James Branch Cabell horse figurine collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Commonwealth University, Cabell Library
James Branch Cabell Library
Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 842003
901 Park Avenue
Richmond, VA 23284-2003
Contact for questions and access:
POC: SCA Staff
Phone: (804) 828-1108
Fax: (804) 828-0151
Restrictions:

The collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

James Branch Cabell horse figurine collection, circa 1926-1951, Collection # M 377, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Summary

Extent:
4.33 Linear Feet 4 record storage boxes
Creator:
Cabell, James Branch, 1879-1958
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

James Branch Cabell horse figurine collection, circa 1926-1951, Collection # M 377, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

The James Branch Cabell Horse Figurine collection consists of 55 horse figurines, a letter from James Branch Cabell to Stanley West (former Director of University Libraries at University of Florida), and a copy of a letter to Stanley West from the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings papers, held at University of Florida. The premise of this collection is that Cabell began by imagining that the literary characters he had created and the real-life people he wrote about were his friends, and that they had given these horses as gifts. Looking to myth and legend, Cabell next chose names for his horses from legendary steeds whose characteristics made them appropriate to the imagined giver. These descriptions offer a multi-layered set of allusions bringing together myth, history, Cabell's biography, and his published works. The dates the horse figurines were created is unknown, but Cabell stated in his letter to Stanely West that he began this project in 1926. It is unclear when the collection was completed.

Each horse figurine has an item-level description which contains information about the materiality (e.g., ceramic, molded metal), appearance (e.g., color and stance), and size of the figurine in centimeters. These physical descriptions were drafted by Digital Outreach and Special Projects Librarian Alice Campbell during digitization. The rest of the item-level description was created by Cabell. This original description includes who the imagined gift-givers of each figurine were, and an exhibit label stating where these gift-givers appeared in Cabell's works.

Biographical / historical:

James Branch Cabell, son of Anne Branch and Robert Gamble Cabell, was born in Richmond, Virginia on 14 April 1879. He was educated at the College of William and Mary (B.A. 1898). He worked briefly at the Richmond Times before moving on to New York where he was a reporter at the New York Herald for two years. In 1901, he held a similar position at the Richmond News. Following his newspaper career he was a free lance writer, held a position in his uncle's coal mining company and held several positions for the Virginia Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution and other societies. He married Priscilla Bradley in 1913. They had one son, Ballard. Priscilla Cabell died in 1948 and Cabell married Margaret Waller Freeman in 1950.

Cabell is the author of 52 books in addition to numerous short stories and one play. He is best known for his novel, Jurgen, which was cited in 1920 for violating New York's pornography law. The novel was cleared in 1922. Other well-known works are Beyond Life,Biography of Manuel, and Cream of the Jest. His publications include genealogy, novels, short stories, poetry and history. His writings were published in magazines, newspapers and anthologies. Cabell had a wide acquaintance in literary circles and maintained extensive correspondence with prominent writers and editors such as H.L. Mencken, Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Carl Van Vechten and Guy Holt. James Branch Cabell died in May 1958, Ballard in 1980 and Margaret Freeman Cabell in 1982. The largest portion of Mr. Cabell's correspondence and manuscripts are located at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated by James Branch Cabell to the University of Florida in 1951. In 2008, this collection (minus one horse figurine) was given to VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives on indefinite loan.
Arrangement:

Horse figurines are intellectually arranged alphabetically. Physically, the figurines are individually labeled and stored in artifact trays. Each box contains 2-3 artifact trays.

Physical facet:
Collection contains 56 horse figurines
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard