MANUSCRIPT

11.5 x 16 cm image on 18 x 12.5 cm card. Signed at foot ‘Herbert Marshall.’ An urbane Marshall is seated, looking over his left shoulder while cradling his hands on his knees, in a grey pin-striped suit, in front of a plain white background. In good condition, but with a horizontal strip of the card trimmed above Marshall’s head. Scan on application.

10 x 13 cm glossy publicity photographic print, on 10.5 x 15.5 cm piece of card, with ‘PHOTO: JOHN VICKERS / COPYRIGHT’ in blank space beneath image. In good condition, lightly aged, with mounts at corners on blank reverse. Black and white head-and-shoulders portrait of McDermott in pub setting, looking sharply to his left in a double-breasted Royal Navy jacket, whiskey tumbler in hand. Scan on applicatioin

Novello’s three decades of unprecedented success began with the First World War song ‘Keep the home fires burning’. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 8.5 x 13.5 cm publicity photograph on postcard, printed in sepia. In good condition, with tiny dink at top left. Captioned at foot ‘MR. IVOR NOVELLO’. Prim-looking with side-parting in white shirt, tie, and dark double breasted suit, the darkness of which makes the signature ‘Ivor Novello’ rather difficult to make out. Scan on application

Glossy black and white publicity photograph on 8.5 x 13 cm postcard, embossed with studio details at bottom right. ‘MISS DOROTHY WARD’ in white print at foot. Autograph inscription across foot: ‘Best wishes / Dorothy Ward / 1926’. In good condition, lightly aged. A head-and-shoulders image of Ward with right shoulder slightly forwards, looking upwards, with a laurel wreath around her head and frizzy short hair, in pearls and a white sleeveless gown. With stamp and Liverpool postmark on reverse, which is addressed to ‘F. J. Clare / 5 Delamere Grove / Leacombe / Wallasey’. Scan on application

Publicity photograph on 8.5 x 13.5 postcard. In good condition, lightly aged, with a tiny piece worn away from bottom left. Inscription diagonally at bottom left: ‘Best wishes / Elizabeth Allan’. A black and white head-and-shoulders portrait of a young Allan, against a white background, with short wavy hair and side parting gazing to her left with beatific smile.

7.5 x 11.5 cm black and white publicity photograph by ‘ “Philco” London W.C.1.’ Expansive genuine signature ‘Gladys Cooper’ across bottom part of image, in addition to facsimile signature in white at bottom right. In good condition, on postcard with border trimmed. Dark sepia-toned image. A head-and-shoulders portrait, with Cooper staring to her right, with short frizzy hair, in fashionable gown. Scan on application

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. Good bold signature ‘Gracie Fields’, underlined and rising upwards. On 11.5 x 9 cm piece of thin light-grey card. In good condition, lightly aged, but with border of discoloration created by tape, a tiny part of which has encroached on the initial ‘G’ of the signature.

Hale is best-remembered for singing ‘Spread a Little Happiness’ in the musical ‘Mr. Cinders’ (1929), and for strarring in ‘No, No, Nanette’ (1925). 9 x 13 cm postcard, printed in light-brownish grey. In good condition. Nice signature ‘Binnie Hale’ running diagonally across lower right-hand corner. She looks wistfully at the camera, with a Marcel wave and pursed made-up lips. Not among the 32 images of Hale list on the National Portrait Gallery website. Scan on application.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 8 x 13 cm collotype print, with 8 x 2 cm space at bottom in which she signs ‘Wendy Hiller.’ In good condition, lightly aged. Black and white, with Hiller’s face in left profile, her body at three-quarters, squinting to her right while wearing what looks like a buttoned-up sou’-wester. Scan on application.

Black and white photographic portrait, on 4.5 x 6.5 cm piece of shiny card. Signature 'Doris Keane' across bottom of image. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with strips of tape around the edges to make a border, but hardly discoloured. Printed at head: 'SUPPT. TO GREAT NOVELS.', and at bottom 'DORIS KEANE / BASSANO'. A head and shoulders portrait, in which Keane faces the viewer, in fur hat and coat with fur collar. Scan on application.

The topic of this material is wartime training (in part during the Blitz) of sergeants for ‘Search Light Control’ or SLC (nicknamed ‘Elsie’). A larger archive of similar material from the papers of Sgt. J. L. B. Royall on the same theme is offered separately. Sixteen items, a few of which are discoloured and creased, but the collection being in good overall condition. The first three items are in manuscript (i.e. Royall’s autograph).

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On 10 x 12 cm leaf removed from an autograph album. He signs and dates floridly at the foot of the page: 'Austen Chamberlain / 4. 3. 27'. Slits have been cut into the leaf to loosely insert the cigarette card. In poor condition, worn and spotted, with border of discoloration (extending over the end of the signature) caused by tape. The caricature, in colour, by Alick P. F. Ritchie is No. 11 of 50 in the 'Straight Line Caricatures' series of cigarette cards by John Player & Sons.

Johnson’s career began with a job singing on an NBC radio show. His 1940s Hollywood films included “Keep Your Powder Dry”. He later returned to Broadway, where in 1956 he received a Tony nomination for his performance as ‘Doc’ in Rodgers and Hammerstein's last musical ‘Pipe Dream’. He died of a heart attack in 1957. 10.5 x 10 cm black and white glossy photographic print on shiny art paper. In good condition. Stylish signature 'Bill Johnson' in white at bottom left.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. A 10 x 3 cm slip of paper, cut from the end of a letter in response to a request for an autograph. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: ‘Yours Sincerely / Percy Scott’. Beneath this, in contemporary hand, in pencil: ‘Admiral Sir Percy Scott (Terrible)’.

8.5 x 14 cm glossy publicity photograph on post card. In good condition, lightly aged. Inscribed across the bottom of the image: ‘Souvenirs / Alice Delysia’. A soft-toned head and shoulders image in black and white, of a smiling Delysia, eyebrows plucked, lips made up, and short hair Marcell-waved. See Image.

An attractive collection, by an unidentified artist, on uniform pieces of waxed or oiled cloth, cut to 10 cm squares with rounded edges. Each illustration features a different butterfly or moth, arranged with a different single leaf. Very nicely executed, in a wide range of colours, and suitable for display. Seen to their full advantage with a light source behind them. See Scan.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, in which ‘deep professional commitment and mental toughness’ are said to be qualities whose possession he demonstrated ‘heroically’. On 8 x 5 cm piece of light blue-grey paper. Good large firm signature 'Beatty'. No other writing on page. In good condition, lightly aged.

On 14 x 9 cm plain printed postcard, addressed (by the recipient) to ‘Norman Wetton / 7 Claremont Road / Forest Gate / Essex’. On the plain side of the card she writes: ‘With pleasure here is the sign-manual of your’s [sic] faithfully / John Strange Winter. / (Henrietta. E. V. Stannard.) / Aug 24. 1905 -’.

Two very interesting unpublished documents, the first giving an assessment of Churchill by a colleague who worked closely with him throughout the Second World War, and the second describing the important part that individual himself played in the logistical management of the war, from before Dunkirk to after D-Day. This material is from Sir Noel Galway Holmes’s private papers, another batch of which, comprising confidential reports on him, recommendations by superior officers, and particulars of his service, is offered separately.

See his entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography. On 7 x 4 cm piece of paper. In good condition, with slight discoloration. In O’Connell’s distinctive fine-nibbed hand reads: ‘Ever yours, / most sincerely / Daniel O’Connell’. The ‘C’ of ‘O’Connell’ extends downwards, and this flourish is very slightly cropped beneath the usual a loop.

Four interesting Peninsular War items, from a collection of Beresford material. In 1813 the Duke of Wellington described Beresford as ‘the ablest man I have yet seen in the army’. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The four items are in good condition, lightly aged and worn (but see descriptions of Items One and Three), and folded for postage. ONE: Apparent Autograph Draft of Letter. ‘Abranles July 4. 1809’. 2pp, 4to. On laid Whatman paper. Reverse somewhat grubby with glue stains (from display in an album?) at foot of reverse of leaf.

The three items in good condition, lightly aged. Each folded. ONE: Lithographed copperplate funeral announcement. 1p, 4to. Black bordered. At foot: ‘Administration spéciale des Funerailles, 70, rue des Saints Pères, Henri de Borniol, Directeur.’ Headed ‘M’. Begins: ‘Vous êtes prié d’assister aux Convoi, Service et Enterrement, de Monsieur Charles-Rene-Forbes Conte de Montalembert, ancien Pair de France, Membre de l’Académie Française, décédé le 13 Mars 1870, muni des Sacraments de l’Eglise, en sa demeure, rue du Bac, No.

Manby’s entry in the Oxford DNB states that ‘His interests ranged beyond the engineering world, and for many years he was involved in the management of the Adelphi and Haymarket theatres.’ Manuscript copy letter. 2pp, 4to. Thirty-three lines of neat text. Addressed to ‘Frederick Hodgson Esqre. M.P.’ Ends: ‘I am Dear Sir / Your very faithfully / Charles Manby’.On first leaf of bifolium. Reverse of second leaf docketted: ‘Copy C Manby to F Hodgson Esqr / Scarbro - Novr 8. 1841’ (the letter does not contain any reference to Scarborough). In fair condition, creased and lightly aged. Folded once.

A contemporary manuscript note to the present item reveals for the first time the identity of ‘Niger’, one of the two correspondents of whose letters it consists. (And minor manuscript corrections to the last of the four letters would seem to suggest the involvement of the author.) This is Sir James Robert Carmichael (1817-1883), 2nd Bart, who was intimately connected with British Guiana through his father Sir James Carmichael-Smyth (1779-1838).

St Aubyn’s entry in the Oxford DNB makes no mention of Plymouth or the Royal Navy. 9pp, foolscap 8vo, on nine leaves of laid paper with fleur-de-lys watermark. In poor condition: an attempt has been made to burn the document, and the left-hand side of each leaf has been badly damaged, with much of it crumbled away in burnt flakes, and the surviving text badly marked on that side. The description on the outside of the packet states that the draft is ‘For the perusal of Mr. Jones’ (presumably St Aubin’s lawyer).

On one side of 31 x 21 cm. A frail survival, worn, aged and with closed tears, with the backing damaged and stained. Text clear and entire in Greek key border. Blind stamp of Cardinal Zurla at bottom left. Signed by 'J. Patr. Constantinop. Vicesgs.' and by the scribe who completed the printed document in manuscript. Somewhat crudely printed, with Zurla's arms at the head. Headed: 'D. PLACIDUS ORDINIS S. BENEDICTI / CONGREGATIONIS CAMALDULENSIS / TITULI S. CRUCIS IN JERUSALEM S. R. E.

Scott was the author of books on subjects as diverse as the bluestockings and metaphysical poets. He produced two works on Joan of Arc: first, in 1956, the Folio Society published his edition of ‘The trial of Joan of Arc, being the verbatim report of the proceedings from the Orleans Manuscript’; then, in 1974, appeared his biography ‘Jeanne d’Arc’, published by Harrap. With regard to the present material, Items One to Five are all typed, and Item Seven contains exclusively-autograph material.

An interesting document, neatly laid out in black with red underlining on both sides of 29 x 42 cm leaf. Painted in black lengthwise near one edge is ‘Winchelsea / 1805’, and 1805 would be a good year for the document’s composition, with Britain fighting the Napoleonic Wars and in the midst of invasion fears around the time of the Battle of Trafalgar. 2pp, large folio. On thick laid paper watermarked either ‘VI’ or ‘IV’ (depending on which side you look from). In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with closed tears and one nick (not affecting text) along central horizontal fold.

See his entry in Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. The four items are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Each letter signed ‘Gotthard Lechler’. A total of 200 lines of closely-written text, on 11pp, 8vo, and on three bifoliums and a single leaf. ONE (20 May 1882): Addressed to ‘Lieber Freund!’ 3pp, 8vo. 44 lines. 3pp, 8vo. TWO (14 November 1882): Addressed to ‘Verehrter Freund!’ 2pp, 8vo. 42 lines. THREE (23 July 1883): Addressed to ‘Verehrter, geliebter Freund!’ 4pp, 8vo. 83 lines. FOUR (14 August 1883): ‘Lieber und verehter Freund!’ 2pp, 8vo. 31 lines. See scans of sample letter.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Both items are in good condition, and each folded once. The second carries the merest trace of grey paper from a mount at one corner. ONE: To E. B. Nicholson, 3 November 1881. 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. Nicholson’s letter has been forwarded to him ‘here in my country house, where I am for a few days’. It is out of his power ‘to promise any assistance to your proposed Magazine.