Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

The collection is without restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Leonard Charles Van Noppen, Papers, 1894-1925, in the Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War Collection, Accession #11333, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Leonard Charles Van Noppen were given to the University of Virginia Library by Glenn Horowitz, New York City, on October 20, 1997, to be added to the Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War Collection.

Scope and Content Information

This collection consists of the papers of Leonard Charles Van Noppen (1868-1935), ca. 95 items (1 Hollinger box), [1660-1667],1894-1921, a Dutch-born, American-educated academic, translator, and poet, who as a member of the United States Naval Reserves authored The Challenge: War Chants of the Allies, Wise and Otherwise . The majority of his papers are comprised chiefly of his notes, poetry, and manuscripts concerning his study of the "greatest Dutch poet," Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679), but also include letters from Leonard Charles Van Noppen to his family concerning his trip to the Netherlands and his study there, 1894-1896; letters to Van Noppen; news clippings; an application form to the U.S. State Department; and a hand-colored pen-and-ink bust portrait of Leonard Charles Van Noppen in his U.S.N.R. uniform, at the Hague, July 27, 1918, by Th.

Van Noppen was born in the Netherlands eight miles from Antwerp but came with his parents to the United States when he was six year old, settling near Greensboro, North Carolina, and becoming an American citizen. His education included an A.B. at Guilford College in 1890, graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1892, and post graduate work at Haverford College, Pennsylvania, receiving his A.M. in 1893.

He returned to the University of North Carolina to study law and was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1894. From 1895-1897, Van Noppen spent two years in residence in the Netherlands as a special student of Dutch Literature, which was his field of expertise while a professor at Columbia University. All the correspondence from Leonard Charles Van Noppen deal with his experiences during his trip to the Netherlands to study.

Letters from Leonard Charles Van Noppen to his family, Charles, John, and Miss Addie, begin with his voyage to England from New York aboard the Teutonic which he describes in great and vivid detail and includes a summary of the various sites which he visited such as the Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Hyde Park, the British Museum, and Parliament (1894 Dec 26-1895 Jan 10). He also discusses his financial status with his brother Charles throughout his letters. Leonard Charles Van Noppen arrived in the Netherlands on January 9, 1895. His letters from the Netherlands are full of description of the cities and landscape, Dutch life and customs, and his experiences. He stayed in Amsterdam (1895 Jan 10-Feb 10; see 1895 Apr 4 for a description of Amsterdam, the Royal Palace, Dutch painters, and history) and the Hague (1895 Apr 4) and traveled to visit his Dutch relatives whom he had never seen (1895 May 28). He visits Middleburg to convalesce from an illness (1895 Sep 6); and Schoondyke (1895 Sep 11); and describes his work in translating Joost van den Vondel's Lucifer (1896 Feb 18, Jun 5 & 30) which was originally published in 1898 and made his reputation as a Dutch scholar.

Letters to Leonard Charles Van Noppen include the following correspondents: Ambassador Andrew D. White, Germany,(1898, 1903); Walter H. Page, Doubleday, Page, & Co. (1900); A. Lawrence Lowell, Harvard University (1901); Th. Molkenboer, Amsterdam (1913, 1916, 1918); Benoy Kumar Sarkar (1915 Jan 4, May 20, Dec 10; 1920 Apr 5); Admiral Beresford (1918 Oct 25); Lord Burnham (1919 May 20); Countess Villefranche (1920 Sep 27); Helen Sybella Cosway (n.y. Dec 29); and Walter Pulitzer (n.y. Apr 21; n.d.). Subjects in these letters include: arranged marriages (1915 Dec 10); the philosophy of Max Weber (1915 Jan 4); the significance of World War I in history (1916 Feb 5); and a discussion about art (1918 Aug 17).

One letter, [May ?] 1916, has seven engravings by Jakob Houbraken (1698-1780) enclosed, including engravings of Pieter Jan Marcus, J. Blauw, Willem I, Daniel de Dieu, Willem Fredrik, Francois Maalzon, and Johan Meerman.