ART

[Rudolf Bosselt, German Art Nouveau sculptor.] Two Autograph Letters Signed, in German, one with envelope, all three with device of the Darmstädter Künstler-Kolonie, one addressed to ‘Banquier Ludwig Schweizer’ of Stuttgart.

Author: 
Rudolf Bosselt (1871-1938), German Art Nouveau sculptor who taught at the Dusseldorf art school from 1904, a founder of the Darmstadt artists' colony (Darmstädter Künstler-Kolonie) [Ludwig Schweizer]
Bosselt
Bosselt 2
Publication details: 
7 May and 21 October 1901; both from Darmstadt (the first from 'Herrengarten') and each on the letterhead of the Darmstädter Künstler-Kolonie. The second letter with envelope addressed to Schweizer. All three items with the stylized device of the DKK
£180.00
Bosselt
Bosselt 2

Bosselt was a student of Joseph Kowarzik at the Städel Institute in Frankfurt. He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, then assisted in founding the Darmstadt artists’ colony. From 1904 he taught at the art school at Dusseldorf. He received an honourable mention at the 1898 Salon des Artistes Français in Paris, and his work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics. These two letters are neatly and closely written, and both signed ‘Rudolf Bosselt’. Each letter is 1p, 4to. The first letter is 18 lines long, the second 15 lines long.

[Robert E. Groves, marine and landscape artist.] His Autograph Signature to typed announcement giving details of a meeting to promote the foundation of ‘A Bird Sanctuary for Lymington’.

Author: 
Robert E. Groves [Robert Emmanuel Groves] (1866-1944) marine and landscape artist [bird sanctuary at Lymington, Hampshire; British Seagull, outboard motor manufacturer]
Publication details: 
No date, but after Groves moved to Lymington in the early 1930s.
£56.00

A good illustrated article on Groves and his boats is to be found in the magazine ‘The Gull’, March 2013, pp.19-26 (available online), emphasizing his ‘brilliant line drawings in British Seagull’s early post-war advertising’. 1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged. Neatly folded twice. Twenty typed lines beneath the heading ‘A Bird Sanctuary for Lymington.’ Some lines and passages lightly underlined in red pencil. Signed at foot by Groves, as ‘Organiser and (Sec: pro-tem)’. Begins: ‘An Important Meetings is to be held in / The Assembly Room. Angel Hotel. Lymington. / on / Friday.

[George Cruikshank, ‘the modern Hogarth’, nineteenth-century caricaturist and illustrator, associated with Charles Dickens.] Six original engravings, including illustrations of raucous scenes of life in London.

Author: 
George Cruikshank (1792-1878), 'the modern Hogarth', nineteenth-century British caricaturist and illustrator, associated with Charles Dickens
Publication details: 
All six from Cruikshank’s ‘Comic Almanac’, 1845.
£60.00

The six items - all from Cruikshank’s ‘Comic Almanac’ for 1845 - are in fair condition, lightly aged, and have all been trimmed, with diagonals cut from the corners resulting in minor loss. The last has a small amount of loss to the bottom left-hand corner from removal from a mount. All six are signed in type by Cruikshank at bottom left. They are captioned: ‘Flying Artillery’ (gentlemen on bended knee, declaring their love to ladies, while Cupids shoot arrows from overhead), ‘The Day After - “St.

[Thomas Balston, publisher, painter and scholar of book production and illustration.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Mr. Tyrrell’, regarding the return of an engraving he has had photographed.

Author: 
Thomas Balston (1883-1967), director of publishers Duckworth and Co, painter and scholar of English book production and illustration, recipient of Military Cross, champion of wood engraving
Publication details: 
10 December 1918; on letterhead of Flat 64, 3 Whitehall Court, SW1 [London].
£50.00

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased, with one dog-eared corner. He writes that he has ‘had the engraving photographed’, and can ‘return it together with the casting’, with ‘very many thanks to you for being so kind as to lend it to me’.

[John Bacon [John Collingwood Bacon; Brontes, English artist.] Long Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Miss Sprott’, making detailed and percipient criticisms of four books on the Bronte sisters that she has lent him.

Author: 
John Bacon [John Collingwood Bacon] (1882-1950), English artist [the Bronte sisters]
Publication details: 
17 December 1947, with postscript of 2 January 1948; The Distaff Cottages, Newport, Essex.
£180.00

6pp, 12mo, on two bioliums. A long letter, neatly and closely written. In stamped envelope, with stamps and postmark, addressed to ‘Miss Sprott / Magavelda / Blakeney / Holt [Norfolk]’ and signed ‘John Bacon’. The letter and envelope are in fair condition, on slightly discoloured paper and with short closed tears along the folds made for postage. He begins: ‘Dear Miss Sprott.

[Dorothy Tutin [Dame Dorothy Tutin], Shakespearian actress.] Autograph Card Signed to W. J. Macqueen-Pope, with typed article by him (‘Star in Spite of Herself’), his typed interview notes, and carbon of typed letter from him to Sir Andrew Caird.

Author: 
Dorothy Tutin [Dame Dorothy Tutin] (1930-2001), English Shakespearian actress [Walter James Macqueen-Pope (1888-1960); Sir Andrew Caird of Lord Northcliffe’s Associated Newspapers; RADA]
Publication details: 
ONE: Her ACS to MP, from Wyndham’s Theatre, postmarked London, 6 October 1953. TWO: Copy of TL from MP to Caird, 13 October 1953. The other two items without date or place, but contemporaneous.
£180.00

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry and hers in the Oxford DNB. Caird was Northcliffe’s right-hand man, and mainly associated with the Daily Mail. The four items are in fair condition, lightly aged and creased, with slight rust spotting from a paper clips. Items Two to Four are on carbon paper. ONE: ACS from Tutin to MP. Small unillustrated postcard, signed ‘Dorothy Tutin’. Reads: ‘I remember you very well - your fascinating letures at the Academy [i.e. London theatre school RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art] - and shall be very happy to meet you for this article.

[Ernest Griset, illustrator.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'J. Swain Esqre.'

Author: 
Ernest Griset [Ernest Henry Griset] (1844-1907), French-born illustrator who settled in London, best-known for his whimsical and fantastic designs
Griset
Publication details: 
1 Victoria Gardens, Ladbroke Road, Notting Hill Gate, W [London]. 29 October 1879.
£120.00
Griset

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with minor traces of mounting on the blank reverse. The letter reads: 'I shall be happy to execute your orders, and shall be obliged if you kindly forward me the blocks and Copy, with your directions upon what style you wish these drawings to be done: to my address as above.'

[Sir Thomas Baring, 2nd Baronet, banker and Member of Parliament.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘Tho. Baring’) regarding the sending of his ‘Pictures’ to his estate at Stratton.

Author: 
Sir Thomas Baring (1772-1848), 2nd Baronet, banker, Member of Parliament, Art Collector.
Publication details: 
5 August 1818. Cowes, Isle of Wight.
£50.00

See the entries in the Oxford DNB for his father Sir Francis Baring (1740-1810) and his son Thomas Baring (1799-1873). At the time of writing he was working with the merchant bankers Hope & Co. in Amsterdam, but growing 'so disgusted with the drudgery of the counting house' that he wanted to abandon commerce for the law. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with neat traces of windowpane mount adhering to the edges of the blank reverse. Folded for postage. Signed ‘Tho. Baring.’ Recipient not named. Reads: ‘Dear Sir / As I observe in the papers that the British [?] is to be closed on ye.

[Ruth Mercier, nineteenth-century Franco-Swiss artist.] Autograph Note Signed (in her name and on behalf of Rozalia de Jackowska), in French, to ‘Monsieur et Madam Earle’. Incorporating an original ink drawing by her of a walking stick

Author: 
Ruth Mercier (fl.1880-1915), nineteenth-century Franco-Swiss landscape artist who painted Venice [her friend Rozalia de Jackowska]
Mercier
Publication details: 
25 December 1889.
£220.00
Mercier

1p, 16. On the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium of grey paper, with simple drawing in the same ink as the text of a straight plain walking stick stuck in the ground and running up the left-hand margin, with the handle hooked to the right at the top with the dating to its right. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: ‘le 25 Decembre 89.

[Carl Haag, Bavarian-born orientalist watercolour painter to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.] Autograph Letter in the third person to ‘Mr. & Mrs. Arbuthnot Guthrie’

Author: 
Carl Haag [Johann Carl Haag] (1820-1915), Bavarian-born orientalist watercolour painter and naturalized British subject, court painter to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Publication details: 
‘5 November [no year] - Monday -’. On letterhead of 16 New Burlington Street, W. [London]
£30.00

As a naturalized British subject, resident in England from the 1850s to 1903, Haag has an entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage. Reads: ‘Mr. Carl Haag presents his compliments to Mr. & Mrs. Arbuthnot Guthrie, and very much regrets not being able to accept their polite invitation for Wednesday next, having already accepted a previous engagement for that day.’

[Philip Hermogenes Calderon, genre painter and Keeper of the Royal Academy.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Miss Towgood’ [Mary Ethel Young Towgood], student at the RA Schools, asking for names of authors of ‘Cartoons’ and ‘Creswick’.

Author: 
Philip H. Calderon [Philip Hermogenes Calderon] (1833-1898), British historical genre painter of Franco-Spanish descent, Keeper of the Royal Academy [Mary Ethel Young Hunter [née Towgood] (1878-1936)]
Publication details: 
20 November 1896; on letterhead of Burlington House, Piccadilly [London].
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On a leaf of grey paper. In good condition, lightly aged. The recipient was studying at the Royal Academy Schools. Begins: ‘Dear Miss Towgood / Thanks for your letter and enclosed statement by Mr Percy Young.’ He asks to be sent ‘the names of the authors of the various “Cartoons” and “Creswick”’, so that he may have all his material ‘ready for the Council on Tuesday next’. He intended to ask her for the names in ‘the Schools’ (of the Royal Academy at Burlington House), ‘but a sudden attack of Influenza confines me to my room by the Doctor’s order’.

[Richard Redgrave, RA, landscape artist, as Keeper of Paintings at South Kensington Museum [now Victoria and Albert.]] Autograph Letter Signed declining to buy a painting as it is a portrait and they are in any case short of gallery space.

Author: 
Richard Redgrave (1804-1888), RA. English landscape artist, first Keeper of Paintings at the South Kensington Museum [now the Victoria and Albert], and Surveyor of the King’s Pictures
Publication details: 
22 March 1859; on letterhead of the Science and Art Department, South Kensington, London W.
£85.00

Redgrave’s entry in the Oxford DNB praises his ‘exceptional administrative skill’, and states that ‘Redgrave and Cole supervised the new South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum), for which Redgrave designed the innovative art gallery to house John Sheepshanks's extensive collection of British art, given to the state in 1857.’ 1p, 12mo. On grey paper. In good condition, laid down on part of a leaf from an autograph album. Pasted down at the head of the letter is a thin strip on which is printed ‘Inspector-General for Art. R. Redgrave, R.A.’ The male recipient is unnamed.

[J.L. Roget, artist, illustrator; Roget's 'Thesaurus'] A Collection of Printed and Manuscript items (incl. sketches & drawings) from the Roget Family Archive.

Author: 
J.L. Roget [John Lewis Roget. artist, ilustrator, son of P.M. Roget (the Thesaurus which he later edited)]
roget1
roget2
Publication details: 
1840-1883, some undated.
£8,000.00
roget1
roget2

John Lewis Roget (1828-1908) was the son of Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869), the celebrated compiler of 'Roget's Thesaurus' (which work he edited after his father's death). He was called to the bar in 1853, and the inheritance he received on his father's death enabled him to retire in 1871. A blue plaque erected to his memory in the town of Deal, where he spent the latter part of his life, describes him as 'Thesaurus compiler, Artist & Art Historian'.

[Margot Asquith, Countess of Oxford.] Autograph Letter Signed (Draft?), urging her ‘Darling’ to overcome the ‘love of blue in yr. pictures’ and ‘do an oil sketch of white on white’. With reference to Selwyn Image.

Author: 
Margot Asquith [Emma Margaret Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith, née Tennant] (1864-1945), wife of Liberal Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, author and socialite
Publication details: 
12 March 1932; on letterhead of 44 Bedford Square, W.C.1. [London.]
£50.00

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. An interesting letter, whose circumstances are intriguing. 3pp, 12mo. On two leaves of letterheaded paper. In pencil. From the Asquith papers, and possibly a draft letter to her son Anthony (‘Puffin’). In good condition, lightly creased. Folded once. The signature is a short squiggle. The handwriting is challenging, and the following interpretation is tentative. She begins: ‘My Darling, I felt rather guilty after leaving you about abusing yr. love of blue in yr. pictures. - I can see that nothing I say can alter yr. love of this colour, & I hate hurting yr.

[Henry Gastineau, landscape painter and engraver.] Autograph Letter in the third person to ‘Miss Nelson’, regarding arrangements for giving her lessons in painting.

Author: 
Henry Gastineau (1791-1876), English landscape painter and engraver
Publication details: 
2 June 1853; Camberwell.
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. With mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Eighteen lines of text. Begins: ‘Mr H Gastineau presents his compliments to Miss Nelson and in consequence of having received her address from Miss Stringer relative to a wish to receive some instruction from him, he writes’, giving details of when he would be able ‘to give a lesson at Windham Place’, were he to ‘receive a line to say that such an arrangement’ was desirable, after which ‘future appointments can be made’.

[Edwin Long, RA, English artist.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Sir Roger’, with regard to the relative merits of Stanhope Forbes and John Bagnold Burgess for receiving a commission.

Author: 
Edwin Long [Edwin Longsden Long] (1829-1891), RA, English painter [Stanhope Forbes (1857-1947); John Bagnold Burgess (1829-1897)]
Publication details: 
12 November 1890; on letterhead of Kelston, Netherhall Gardens, N.W. [London.]
£38.00

See the entries for Long, Forbes and Burgess in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of tape from mount along one edge. Signed ‘Edwin Long’. Begins: ‘Dear Sir Richard / I have just had a chat about your kind enquiry with my friend Burgess, who knows everybody’. While Burgess ‘says Stanhope Forbes is the best man coming on & that he has painted some very good portraits’, from what Long himself remembers of his work, it seems ‘very black’. He concludes: ‘Why not give it to Burgess? he is painting capitally just now & I know he would be very pleased.’

[Walter Crane, Arts and Crafts artist.] Autograph Letter Signed to J. Stanley Little, with thirteen examples of Crane's work, including invitation cards, handbills, letterheads.

Author: 
Walter Crane (1845-1915), English illustrator, designer and painter, associated with the Arts and Craft Society, Fabian Society and Art Workers' Guild [James Stanley Little (1856-1940)]
Publication details: 
13 Holland Street, Kensington, and other London addresses. 1886 to 1912.
£450.00

The fourteen items are laid down on three pages, on two leaves of grey paper, removed from an album, on the reverse of one leaf are two coloured coaching scenes by Randolph Caldecott, one featuring a highwayman. The overall condition is fair, with creasing and signs of age. The Autograph Letter Signed is from Crane to 'My dear Stanley Little'. 1p., landscape 8vo. With letterhead of Beaumont Lodge, Shepherd's Bush, featuring an illustration by Crane of a shepherd and sheep. 20 September 1892.

[Sir Frank Short, President of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Gosselin’, describing changes to his ‘old Studio’.

Author: 
Sir Frank Short [Sir Francis Job Short] (1857-1945), RA, printmaker and teacher of printmaking, President of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, 1910-1938
Publication details: 
2 April 1892. On letterhead of Wentworth Studios, Manresa Road, Kings Road, S.W.
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Signed ‘Frank Short’. The salutation is unclear: it appears to be to ‘Dear Mist Gosselin’, but it could be ‘Mirst’ or ‘Urist’ Gosselin. He thanks him for his kind note, ‘but it wasn’t really of any importance about that bell. Don’t trouble any more about it as far as I am concered.

[John Pye, line engraver.] Autograph Letter Signed, offering the artist William Carpenter his vote ‘at the forthcoming election for Sec[re]t[ar]y of the Artists’ Annuity Fund'.

Author: 
John Pye (1782-1874), line engraver, praised by Turner, promoter of professional associations and co-operative movements [William Carpenter (1818-1899), painter; Artists’ Annuity Fund, London]
Pye
Publication details: 
21 June 1839. 42 Cirencester Place, Fitzroy Square. [London]
£180.00
Pye

Pye was an active figure in nineteenth-century British art. According to his entry in the Oxford DNB he was the engravers’ ‘best spokesman’, hoping ‘to raise the fortunes, status, and public profile of engravers by means of professional association and co-operation’. He was the author of a number of works, including 'Patronage of British Art' (1845). His collection of prints after Turner was acquired by the British Museum in 1869, and the proofs of Turner's ‘Liber Studiorum’ followed in 1870. His notebooks are in British Library.

[Adrian Stokes, RA, English landscape artist.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘Adrian Stokes’), thanking ‘Mrs. Terrell’ for her congratulations on his election as an Associate of the Royal Academy.

Author: 
Adrian Stokes [Charles Adrian Scott Stokes] (1854-1935), RA, English landscape artist, husband of Marianne Stokes, part of St Ives artists’ colony, brother of Leonard Stokes and Sir Wilfred Stokes
Publication details: 
8 May 1910. On letterhead of Littleshaw, Woldingham, Surrey.
£56.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, and that of his brothers the architect Leonard Scott Stokes and the inventor of the ‘Stokes Gun’ Sir Wilfred Scott Stokes. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. Signed ‘Adrian Stokes’. He has added the word ‘at’ above the letterhead, indicating that the residence is not his (it is in fact the house that his brother Leonard designed for himself).

[‘There has been such “a run on” me’:] Autograph Letter Signed (‘G. H. Boughton’) to J. P. Broadhurst, editor of ‘The Field’, regarding ‘a Menu Card’ and an illustration from his book with E. A. Abbey, which Broadhurst may wish to use.

Author: 
G. H. Boughton [George Henry Boughton] (1833-1905), RA, English artist and illustrator whose childhood was spent in America [The Royal Academy, London; J. Pendred Broadhurst, editor of 'The Field']
Publication details: 
Undated. On letterhead of West House, Campden Hill, Kensington. [London.]
£40.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. The recipient is named as ‘J. Pendred Broadhurst Esq’. Boughton begins by thanking him for his ‘kind note’. He is ‘quite out of photos for the moment - there has been such “a run on” me’. His portrait is not ‘in commerce’. He is enclosing ‘a Menu Card (of a dinner given me by Messrs Harper in New York)’, which has ‘a portrait by Mr L. Alma Tadema R.A. which I think is a little out of the Common. There is also an illustration from our book - (E. A.

[‘It was pleasant to be raised to the “Upper Shelf”’: George Henry Boughton, RA, artist and illustrator.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘G. H. Boughton’) to ‘Bamley’, on becoming a full member of the Royal Academy.

Author: 
G. H. Boughton [George Henry Boughton] (1833-1905), RA, English artist and illustrator whose childhood was spent in America [The Royal Academy, London]
Publication details: 
1 April 1896. On letterhead of the Reform Club, Pall Mall, S.W. [London.]
£56.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On the first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. He begins by thanking him ‘most sincerely for your cheering note of congratulation’. Whilst it is ‘pleasant to be raised to the “Upper Shelf”’, he finds that ‘the position of Associate of the Royal Academy is one that is quite Ideal. To gain that - and to paint a good picture were my two great ambitions’.

[Sir Peter Scott, ornithologist, conservationist and artist.] Typed Letter Signed, advising ‘Squirrel’ on ‘the right type of field glasses’ and new developments in the design of binoculars.

Author: 
Sir Peter Scott [Sir Peter Markham Scott] (1909-1989), ornithologist, artist, conservationist, founder of the Wildfowl Trust, son of Antarctic explorer Sir Robert Falcon Scott
Scott
Publication details: 
3 November 1962; on letterhead (with illustration by him of birds in flight) of the Wildfowl Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.
£50.00
Scott

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight spotting to margin. Folded three times. Good signature: ‘Peter Scott.’ Addressing himself to ‘Dear Squirrel’, he writes: ‘Yes, of course I will try to advise you on the right type of field glasses. I have used Ross 12 by 50 Stepsun for many years and have found it a very good glass for ornithological and also general use. I would strongly recommend it.

[Carlo Marochetti, distinguished Italian sculptor, responsible for statue of Richard the Lionheart outside the Palace of Westminster.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘Marochetti’), in French, thanking the recipient for the gifts he has found in his pantry.

Author: 
Carlo Marochetti [Baron Pietro Carlo Giovanni Battista Marochetti] (1805-1867), RA, Italian sculptor, active in France and settled in England, gaining commissions from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Publication details: 
6 January 1859; on letterhead of 34 Onslow Square, Brompton [London].
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. There is a blue plaque at his house in Onslow Square, announcing that he lived there from 1851 to his death in 1867. 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Addressed to ‘Mon cher Monsieur’. He has returned home after several days in the country, to find his ‘garde manger si bien rempli des preuves de votre bon et bienveillant souvenir’.

[General Sir Andrew Francis Barnard, army officer and courtier.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘A F Barnard’) to ‘Augustus’, providing information regarding pictures [in the royal collection], and ‘the Clue to their History’.

Author: 
General Sir Andrew Francis Barnard (1773-1855), distinguished Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army, decorated for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and Equerry to King George IV
Publication details: 
18 December 1842; Canford [i.e. Canford House, Dorsetshire].
£60.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From 1821 to the end of his life Barnard served as a courtier, notably as Equerry to King George IV, and it would appear that the present item is written in response to an enquiry made to the recipient of the letter regarding paintings in the royal collection. He writes from Camford House, where Queen Adelaide, widow of William IV, had taken up residence. 4pp, 12mo. On bifolium with thin mourning border. In fair condition, on aged paper. Folded twice.

[Provincial Georgian Art Connoisseurs.] Two Autograph Memoranda, both signed by ‘W. Hayward’, recording an exchange of paintings (by Correggio, Hobbima, Du Jardin, et al) with ‘Dr. Maddy’ [Edwin Maddy, LLD, Mayor of Gloucester].

Author: 
[Provincial Georgian Art Connoisseurs: ‘Dr Maddy’, i.e. Edwin Maddy, LLD, Mayor of Gloucester, and W. Hayward]
Publication details: 
Both dated 'Gloster 20th. Octr. 1841'. [Gloucester.]
£56.00

Interesting artefacts of provincial Georgian connoisseurship and picture dealers. If genuine (unlikely, given the period) the paintings would be of considerable interest. Given the exchange of cash, ‘W. Hayward’ could well be a visiting picture dealer. Both memoranda in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: 1p, 8vo. Folded four times. Reads: ‘Gloster 20th. Octr. 1841 | Exchanged with Dr. Maddy the following pictures viz / Waterfall &c. - Berghem / Landscape - Hobbema / for / Landscape - K. Du Jardin / Perseus & Andromeda - S. Rosa / and / Cash - £100 / W. Hayward’. TWO: 1p, landscape 12mo.

[Sir William Stirling Maxwell, art historian and book collector.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Mr. Dean’ (i.e. Henry Hart Milman, Dean of Saint Paul’s), regarding the drafting of their dissent to the parliamentary ‘Report of the Oaths Commission’.

Author: 
Sir William Stirling Maxwell (1818-78), 9th Baronet of Pollok, Scottish author, art historian, book collector [Henry Hart Milman (1791-1868), Dean of St Paul’s; Edward Pleydell Bouverie; Lord Lyveden]
Publication details: 
6 June 1867. On embossed letterhead of the House of Commons Library.
£50.00

See the entries on the two men in the Oxford DNB. The document to which Stirling Maxwell refers in this letter can be read as ‘Dissent (No. III.)’ on pp.xiii to xxii of the parliamentary ‘Report of the Oaths Commission. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty.’ (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1867). There were five dissenters to the report: alongside Stirling Maxwell and Milman were Robert Lowe, Lord Lyveden, and Edward Pleydell Bouverie. 3pp, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of glue from mounting to blank reverse of second leaf.

[Sir Hubert von Herkomer, painter, film director and composer.] Autograph Note Signed (‘Hubert Herkomer’), asking for details of ‘your Ramblers’ before a visit from them.

Author: 
Sir Hubert von Herkomer [originally Hubert Herkomer] (1849-1914) German-born British painter, pioneering film director and composer
Publication details: 
28 February 1891; on letterhead of Dyreham, Bushy, Herts.
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, but a little brittle and discoloured (unobtrusive repair to one corner with archival tape). The recipient is not named. Reads: ‘Dear Sirs / I shall be pleased to see your Ramblers June the 6th. Let me know details of them & numbers a week before. / Yours truly / Hubert Herkomer’.

[Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, radical politician ruined by the Crawford Scandal.] Autograph Card Signed (‘Charles W. Dilke’), explaining to an unnamed painter the reason he was not able to visit his studio.

Author: 
Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke (1843–1911), radical Liberal politician and author, ruined by the Crawford Scandal
Publication details: 
26 March 1892; on letterhead of 76 Sloane Street, S.W. [London]
£38.00

See Dilke’s entry in the Oxford DNB. Lurid claims of three-in-a-bed adulteries put a paid to his political ambitions (he had been touted as a future prime minister), and rendered him the butt of musical hall jokes. The recipient is not named. On one side of a plain 11.5 x 9 cm postcard. In fair condition, lightly aged, with the two right-hand corners creased.

[John Henry Robinson, RA, eminent line engraver noted for his portraits.] Autograph Letter Signed (‘J. H. Robinson’) to ‘Mr Cooke’ (the artist Edward William Cooke), on personal matters including Conrad Cooke’s health, and plans to meet.

Author: 
John Henry Robinson [J. H. Robinson] (c.1796-1871), RA, eminent line engraver noted for his portraits [Edward William Cooke (1811-1880), artist; his son Conrad William Cooke (1843-1926), engineer]
Publication details: 
16 April 1864; New Grove, Petworth [Surrey].
£65.00

See the entries for Robinson and Cooke in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, folded twice. Addressed to ‘My dear Mr Cooke’. Cooke’s ‘friendly note’ about the time he ‘proposed setting out for Deal’ was received on the Thursday, and the Robinsons are ‘glad indeed to hear that your dear Mother is again restored to her usual health’. The Robinsons think that ‘change of occupation & fresh air together, may have the desired effect both as regards yourself & your son Conrad’.

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