MACLISE

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight discoloration at one edge and minor repair on reverse. Addressed to ‘Dear Mrs. Bicknell’ and signed ‘Danl. Maclise’. Reads ‘I very much regret to say that I have accepted an invitation to dinner on Wednesday when I might have had the pleasure of repairing to Tulse Hill and perhaps in company with my friend and your father whom I sometimes dare to call David’.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with discoloration from tape at head of second leaf. Watts's handwriting is not easily legible. The male recipient of the letter is not named. In reply to a letter received the previous Friday, Watts assures him that 'the earnest desire of Mrs.

Dimensions of engraving 12 x 10cm. Paper size 24 x 16cm. Mount size 50 x 34cm. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with no foxing. Card mount with light spotting and wear to extremities. No engraved text whatsoever. Stocks has written in light pencil at the foot of the paper: 'Chas. Dickens | Painted by D. Maclise R.A Engd. by Robt. Graves ARA'. Surprisingly scarce.

Note: 1 p, 4to. Addressed on reverse to 'W. S. Tuckerman Esq | Post Office | Boston', with red ink postmark and remains of red wax seal. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Reads: 'Boston 30 Octr. 1843 | [name deleted] Esq | Sir | I have much pleasure in complying with the request conveyed in your letter of Saturdays date. | I remain yours very truly | [signed] Dion: Lardner'. Print: 11.5 x 17.5 cm (including 0.5 cm white border). In good condition, neatly laid down on piece of wove paper, 22.5 x 29 cm, with black ink border.

Fraser's Magazine launched in London in February 1830, and to begin with its most popular feature was Maginn's 'Gallery of Illustrious Literary Characters', with illlustrations by Maclise (collected in book form in 1873). The four portraits, all busts, are somewhat reminiscent of those in that work, but must be earlier if the identification of John Nichol, who died in 1828, is correct. The four are on separate pieces of paper, laid down 2 X 2 (with the four sitters looking inwards towards the centre of the page) on a leaf torn from an album.