, 1650-1881., (Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University)

William Upcott, an English antiquary and autograph collector, was a librarian at the London Institution from 1806 to 1834.

From the description of Original letters collected by William Upcott of the London Institution : Vol. XXX : Eminent women, 1824. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122378627

William Upcott (1779-1845) was an English antiquary, autograph collector and dealer. He was employed by several London bookshops and spent the period from 1806 to 1834 as a sub-librarian of the London Institution. Beyond collecting and selling manuscripts and prints Upcott wrote texts of his own, including A bibliographical account of the principal works relating to English topography. After Upcott's death his collections were sold at auction; the British Library purchased the majority of his manuscripts.

From the description of Correspondence of William Upcott, 1802-1845 (bulk 1817-1845). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122369270

William Upcott was an English antiquary and collector, resident in Islington (London) from 1834. After his death many of his collections of autographs, original manuscripts, and personal and state papers, including papers of John Evelyn and Sir Thomas Browne, were purchased by the British Museum (now the British Library).

From the description of ALS : Shrugborough [Staffordshire, Eng.], to [Mr. Percival], 1842 July 30. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122633102

English collector.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Islington, to Henry Phillips, 1844 Mar. 6. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270573837

From the description of Autograph letter signed : London Institution, to the Manager of the Institution, 1828 Jul. 5. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270573834

William Upcott was an English antiquary and collector, resident in Islington (London) from 1834. After his death, many of his collections of autographs, original manuscripts, and state and personal papers were purchased by the British Museum (now the British Library).

From the description of ALS : London, to Thomas Thompson, Liverpool [Eng.], 1833 July 1. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 81011030

As one of the leading sculptors of his day, Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) was responsible for immortalizing many notable contemporary figures, from Laurence Sterne and Samuel Johnson to George III and Charles James Fox. Apart from the flow of individual commissions, Nollekens also produced a line of stock busts of such figures as Wellington and Pitt. With the additional activity of sculpting church monuments--perhaps the most famous being the monument to the Three Captains in Westminster Abbey--his artistic success led Nollekens to amass a vast fortune, estimated to be £200,000 on his death.

Nollekens left a will that was eagerly awaited by a number of interested parties. It turned out to be a complex document full of codicils and different bequests. One of the people with severely dashed expectations was his future biographer, John Thomas Smith (1766-1833). By profession a topographical draughtsman and antiquary, Smith had been appointed in 1816 to succeed William Alexander as Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. Smith had grown up almost as one of Nollekens' family, and had anticipated a generous sum from his friend; however, although he was co-executor with Francis Douce and Sir William Beechey, his bequest turned out to be a mere £100 (compared with Douce’s estimated £50,000). He immediately set to work to compile a discursive biography, Nollekens and His Times (first edition 1828; reprinted 1829), which quickly came to be considered as "perhaps the most candid biography ever published in the English language" (DNB).

Apart from dealing with the central figure of Nollekens, Smith widened the scope of the biography to give an overall view of numerous other artists of the period. Foremost among these was William Blake, who received by far the largest treatment. For this reason, the work has always been highly valued, as Smith's was one of the few first-hand accounts of Blake to be published.

From the guide to the Extra-illustrated Life of Nollekens, 1708-1875, 1768-1836, (Yale Center for British Art)