Bibliography on Quakers and the Arts:

History and Biography

See also Bibliography on Quaker spirituality and the arts

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Alton, Edwin. "When the Harpe and Musick Goe" Reynard, Spring 1968: 27-31. On Humphrey Smith's 1658 tract To the Musicioners.

Armitage, Evelyn Noble, ed. The Quaker Poets of Great Britain and Ireland. 1896. Anthology listing 67 poets. [FJN note 143, p. 103]

Barton, Bernard. Selections from the Poems and Letters of Bernard Barton., edited by Lucy Barton Fitzgerald. (London: Hall, Virtue, 1849)

Barton, Bernard. Literary Correspondence of Bernard Barton, edited by James E. Barcus. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1966.)

Boorne (James) "Benjamin West." Friends Quarterly, 2, 1868.

Braithwaite, William Charles. "Has Quakerism a message to the world today?" In Report of the Proceedings of the Conference of Members of the Society of Friends, held by direction of the Yearly Meeting in Manchester, 1895. (London: Headly Bros., 1896). Quoted in Nicholson, 96.

Brightwell, Cecilia Lucy. Memoir of Amelia Opie. (London: Religious Tract Society, 1855).

Brzostoski, John. "Hicks's peaceable kingdom." Friends Journal, Feb 2000: 6-8.

Carr, Mary. Thomas Wilkinson: a friend of Wordsworth. (London: Headley Bros., 1905). Reprinted in the Friends' Quarterly Examiner, Vol .16.

Carroll, Kenneth L. "Singing in the Spirit in early Quakerism." Quaker History, vol. 73, No.1 (Spring 1984):1-13.

Caulfield, Anna Breiner. Quakers in Fiction—An Annotated Bibliography. (Northampton, MA: Pittenbruach Press, 1993) Lists works of fiction with Quaker characters, for adults and for young people. Quaker authors starred.

Clarkson, Thomas. A portraiture of Quakerism. (London: Longman, Hurst, 1806) vol.1, ch. i-ix. (Ch iii, music; ch. iv, theater.)

Eccles, Solomon. A Musick-Lector: or, the Art of Musick that is so much vindicated in Christendom, discoursed of by way of Dialogue, between three men of several judgments. [London, 1667] Available online

Ellwood, Thomas. The History of the Life of Thomas Ellwood, written by himself. With a supplement by Joseph Wyeth. Was reprinted many times, (e.g Philadelphia: 1865.) See especially chapters IV and V for his association with John Milton. Contains several examples of his poetry.

Felton, Walter. "George Fox Encouraged Singing in the Spirit." Friends Journal, May 94: 10-11.

Fitzgerald, Edward. Miscellanies (London: Macmillan, 1900). contains a Memoir of Bernard Barton.

Fox, Caroline. Memories of Old Friends, being Extracts from the Journals and Letters of Caroline Fox,. edited by Horace N. Pym. (London: Smith & Elder, 1883)

Fox, George. "Concerning Poets, Jesters, Rhimers, and all that wanton crew." Addendum to Humphrey Smith, To the Musicioners, the Harpers, the Minstrels, the Singers, the Persecutors, 1658

Fox, George. "A Hammer to break down all Invented Images, Image-Makers, and Image-Worshippers." Works (1931), v. 4: 366-386.

The Friend (London.) "The Fine Arts." Protracted correspondence in the closing months of 1844: series of articles by "Y.", followed by seven letters in response. [FJN p.88].

Fry, Katherine. Katherine Fry's Book, edited by Jane Vansittart. (London: Hodder, 1966.)

Gillman, Frederick John. The evolution of the English hymn. (New York: Macmillan, 1927) Quaker author. Ch. 10, "A pause in the music.", 176-196, deals with the Quakers.

Graves, Michael P. "The anti-theatrical prejudice and the Quakers." In Truth's bright embrace: essays and poems in honor of Arthur O. Roberts, edited by Paul N. Anderson and Howard R. Macy. (Newburg, OR: George Fox University Press, 1996) 239-255.

Greenwood, John Ormerod. Signs of life; art and religious experience. Swarthmore Lecture 1978. (London: FHSC, 1978)

Grunko, Rebecca Aeron. "Sweet tastes of God": sensuality and radical spirituality in 17th-century Quakerism. Honors thesis, Guilford College, Greensboro NC, 1993.

Gummere, Amelia M. The Quaker: a study in costume. (Philadelphia: Ferris & Leach, 1901).

Hancock, Thomas. The Peculium: an endeavour to throw light on some of the causes of the decline of the Society of Friends, especially in regard to its original claim of being the Peculiar People of God. (London: Smith & Elder, 1859.)

Harris, Wilson. Caroline Fox. (London: Constable, 1944.)

Harvey, Margaret M. "A Quaker Artist and Rebel." Friends Quarterly, October, 1963. (On Joseph Edward Sourthall, 1861- )

Hine, Reginald L. Hitchin Worthies. (London: Allen & Unwin, 1932). Includes material on Samuel Lucas [FJN 57[

Hodgkin, Thomas. Statement in Report of the Proceedings of the Conference of Members of the Society of Friends, held by direction of the Yearly Meeting in Manchester, 1895. (London: Headly Bros., 1896). Quoted in Greenwood, 19.

Jones, Mary Hoxie. Quaker poets past and present. Pendle Hill Pamplet 202. (Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill Pubs, 1975)

Lee, Amice. Laurels and Rosemary: the life of William and Mary Howitt. (London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1955)

Lucas, E. V. Bernard Barton and his Friends. (London: Edward Hicks, 1893.)

Lucas, William. A Quaker Journal: being the Diary and Reminiscences of William Lucas of Hitchin, 1804-1861. Edited by G. E. Bryant and G. P. Baker. (London: Hutchinson, 1934), 2 vols.

Mather, Eleanor Price. Edward Hicks, primitive Quaker: his religion in relation to his art. Pendle Hill Pamplet 170. (Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill Pubs, 1970)

Menzies-Wilson,, Jacobine, and Helen Lloyd. Amelia—the tale of a Plain Friend (London: Oxford Univ. Press,1937.) [On Amelia Opie]

Mürer, Esther Greenleaf. "One hundred years ago." Types & Shadows no. 13 (Spring 1999): 2

On Tolstoy and the Friends Doukhobor Committee.

Nicholson, Frederick J. Quakers and the arts ; a survey of attitudes of British Friends to the creative arts from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. (London: FHSC, 1968)

Nickalls, John. Some Quaker Portraits: certain and uncertain. Supplement 29, Journal of the Friends Historical Society. (London: Friends Historical Society, 1958.)

Rowntree, John Stephenson. Quakerism, past and present; an inquiry into the causes of its decline in Great Britain and Ireland. (London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1859) p. 55f.

Sandman, Gary. Quaker artists. (Columbia, SC: Kishwaukee Press, 1992)

Smith, Humphrey. To the Musicioners, to the Harpers,the Minstrels, the Singers, the Dancers, the Persecutors; from one who loved Musick and Dancing as his Life. (London: 1658)

Southall, Kenneth. Wilfred F. Southall. (London: Friends Home Service Committee, 1957.)

Sox, David. Quakers and the Arts, #145;Plain and Fancy’; an Anglo-American Perspective. (York, Sessions Book Trust; Richmond, IN, Friends United Press, 2000). Uses a handful of artists, primarily visual, to show how Quaker attitudes toward the arts have evolved from the 18th century to the present.

Stephen, Caroline. Quaker strongholds. 3d ed. (London: 1891.) Especially p. 127-30.

Stewart, Lawrence D. John Scott of Amwell. (Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1956.)

Story, Thomas. The Life of Thomas Story, abridged by John Kendall. (London: James Phillips, 1786.)

Tolles, Frederick B. "The Quaker Esthetic: of the best sort, but plain." American Quarterly, Winter 1959.

Vining, Elizabeth Gray. "Penn and the Poets". In Then and Now: Quaker Essays, edited by Anna S. Brinton (Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1960).

Whittier, John Greenleaf. "The brewing of soma". Poem about music and other sensory experiences as intoxicants. Source of the hymn "Dear Lord and Father of mankind."  Available online

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Willey, Basil. Seventeenth Century Background: Studies in the thought of the Age in relation to Poetry and Religion. (London: Chatto, 1934).

Wright, Luella M. The literary life of the early Friends, 1650-1725. (New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 1932)

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Related pages:

Bibliography on Quaker spirituality and the arts