R. W. Symonds research papers

This collection contains notes, correspondence, and photographs collected by R. W. Symonds, with the assistance of his daughter Virginia Evans. Extracts, mostly typescript copies, of items gleaned from various early British and Irish newspapers, ca. 1660-1742, contain information about craftsmen, their bills, advertisements, and some inventories. Notebooks contain information on the various forms of furniture and decorative arts. Photo albums show early forms of English furniture. Symonds' correspondence, much of it from the 1950s, documents efforts to publish books, conduct research, build collections for private individuals and museums, especially Colonial Williamsburg, and his efforts to judge the authenticity of antique furniture. Scrapbooks of clippings include articles written by Symonds, as well as articles on topics of interest to him, including furniture, clocks, and postwar city planning. Several articles are about interiors designed by Symonds, mostly with a modern (1930s) flair.

Also included in the collection are three volumes of photographs published by the London decorating firm of Lenygon & Co., Ltd., ca. 1908. One volume features views of the firm's place of business, while the second and third volumes show armchairs, tables, and desks available from the company. Some of these photos appear in the books The Decoration of English Mansions during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries and Furniture in England from 1660 to 1760, both by Francis Lenygon. A trade catalog from the Irish furniture makers Arthur J. Jones, Son, and Co. and a catalog from the Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris were probably collected while doing research for a book about Victorian furniture, which was completed by B. B. Whineray after Symonds' death.

As well, the collection includes several incomplete copies of The Universal Magazine from the 1748-1767, and an assortment of 18th-early 19th century engravings, mostly removed from magazines or books. The issues of The Universal Magazine include some plates dealing with science and mechanics. Some embroidery patterns were removed from the 18th century English publication The Lady's Magazine. Also found are eleven issues of London newspapers from the 1770s to the 1790s and one issue of a newspaper from Jersey, dated 1840.

Series II of this collection contains photographs and copies of Symonds' articles. Roughly ninety per cent of the photographs depict English furniture and clocks and watches, primarily made in the late 17th through early19th centuries. Other subjects include objects from the Percival Griffiths silver collection, some textiles, scientific instruments, and non-English furniture. Although vernacular forms like Windsor chairs are represented, the strength of the collection is high style pieces. The information sheets filed with the photographs note the articles and books in which the photographs were used as illustrations. Approximately 150 photographs show Symonds' modern work as an architectural consultant and interior designer. These include photos not only of furniture, but also of interiors and exteriors of home and businesses, and several interior shots of the Great Portland Street Synagogue in London (taken prior to its destruction in 1941) and of Middlesex Hospital, London. The interior views depict sitting, dining, bed and bathrooms; libraries; children's nurseries; kitchens; and stairs. Also of interest are the photos of utility furniture, and a 1947 price list for these.