[‘The Darling of the Halls’: George Robey [Sir George Edward Wade], comedian, singer and music-hall performer.] Autograph Inscription, with Signature, to an Autograph Portrait Cartoon, as a red-nosed clown. With Autograph Signature of Lily Morris.

A very nice piece of musichall ephemera: a signed self-caricature by one of its leading lights. See Robey’s entry in the Oxford DNB. On a 7 x 8.75 cm piece of card, cut from a plain printed postcard. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of the four paper label mounts on reverse. On the front, which is entirely plain apart from Robey’s writing, is his Autograph Inscription, in a close hand with stylized signature: ‘Good luck. Geo Robey.’ This is at the foot of the page, beneath a well-executed self-caricature in blue and red ink. Robey has drawn himself, head and shoulders, with a small hat perched at an angle on his head, collarless shirt, and smiling clownlike face, eyes half-closed with mirth, whisps of hair above his ears, thick eyebrows, red nose. On the reverse, written over part of the printed square in which the stamp is meant to be placed, with some printed text to one side of the signature, is ‘Lily Morris’ in a loose, expansive hand.