A new exhibition at The National Archives in Kew, Love Letters, features correspondence across 500 years of devotion, longing, heartache and passion, reveals Beatrice Squires.
Intoxicating, uplifting, maddening and heartbreaking; love has inspired some of the greatest works of art and literature in the world. This poignant exhibition at The National Archives Love Letters, opens on 24 Jan – and it’s free to attend.
From royalty and parliamentarians to literary icons and unknown scribes, this government collection offers a unique window into intimate, tender emotions that are deeply human.
Highlights include a petition by Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie) to Queen Victoria pleading for the release of his lover Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned for being homosexual. You can also view Edward VIII’s Instrument of Abdication, Jane Austen’s will, and a letter from Catherine Howard to Thomas Culpeper from 1541, which led to Catherine’s execution for treason.
The National Archives holds 1,000 years’ worth of documentary history from the Medieval period through to the present day, covering many aspects of British life including crime and justice, art and culture, and identity and citizenship.
