Formerly laid in vol. 1: a printed summary of the contents of the manuscripts, and letter from William Pressly with further provenance information about the manuscript.

Formerly laid in vol. 2: pamphlet titled All the year round, "a weekly journal. Conducted by Charles Dickens," dated 1867, which includes an article about Dr. James Barry, Barry's niece who passed for a man; and a note regarding the article.

Formerly in two volumes, now disbound; binding remnants are housed in Box 2.

In English.

James Barry (1741-1806) was a history painter, printmaker, and author. At 22, he exhibited his picture The Baptism of the King of Cashel by St. Patrick at the Dublin Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. Edmund Burke and William Burke became his patrons, arranging for him to study in Europe. When Barry returned to England, he was invited to join The Royal Academy. Barry became his own printmaker, publisher, and distributor by 1776, and was also a writer, especially concerning the state of the arts in England, as demonstrated by his first book, An Inquiry into the Real and Imaginary Obstructions to the Acquisition of the Arts in England (1775). In 1782, he became professor of painting at the Royal Academy. However, Barry's last major publication, A Letter to the Dilettanti Society of 1798, appealed to the Society to promote the arts to compensate for what he considered to be the Royal Academy's lack of leadership, and in which he inveighed angrily against his colleagues. For these and other remarks in his lectures, he was expelled from the Royal Academy on 15 April 1799. He died in poverty in 1806.

James Barry (1799-1865), a transgender army medical officer, was born Margaret Ann Bulkley, the daughter of Mary Anne Barry Bulkley and Jeremiah Bulkley; she was also the niece of the artist James Barry (1741-1806). In 1809 Mary Ann Bulkley settled in Edinburgh with her daughter, from then on known as James Barry, who matriculated as a literary and medical student at the university. Barry lived his adult life as a man, receiving his MD in 1812. Barry arrived in the Cape in 1816, and in 1817 was appointed physician to the household of the governor, Lord Charles Somerset. During the winter of 1819 Barry paid a secret visit to the island of Mauritius because, it has been suggested, he had become pregnant by Somerset and went there to give birth. Barry was promoted to staff surgeon in 1827 and in 1828 was appointed to Mauritius. In 1858 he became inspector-general of hospitals. After contracting severe influenza in Canada, Barry returned to England in 1859, retired on half pay, and died in 1865. His death certificate lists Barry's sex as male.

Manuscript, in multiple hands, of a collection of several hundred family papers. Both volumes include documents concerning Barry's financial and personal affairs, including those of his house in Castle Street; correspondence with him regarding his artistic ventures; and letters from his brothers Redmond and Patrick. The majority of the collection, however, concerns his family's handling of his estate after his death. The correspondence also contains several letters from or about Mary Anne Bulkley's daughter Margaret which reference her transformation into the medical army officer "James Barry."

Vol. 1 contains both Barry's correspondence and financial documents as well as those of his family members after his death. Several letters are from the Royal Academy to Barry, including a printed document in 1799 requesting Barry's presence at the minutes of Council reflecting the charges of his conduct as professor of painting, which would lead to his expulsion. Other items include social letters to Barry, including one which references Barry's "miserable" life in 1804. Barry also wrote letters and notes on blank sides of other documents; one such note provides advice on etching. The manuscript also contains Barry's rent contract for his house on Castle Street.

The bulk of the volume, however, deals with the dispersion of his effects after his death, including a list of monies found on his person at time of death; and an inventory of his effects at Castle Street made 6 days after his death, listing items room by room, including a large plaster torso in the Great Room; 3 old chairs, 2 plaster heads, and 6 arms and legs in the parlors; and a list of books. Several entries regard the auction of his effects, including printed Christie's catalog of Barry's paintings, drawings, and sketches, dated 1807, annotated with prices, followed by another Christie's catalog of his prints, plates, and books, also annotated with prices; receipts from the sales of the Christie's auction; and a series of letters from James Christie to Daniel Reardon, the lawyer in charge of Barry's estate, regarding auctioning Barry's pictures; as well as Reardon's bills, receipts, and accounts regarding his involvement with Barry's effects, including payments of Barry's debts and bills and his own legal fees. Other items reflecting his family members' monetary interest in his effects include a printed request for patronage by his sister, Mary Anne Bulkley, of the Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, to reprint and publish Barry's prints; a lithographed appeal for the relief of Redmond Barry, in honor of his late brother James; and numerous papers related to his siblings' use or selling of his plates after his death.

Vol. 2 contains primarily personal and business letters by Barry's family members. These include numerous letters from Barry's brother, Redmond, to him, begging for money and complaining of Barry's, and their sister's, cruel treatment of him; elsewhere he complains of his life on a man-of-war and desires Barry to work his discharge. Redmond also writes similar letters to Daniel Reardon after Barry's death. Numerous letters from Barry's other brother, Patrick, also ask for money, complaining of his own poverty. Many letters concern the Bulkleys, the family of Barry's sister Mary Anne, including a legal statement confirming the separation of Jeremiah and Mary Anne Bulkley; Mary Anne's will; letters from Jeremiah to Daniel Reardon begging for information on his daughter Margaret (later identifying as James Barry), who has stopped answering his letters; a letter from Margaret (James Barry) to her brother John; and a letter dated 1808 from James Barry, describing his life at university, the classes he is taking, and how well "James Barry's nephew" is received.

The other items in this volume primarily address Mary Anne Bulkley's handling of her brother's effects, including receipts for sums of money to Mary Anne and Redmond from Daniel Reardon and numerous documents regarding the publication of A Series of Etchings by James Barry. These latter documents include business letters between Bulkley and Reardon regarding meetings with the publisher Cadell and Davies; as well as letters from booksellers such as Boydell & Co. reporting very poor or nonexistent sales for the work.

Available on microfilm from The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University ; B27 1-2.

Available also as pdfs from The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University.

Barry, James, 1741-1806 > Exhibitions.

Art auctions > England > London > Catalogs.

Art, British > 18th century.

Booksellers and bookselling > Great Britain.

Finance, personal > Great Britain.

Publishers and publishing > Great Britain.

Transgender people > Great Britain.

Accounts.

Receipts (financial records)