DANDY

[‘It is never desirable to say any thing on the subject’: Charles Greville, diarist.] Autograph Letter Signed regarding the desirability of allowing ‘poor Douglas’ (i.e. John Douglas of Newmarket Palace) to rest in peace.

Author: 
Charles Cavendish Fulke Greville (1794-1865), diarist [John Douglas (1774-1838) of Newmarket Palace]
Publication details: 
31 March 1839. Newmarket [Cambridgeshire].
£120.00

See Greville’s entry in the Oxford DNB, and Douglas’s in the History of Parliament, which explains the context: ‘Gambling losses, largely accruing from his turf accounting activities at Newmarket - Douglas laid the blame on ‘Peel and Huskisson ... tampering with the currency’, problems raising capital from his property and ‘keeping too large establishment of servants’ - had reduced his fortune’. 4pp, 4to. Bifolium. 44 lines of text. In good condition, lightly aged, with negligible remains of windowpane mount neatly adhering to reverse of second leaf. Folded three times for postage.

[Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish politician, dandy and connoisseur.] Autograph Letter Signed ('C: H: & B.') [to Sir John Robison?], regarding a box 'for smoaking segars', and recipient's 'partiality for the banks of the Clyde'.

Author: 
Alexander Hamilton (1767-1852), 10th Duke of Hamilton, 7th Duke of Brandon, Scottish politician, manuscript collector, dandy and connoisseur, son-in-law of William Beckford [Sir John Robison
Publication details: 
'Thomas's Hotel [i.e. Thomas's Hotel, Berkeley Square, London] | March ye 21st.' [1822]
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Thirty lines of text. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Part of the second leaf of the bifolium, detached, is endorsed 'Duke of Hamilton 21 March 1822'. The recipient's identity is presumed from the reference in the letter to 'Mrs Robison'. He thanks him for his 'obliging note' and 'the drawing of the [Kullicum?] for smoaking segars', which is a 'very kind attention on your part'. As he is '[f]earfull lest some accident should happen', he has 'desired that the box may not be forwarded to London'.

[Castlereagh; F.W.R. Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry, as Viscount Castlereagh, rake and Tory politician.] Autograph Note Signed ('Castlereagh') regarding his presentation of petitions 'for the Abolition of Church Patronage in Scotland'.

Author: 
Frederick William Robert Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry (1805-1872), styled Viscount Castlereagh 1822-1854, Anglo-Irish nobleman, rake and Tory politician
Publication details: 
'H. of Cs. [i.e. House of Commons] | Thursday.' No date, but on paper with 1840 watermark.
£56.00

For information on Castlereagh, who in his rakish youth was known as ‘Cas’ or ‘Young Rapid’, see his entry in the History of Parliament. In 1833 he is said to have sired a child by the celebrated actress Madame Vestris, leading Lady Holland to comment that he was 'enchanted at his feat’. Queen Victoria considered him unfit for any serious responsibility. He inherited the family trait of mental instability (Lord John Russell commenting that‘he talks, but does not seem mad’) and spent his last years incarcerated. 1p, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged.

[ Alfred D'Orsay, Count D'Orsay, French dandy. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('A. d'Orsay') to his attorney 'Du Pasquier' [J. M. Du Pasquier], touching on his financial embarrassment and his bust of the Duke of Wellington.

Author: 
Count D'Orsay [ Alfred, Comte d'Orsay (1801-1852), French dandy and artist, notorious for his liaison with the Countess of Blessington ] [ John McMahon Du Pasquier (d.1873), London attorney ]
Publication details: 
Place not stated. 23 October 1851.
£250.00

4pp., 8vo. Bifolium. In very good condition, lightly-aged. Neatly placed with a windowpane mount onto a leaf of cream paper. Writing within a year of his demise, D'Orsay begins by defending himself to his attorney: 'My Dear Du Pasquier | You received my letter yesterday about Mousley. I could not act otherwise, and even I have no right to complain when a man is losing more than 5000 by me, to find fault that he did not send me £1300. I am astonished that you are so severe. I am sorry that you will not give your assistance in this affair. Do as you like.

[ Simon Lane, novelist and bon viveur. ] Typescripts of two unpublished plays, the first signed by the author: 'Anagrams' and '"Petipa Dort" or "The Sleeping Princess Revised (again)"'.

Author: 
Simon Lane [Oliver Simon Lane] (1957-2012), novelist, playwright, bon viveur and wit
Publication details: 
'Anagrams' signed by Lane with the address 9 Kenilworth Court, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London SW15 1EW, and dated 9 November 1978, 'Petipa Dort' with typed name 'O S LANE ESQ', from the same address.
£350.00

In his obituary in the Independent, Lane was described as 'one of those writers whose published oeuvre is only matched by the supreme fiction of their own existence'. The present two pieces, both unpublished, date from his time studying theatre design at Wimbledon Art School, before 'launching himself across the globe, seemingly supported only by his verbal brilliance, good looks, perfect wardrobe and genius to amuse'. ONE: '"ANAGRAMS [no closing quotation mark] | A One Act Play - by Simon Lane'. [3] + 19pp., 8vo. Duplicated typescript on loose leaves held together by paper clip.

Engraving of the poet Walter Savage Landor by H. W. Smith after a drawing by Alfred d'Orsay, with original sample of his handwriting.

Author: 
Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864), poet and author of the 'Imaginary Conversations' [Alfred d'Orsay [Count d'Orsay] (1801-1852), French dandy and artist]
Publication details: 
Neither item with date or place.
£56.00

The engraving, which is not in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, is on a piece of 19 x 14 cm paper, with tissue guard. The image measures around 8 cm square, and shows Landor's head in profile, looking to the left, with 'A. D'Orsay' beneath to the left, and 'H. W. Smith' beneath to the right. In good condition, lightly-aged, with small stain to one edge of border. Attached to a piece of paper, along with the piece of Landor's autograph, which is on a 1 x 18.5 cm strip of grey paper cut from a letter, and is in fair condition, lightly-creased.

[Poetical handbill, with handcoloured engraving.] Some Push Along With Four In Hand, While Others Drive At Random. Written by J. Pocock, Esq.; composed by Mr. C. SMITH; and sung, [...] by Mr. MATHEWS, [...] at the Lyceum Theatre, Strand.

Author: 
[Isaac Pocock (1783-1835), dramatist and artist; Charles Smith, singer and composer; Charles Mathews (1776-1835), actor-manager; Lyceum Theatre, Strand; London Stage; Regency buck; dandy]
Publication details: 
'Published 4th. April, 1810, by LAURIE & WHITTLE, No. 53, Fleet Street, London.'
£235.00

Printed on one side of a piece of laid paper 28 x 23.5 cm. The hand-coloured engraving (showing Mathews in riding garb with long whip in foreground, and a coach and four in the background) is 16 x 22.5 cm. Fair, on aged paper, with wear and slight loss to extremities (not affecting the engraving or text), and the reverse showing signs of removal from an album. Above the engraving are the words 'BANG UP - RANDOM, OR TANDEM.' and beneath are the publication details, followed by the full title: Some Push Along With Four In Hand, While Others Drive At Random. Written by J.

Three Autograph Letters Signed (all 'Osbert') to 'My dear James' [the film producer R. J. Minney].

Author: 
Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969) [R. J. Minney]
Publication details: 
Letter One: 'Friday Renishaw' [c.1942]; on letterhead of 2 Carlyle Square, SW3. Letter Two: 5 April [c.1942?]. On illustrated letterhead of 'Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire [last word deleted]'. Letter Three: 4 January 1944; on Renishaw Hall letterhead.
£165.00

Sitwell and Renishaw collaborated on the play 'Gentle Caesar' (published in 1942), and the last two letters would appear to concern a possible film adaptation. All three items very good on lightly aged paper. Letter One ('Friday Renishaw'): 12mo, 2 pp. 18 lines of text. Apparently written around the time of the play's composition. Sitwell is 'delighted' that Minney is 'already immersed in Pares's book. I have just read the Czar and Empress Marie's Letters.' He has 'marked (in the preface mostly) what I thought helpful for atmosphere, or amusing'.

Autograph Signature on fragment of letter.

Author: 
William Crockford
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£200.00

Proprietor (1775-1844) of the celebrated London gambling house, set up in 1827, out of which he amassed a fortune of more than a million pounds. On piece of paper roughly three and a half inches by one and a half. Good, but mounted on larger piece of paper, creased once and slightly discoloured by glue. Reads 'I beg to Remain | Your most Obed[ie]nt | W Crockford'.

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