Ralph A. Brown
Encyclopedia
Ralph Arthur Brown was a British art dealer and diplomat.
Brown was born in Highbury
, London. He was educated at the Wesleyan School in Kentish Town and at Queen Mary, University of London
training as a pharmaceutical chemist.
Sadly, he could not take up his post-graduate studies at Heidelberg University due to the failure of his father's business. Instead he entered the world of Fine Arts. After joining Gooden & Fox of Pall Mall and serving with the British Army in the First World War, he joined the Fine Art & Antiquarian Booksellers, B.F.Stevens & Brown in 1921. B.F.Stevens & Brown was established by Benjamin Franklin Stevens
in 1864.
Brown liked nothing better than 'putting the right thing in the right place' and tirelessly worked with his American Librarian counterparts in this regard. He was a dedicated literary agent & fine art dealer, archivist, and diplomat.
He was intermediary in the matching of various artifacts from the estate of Sir Edmund Andros, first Governor of New York, with the City. The Royal Warrant from King Charles II
with attached Great Seal of England, authorizing Sir Edmund to take over the Dutch City of Nieuw Amsterdam henceforth to be known as New York
, was acquired by the New York Historical Society.
Other precious artifacts to pass his hands included the original manuscripts of R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone; Ruskin
's Stones of Venice; Thackeray
's The Virginians
; Shelley
's Notebooks, Caxton's printings and various copies of Shakespeare's First Folio.
However, his greatest triumph was probably the negotiation of the sale of the Harmsworth pre-1641 books to the Folger Shakespeare Library
. In one stroke this elevated the Washington Library to eminence in the field of Elizabethan literature.
Brown was born in Highbury
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
, London. He was educated at the Wesleyan School in Kentish Town and at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
training as a pharmaceutical chemist.
Sadly, he could not take up his post-graduate studies at Heidelberg University due to the failure of his father's business. Instead he entered the world of Fine Arts. After joining Gooden & Fox of Pall Mall and serving with the British Army in the First World War, he joined the Fine Art & Antiquarian Booksellers, B.F.Stevens & Brown in 1921. B.F.Stevens & Brown was established by Benjamin Franklin Stevens
Benjamin Franklin Stevens
Benjamin Franklin Stevens , like his brother Henry Stevens was a bibliographer, was born at Barnet, Vermont, was educated at the University of Vermont, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Society....
in 1864.
Brown liked nothing better than 'putting the right thing in the right place' and tirelessly worked with his American Librarian counterparts in this regard. He was a dedicated literary agent & fine art dealer, archivist, and diplomat.
He was intermediary in the matching of various artifacts from the estate of Sir Edmund Andros, first Governor of New York, with the City. The Royal Warrant from King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
with attached Great Seal of England, authorizing Sir Edmund to take over the Dutch City of Nieuw Amsterdam henceforth to be known as New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, was acquired by the New York Historical Society.
Other precious artifacts to pass his hands included the original manuscripts of R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone; Ruskin
Ruskin
- Surname :*John Ruskin , an English author, poet and artist, most famous for his work as art critic and social critic, and for his writing on the architecture of Venice....
's Stones of Venice; Thackeray
Thackeray
Thackeray is the name of:*William Makepeace Thackeray, a novelist*Bal Thackeray, an Indian politician*Edward Talbot Thackeray, a recipient of the Victoria Cross*A David Thackeray, a South African astronomer...
's The Virginians
The Virginians
The Virginians: A Tale of the Last Century is a historical novel by William Makepeace Thackeray which forms a sequel to his Henry Esmond and is also loosely linked to Pendennis. It tells the story of Henry Esmond's twin grandsons, George and Henry Warrington...
; Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
's Notebooks, Caxton's printings and various copies of Shakespeare's First Folio.
However, his greatest triumph was probably the negotiation of the sale of the Harmsworth pre-1641 books to the Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period...
. In one stroke this elevated the Washington Library to eminence in the field of Elizabethan literature.