Assorted letters and correspondence, 1851-1913, undated

Containers:

Box 1

Scope and content:

Folders of materials arranged loosely chronologically, with some undated materials in later folders. Includes an 1851 letter to Kate Loder, called "Kit", which contains a doodled self-portrait by Thompson and describes his current illness. An undated letter from Henry James in the House of Commons seeks to secure a vote from MP W. H. Leatham, then suffering from gout and under Thompson's care. There are letters to Thompson from King George V (a thank you note, 1893), Empress Frederick of Germany (1891), and King Leopold II (1869, 1872, 1875, 1876, 1880). Some letters are directed to Henry's son Sir Herbert Thompson, including a condolence note from King George in 1904, following Henry Thompson's death. One letter from Thompson advocates the adoption of cremation.

The majority of the letters are perfunctory and polite, without many details beyond dinner invitations and customary exchanges of courtesies between Thompson's acquaintances in the British aristocracy and elite society. Some materials are not correspondence - there are empty envelopes and some scrap notes.

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