VICTORIAN

An evocative collection of photographs, in which, unusually, a Victorian servant has been allowed to make a record of his masters, their country house, and household. The 53 photographs are laid down on 17 leaves of a contemporary stitched 4to album. In fair condition, lightly-aged, and with the brown marbled wraps of the album detached and separated from one another. Three of the photographs are lacking from the album.

49 photographic prints, laid down on 48pp. of a small (16.5 x 13 cm) contemporary 4to album, quarter-bound with brown leather spine and brown cloth boards, with yellow endpapers. No captions: the only manuscript in the volume being the ownership inscription of 'Sybil M. Hubert | 1883' on the front free endpaper. A fragile survival: aged and discoloured, with occasional staining from damp, which also caused some of the photographs to stick to one another, with slight damage occurring on their being detached; binding also in poor condition, with boards detached and leaves loose.

On 20 x 24 cm piece of thick laid paper. A spirited and highly-finished cartoon, apparently unpublished. The two photographers have emerged from neighbouring doorways to solicit a portly Englishman, attired like John Bull, who holds his hands up in a gesture of exasperation or refusal. He is accompanied by a young boy, hands in pockets. The photographer on the left is dressed in the French or Italian style, back to the viewer, waving his cartes de visite around.

An albumen print, mounted on a piece of plain white card. Dimensions of print: 94 x 57 mm. Dimensions of card: 104 x 64 mm. Aged and faded. The card is entirely blank, apart from the date '1853' written at the head of the reverse. Clearly an early portrait of black people: if the date on the reverse is correct it pre-dates by a year the patenting of the carte to visite by Disdéri. The couple are seated side by side, gazing slightly to the right of the camera.

2pp., 4to. In good condition, on aged paper, with traces of mount at head. The Earl and his brother loathed one another. FitzHardinge was a notorious philanderer, and Berkeley - whose violent behaviour included assaulting the bookseller Fraser and duelling with Maginn - held his position as a Member of Parliament to spite him. The letter begins: 'Sir. | You have published a letter from Mr.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The letter is addressed to 'T. Hellier Denselow Esq.', but the accompanying envelope (with stamp and postmark) is addressed by him to 'D. [sic] Hellier Denselow Esqre | 137 Hurlingham Road | London S.W.' Owen thanks Denselow 'for all the nice things in your letter', adding that he is 'glad you like the sketches. I do myself occasionally - not often.' Denselow would himself appear to have been a commercial artist, with a studio in Gunnersbury Lane in west London.

2pp., 8vo. Neatly written out on two leaves of laid paper with watermark of Caxton Superfine Vellum. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The poem consists of twenty-eight lines arranged in seven four-line stanzas, the first reading: 'On lake and fell the loud rains beat, | And August closes rough and rude.

6pp., 12mo. In very good condition, adhering to leaves removed from an album. Helps begins: 'My dear Martin, | This is one of the things you excel in - the giving, in a comparatively short memoir, the real aim and end of a life: so that after reading your "In memoriam", one does not care to hear any more details.' Helps 'really cannot find any fault' in Martin's piece. 'H[er]. M[ajesty] [i.e. Queen Victoria] must, I think, be exceedingly pleased with the book - I mean your work.

Both items in excellent condition, on lightly-aged paper. Letter One (22 December 1902): Addressed to 'Dear Sir'. He has asked Van Wisselingh 'to send the bronzes as I have none here', and he is waiting for a reply: 'if the bronzes have not arrived please wire and you shall have them before Xmas.' Letter Two (25 December 1902): He hopes that his mistake in addressing her as 'Sir' has 'amused and not annoyed you'. He has just had a reply from Van Wisselingh: 'as the notice was so short I could not get new bronzes cast by Xmas; so I sent your letter at once to Mr. V.

On square of paper. In good condition, lightly-aged and with traces of glue from mount adhering to reverse. The letter reads: 'My dear Lady Dorothy | I send you - at last! - the only Souvenirs from Dublin of Parnell's funeral. I received them this morning. One represents the scene in the City Hall under the shadow of O'Connell's statue - the other the grave in Glasnevin. | With kindest regards | Very truly Yours | Justin Mc.Carthy'. The souvenirs referred to in the letter are not present.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with small scrap from white label adhering to a margin. He explains that the reason that a letter has not been forwarded to him is that he has not, 'for years, had to do with the management of "the Illustrated London News"', although he does contribute to it. Nevertheless he will try to get the recipient 'a proof of the Port[rai]t. - with great pleasure'. He adds, in a postscript at the head of the page: 'I think the Memoir was cut out from the Times'.

15pp., 12mo, with six plates on art paper. In grey printed wraps with title on front cover. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. The plates include engravings by H. C. Pigeon of illustrations by S. Holden and a plan by T. B. Ryder.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium, on grey paper embossed with crest. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight damage to second leaf and with part of the paper to which it was attached still adhering to the blank reverse. He begins by declaring that he is 'much vexed' over a mix-up about a parcel of books 'I wrote expressly to London to desire that they might be sent here. As there is no help for it now I must beg you to believe it was not through carelessness of mine'. He asks her to send them on to Dartington, and to let him know the cost, which he will remit in postage stamps.

The report is 3pp., 4to, on a bifolium. Signed on behalf of the firm: 'Hoping that this information of our proceedings will be satisfactory to you | We remain | Gentlemen | Your Obedt Servants | Bathe & Kindon'. The letter begins: 'Gentlemen - | A Meeting of the London Floor Cloth Manufacturers, was held yesterday - & the result was, a rise of 2d. pr Sq: Yard, on their respective prices - this was carried, after considerable discussion, whether the rise should be 2d or 3d - but the majority decided for the 2d - at present'.

A native of Scotland, Burton set up a china business in Falmouth in 1862, but soon turned to the sale of unusual items from around the world, purchased from sailors, his shop acquiring an international reputation and royal patronage. Printed on one side of a piece of pink paper, 38 x 25.5cm. A frail survival, on aged and worn high-acidity paper, with loss and chipping to the margins, and a few closed tears, but with the text complete.

2pp., 16mo. Twenty-two lines of text, written in small, neat style. From the papers of the subject of the letter, Stephen John Aldrich. In an era when the making of such an appeal as Aldrich's father's was commonplace, this is a remarkably well-written response: a model of tact and consideration. It reads: 'My dear Sir, | I most sincerely wish that I could be of any use to you in finding some opening for your son, but I fear that it is out of my power to help you.

Letter: 1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. Neatly laid down on a page detached from an album, with border. In response to a note from the recipient, he explains that the 'hurry of professional business' has prevented him from making the following statement: 'I beg to assure you that on Monday Jany: 25th.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and worn paper. Wood writes: 'Dear Mr. Williams | Will you kindly borrow from Mr. Pheasant tonight the 3rd Trumpet part of Rimsky-Korsakoff Ballet Music "Mlada" as there is a Tromba Alta part which according to the Score & as far as I can judge you can play, please take it home and let me know the result of your studies | Faithfully | Henry J. Wood'. In pencil at the foot of the second page, presumably by Williams, are a couple of bars of musical notation.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with minor traces of grey paper mount adhering. Edwards writes that he has 'thought further over the Subject upon which you called the other day and have referred back to similar requests. The latter have been very numerous to write upon various subjects and have been uniformly declined'. Having made 'enquiries' with 'those who know', he is 'confirmed in the opinion that the Queen would prefer that the article you suggest upon H.M.'s godchildren should not be written'.

2pp., 4to. In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. He writes that he is sorry that he could not sing the song 'Nancy's Hair' at Preston. He had not brought it: '(I only got your letter on arrival at the concert hall.) Funnily enough I picked it up before leaving home to put in my case as a possible encore & then put it back.' He is 'delighted to know that your mother liked my singing of it, I most certainly enjoy singing it & I hope to be able to help it along'.

2pp., foolscap 8vo. Bifolium on blue paper. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with slight fraying and loss to extremities. Addressed on reverse of second leaf to 'Mr. Superintendent B. T. Oswald | Police Office | Burton on Trent'.

The Times, 4 August 1865, carried a report of the inauguration on the previous day at Tenby of the 'Welsh Memorial to the Late Prince Consort', in the presence of Prince Albert's son Arthur, Duke of Connaught. The present item carries, without comment, the main speech at a banquet on the occasion, in the Assembly Room of the Gate House Hotel, by the man considered by the young John Stuart Mill as the best orator he had ever heard. 3pp., 4to. Paginated [1]-3. Bifolium. On laid paper with Joynson watermark dated 1863. In fair condition, on aged paper, creased and discoloured at the foot.

2pp., 8vo. Printed on the two sides of a leaf of green paper. In fair condition, aged, and with slight fraying and discoloration to extremities. At the head of one side of the leaf is a list of the Society's officers, in three columns of small type, beneath which is an eleven-line statement of the Mission's aims, beginning 'Our Mission work for fourteen years has been - Visiting the Sick - Feeding the Hungry - Clothing the Ragged - Comforting the Widow and Fatherless'.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium with mourning border. She has received Hollingworth's note and is sending him 'a circular about the book I am editing of my late husbands "Letters Archaeological & Historical". She explains that there are two "Letters" about the "Christian Family" and I well remember the interesting correspondence on the subject.'

16pp., 12mo. Stitched. In fair condition, aged, worn and a little dusty. Elegantly printed. A descriptive list, preceded by a two-page introduction beginning: 'The Catalogue here submitted to the Public, of Record Works published under the authority of the Record Commissioners and of the Secretary of State, has been in some measure compiled from a Work printed for private circulation under the title "Notes of Materials for the History of Public Departments," by Mr.

There is an obituary of Moorsom (who was not, as sometimes stated, an admiral) in The 'Moorsom System' of calculating tonnage became law in 1854, and remained in effect until 1982. Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Volume 8 (1867). Letter: 4pp., 12mo. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. He explains that he has been 'a member of, as well as Secretary to the late Tonnage Commission', and that he is 'aware, from your correspondence with Mr.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper, attached by a stub to a piece of brown paper cut from an album. A fine, firm signature, employing an alternative spelling of the surname (the Oxford DNB notes that it was in 1835 that Maclise abandoned 'other forms' of it). Trimmed down from a letter, and addressed by Maclise on the reverse to 'Henry Howard Esqr. | R.A. | Secy.' The note simply gives the title, with Maclise's signature and address, as follows, of the painting he entered in the Royal Academy exhibtion of 1835.

The eleven parts are uniform, headed from 'SERIES A. Series No. 1' to 'SERIES A. Paper No. 11'. Totalling 57 pp., folio, with the eleven parts separately paginated: 18 + 18 + 3 + 3 + 4 + [1] + [1] + [1] + [1] + 6 + [1]. The first part is followed by three lithographed plates (the second a foldout) by Dangerfield of Covent Garden, from designs by 'F. A. Abel' and each dated and with his facsimile signature.

The two items are uniform in layout, on folio bifoliums, with the text covering the whole of the recto of the first leaf, and the details printed lengthwise on the reverse of the second. Both in good condition, and folded into the customary packets. An early example of nimbyism, rather rich coming from a banker. The petition begins: 'In the House of Lords.

1p., 4to. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with vertical closed tear at head neatly repaired with archival tape. Ornate letterhead, including an engraving of a sportsman looking through a telescope, while standing beside a dead stag, with a gamekeeper beside him, both men in kilts. The letter is signed 'Robert Hall & Co.', with the rest of the text in another hand.