[John Callcott Horsley, English painter.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to Doyne Courtenay Bell, Keeper of the Privy Purse, regarding the possible inclusion of a painting from the queen’s collection in a Royal Academy exhibition.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The two items in good condition, lightly discoloured, and each folded twice. Both addressed to ‘Doyne . C . Bell’. ONE (17 December 1886): 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. Signed ‘J. Callcott Horsley. He explains the reason for not writing sooner: ‘I waited to see how our wants were likely to be as to small pictures’. The picture that Bell describes ‘must be a very interesting one’, and Horsley would ‘much like to see it’. He asks for it to be left where he is, addressed to him, ‘& then if I am unable to “hang” it I will take care that it is safely returned to you’. TWO (18 December 1886): 2pp, 12mo. Signed ‘J. C. Horsley’. He thanks him for the kind trouble, ‘but I regret to say that the Committee here do not think the little picture sufficiently up to concert pitch artistically for our Ex[hibitio]n. ! -’. He regrets that Bell ‘should have been put to some inconvenience unnecessarily’.