Joseph Woods Drawing Collection
Scope and Contents
The collection contains drawings, in pencil, inkwash, and watercolor, made by the British architect Joseph Woods (1776–1864). Most of the drawings were created by Woods between 1816–1819 during his "Grand Tour" of Europe. The drawings depict many Roman ruins, Medieval churches and ruins, and landscapes depicting ruins and cities. Woods published an influential book about his journey, Letters of an Architect from France, Italy, and Greece (London: John and Arthur Arch, 1828), in which he expounded upon the artistic virtues of classical and medieval buildings that he encountered (see: British School at Rome Library, Call number: 657.82.32/1-2). Many of Woods' drawings in this collection were reproduced in print for this book.
Reference number
JW-DRA
Dates
- 1811 - 1849
- Majority of material found within 1816 - 1819
Creator
- Woods, Joseph , 1776-1864 (British architect and botanist) (Artist, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Items from this collection may not be reproduced without permission obtained by the BSR.
Biographical note
Joseph Woods (1776–1864) was an English architect, botanist, and geologist born to a quaker family in Stoke Newington, then outside of London. He helped found the London Architectural Society in 1806 and he was a fellow of the Linnean Society of London, the Geological Society of London, and the Society of Antiquaries. Woods designed Clissold House and the London Commercial Saleroom in Mincing Lane and published a number of articles on botany and geology.
Extent
238 Drawings (3 boxes)
59 Sheets (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
238 architectural and landscape drawings (dated 1811–1849), most executed by Joseph Woods (1776–1864) between 1816 and 1819 during his tour of France, Italy, Germany, Greece, and Malta. Most drawings depict Roman ruins in Italy (especially around Rome) and France. Architectural drawings of medieval buildings and general landscapes of cities and medieval ruins are also included.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in 7 Series: 1. France, 2. Germany, 3. Greece, 4. Italy, 5. Malta, 6. Unidentified Drawings, 7. Documentation. Series 4: Italy, contains a further subseries: Rome.
Original order unclear. Most drawings have titles and dates assigned by creator Joseph Woods. The collection was arranged by place of interest according to handwritten lists (see Documentation), likey during the 1912 acquistion by the British School at Rome.
In the 1920s, a typescript list added numbers to each drawing and collated titles and dates. The original donation of drawings was number 1–184 and each drawing was numbered in pencil on back. Drawings were roughly rearranged according to region, city, or place of interest in quasi-alphabetical order.
During reprocessing in the early 2000s, the second donation of drawings was numbered 1a–19a. The collection was then physically rearranged alphabetically: series were arranged by country (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta) and within each series, folders were roughly arranged alphabetically by region, city, or place of interest. Each drawing was given a label for the numbering. The typescript lists of numbers, titles, and dates were added to each folder as well as photocopies of the typescripts with handwritten numbers added.
Reprocessing in 2024 included rearrangement of folders into a more consistent alphabetical arrangement. Numbers have not been reassigned and have been retained for reference. Drawings which do not include a title and remain geographically unidentified have been assigned to their own series (Series 6. Unidentified Drawings). Documentation of the arrangement from 1912 (handwritten lists) and the 1920s (typescript lists) have been retained as a separate series for reference (Series 7. Documentation).
Provenance
Gift of Alice and Elizabeth Woods, grand-nieces of Joseph Woods, recorded on 4 December 1912 (Minutes of Faculty of Archaeology, History, and Letters, Vol. 4, p.100). A second donation of drawings from Alice and Elizabeth Woods recorded on 20 May 1913 (Minutes of Faculty of Archaeology, History, and Letters, Vol. 4, p.109).
Separated Materials
A number of drawings are missing from the collection. Numbers, titles, and dates from the 1920s typescript list:
24. Lerici 26, May 1819
29. From the Mergillina, September 1817
44. Column of Phocas, Foro Romano, 1817
75. Arch of Titus, April 1819
136. The Palatine
148. No title
165. [Collection of architectural and architectural sketch jottings 36 in all] (1816)
180. Mergellina
Marked up folders and photocopies of the typescript lists, added during the 2000s reprocess, have been disposed of due to redundancy.
Bibliography
- Donaldson, T. L., 'Memoir of Joseph Woods', Transaction of the Royal Institute of British Architects, vol. 15, 1863–1854.
- Harris, E., and N. Savage, British Architectural Books and Writers 1556–1785 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), pp.439–450.
- Salmon, F., Building on Ruins: the Rediscovery of Rome and English Architecture (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000).
- Woods, J., ed., The Antiquities of Athens , Vol. 4, (London: John Habercorn, 1816).
- Woods, J., Letters of an Architect from France, Italy, and Greece (London: John and Arthur Arch: 1828). British School at Rome, Call number: 657.82.32/1-2
- Woods, J., 'The Situation and Arrangement of Villas', 'Dilapidations', 'An Essay on Modern Theories of Taste', in Essays of the London Architectural Society (London: 1808).
Processing Information
This collection was first processed in the 1920s. It was re-processed by Stefania Peterlini in the early 2000s. It was re-processed and finding aid written by Ian Dooley in April 2024.
Creator
- Woods, Joseph , 1776-1864 (British architect and botanist) (Artist, Person)
- Status
- Completed
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the British School at Rome Archive & Special Collections Repository