VICTORIAN

Thomas was for upwards of twenty-five years the theatrical critic of the London papers Daily News and the Graphic. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with evidence of mount adhering to the blank second leaf. Folded for postage. Addressed to ?Will Williams Esq? and signed ?Moy Thomas?. He would have answered Williams?s note sooner, but he has been ?on the Continent for a few days?.

See the entries in the Oxford DNB for his brothers Robert Barnabas Brough and the subject of this letter Lionel Brough, as well as that of C. L. Kenney. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight discoloration in one margin from the wax seal, and evidence of mount on blank second leaf. Folded for postage. Addressed to ?Chas Kenney Esq / &c &c? and signed ?William Brough?.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with small nick at foot of gutter, and glue from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf showing through very slightly. Folded for postage. The recipient is not named. Signed ?W. H. Dixon?. Begins: ?Dear Sir / Many thanks for your note.

See his entry, and those of the Stephenson?s, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with the blank second leaf carrying traces of mount. Folded for postage. Addressed to ?George Robt. Stephenson Esqr.? and signed ?R. C. Trench?. Reads: ?Dear Sir / May I express to you, as the first of those who have signed a communication which I have just received, the pleasure that it will give me to comply with the request therein contained; and I shall look forward to performing the part which you have desired in the funeral of the late Mr.

See his entry, and Sharpey?s, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of tape from mount adhering to blank second leaf. Folded for postage. Addressed to ?Dr. Sharpey Secy F S.? and signed ?Fred Pollock?. Begins: ?My dear Dr. Sharpey / I have nearly completed the abstract - I intend to dine at the Club & be present at the meeting to day & I shall ask you when you require the abstract?? He explains that he is ?presiding in the nisi prius C[our]t.?, and that he would like to have ?the leisure of a Sunday to finish it?.

See the entries for Ellis and the recipient?s brother Charles James Smith in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with negligible traces of mount on reverse. Folded for postage. In Ellis?s disciplined and attractive hand. Addressed to ?William James Smith Esqr / &c &c &c? and signed ?Henry Ellis.? He begins by apologising for the delayed response, then writes: ?Pray accept my kind and sincere Thanks for the two beautiful and splendid Numbers of the ?Historical and Literary Curiosities?: I only wish that your poor brother had lived himself to have sent them to me.? (C. J.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded for postage. Docketted in pencil in a contemporary hand: ?1853 [sic] / Duke of Wellingtons funeral? (on 18 November 1852). Signed ?W: Bovill?. Begins with reference to the family business (corn factors) in Milford Lane, City of London: ?My dearest Wife. / I have just seen George & find that there is the large bed room at the top of the house in Milford Lane unoccupied & we can have it - they can arrange something for the two boys & I dare say Mr.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with postage folds. In trimmed windowpane mount. Reads: 'Madam. / My name is not generally spelt with an e, but I [confide?] it is ['really' deleted here] my [last word underlined] autograph which you desire. / Truly / James Payn'.

See his entry, and Manby?s, in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, on first leaf of bifolium, with the blank second leaf carrying traces of tape from the mount. Neatly folded for postage. Addressed to ?My dear Manby? and signed ?Jno. B Buckstone?. In addition to his work as an engineer Manby was for many years involved in the management of the Adelphi and Haymarket theatres.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient (?Broadley Pasha?) was a renowned autograph collector and shady social figure, as well as the de facto editor of Edmund Yates?s ?World?. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, in trimmed windowpane mount, with traces of grey paper adhering to the blank reverse. Folded for postage. Addressed to ?Dear Broadley?, and signed ?John Hollingshead?. He begins by thanking him for ?the very valuable notice in the World?.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of tape from mount adhering to the blank second leaf. Folded for postage. Undated, but docketted ?18 April / 1857 / About ?Cologne Singers.?? Reads: ?Dear William. - All the songs are clear, and if you send they will be given to the musicians. If it is not convenient to send, drop me a line, and I will send to you. / Very tly yrs / J. Oxenford?. Oxenford provided a number of translations of German works for musical accompaniment.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient (?Broadley Pasha?) was a renowned autograph collector and shady social figure, as well as the de facto editor of Edmund Yates?s ?World?. 3pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with slight sunning to first page, and traces of mount on blank final page. Folded once. Signed ?Genevi?ve Ward? (note the accent). The letter relates to the 1889 revival at the London Opera Comique of the role which made her famous, Stephanie, Marquise de Mohrivar, in Merivale and Grove?s 1879 play ?Forget Me Not?.

The recipient is not named, but the item is from Manby's papers. See his entry, and Hudson's, in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with slightly-discoloured indentation of the royal crest, and thin strip of tape from mount adhering to the blank reverse of the second leaf. The recto of that leaf is docketted 'July 26 1846 / Geo Hudson Esq / York'. Folded for postage. Reads: 'Sir / being unable to give my attention to the Society of which you solicite [sic] my name I beg to [?] becoming a Provisional Director / I am / Your obt. St. / Geo Hudson'.

See his entry, and Herman?s, in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium, with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of tape from mount adhering to blank second leaf. Folded once. Addressed to ?Dear Mr. Herman? and signed ?Jos Comyns Carr?. With reference to Herman?s play ?The Silver King? (co-written with H. A. Jones), which proved a huge success from its opening at the Princess?s Theatre in 1882. He begins by reminding him that he ?kindly said? he would send Carr ?a box for the Silver King when I was able to go?.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Thin strip of mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded for postage. Begins: ?Dear Edmonston - / Will you kindly get me Dr. Sydie? book of ballads with music. It is I think published in Edinburgh.? He asks for the book to be sent to him at the Gaiety Theatre and he will pay the cost. Ends: ?I hope you are jolly & well / Kind regards to yourself & all friends in Auld Reekie?. Signed ?J. W. Toole?. Postscript: ?Did you read the ?World? this week? There is something about me in it.?

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. He had taken on the management of Drury Lane in 1849, and had hoped to profit from the Great Exhibition, but retired from it in 1851, having incurred substantial losses. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, on the first leaf of a bifolium, with the reverse of the second leaf bearing minor traces of mount, as well as the following annotation in a contemporary hand: ?Jas: Anderson Esqre / Lessee Drury Lane / Theatre / T Bateman Esqre. / a P. Whelan?. Anderson addresses to ?Peter Whelan Esqr.? and gives an untidy signature ?James Anderson?.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, wtih two small nicks at edges of folds, a tiny piece of one corner worn away, and repair with tape on blank reverse. A hurried message. Reads: 'Dear Mrs. Tofield / I am here on my way to the Station. I don't suppose you are up; if so, [more kind?]. If not, will Friday before dinner suit you? I shan't be in London Monday aftn. / Your's sinly / Edmund Yates.'

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient (?Broadley Pasha?) was a renowned autograph collector and shady social figure, as well as the de facto editor of Yates?s ?World?, until the Cleveland Street scandal drove him into exile in 1890. Broadley was a prominent figure in freemasonry, and the present item appears to link two individuals who were members of Oxford?s Apollo University Lodge: Oscar Wilde (whose proclivities Broadley shared) and Randolph Stewart (later Earl of Galloway). 1p, 16mo. On first leaf of bifolium, with second leaf tipped-in onto a page from one of Broadley?s albums.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient (?Broadley Pasha?) was a renowned autograph collector and shady social figure, as well as the de facto editor of Yates?s ?World?, until the Cleveland Street scandal drove him into exile in 1890 (the year of this item with its reference to 'going away'). A 9 x 5 cm piece of paper, cut from the end of a letter, and laid down on a 13 x 7.5 cm piece, which has been neatly annotated by Broadley: 'Signature of Edmund Yates 1890'. In good condition, lightly aged, with one postage fold. Reads, with good firm stylized signature: '[...] of going away?

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, and Antony Chessell?s 2009 biography of Hayward (subtitled ?one of the Two Best Read Men in England? - the other was Macaulay). 1p, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. The recipient is not named. Reads: ?It is now nearly three weeks since I heard from you. What is the cause. / I send you the Morning Post with a long review of my book. / All goes well with me. / Ever yours / A Hayward?.

See her entries in Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. On patterned grey paper, with the first page with a thin white border. In good condition, lightly aged, with minor evidence of mount on blank reverse of second leaf. Folded for postage. Signed ?Adelina Patti Cederstr?m?.

See his entry, and those of his brother and Kenney, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Twenty-two lines of text, addressed to ?C. L. Kenney Esq? and signed ?Aug: Mayhew?. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin strip of glue from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Begins: ?Dear Charlie/ Of course, we have to act under legal guidance.

See his entry, with those of his brother and of Manby, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 16mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with strip of tape from mount adhering to the blank second leaf. Good signature with attractive flourish: ?Chas Landseer?. Begins: ?My dear Manby / I don?t know what Knight means by saying C. L is rich, but I do know that if I had a ticket for the private view left, I would have given it to Mrs. Manby with the greatest pleasure.? He is sure there is ?something wrong in the political economy of the R.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. In addition to being the de facto editor of Edmund Yates?s ?World?, the recipient (?Broadley Pasha?) was a renowned autograph collector and shady social figure. Scott?s handwriting is not entirely legible. ONE: ?Wednesday?, dated by Broadly ?March 1887.? 1p, 12mo. In good condition, with glue from mount adhering to the blank reverse. Folded once. Signed ?Clement Scott?. On the question of ?the letter from the impertinent idiot Mr James Runciman? he comments: ?He thinks that calling a man ?Tommy Rot? is a complaint! I conclude that he must be a madman?.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. Signed ‘W Dilke’. Embossed armorial letterhead of a falcon. The recipient is not named. In good condition, lightly aged, neatly inserted in trimmed windowpane mount. Twice folded for postage. Thirteen lines of text in his distinctive close backwards-leaning hand. The hand is not entirely straightforward, and what follows is a tentative reading.

According to Russell’s entry in the Oxford DNB, while reporting on the Civil War, he was described by one American newspaper as ‘the most famous newspaper correspondent the world has ever seen'. The inscription on his memorial in St Paul’s Cathedral calls him ‘'the first and greatest of War Correspondents'. He coined the phrase ‘thin red line’, was instrumental in the sending of Florence Nightingale to the Crimea, and is said to have written the report that inspired Tennyson to write ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’.

An interesting letter from one great of the nineteenth-century stage to another. See the entries on Macready, Webster and Forster in the Oxford DNB. Curtis is a noted Federalist historian. 4pp, 16mo. Bifolium with mourning border. (His eldest daughter Nina had died at the age of twenty on 24 February 1850.) In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of tape from mount adhering to the second leaf. Two postage folds. Forty lines of text, addressed to ‘Benj. Webster Esq.’ and signed ‘W. C.

The phrase ‘Box and Cox’ has entered the English language. See the OED, and the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, landscape 12mo. Neatly inserted in a trimmed windowpane mount. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Signed ‘John M Morton’. Begins: ‘Dear Webster. / As Mr Anson informs me that you are “on the forward course to regenerated health” I hope I need not apologise for writing again.

See his entry and Manby’s in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. On bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged, folded, with thin strip of tape from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf. Addressed to ‘My dear Manby’ and signed ‘Alfred Paget’. He begins by saying that there seems to be nothing ‘here about’ to prevent him from going with Manby ‘to Barnaby [presumably Nathaniel Barnaby, Assistant-Constructor of H.M.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Wilfred Scawen Blunt’s assessment was brutal: ‘It is strange his poetry should be such poor stuff, and stranger still that he should imagine it immortal.’ And it is ironic that Austin may not have even written the lines for which he is now principally remembered, on the illness of the Prince of Wales: ‘Flashed from his bed the electric message came | He is not better, he is much the same’. 1p, 12mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium of good watermarked wove paper.