When local bookseller Len Roberts contacted UBC Library to donate his collection of items related to renowned illustrator Arthur Hughes, he was shocked to discover the items were worth nearly $80,000. Roberts, with the assistance of Maj. Greville Chester, a descendent of Hughes, had devoted some thirty years to developing the collection of letters.
Very little had remained of Hughes’ correspondence and sketches following his death in 1915, making this collection unique. The collection – the largest of its kind in the world – primarily consists of letters written by Hughes to Sarah Lushington, a local musician. It also includes a scrapbook of illustrations, news clippings and pictures – including one taken by Lewis Carroll. Hughes’ best-known works include an illustrated version of John Keats’ The Eve of St. Agnes and William Shakespeare’s Ophelia.
Officially dubbed the Chester and Roberts Arthur Hughes Collection, the collection is available in UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.
This story originally appeared in the 2014 summer issue of the Friends newsletter.