 Author Name: Heath, William, Doyle,John, Seymour
Title: Sketches By H.B., McLean's Monthly Sheet of Caricatures, Glasgow Looking Glass, Northern Looking Glass
Publisher: London Thomas Mclean 1829
Illustrator: Heath, Seymour, Doyle
Seller ID: 504
1829-1848. This is a large collection of original pages of the following publications, Northern Looking Glass, McLean’s Monthly Sheet of Caricatures, Sketches by H.B. Large Folio, later half-morocco album, edges worn, spine ends and hinges at spine very worn with boards exposed, morocco rubbed and chalky in parts but still very solid and tight, unusual for a book of this size. Mid-nineteenth century. Spine label with ’Caricatures Vol.12’ gilt-stamped, marbled endpapers. This is a fascinating work, a kind of professionally bound scrap book, of early lithographic pages the vast majority published by Thomas McLean between 1829 and 1848. John Doyle is represented very well by half the album with 93 of his Sketches under the Pseudonym H.B. From 1829 to 1851 Doyle produced what would become one of the most important series of political cartoons of the nineteenth century. The sketches here, spanning 19 years, are mounted at the corners onto heavy paper leaves. Most are blind stamped "subscribers copy". Unlike drawings by Gillray and the very bitter Rowlandson, Doyle’s gentle portrayal and handling of current events would help to further the public’s positive interest in the political events of the day. Some pages with spotting, some trimmed, quite a few with light foxing and browning but the majority in excellent shape and clean. Paper label on front board with former owner name of "William Henry Brooke, 1772-1860". I can only guess that this either means that this collection was assembled by Brooke or that he owned it at one time. Brooke's works hang in the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, National Portrait Gallery and the Tate Gallery. An interesting association copy. Pages numbered by hand. As well, 8 double sided sheets from The Looking Glass, successor to the Glasgow Looking Glass and the Northern Looking Glass published 5 years earlier, are bound in at the spine. Significant and very rare, they were published and illustrated in 1830 by William Heath up to issue 7. included are 2 pages from issue 2(full issue?), 3, 4 (doubles), 5 are found here and perhaps of even more rarity are issues 10 and 11 drawn by the emotionally unstable Robert Seymour. Seymour, a popular and prolific illustrator, would suffer a nervous breakdown this same year and take his own life five years later. John Doyle also contributed sporadically to the Looking Glass which would become Mclean’s Monthly Sheet of Caricatures by late 1830. 18 double sides pages of McLean's Monthly are present bound in from time to time between sketches and other plates. Also mounted are 16 high quality sketches by an unknown H.H., published in Denmark for London distribution, apparently someone trying to cash in on the success of H.B. Overall a fascinating look at English political and art history as well as early British lithography and what Twyman refers to as a prototype of the comic strip. Indeed, the works contained herein hint at the beginnings of sequential story telling. Word balloons are present on many of the plates and the spacing and positioning of the frames is reminiscent of modern day comic book layouts. One wonders how much influence these had on Rodolphe Topffer, who in the same period would develop what is widely believed to be the first sequential comic books. An unusual collection of scarce gems. please e-mail for more scans.
Glasgow Looking Glass, Northern Looking Glass, Lithography
Price =
1499.42 USD |
