MANUSCRIPT

[‘I take a great interest in the small points of style’: Lord David Cecil, author and scholar.] Typed Letter Signed, responding to linguistic ‘strictures’ by V. H. Collins, who annotates the letter.

Author: 
Lord David Cecil [Lord Edward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil] (1902-1986), author, biographer and scholar [Vere Henry Collins, author]
Publication details: 
24 May 1954. On letterhead of 7 Linton Road, Oxford.
£90.00

An interesting letter, revealing some of Cecil's views on the art of writing. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler, and Cecil has clearly been on the receiving end of a ticking off. 2pp, 4to. On grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged, with creasing and a short closed cut at the foot. He begins by stating that he found Collins’s letter ‘very interesting’: ‘I take a great interest in the small points of style.’ He agrees with some of Collins’s ‘strictures’, ‘in particular that about the exclamation mark.

[Janet Beverdige, wife of Sir William Beveridge, ‘Architect of the Welfare State’.] Typed Letter Signed to V. H. Collins, regarding her sister’s death, her book on the Beveridge Plan, Sir William’s punctiliousness and ‘the kilt’.

Author: 
Janet Beveridge [born Janet Thomson Philip, later Janet Mair] (1876-1959), second cousin and wife of Sir William Beveridge (1879-1963), ‘Architect of the Welfare State’ [Vere Henry Collins, author]
Publication details: 
20 September 1954; on letterhead of Staverton House, 104 Woodstock Road, Oxford.
£120.00

See Sir William Beveridge’s entry in the Oxford DNB: 'An overbearing and temperamental Scotswoman, Mrs Mair had come to the school [the LSE] with Beveridge in 1919 (having been his secretary and aide during the war) and was highly unpopular with many of the school's professors. Throughout the 1930s there were complaints about the ‘Beveridge–Mair dictatorship’ and a general sense of relief when Beveridge decided to leave the school to accept the mastership of University College, Oxford, in 1937.' 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with one dog-eared corner. Folded twice for postage.

[‘the greatest theatrical comic of his age’: Ken Dodd, Liverpool comedian and singer.] Typed Letter Signed with biographical details, and signed publicity postcard with photographic portrait.

Author: 
Ken Dodd [Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd] (1927-2018), Liverpool comedian and singer, ‘the greatest theatrical comic of his age’
Ken Dodd
Publication details: 
Letter dated ‘C/o B.B.C. Manchester. / October 9th 1957.’
£100.00
Ken Dodd

Dodd’s entry in the Oxford DNB by Michael Billington concludes with the assessment that he was ‘the greatest theatrical comic of his age and the last link with the hallowed days of music hall’. The two items are in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: TLS, 9 October 1957. 1p, 4to. Good large signature ‘Ken Dodd’. The male recipient is not named. He apologises for the late reply to the recipient’s letter. ‘May I also thank you for the compliments paid to my performance on Television. / I am a Liverpudlian, residing in Knotty Ash Liverpool.

[Horne Tooke [John Horne Tooke], radical and philologist, tried for treason in 1794.] Autograph Signature on receipt for ‘the third volume of EPEA PTEROENTA, or, The Diversions of Purley’.

Author: 
Horne Tooke [John Horne Tooke, born John Horne] (1736-1812), radical clergyman and philologist, Member of Parliament and supporter of John Wilkes, tried for treason in 1794
Publication details: 
31 January 1794. ‘No. 370.’
£120.00

See his long entry in the Oxford DNB. On one side of a 12.5 x 6.5 cm piece of laid paper, embossed with a tax stamp. In fair condition, lightly aged and discoloured. Very neatly written and set out: ‘Jan 31 . 1794 / No. 370. / Received of Wm. Phillips / fourteen shillings for the third volume of / EPEA PTEROENTA, or, The Diversions / of Purley. John Horne Tooke / £2. 2. 0’. See Image,

[A ‘happy and hap-hazard hedonist of etymologist’: Ivor Brown.] Autograph Letter Signed and Autograph Card Signed to V. H. Collins, the former defending his position as an ‘amateur’ rather than a ‘verbal authority’.

Author: 
Ivor Brown [Ivor John Carnegie Brown] (1891-1974), popular and prolific author, noted for his entertaining books on language [Vere Henry Collins, author]
Publication details: 
LETTER: 24 July 1953, on letterhead of the Observer, 22 Tudor Street, London EC4. CARD: 30 March [1954]. 20 Christchurch Hill NW3 [London].
£80.00

One could not find a better assessment by Brown of his qualities as a writer on language than the letter offered here. As his entry in the Oxford DNB notes: ‘As well as using the English language expertly, he was one of those logophiles, such as F. G. Fowler, H. W. Fowler, and Eric Partridge, who are fascinated by language itself. He became famous for his books about words, agreeable rambles around correct usage and philology, enlivened by literary allusion, quotation, wit, and personal anecdote.

[Ernest Bevin, Labour Party politician, Minister of Labour in Churchill’s wartime coalition.] Typed Letter Signed to Sir David Ross

Author: 
Ernest Bevin (1881-1961), Labour Party politician, Minister of Labour in Churchill’s wartime coalition [Sir David Ross [W. D. Ross] (1877-1971), Scottish philosopher, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford]
Publication details: 
17 May 1940. On embossed letterhead of the Ministry of Labour and National Service, Montagu House, Whitehall S.W.1 [London]
£56.00

See the entries for Bevin and Ross in the Oxford DNB. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage. Addressed to ‘Sir David Ross, K.B.E., LL.D.’ and signed ‘Ernest Bevin’. Begins: ‘Dear Sir David, / In connection with my general plans I wish as soon as possible to make definite proposals concerning the Fair Wages Clause.’ He understands that ‘discussions between the T.U.C.

[Ghazi Amanullah Khan, ruler of Afghanistan, first as Emir, then as King.] Autograph Signature ‘Aman ullah’ with that of Lord Leverhulme.

Author: 
Aman ullah [Ghazi Amanullah Khan (1892-1960)], ruler of Afghanistan, as Emir from 1919, and King from 1926-1929 [Lord Leverhulme [William Hesketh Lever (1851-1925), 1st Viscount Leverhulme]
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£80.00

The two signatures are on the same side of a 9 x 8.5 cm piece of pink paper, evidently cut from an autograph album. In good condition, lightly aged. At the head of the side is 'Aman ullah', boldly written with a flourish. At the foot of the side, underlined and rising upwards, is 'Leverhulme.' The two signatures could be easily separated as there is space between them. There is no other writing on the slip. See Image.

[C. E. M. Joad, popular philospher and member of the BBC ‘Brains Trust’.] Autograph Letter Signed, in pencil to V. H. Collins, complimenting him on his book [‘The Choice of Words’].

Author: 
C. E. M. Joad [Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad] (1891-1952), popular philosopher and radio personality on the BBC programme ‘The Brains Trust’ [Vere Henry Collins, author]
Publication details: 
[25 July 1952.] On cropped letterhead ‘The Hills and Bridgefoot Farm / From C. E. M. Joad, The Hills, Stedham, Midhurst / Manager: / John Hill / Bridgefoot’.
£65.00

A poignant letter, written during Joad's final illness (he died on 9 April 1953). Joad’s entry in the Oxford DNB ends with this assessment: ‘Cyril Joad was an outstanding educator, a tireless proponent of ‘progressive’ causes, and one of the best-known broadcasters of the 1940s.’ The recipient Vere Henry Collins (1872-1966), was an author and grammatical stickler, and the letter concerns his 1952 book 'The Choice of Words'. 2pp, 4to. Aged and discoloured, and cropped at the head with loss of a line of text. Folded once for postage. Date given in ink at head, presumably by Collins.

[‘Lord Wellington is in full pursuit of the French’: Col. Thomas Abernethie of the Royal Marines, 1811.] Autograph Letter Signed from Major Thomas Abernethie, Royal Marines, to Cox and Son, regarding a cask of madeira and news of the Peninsular War.

Author: 
Col. Thomas Abernethie (c.1759-1840) of the Royal Marines [Duke of Wellington; Peninsular War; Madeira Wine, Portugal]
Publication details: 
‘Lisbon 16 March 1811’.
£150.00

He receives the briefest of obituaries in the Gentleman's Magazine, July 1840: 'May 10. At Exeter, aged 81, Col. Thomas Abernethie, K.H. on the retired list of the Royal Marines.' 3pp, 4to. Bifolium. On aged and discoloured paper, with the usual damage to the second leaf from the breaking of the seal. Addressed on reverse of second leaf, with postmark, to ‘Messrs Cox & Son / 20 Bartletts Buildings / Holborn / London’. Signed ‘Thos. Abernethie’ and docketed ‘Maj: Abernethie / 16 March 1811’. Begins: ‘Gentlemen / I have requested a Cap.

[Deanna Durbin, Hollywood star.] Autograph Signature.

Author: 
Deanna Durbin (1921-2013), Canadian film actress and Hollywood star
Deanna Durbin
Publication details: 
Without date or place.
£30.00
Deanna Durbin

Clearly given in response to a request for an autograph. Neatly written and centred on one side of a 12 x 7.5 cm piece of pink paper. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with vertical crease close to the left-hand edge. Reads: ‘Best wishes - / Deanna Durbin’. See Image.

[The Birth of the Scout Movement?: R. B. Haldane and Baden-Powell’s ‘scheme’.] Typed Note with cyclostyled sigature from the future Lord Chancellor Richard Burdon Haldane to ‘General Baden-Powell’, regarding a meeting with Sir Edward Ward.

Author: 
[The Birth of the Scout Movement? R. B. Haldane [Richard Burdon Haldane (1856-1928), 1st Viscount Haldane, Lord Chancellor] [Lord Baden-Powell [Sir Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941)]; the Boy Scouts]
Publication details: 
23 May 1906. On embossed War Office letterhead.
£280.00

‘Scouting for Boys’ did not begin its serialized publication until January 1908, but Baden-Powell’s entry in the Oxford DNB states that it was Haldane, as Secretary for War, who ‘persuaded him that character training should be at the centre of any scheme of boy instruction’, following a ‘major inspection’ of the Boys’ Brigade by him as Vice-President at Glasgow in April 1904. 1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight creasing and a short closed tear to one edge. Reads: ‘Dictated. / 23rd. May 1906. / Dear General Baden-Powell, / Thank you for your letter.

[W. L. Wyllie [William Lionel Wyllie], distinguished English maritime painter.] Autograph Note Signed to Douglas A. Wenslow, supplying an autograph.

Author: 
W. L. Wyllie [William Lionel Wyllie] (1851-1931), distinguished English maritime painter
Publication details: 
26 July 1899. On letterhead of Hoo Lodge, Hoo Saint Werburgh, Nr. Rochester.
£35.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 16mo, on the first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition. Folded once for postage. Addressed to 'Douglas A. Wenslow Esq'. Reads: 'Dear Sir / Many thanks for your kind letter. / Here is the Autograph / yours truly / W L Wyllie'.

[W. L. Wyllie [William Lionel Wyllie], distinguished English maritime painter.] Autograph Card Signed to 'Miss Swan' (daughter of artist John Macallan Swan) regarding 'the copy of Cape St Vincent' and a roll that is unsuitable for a panorama.

Author: 
W. L. Wyllie [William Lionel Wyllie] (1851-1931), distinguished English maritime painter [John Macallan Swan (1847-1910), RA, painter and sculptor]
Publication details: 
24 March 1931. Letterhead: 'From / W. L. Wyllie, / Tower House, Portsmouth / Tel. 2598.'
£45.00

See his entry, and that of Swan, in the Oxford DNB. From the Swan papers. On both sides of an 11.5 x 9 cm card. In good condition, lightly aged, and with faint ink line at foot. Signed 'W L Wyllie'. Begins: 'Dear Miss Swan / Very many thanks for sending me the copy of Cape St Vincent. It is quite fine I will try if I cannot steal a bit for my big picture.' He turns to a 'roll' which is 'not long enough to make a panorama', but which he hopes to be able to 'drive round and look at' when the weather is warmer.

[Walter Crane, book illustrator, designer and painter associated with the Arts and Crafts movement and the Art-Workers' Guild.] Autograph Signature and valediction of a letter.

Author: 
Walter Crane (1845-1915), book illustrator, designer and painter, associated with the Arts and Crafts movement and the Art-Workers' Guild
Walter Crane
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£35.00
Walter Crane

from the end of a letter. A good example of Crane's stylized and distinctive signature. Reads: 'Believe me, / Very truly yours, / Walter Crane'. The top part of a cropped 'P S' is present at bottom left. See Image.

[Sir Thomas Wyse, British Ambassador to Greece and husband of Napoleon's niece Princess Letizia Bonaparte.] Autograph Signature to valediction of a letter.

Author: 
Sir Thomas Wyse (1791-1862), Anglo-Irish diplomat, British Ambassador to Greece, husband of Napoleon's niece Princess Letizia Bonaparte
Sir Thomas Wyse
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£450.00
Sir Thomas Wyse

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On 10.5 x 5 cm strip of paper, with thin mourning border, cut from the end of a letter. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased, with thin strip of glue from mount to one edge, and thin strip of paper laid down on reverse, with manuscript note 'Sir Thomas Wyse, Minister to Greece'. Strong stylish signature to valediction reading: 'I beg you to believe me / My Dear Lord / Sincerely Yrs. / Thos. Wyse'. Fragment of letter on reverse: '[...] truly at his discretion to go on [...]'.

[Sir William Jackson Hooker, biologist, first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.] Autograph Signature in valediction to letter.

Author: 
Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865), biologist and botanical illustrator, first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew
Sir William Jackson Hooker
Publication details: 
No date or place.
£35.00
Sir William Jackson Hooker

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On 9.5 x 3 cm slip of paper, cut from letter. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Your affectionate / friend / W. J. Hooker'. Fragment of text on reverse: '[...] there is any foundat[...] / for the above repor[...] / or not. If there [...]'.

[Spike Milligan, influential British comedian, originator of 'The Goon Show'.] Good bold Autograph Signature, on a leaf from an album.

Author: 
Spike Milligan [Terence Alan Milligan] (1918-2002), British comedian, originator of the BBC radio series 'The Goon Show', in which he performed with Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine
Spike Milligan
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£35.00
Spike Milligan

See his entry, and those of Sellers, Secombe and Bentine, in the Oxford DNB. On 11.5 x 10 cm leaf of light-blue paper, extracted from an album. In good condition, lightly aged, with short crease to one corner. Nothing else is written on either side of the leaf, apart from the large spidery signature 'Spike Milligan'. See Image.

[Marshal Petain [Marechal Philippe Petain], French general, 'the lion of Verdun' in WW1 and head of the collaborationist Vichy regime in WW2.] Calling card of 'LE MARECHAL PETAIN / Ministre de la Guerre', with autograph inscription by him.

Author: 
Marshal Petain [Marechal Philippe Petain; Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Petain; Petain] (1856-1951), French general, 'the lion of Verdun' in WW1 and head of the collaborationist Vichy regime in WW2
Petain
Publication details: 
No date or place (but in 1934, while Petain was Minister of War).
£85.00
Petain

There can be few greater falls from grace than Petain's in the whole of human history. A 10 x 6.25 calling card. In good condition, lightly aged and ruckled, with glue and traces of paper mount on the blank reverse. The engraved text ('LE MARECHAL PETAIN / Ministre de la Guerre') is centred, with the top line in shaded block capitals and the bottom in copperplate. Beneath this Petain writes: 'avec ses remer'. See Image.

[Mary Shepard, illustrator of Mary Poppins, wife of E. V. Knox and stepmother of Penelope Fitzgerald.] Three Autograph Letters Signed to brother-in-law Canon Wilfred Knox, regarding a holiday cottage, and a catalogue for an exhibition of her drawings

Author: 
Mary Shepard [Mary Eleanor Jessie Knox] (1909-2000), children?s book illustrator best-known for the Mary Poppins books, wife of Punch editor E. V. Knox and stepmother of novelist Penelope Fitzgerald
Publication details: 
18 March, and 18 and 27 April 1945. The first on letterhead of 63 Eyre Court, N.W.8 [London]. The second from 1 Suffolk House, Circus Road, NW8. The third from 1 Suffolk House, on cancelled Eyre Court letterhead. Catalogue undated; Hampstead.
£220.00

See her entry, with those of the recipient, her husband, stepdaughter and the other members of the Knox family, in the Oxford DNB. The material is in good condition, lightly aged. All three items addressed to 'My dear Wilfred' and signed 'Mary'. ONE (18 March [1945]): 2pp, 12mo. Begins: 'I am afraid we are allowing Mrs. W. to stay on at the Cottage during the School Easter Vacation, because it seems rather difficult to turn her out at this time of year in view of the weather & the fact that she obviously has Mrs. Moses on her side'.

[Newcastle and Berwick Railway, 1846.] Manuscript 'Minutes on projected Railways in the Manor of Tynemouth' by 'Thorp & Dickson', Alnwick attorneys, 'Read to Mr. Hudson' (i.e. George Hudson, 'the Railway King').

Author: 
Newcastle and Berwick Railway, 1846: Thorp and Dickson, Alnwick attorneys [George Hudson (1800-1871), 'he Railway King'; Duke of Northumberland; Manor of Tynemouth]
Publication details: 
?Alnwick October 23 - 1846?. ?Thorp & Dickson?.
£220.00

See Hudsons's entry in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, foolscap 8vo, on three leaves, with fourth covering leaf ('23rd Oct. 1846. / Copy / Railway Minutes / Thorp & Dickson / &c &c'). Attached at one corner with red ribbon. Headed: 'Alnwick October 23 - 1846 / Minutes on projected Railways / in the Manor of Tynemouth - / Read to Mr. Hudson, of which he requested a copy.' There are five minutes, the last covering two pages. The first three read: '1.

[Lord Robson [William Snowden Robson, Baron Robson], English judge and Liberal MP, Solicitor General and Attorney General.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to 'B Piffard Esq', regarding his possible candidacy in the coming general election.

Author: 
Lord Robson [William Snowden Robson, Baron Robson] (1852-1918), English judge, Liberal MP, Solicitor General and Attorney General [Bernard Piffard (1833-1916), microscopist and entomologist]
Publication details: 
ONE: 26 May 1885. On letterhead of 45, Curzon Street, Mayfair. W. [London] TWO: 15 June 1885. On letterhead of 3, Plowden Buildings, Temple. E.C. [London]
£60.00

Interesting items, casting light on the nitty-gritty of Victorian constituency politics. Both are signed 'W. S. Robson' and addressed to 'B. Piffard Esq'. Both in good condition, lightly aged, with the second a little spotted. Each on a bifolium. ONE (26 May 1885): 3pp, 12mo. He has been informed 'that it is now the wish of the Watford (or Divisional) Association that I should visit the Division & address meetings there.

[Jimmy Hill and Graham Leggat at Fulham F.C.] Autograph Signatures of the two men, on photograph of Jimmy Hill, later the presenter of 'Match of the Day'.

Author: 
Jimmy Hill [James William Thomas Hill] (1928-2015), footballer with Fulham F.C., Chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association and TV pundit; Graham Leggat (1934-2015), Scottish footballer
Jimmy Hill
Publication details: 
No date but between 1958 and 1961, the period when the two men?s careers overlapped at Fulham.
£35.00
Jimmy Hill

See Hill's entry in the Oxford DNB. Signed 'Jimmy Hill' across Hill's chest on a 10 x 14 cm black and white photograph of him in football shirt with stands behind. Captioned: 'Jimmy HIll / Fulham F.C. - Inside Right / With the Compliments of W. H. Smith & Son / Booksellers Newsagents Stationers'. On a 12.5 x 19 cm piece of shiny paper. In fair condition, lightly aged and ruckled, with traces of pink paper mount and glue adhering to the blank reverse. The signature of 'Graham Leggat' is written up the right margin. See Image.

[Lady Florence Dixie, Scottish author, traveller, suffragist and war correspondent.] Autograph Signature and conclusion of a letter.

Author: 
Lady Florence Dixie [Lady Florence Caroline Dixie, nee Douglas] (1855-1905), Scottish author, traveller, suffragist and war correspondent
Lady Florence Dixie
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£45.00
Lady Florence Dixie

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. On a 9.5 x 3.5 cm slip of paper, cut from a letter and laid down on a slightly larger slip of card. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads '[...] that we should never think from proclaiming. / Yrs. v. truly / Florence Dixie / (Lady)'. See Image.

[J. K. Galbraith, Canadian economist, Professor of Economics at Harvard University.] Typed Letter Signed and Typed Note Signed to Philip Dosse, regarding his reviewing for 'Books and Bookmen'.

Author: 
J. K. Galbraith [John Kenneth Galbraith] (1908-2006), Canadian economist and diplomat, Professor of Economics at Harvard University [Philip Dosse (1925-1980), publisher of 'Books and Bookmen']
Publication details: 
1 October 1974 and 5 February 1975. Both on his Harvard letterhead.
£80.00

From the papers of Philip Dosse, proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. See 'Death of a Bookman' by the novelist Sally Emerson (editor of 'Books and Bookmen' at the time of Dosse's suicide), in Standpoint magazine, October 2018; and Michael Barber, 'What was Books and Bookmen?', Literary Review blog, 18 August 2023. Both items in good condition, lightly aged. Both folded once for postage. Both 1p, 12mo. ONE (1 October 1974): It was 'nice' of Dosse to write, but he 'needn't have given it a second thought'.

[Isaiah Berlin's secretary Patricia Utrechin.] Two Typed Letters Signed to Philip Dosse, conveying Berlin's unwillingness to review Golda Meir's autobiography ('no reviewing for at least two years').

Author: 
Isaiah Berlin's secretary Patricia Utechin [Isaiah Berlin (1907-1997), historian of ideas; Philip Dosse (1925-80); 'Books and Bookmen']
Publication details: 
16 October and 4 November 1975. Each on letterhead of Headington House, Old High Street, Headington, Oxford.
£150.00

See Berlin's entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient Philip Dosse (often addressed, as in this letter, as ‘Dossé’) was proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. See ‘Death of a Bookman’ by the novelist Sally Emerson (editor of ‘Books and Bookmen’ at the time of Dosse’s suicide), in Standpoint magazine, October 2018. Both items 1p, landscape 8vo. In good condition, lightly aged.

[Author of the first million-seller: Hall Caine, the most popular novelist of his day.] Autograph List of Corrections ‘With Sir Hall Caine’s Compts’, to [Daily Telegraph propaganda?] articles entitled ‘Downfall of a Nation’ (revolutionary Russia).

Author: 
Hall Caine [Sir Hall Caine; Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine] (1853-1931), the most popular novelist of his day, author of ‘The Eternal City’, the first million-seller, with strong Isle of Man connections
Hall Caine
Publication details: 
No date or place. (Circa 1917)
£320.00
Hall Caine

See the description of Caine’s political views in his entry in the Oxford DNB. He began as a communist, but became a Christian Socialist, and a supporter of the Liberal Party on the mainland of Britain (he was a member of the Isle of Man House of Keys from 1901 to 1908) and a follower of the Church of England. The present item would appear to relate to the ‘impassioned propaganda’ that Caine published in the Daily Telegraph from September 1914 (ODNB). It is 1p, 4to.

[Sir Frank Dicksee, Victorian artist, President of the Royal Academy.] Autograph Letter Signed to Lady Orchardson, regarding a meeting by the committee for the Royal Academy summer exhibition, with reference to Onslow Ford.

Author: 
Frank Dicksee [Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee] (1853-1928), Victorian artist, President of the Royal Academy [Lady Orchardson [Ellen Orchardson, née Moxon] , wife of Sir William Quiller Orchardson, RA]
Publication details: 
14 December [no year, but before 1901]. On letterhead of Greville House, 3 Greville Place, St John's Wood, N.W. [London]
£65.00

See the entries for Dicksee and Lady Orchardson’s husband Sir William Quiller Orchardson (1832-1910), RA, in the Oxford DNB. Lady Orchardson (1853-1917) was the daughter of the London publisher Charles Moxon. The Orchardsons married in 1873. Among their four children was the painter Charles Moxon Quiller Orchardson (1873-1917), who studied in the Royal Academy Schools and was killed in action during World War One. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Signed ‘Frank Dicksee’.

[Fanny Trollope, novelist and abolitionist.] Autograph Signature ('Frances Trollope')

Author: 
Fanny Trollope [Frances Milton Trollope; Mrs. Trollope] (1779-1863), novelist whose book on the United States caused great offence, and whose abolitionist writings inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe
Fanny Trollope
Publication details: 
'Carlton Hill [i.e. Carleton Hill, near Penrith, Cumbria] / 3d Feby 1843'.
£45.00
Fanny Trollope

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. Neatly written out on a 6 x 11 cm piece of paper, laid down on a slighty larger piece of card. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Frances Trollope / Carlton [sic] Hill / 3d Feby 1843'. Mrs Trollope had the house named Carleton Hill built in 1840, just outside the village of Carleton. The cold climate proved unbearable, and she sold the residence in the year of this autograph. See Image.

[Edmund Gill [Edmund Marriner Gill], English landscape painter.] Signed Autograph ‘List of Principal Works Exhibited by E. Gill’, with covering Autograph Letter Signed to the publishers George Routledge & Sons’.

Author: 
Edmund Gill [Edmund Marriner Gill] (1820-1894), English landscape painter [George Routledge & Sons, London publishers; the Royal Academy of Arts]
Publication details: 
No date, but no earlier than 1882, and no later than 1884. ‘Linn Villa / Sutton / Surrey’.
£150.00

An interesting item, providing valuable biographical information. The Gills were a prominent family of English painters, all puzzingly absent from the Oxford DNB. Edmund Gill’s father was the portrait painter Edmund Ward Gill (1794–1854) and among his brothers were the painters William Ward Gill (1823–1894) and George Reynolds Gill (1827–1904). After studying at the Royal Academy he fell under the influence of David Cox. The present item relates to Gill’s entry in the 1884 eleventh edition of the Routledge reference work by Thompson Cooper, ‘Men of the Time: A Dictionary of Contemporaries’.

[Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Hollywood star.] Publicity Photograph with Autograph Signature.

Author: 
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. [Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr.] (1909-2000), Hollywood star and film producer
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Publication details: 
No date or place, but during the latter part of his life.
£65.00
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

A 7.5 x 10 cm photograph on 8.5 x 13 cm piece of shiny Kodac paper. Black and white head and shoulders shot of an old Fairbanks, nattily attired in jacket and tie, smiling at the camera towards his right shoulder. Signed ‘Douglas Fairbanks’ beneath the photograph in blue felt-tip pen. In very good condition. See Image.

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