Guide to the Papers of Guy and Phyllis Boyd, c1890-2001

Summary

Collection number:

MS 7551

Creator:

Boyd, Guy, 1923-1988, and Boyd, Phyllis, 1926-2001

Extent:

9 metres and (56 boxes + 3 folio boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Guy and Phyllis Boyd, National Library of Australia, MS 7551, [series and file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Part available for research; part permission required for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

This collection comprises correspondence and papers which document not only the life and career of sculptor Guy Boyd but also the active role Phyllis Boyd played within organizations and bodies which focused on issues relating to social problems, feminism and religion. The large series of personal correspondence includes letters from Guy's parents, Doris and Merric Boyd, his uncle the author Martin Boyd, his aunt Helen á Beckett Read, his brothers David and Arthur and his sisters Mary and Lucy. There are also are a large number of letters from the children of Guy and Phyllis. The large series of general correspondence relates to Guy Boyd's work, to the many interests of Phyllis Boyd and to their day-to-day lives.

Originally a designer of pottery, Guy Boyd later had a successful career as a sculptor. Included in the papers are exhibition catalogues, biographical papers, correspondence with gallery directors and photographs which document his career from his initial decision to become a sculptor in 1964. Correspondents from art galleries include Philip Bacon, Ron and Betty Beaver, Kim Bonython, Eva Breuer, Andrew Ivanyi, Gisella Scheinberg, Max Stern and Ann von Bertouch.

Phyllis Boyd was a feminist with strongly held views on the role of women as homemakers. She was interested in a wide range of social, feminist and religious issues. There is correspondence, papers and subject files relating to her active involvement in a number of organisations related to these interests, including amongst others Women Who Want to be Women, The Australian Family Association and Women Against the Ordination of Women.

Guy Boyd was the literary heir and executor of the estate of his uncle, the author Martin Boyd. There is correspondence relating to the administration of the estate, and to the sale and distribution of Martin Boyd's books, the principal correspondent being Tim Curnow of the literary agents Curtin Brown. There are also typescripts of several stage and film adaptations of Martin Boyd's novels, together with typescripts of papers relating to him and his work by Dorothy Green, Anthony Bradley, John McLaren, Brenda Niall and Peter Smalley.

Together with Phyllis, Guy Boyd was amongst the first to be involved in what was to become a national campaign for a judicial enquiry into the 1982 murder conviction of Lindy Chamberlain. There is a large amount of material relating to the 'A plea for mercy' campaign which they initiated, comprising correspondence, campaign ephemera and newspaper cuttings.

Provenance:

The collection has been acquired in three instalments. The first instalment, which comprised papers relating to the Lindy Chamberlain Campaign, was donated to the Library by the Boyds in 1989. The second instalment was acquired from Phyllis Boyd under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme in 1995. The third and largest instalment of papers was bequeathed to the Library by Phyllis Boyd and received in 2002, following her death.

Arrangement:

The Library has imposed its own arrangement on the papers, grouping them into seventeen series. The papers were accumulated by Guy and Phyllis Boyd over a long period of time and comprised manila folders and a large quantity of loose papers, much of which was correspondence. The loose papers were grouped by the Library according to series and placed in folders in chronological order. The manila folders were kept intact and placed in the relevant series. Apart from those papers relating specifically to Phyllis Boyd's interests, it was not possible to isolate more than a small proportion of the papers into series which related solely to either Guy or Phyllis Boyd.

Container List:

Series	File/Item	Box
1	1-6	1
1	7-12	2
1	13-18	3
1	19-24	4
1	25-31	5
1	32-39	6
1	40-47	7
1	48-54	8
1	55-59	9
1	60-68	10
1	69-75	11
1	76-82	12
2	1-7	13
2	8-14	14
2	15-21	15
2	22-38	16
2	29-35	17
2	36-42	18
2	43-50	19
2	51-57	20
2	58-62	21
3	1-2	21
3	3-8	22
3	1-2	Folio box 1
4	1-5	23
4	6-10	24
4	11-14	25
4	1	Folio box 1
5	1-6	26
5	7-12	27
5	1	Folio box 1
5	2	Map drawer HW 19
6	1-3	28
7	1-2	28
7	1-3; 9-18	Folio box 2
7	4-8	Folio box 3
8	1-7	29
8	8-14	30
8	15-18	31
8	19-23	32
9	1	32
9	2-7	33
9	8-9	34
9	1-3	Folio box 1
10	1-6	34
10	7-13	35
10	14-20	36
10	21-27	37
10	28-29	38
11	1-2	38
11	3	39
12	1-6	39
12	7-11	40
12	12-17	41
12	18-20	42
13	1-2	42
13	3-9	43
14	1-4	44
14	5-10	45
14	11-15	46
14	16-19	47
14	20-26	48
14	27-30	49
14	31-36	50
14	37-41	51
14	42-43	52
15	1-3	52
15	4-9	53
16	1-7	54
16	8-9	55
16	1-2	Folio box 1
17	1-3	55
17	4	56
17	1	Folio box 1

Indexed terms

Names:

Boyd, Guy, 1923-1988, and Boyd, Phyllis, 1926-2001

Conditions Governing Access:

Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1061312).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Guy and Phyllis Boyd, National Library of Australia, MS 7551, [series and file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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