Family photos from the personal archive of James Joyce

The Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection

The University of Reading has acquired a major collection of books, documents and artefacts relating to James Joyce, one of the most important and influential literary figures of the 20th century.

Stephen James Joyce, Joyce’s only grandson, bequeathed the Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection to the University of Reading Special Collections. Stephen considered the “strong and important” connection between his grandfather and Samuel Beckett as a factor in considering the University as a suitable recipient, feeling that the co-location of the two collections would “considerably enhance” both.

Among the highlights of the collection are a large number of letters to James Joyce, with around two hundred letters from his great supporter Harriet Shaw Weaver. There is correspondence from Joyce’s friend Paul Léon and writers such as H.G. Wells, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and Beckett. There are around 100 letters from James and Nora Joyce to family and friends.  Alongside these are a great number of published editions of works by and about James Joyce from across the world and in many languages.

James Joyce’s family photos

The collection includes over 100 family photographs. There are photos of James Joyce and his wife, Nora Barnacle, his children, Giorgio and Lucia, and his grandson Stephen James Joyce. There are also some more recent photographs belonging to Stephen, photos of buildings in Zurich where Joyce lived and images of Joyce’s grave. There is also a collection of images of Joyce collected by Harriet Shaw Weaver.

Nora Joyce, née Barnacle (1884-1951)

This image of Nora Joyce in the long grass is typical of the relaxed portraits of the family on holiday and with friends. It looks like a walk in the countryside took place on a windy day. The photo is undated but has a note on the back in Lucia Joyce’s handwriting in French, “Mama in the hay!”.

Nora Joyce was James’ wife and muse. Nora was born in Galway in 1884 to Thomas Barnacle and Honoraria (Annie) Healy. Nora worked at a convent from the age of 12 and ran away to Dublin to work at Finn’s Hotel as a maid in 1904. She met Joyce in Dublin and, a few months later, the unmarried couple moved to Pola and then Trieste. The couple had two children, Giorgio (born 1905) and Lucia Joyce (born 1907). After James died, Nora stayed in Zürich and was buried in the same cemetery as Joyce after her death in 1951.

Here is another portrait of Lucia and Nora Joyce relaxing outside.

Giorgio Joyce (1905-1976)

The collection contains a series of over 20 photos of Giorgio Joyce, James Joyce’s son. Often smartly dressed, they range from images of Giorgio as a child to later in life. This image is undated but is possibly from the 1950s.

Giorgio was born in 1905 in Trieste. He married Helen Fleischman (née Kastor) in 1930 and their son, Stephen, was born in France in 1932. The couple went on to divorce and Giorgio married Dr Asta Jahnke-Osterwalder in 1954. Giorgio died in Konstanz, West Germany, in 1976 after a long illness. 

There are around 70 letters from James and Nora to Giorgio and Helen. Giorgio and Helen moved to America for a year in 1934-35 to further Giorgio’s career as a singer. In the letters, Joyce offers careers advice, sends music scores and takes care of practical things like arranging insurance for their belongings in Paris. The letters are light-hearted and playful and show Joyce as a loving father.  

Stephen James Joyce (1932-2020)

There are around 10 images of Stephen James Joyce as a child and young adult.  The collection also contains a few photos that belonged to Stephen (SSJ D/5/1), including the bridge of Beaugency, which featured in The Cat and the Devil story, written by James Joyce in a letter to Stephen in 1936. The devil offers to build a bridge and makes a pact with the mayor of Beaugency that the first person crossing it will belong to him. The mayor uses a cat to outwit the devil and saves the villagers.

Grandson of James Joyce and trustee of Joyce’s literary estate, Stephen was born in France in 1932 to Giorgio and Helen Joyce. James Joyce marked the occasion with the poem ‘Ecce Puer’, which is on display in the current exhibition. Joyce graduated in 1958 from Harvard University and joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on African development. He retired from the OECD in 1991 to focus on managing his grandfather’s estate. He and his wife, Solange Raytchine Joyce, lived in the Île de Ré in France.

Lucia Joyce (1907-1982)

Lucia Joyce poses with a wastepaper basket as a hat. Written in pencil on the back in Lucia Joyce’s handwriting, in a mixture of Italian and French, Lucia says this is not the latest hair style.  

James and Nora’s daughter Lucia was born in Trieste in 1907. Lucia studied dancing in Paris but at the age of 22 gave it up due to the physical demands. Lucia was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the Burghölzli psychiatric clinic in Zurich. Lucia designed illuminated letters for A Chaucer A.B.C., published in 1936 by The Obelisk Press. In 1951, Lucia was transferred to St Andrew’s Hospital, Northampton, UK. Lucia died of a stroke in 1982.

Harriet Shaw Weaver’s images of James Joyce

Harriet Shaw Weaver (1876–1961) was James Joyce’s patron and a friend of the Joyce family. There are around 200 letters from Harriet Shaw Weaver to Joyce from 1920 to 1940, discussing the manuscripts of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake and the practicalities of publishing Joyce’s works.

Joyce sent Harriet images of himself and his family, often signed. In a note for her executors, dated 1956, Harriet bequeathed the collection of over 30 photographs and images to Stephen James Joyce. (SSJ D/3/1/1).

Harriet has written on the back of some of the prints that they were damaged by fire. In  1934, a problem with wiring led to fire which damaged the structure of her flat and burnt many books. Thankfully, her collection of photographs survived.

James and his son Giorgio are pictured together. Giorgio is around eight years old. Note Joyce’s left hand which is stained, possibly with ink or charcoal. This is one of several prints damaged by the fire at Harriet Weaver’s home.

This is a more formal portrait of the family, taken in Paris. James Joyce dedicated it to Harriet Weaver and signed it on the front.

The family photos from the personal archive of James Joyce show the family in relaxed images, with friends and on holiday. There are also images of places of significance to Joyce in Zurich, as well as his grave and his parents’ grave. The collection of photos of the Joyce family, which Harriet Shaw Weaver kept until the end of her life, shows her affection for and friendship with the famous author.

More information

For more information on the Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection, please see the collection’s web page here.

For information about the exhibition James Joyce : Enigmas & Puzzles, please see here. The exhibition runs until 8th February 2026.