October 10, 2011
Important Bloomsbury Group Provenance
PRINTED 1650. The Strachey – Senhouse Copy of the Work that hinted that King James was a Homosexual
The copy bequeathed by Lytton Strachey to his last lover Roger Senhouse
The Book:
WELDON, Sir Anthony. The Court and Character of King James. Written and taken by Sir A: W: Being and Ear and Eare Witness. London: Printed by R.I. and are to be Sold by John Wright, 1650. small 8vo., iv, 197 p. 14 cm. The small book plate of Strachey by Dora Carrington is a lovely piece of sought-after Bloomsbury history, which surfaces in volumes (such as this one) as Strachey was a keen collector of antiquarian books. Binding: 17th century ruled English calf, some chaffing to one board as depicted, textblock largely separated, wear to spine as depicted, small marginal loss to t.p., some light foxing, but internally an attractive copy. Provenance: Lytton Strachey (1880-1932) British biographer and essayist (bookplate; bequeathed to) — Roger Senhouse (1899-1970), partner in publishing firm of Secker and Warburg (bookplate) and sold at the sale of the Strachey Library, Property of Roger Senhouse, Sotheby’s London, 18 October 1971, lot 826. Wing W1273. [SOLD]
“Roger Henry Pocklington Senhouse (1899 – 1970) was an English publisher and translator, and a member of the Bloomsbury Group of writers, intellectuals, and artists. The private letters of openly gay writer Lytton Strachey reveal that Roger Senhouse was his last lover, with whom he had a secretly sado-masochistic relationship in the early 1930s.” (Wikipedia)
This scandalous work concerning the King, his ministers and favorites, supposedly by Sir Anthony Weldon, is the primary source of the allegation that James was a homosexual. While his sexuality is subject to scholarly debate, James clearly preferred the company of handsome young men.
It may be noted that Strachey-Senhouse copies are very sought after with few examples that surface in recent auction record. By comparison, the rather worn Strachey – Senhouse – Berland copy of Shelley’s Adonais sold at Christie’s New York, Oct 9, 2001, lot 325, $2,800
