| Level | Series |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | US41/7 |
| Title | Personal and business correspondence |
| Extent | 767 letters, 1 leaflet, 5 receipts, 3 visiting cards, 1 business card, 2 account sheets, 1 credit note, 1 price list, 2 lists of questions |
| Date | [mid 19th century-early 20th century] |
| Description | Correspondence received by Norris, the Birmingham Dry Collodion Plate and Film Company and the Birmingham Collodion Plate Company, and copies or drafts of letters written by Norris. Items enclosed with correspondence such as receipts, visiting cards and leaflets are also included.
The correspondence relates to a variety of topics and includes letters from many important figures in physiology and medicine, plus letters from local doctors and scientists in the Birmingham area. In particular there are many letters thanking Norris for sending copies of books or papers (some with comments on the book or paper), several letters relating to Norris' theories on blood including letters from supporters and opponents and letters relating to Norris publishing papers or delivering lectures and demonstrations. There are also various letters relating to his photographic plate businesses between 1890 and 1909 such as letters from suppliers and letters from photographers who have used Norris' plates. Much correspondence relating to spiritualism is included, with letters from mediums such as Emma Hardinge Britten and Samuel Guppy, and letters from people who believed in spiritualism including a large number of letters from Alfred Russel Wallace.
See also US41/9 for letters received by Norris' family. |
| Notes | Additional information about some of the correspondents (including full name, occupation, date of birth and death) has been mainly sourced from the online version of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (www.oxforddnb.com), accessed various dates in 2008. |
| Arrangement | The letters are arranged firstly by year, then by surname or company name of the sender (for letters to Norris) or the surname or company name of the recipient (for letters from Norris). |
| Access Status | Open |