STEEL

Strongitharm’s entry on the British Museum website is the main source of information about him. In 1841 ‘John Strongitharm’ is listed in the Royal Calendar among the ‘Queen’s Tradesmen’, ‘In the Department of the Lord Chamberlain’, as ‘Seal Engraver’. The present item is an well-executed and carefully hand-coloured steel engraving of the royal arms (lion and unicorn), topped by a banner with ‘LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S OFFICE’. Engraved in small letters beneath the image: ‘Strongitharm, Waterloo Place’. Printed on a somewhat-aged and lightly worn piece of thickish laid paper, 11.5 x 6.5.

An attractive collection of 76 engravings, laid down over 34pp, on the first seventeen brown-paper leaves of a 22.5 x 29 cm landscape album. Also laid down, on the rear pastedown, is a nice original drawing (by Tabram himself?) of two girls, one in a bonnet and the other (her daughter or sister?) with ringlets. Loosely inserted are two German engravings, each laid down on a piece of coloured paper and each with caption on reverse.

157pp., 4to. Carbon typescript, with a few manuscript corrections. Each page paginated in type, and on a separate leaf. The leaves punch-holed and attached in a buff folder. Aged and worn, with the first few leaves a little ragged, but intact and legible. The author is not named, but is referred to in the text as 'Tam', and is therefore clearly the 'C. Tamkin' who is named in 1946 as one of the directors of A. E. Watson & Co, 21 Tothill Street, London, 'Consulting, civil and constructional engineers, etc.'. Title at head of first page: 'THE WAY WE CAME'.

Each of the six letters is 1p, 4to. In good condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. With the Society's stamps and annotations. On topics including the printed version of a paper given by Hadfield and the offer to the society of a paper by his friend 'Mr E. P. Reynolds of Bournemouth' (whose father 'Mr E. Reynolds […] was the mainspring of the Engineering side of Messrs Vickers, Sheffield').

The eight items are unbound, in fair condition, on aged paper with loss to extremities of some documents.ONE: Printed parliamentary bill: 'Compulsory Weighing and Measurement. | A Bill To provide for the Weighing and Measurement of the Material used in the process of manufacture, as well as the Product thereof, in all Iron or Steel Works, Cement Works, Lime Works, and Chalk Quarries. | Presented by Mr. Barnes, | supported by | Mr. Keir Hardie, Mr. Hodge, [and nine others] | Ordered, by The House of Commons, to be Printed, 22 February 1906.

66pp., 8vo. With 29 illustrations in text. Stapled pamphlet on shiny art paper, in grey printed card wraps. In fair condition, aged and worn.

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.

Both items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Purdie's letter: 4pp., 4to. Closely and neatly written on a bifolium, with the last page cross-written over the third. Addressed, with postmarks and red wax seal, to 'G. P. Nicholson Esqre. | Wath | nr Rotherham'.

5pp., 4to. Addressed, with postmarks, to 'John Purdie Esqre | Heriot Row | Edinburgh'. In good condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. Neatly and closely written.

Each proof is on 29 x 23 cm paper, and each is laid down on a piece of 38 x 31.5 cm card. In good condition, on lightly-aged and spotted paper, with wear and bumping to mount. The first engraving The Spectator for 23 December 1848 carried an advertisement by Cundall for 'ILLUSTRATED WORKS BY LADY AMATEURS', at the head of which was 'THE BABES IN THE WOOD. Illustrated with Ten Original Designs, Etched on Steel. | Colombier 8vo. price 1l. 1s.; or Coloured after the Drawings, 2l. 2s.

11 x 17.5 cm., with the original margin of the print, with caption, trimmed away, and the engraving laid down on a piece of 24.5 x 30.5 card. From the papers of Marie de Grasse, Lady Evans, wife of Sir Francis Henry Evans, and originally Marie de Grasse Smith, daughter of Hon. Samuel Smith of Albany, New York. In pencil on the mount: 'Albany 1837.'

The twelve McDowall engravings each on separate cards of shiny art paper, each 90 x 130 cm, and all but the card with the image of the Scott Memorial (see below) in landscape. The Menzies engraving of Loch Ness, in similar style to the others on shiny art paper, but slightly larger, at 90 x 140 cm and landscape. Delicate items, in fair condition, with browning to edges, but images clear and complete. The engravings on the McDowall cards are as follows. By T. G. Flowers: Heriot's Hospital (founded 1628); and 'Assembly Hall, Heriots Hospital and Castle'. By G.

Dimensions of print 11.5 x 19.5 cm. At the head of the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium (leaf dimensions 28 x 22.5 cm). The print itself is clear and undamaged, on aged paper. With traces of cuttings mounted onto the internal pages, and closed tear to the blank second leaf. An impressively detailed engraving, showing the bustling port and layout of the city, with church spires and prominent buildings. A copy of the item survives used as a letter home from a German girl in 1855. The copy in the New York Public Library is ascribed to 'C. Magnus, Lith. 22 N. William St.'

Dimensions of print 12.5 x 19.5 cm. On paper 16 x 24.5 cm. Good clean impression, with six or seven spots of foxing in the margin and a little wear in the bottom left-hand copy. Striking detailed view of the city with sailboats and steamships in the harbour, and the major buildings and layout of the streets clearly portrayed, with the environs in the distance. Scarce: there is little information to be gleaned concerning this print.

Dimensions of print 12.5 x 19.5 cm. On paper 16 x 24.5 cm. Good clean impression, with six or seven spots of foxing in the margin and a little wear in the bottom left-hand copy. Striking detailed view of the city with sailboats and steamships in the harbour, and the major buildings and layout of the streets clearly portrayed, with the environs in the distance. Scarce: there is little information to be gleaned concerning this print.

Printed on one side of a piece of thick wove paper, watermarked 'G REIG', roughly 53 x 41 cm. Worn and a little spotted and grubby, with creasing and wear to extremities, but good overall, with text and design clear and entire. Handsome boldly designed certificate. Not filled in and with no manuscript additions whatsover. The illustration, an oval roughly 12 x 17 cm, shows the ship approaching white cliffs on shore, with a boat containing seven natives in the foreground.

4to (28.5 x 21.5 cm): 8 pp. In original buff printed wraps. Printed on shiny art paper. Text complete and clear. Lightly spotted, with central vertical fold, grubby wraps, rusted staples. Twelve photographs, ranging in size from half- to quarter-page: 'General View of the Bofors Works', 'Erecting shop', 'Fitting shop', '15 cm. Guns', 'Hardening tower', '15 cm. (6 inch.) double gun-carriage M/12', 'Rolling Mill housing, weight 33 tons', 'Runner for water turbine', 'Ore Crusher', 'Exterior of the Bofors Steel Works', 'Screw Automatics' and 'Details'.