The Cotman Collection | SDK/1/2/1 Cotmania volumes

Cotmania volumes

Archive: SDK Sydney Decimus Kitson Archive
Date: 5 Jun 1926-3 Jun 1937
Reference Number: SDK/1/2/1


Cotmania. Vol. I. 1926-7

Kitson's first notebook begins with news reviews on John Sell Cotman, including of the Kaines-Smith biography of Cotman. Newspaper articles that appeared in the Norfolk press reveal Arthur Bachelor's quest ... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/1

Cotmania. Vol. II. 1927-8

Volume II describes Kitson’s many visits to galleries, salesrooms and private collections in search of works by Cotman. There are detailed descriptions of these works and also numerous sketches ma... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/2

Cotmania. Vol. III. 1928-9

Volume III is largely a collection of letters Kitson received from art dealers and the descendants of families Cotman taught or painted for. There is also a series of accounts ... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/3

Cotmania. Vol. IV. 1929-30

Volume IV is a collection of letters from Kitson to various people of the gentry and upper classes asking them about their collections of Cotmans and trying to organise visits ... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/4

Cotmania. Vol. V. 1929-30

Volume V contains Kitson’s transcriptions of documents related to John Sell Cotman, including: the auction of the contents of his house in Norwich, 1834; nineteenth- and twentieth-century catalogues of art sa... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/5

Cotmania. Vol. VI. 1930-31

The volume content is a mixture of subjects including Cotman family trees, letters and portraits of the Cotmans, and lists/sales of said portraits. There are some references to the ... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/6

Cotmania. Vol. VII. 1931-2

Volume VII is dominated by Kitson’s diary notes on his visits to art galleries and collectors in connection with his researches on John Sell Cotman, between June 1931 and August 1932. Am... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/7

Cotmania. Vol. VIII. 1932-3

Volume VIII contains many diary entries, together with some correspondence and cuttings from newspapers and other sources. Among the events recorded by Kitson are his visits to see the Russell ... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/8

Cotmania. Vol. IX. 1933-4

Volume IX is composed primarily of article clippings, correspondence, records of sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses, and short journal entries detailing visits to see works by or a... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/9

Cotmania. Vol. X. 1934-5

The volume is composed of a mixture of press cuttings, ranging from the centenary of the Royal Institute of British Architect (RIBA) in 1934, to articles on arts news generally. There ... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/10

Cotmania. Vol. XI. 1935-6

Volume XI contains newspaper and journal cuttings, personal correspondence, entries from auction and exhibition catalogues, and just two diary entries. These items concern Kitson's work on Cotman during the last ... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/11

Cotmania. Vol. XII. 1937

The final ‘Cotmania’ volume. Volume XII was created in 1937, the year of Sydney Kitson's death, so remains unfinished, i.e. it is not bound in Cotman blue or tooled in g... continue reading

Reference: SDK/1/2/1/12