Violet Paget (1856-1935) was an author and critic. Under the pseudonym Vernon Lee, she published over 40 volumes on aesthetics, the Italian Renaissance, music, critical theory and supernatural fiction.
Born in France to English parents, Paget was the half-sister of poet Eugene Jacob Lee-Hamilton; he was a great influence on her and she adopted one of his names in her pen name. As a child, she lived in France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy and spent much of her adult life in Florence. Eighteenth century Italy was the focus of her early research and the subject of her first published work, Studies of the Eighteenth Century in Italy (1880), which was critically acclaimed.
Vernon Lee then went on to write about aesthetics, religion, social and political issues (she was a feminist and a pacifist) and produced seven collections of essays on travel. Through her relationship with the artist Clementina (Kit) Anstruther-Thomson, Lee became interested in the psychological and physiological effects of art on the beholder and their work on the aesthetics of empathy created a new approach in English aesthetics, a field previously dominated by the theories of Walter Pater. Lee’s supernatural fiction was also critically acclaimed and compared to the work of M.R. James.
Contents and Provenance
Vernon Lee left a substantial collection of personal correspondence to Somerville College after her death, on the condition that the collection remained closed for 50 years. The collection comprises only one side of the correspondence, letters written to her by friends, fellow authors and artists. there are no letters written by Vernon Lee.
Using the collection
The finding aid for the collection can be found here.
Substantial sections of the collection have been digitised and can be made available on completion of the copyright declaration form. Please contact the archives for more information.
Limitations on use
Under current UK legislation, previous unpublished works remain in copyright until the end of 2039. Where applicable, copyright in the letters in the collection will rest with the author and their heirs.
Related Collections
The papers of Vernon Lee and letters written by her can be found in collections elsewhere in the world, including at Colby College in the United States and in other archives in Europe and America.
The Selected Letters of Vernon Lee, 1856-1935, edited by Sophie Geoffroy and Amanda Gagel (Routledge/ Taylor and Francis Group, 2016-2024) is being published in multiple volumes.
The International Vernon Lee Society
Vernon Lee Archives Around the World, by Mandy Gagel