Autograph Letters

Not only an unusually intimate letter for a member of royalty to write, but also an interesting communication from a poet to her mentor.

See the entries of Bentinck and FitzRoy Somerset in the Oxford DNB. On approximate 11 x 6 cm rectangle cut from cover of letter. In good condition, lightly aged, with minor traces of grey paper mount adhering to blank reverse. Addressed by Bentinck in the customary staggered way: ‘Lieut: Genl. / Lord FitzRoy Somerset G.C.B. / Horse Guards’. Bentinck’s signature ‘G. Bentinck’ is at bottom left, underlined but without the line above the signature. The merest slither of the bottom of the loop of the initial ‘G’ has been cropped. See image.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, which states that he has ‘strong claims to be regarded as the greatest sporting all-rounder of his or any era since’. (Neville Cardus counted him ‘among the most fully developed and representative Englishmen of his period’.) It also seems that in 1920 he was offered the chance of becoming king of Albania. His grave at Repton is inscribed: ‘Cricketer, scholar, athlete, Author – The Ultimate All-rounder’.

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’. Beatty’s aggressive tactics at the Battle of Jutland are often contrasted with Jellicoe’s more cautious approach. After the explosion of the Indefatigable and the Queen Mary, with the loss of 1283 officers and men, he came out with the celebrated understatement, ‘There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today’.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB and the History of Parliament (‘the foremost diplomat of his age’). It was Malmesbury who went to Brunswick to fetch the Prince Regent’s betrothed Princess Caroline, and whom he asked to get him a brandy on his first encounter with her three years before the present letter was written. A legible script was clearly not a prerequisite for a successful diplomat, as the handwriting of this missive is scandalously bad: practically on a level with that of Dr Parr. 1p, 4to.

One page, 12mo, unsigned, bifolium, good condition. Note by another hand in top left corner, lettre de Masclet. Text (unsigned): J'envoye a Monsieur Mollard la copie du memoire sur la place du chemin de fer entre Liverpool et Manchester. | On pourra annoncer a l'institute un autre memoire plus developpe sur l'etat actuel du chemin de fer entre Darlington et Stockto: j'en enverrais une copie si on la desire. | Je [?] de me rendre [la france jeudi?] a 2 h 1/2: serait il [possible?] a Mondieur Moll;ard de m'envoyer un second billet pour mon support, car j'ai besoin d'en avoir [un?].

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage. Reads: ‘Dear Miss Cond, / I have pleasure in sending you my signature. As you will see, it is quite an ordinary one. / Yours very truly / William Plomer’. The signature is in fact rather stylish in an understated way, and the underlining has two small curls in it. In ink on otherwise-blank reverse, by someone who misread the signature: 'William Ploms'. See Image.

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.

The daughter of the fifth Duke of Argyll, Lady Charlotte bore eleven children to her two husbands, and was forced to write novels by her first husband’s death and second husband’s profligacy. See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Neatly attached by a paper hinge to part of a leaf from an album. Begins: ‘Lady Charlotte Bury presents her Compts to Sir William Hamilton, & takes the liberty of soliciting for the honor & favor of his name, as a subscriber to a work by Lady Charlotte of which the enclosed Prospectus gives every particular.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Written large at the foot of a page on a 4to leaf. In good condition, lightly aged and creased, with a short closed tear to the outer edge just below Glubb’s sprawling signature, which consists of an illegible line of curls. Folded once for postage. At the head of the page is Diane Richard’s Typed Note Signed, addressed to ‘General Glubb’ and requesting that he sign ‘two pictures from my collection’. Glubb replies: ‘Dear Miss RICHARD, / I return your two pictures herewith with much pleasure. / All good wishes, / Your sincerely / [signature]’.

Four pages, 12mo, bifolium. I am delighted to hear from you that the Bassingham Doorway is to be preserved - | I lose no time in sending a design for the oak doors - I think plainly moulded framing & ridged panels will best suit the age - It looks plain in outline - but if of handsome English oak, will look beautiful in execution.

Forty items, in good condition, lightly aged and worn, with some of the photographs with evidence on reverse of having been mounted. Millicent Goodsir [née Unger] (1885-1983) was governess to Christina Bezzi Scali (1900-1994), daughter of Francesco, Count Bezzi Scali and his wife Anna (1879-1968). In 1927 Cristina became Marconi's second wife. Their only child was Maria Elettra Elena Anna Marconi (b.1930), who would marry Prince Carlo Giovannelli (1942-2016).

Macready's entry in the Oxford DNB states that he destroyed his diary and personal papers after the publication of his memoirs in 1924, and that of his father notes that he dealt with William Charles Macready's ‘copious and uninhibited diaries’ in similar fashion in 1914 - two years after the appearance of Toynbee’s edition. The present collection of eighteen items is in good condition, lightly aged, and folded for postage. All signed 'C F N Macready' and addressed to 'My dear Toynbee'. The text of the letters totals 35pp (compising 1p, 8vo; 25pp, 12mo; 9pp, 16mo).

See his entry, and that of Colburn, in the Oxford DNB. Campbell agreed to edit Colburn’s ‘New Monthly Magazine’ in 1820, his first number in the post being that of January 1821, and the letter was presumably written between this period and Mrs Campbell’s death in 1828. The reference to ‘Mr Ollier’ would close the dates even further: the Oxford DNB’s entry for Charles Ollier (1788-1859) stating that, after financial difficulties, ‘by the autumn of 1825 he returned to the publishing trade as the chief literary reader and adviser to Henry Colburn in New Burlington Street’. 1p, 12mo.

Blackwood’s entry in the Oxford DNB quotes H. P. Lovecraft’s opinion that he was the author of ‘some of the finest spectral literature of this or any age’. On post card with printed stamp. In good condition, lightly worn, on light-brown card. Addressed to ‘Miss Cond, / Deer Park, / Honiton.’ Apart from the signature, Blackwood has added quotation marks and dealt with two typing mistakes in autograph. Good firm signature. Reads: ‘Savile Club, 69 Brook St, W. 1.

2pp, foolscap 8vo. On grey laid paper with mourning border, brittle and lightly creased, with chipping and closed tears to edges. Addressed in Archibald’s hand to ‘The President of the Albion Society of New York’, and signed ‘E M Archibald / HM Brit Consul Genl’.

A. Three pages, 12mo, bifolium, some foxing and wear, text clear and complete, but scrawled. For the last two years or more in consequence of suffering severely from [undeciphered illness - see image of pp.1 &3] I have been obliged to give up all [evening?] visiting - [Were it not [?] it would have given me the greatest pleasure to have come to you [?] Colvill [scientist?] on this [?]. | For some reason was printed my coming to the meetings of the R[oyal] S[ociety].

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Eleven items, in fair overall condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. All six of Arnold’s communications are signed ‘Tom Arnold’. Arnold’s two TLsS are dated 2 October 1942 and 23 July 1959. In the second of these (1p, landscape 8vo) he thanks MP for a producing a piece of writing which ‘suits the mood’: ‘I appreciate your doing this, and the speed with which you tackled it for me.

From the Macqueen-Pope papers. (See his entry and that of her father in the Oxford DNB.) 6pp, the first four on two 4to leaves, the last two on a 12mo leaf. Signed ‘E. Winnie Parsons / nee / Winnie Burnand’. In fair condition, lightly aged and with some creasing, particularly to the last (12mo) leaf. Slight rust staining from paperclip. A delightful letter, written in a strong and energetic hand, with various words underlined in red pencil for emphasis. She is staying with Desmond Lysart, ‘who in his lovely study has all your delightful books’, and they are both great admirers of MP.

See Image. Signature and date ('Beryl' Formby | 1941) on piece of paper, 6 x 4, rounded corners, good condition, laid down on larger piece of paper, 12 x 6.5cm. On reverse the signature of Leslie Henson, actor etc. Note: She was positive in his career in some aspects but was obviously difficult. After her death, Formby publicly said that 'My life with Beryl was hell'.

One page (and a line/signature), 12mo, with thin neat strip of windowpane mount at edges, very good condition. Presumably Froude is preparing an edition of Carlyle's letters. Text: I returned yesterday from Madeira to find your letter. I shall be very glad indeed to see the papers in your possession. I have many letters from [John] Murray & [Robert?] Mitchell to [underlined] Carlyle. You must have the corresponding answers. You will allow me I presume to make copies [underlined]. They shall then be retrurned to you.

Envelope, 12 x 9cm, small closed tears, dusted but text clear and complete. Text: Address M. le docteur Vintras | Hanover Square | London ; cross signed Mlle Louise Michel underlined. See image. Note: Vintras wasa Doctor and poet. Published The Silver Net in London in 1903 as well being the physician to the French Hospital in London and later Director of the French Convalescent Home at Brighton and of the Annexe for the Preventive Treatment of tuberculosis; George Charles Louis Vintras, B.Sc.Paris, M.D.Durh, obit.

One page, 12mo, minor foxing, mainly good condition. Pray [? something like tell] Mr Powlett I am most anxious to make his acquaintance truly yrs [...].Note: Field Marshal Francis Wallace Grenfell, 1st Baron Grenfell, 1841-1925 was a British Army officer. After serving as aide-de-camp to the Commander-in-Chief, South Africa, he fought in the 9th Xhosa War, the Anglo-Zulu War and then the Anglo-Egyptian War.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin neat strip from windowpane mount adhering to edges. Folded twice for postage. Twenty-four hands of text in secretary hand, addressed to ‘W. A. Lock Esqre’, and signed in autograph ‘Sir C Trevelyan’. He thanks him for his ‘very interesting Letter’, and hopes he will ‘never think it necessary to make any excuse for writing to me [other such?]’. He has asked ‘Mr. Farr’ for ‘any observations he might have to offer on the early part of it; and his answer is enclosed’ (not present).

Peteris Cedrins possessed an interesting dual heritage: born in the US to exiles from communism, he grew up in Chicago, was educated at Bard College (NYS), and settled in Latvia on the fall of the Soviet Union. He published in English and Lavian in the US, UK and Latvia. See the appreciative obituary by Jeffrey Sommers, posted on the ‘Counterpunch’ website on 11 August 2022: ‘Memoriam: Latvia’s Peteris Cedrins, Last of the National Poets’.

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.'

Catherine maintained frequent and regular correspondence throughout her life with family, friends and others, including famous contemporaries and she also collected autograph letters. She also travelled widely. A selection of her correspondence and other personal writings was published by her cousin Catherine Hutton Beale, in 1891, in Reminiscences of a Gentlewoman of the Last Century and this publication includes extracts from the diary and letters which form part of this collection. Statement in her hand [NOT signed].

Four pages, 16mo, bifolium, in narrow frame of stiffer paper, good condition.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Rectangle of paper, evidently cut from a letter for an autograph hunter. Reads: ‘Yours truly / Tom Hood’. See image.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. Signed ‘W Harrison Ainsworth’. Signed ‘W Harrison Ainsworth’ and reads: ‘Dear Mrs Barlow / My Daughters return on the 30th. May[.] I therefore hope to have the pleasure of seeing you and Mr. Barlow at Dinner at a quarter after 9 o’clock on Saturday, 30th?’ See image.