Letters of Joseph Matkin, ship's steward's assistant and member of the H.M.S. Challenger crew during the Challenger Expedition, a joint venture of the Royal Society of London and the British Admiralty (1872-1876). The collection also contains a small number of Matkin family photographs.
Joseph Matkin Papers, 1868-1984 (bulk 1871-1876) (SMC 8)
Restrictions: Access to original letters requires the permission of the Director of Special Collections
& Archives. Microfilm copies of 23 original Matkin letters are available in Box 2
of the collection. The John Thomas Swann letters are photocopies of Swann's original
letterbook. All letters in the collection have been transcribed and published.
Extent: .8 Linear feet (2 archives boxes)
Joseph Matkin (1853-1927) was born in the small rural town of Uppingham, Rutland, England. His father owned a sucessful printing and stationary company in Oakham; he attended the Billesdon parish free school in Leicestershire. In 1867 Matkin entered the merchant marine, and in 1870, entered the Royal Navy. Matkin was transferred to the Challenger in 1872 and remained with the ship for the full duration of its three and a half year scientific expedition. He wrote extensively to family throughout the trip, and many of these letters, or copies of his letters, comprise this collection.
For a full account of Joseph Matkin's biographical background, including education, historical context, and duties on the ship, please see the introduction to: The Challenger Letters of Joseph Matkin: At Sea with the Scientifics, ed. by Philip F. Rehbock. University of Hawaii Press, 1992.
Letters of Joseph Matkin, ship's steward's assistant and member of the H.M.S. Challenger crew during the Challenger Expedition, a joint venture of the Royal Society of London and the British Admiralty (1872-1876). The letters were written primarily to his mother, Sarah Matkin, and his cousin, John Thomas Matkin (addressed in the letters as "Tom"). The collection contains original letters to Mrs. Matkin, and copies of letters to and from other family members, including a full bound copy of Tom Swann's letterbook, in which he recorded the contents of his cousin's letters. The collection also contains a small number of Matkin family photographs.
Transcription and historical analysis of the Matkin letters has been published in The Challenger Letters of Joseph Matkin: At Sea with the Scientifics, ed. by Philip F. Rehbock. University of Hawaii Press, 1992.
Provenance
Gift of Lucy Mary Matkin Stone (Mrs. Vernon E. Stone). Mrs. Stone also made typescript transcripts of all letters. Letters were received 3/20/84 from Mrs. Stone and sent to Victoria Blyth Hill of LA County Museum for conservation treatment, then to UCLA for microfilming.
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