PERSONALIA

NEW  STOCK  OF MANUSCRIPTS, MINIATURES, PHOTOGRAPHS, MEDALS, AND MOURNING JEWELLERY

AUTOGRAPH  LETTERS

& MANUSCRIPTS
 

BEAN, William (1787-1866) geologist and conchologist. Autograph letter signed to Edward Charlesworth Esq, 3 North Buildings, Finsbury Circus, London, 2 sides 4to, Scarborough; 3 April 1836, with integral blank bearing the address and a circular Scarborough postmarks in black and in red. Paper creased with some repairs. Regretting that he has “made no more discoveries at the Crag Bed at Bridlington, it seems to be guarded with "miser care" and I anxiously wait for some high Tides or other fortunate occurrence that may make me acquainted with more than the surface which is all that I have up to the present time examined”…. That he has “appointed Mary Bye Agent for your Geological Periodical [The Magazine of Natural History]” which he has ordered a copy of and believes “several will be taken at Scarbro'.” With much of the year engaged in municipal and “my own private concerns” he explains that “all Scientific Pursuits have been almost neglected but I hope in a little time to contribute something to your projected work ....... Any Crag Fossils you can spare will be acceptable and I shall always have great pleasure in sending you Fossils from this neighbourhood you do not possess”. Finally he asks that upon obtaining a postal frank for letters, Charlesworth sends them on the same date of the frank “for want of this precaution the Postage of your last was considerable”.

£150

William Bean was a pioneer in the study of Yorkshire geology and amassed an extensive collection of fossils, particularly from localities around Scarborough. He also took an active part in politics in Scarborough. He sold his collection of over 15,000 specimens in 1859, the majority of which were purchased by the British Museum and the Yorkshire Philosophical Society.

His correspondent was the geologist Edward Charlesworth (1813-1893). The eldest son of the Rev John Charlesworth, he took an early interest in the Crag fossils of East Anglia, and despite studying medicine, he returned to his passion for palaeontology, and took up his first museum appointment in 1836 in the British Museum. Charlesworth’s name came to the attention of the scientific world in the period 1835-1838 following his well publicised debate with Charles Lyell on the age and nature of the Crag formations. During this time he took over the Magazine of Natural History, a journal that Bean was a contributor to, and one that Charlesworth became able to publish in with considerable freedom.

 THE STANHOPE/SUNDERLAND MINISTRY 1717

DOCTOR'S BILL TO RAILWAY ENGINEER JOHN URPETH RASTRICK

INGLEBY, J.S. Dr. Autograph letter signed to J.U.Rastrick, 454 Charing Cross East, London, Jan 9 1839, 4to, 2 leaves, one bearing a letter and a second with two columns of accounts, with the address panel on the reverse, Birmingham postmarks and broken seal (which has torn a small blank area), docketed, 86 New Street, Birmingham, sending his account for medical consultation for Rastrick and members of his household for the period 1837-1838, with a list of numerous journeys and expenses incurred.

£35

John Urpeth Rastrick (1780-1856) was a pioneer in the development of locomotive engines and the railways, and was a noted civil engineer. In his early years he worked with Richard Trevithick and George Stephenson, and later was engineer for a number of railway lines, notably the London & Brighton line (on which he was working at the time this letter was received). Little is known about his family, so it is of some significance to find mentioned in the bill an item relating to Miss Mary R., presumably his daughter.

MARTIN, John (1789–1854), artist. Autograph letter in the third person to 'Harral', The Editor of La Belle Assemblée, 1 side 4to with the address panel on the reverse bearing 4 postmarks and seal, 30 Allsop Terrace [London], May 22nd 1823, regretting that he did not receive the editor's card of admission to the Exhibition of the "Fall of Nineveh". Paper loss where the seal was attached (affecting about 4 words) and with an adhering strip of paper from an album.

£200

La Belle Assemblée was a court and fashion magazine published under this name from 1806 until 1832. Under the editorship of Thomas Harrol the magazine published original poetry and fiction, articles on politics and science, book and theatre reviews, serialized novels, and in its later years produced fine fashion plates for which it is best remembered.

The subject of this letter to Harral is interesting, for Martin was to paint his own interpretation of the Fall of Nineveh, a tour-de-force which he began in 1827 and completed and exhibited the following year, with a price tag of 2,000 guineas.

PHILIP MILLER AND PETER COLLINSON

MILLER, Philip (1691–1771), horticulturist and writer. Incomplete autograph letter signed to Peter Collinson, at the Red Lyon in Grace Church Street, London, with at the foot, Collinson's autograph forwarding notes to another un-named correspondent, 1 side 4to, Chelsea Nov 7th 1746. Regarding coniferous trees and shrubs, Miller writes "….. Mr Rand that the Cones were sent to the Bishop from America [had] the different smell of the Virginia Cedars ........... which has much Stronger scent than either of these, the ----- of which is commonly sold for the tree Savin [Juniper], a large tree of this is growing at Cashioberry [Cassioberry, Hertfordshire]. The Sumack with winged leaves is an inhabitant of our gardens........ It was formerly growing at Fulham and was [in] Pluckenets collections. Mr Catesby also sends seeds of this sort over [in] 1724, when we raised several plants from it at Chelsea, which were [also] killed the same year 1728/9."

Collinson comments that "The reason P.M. takes notice of the Pines of Mr Lethieu[llier] is in the first place that he used to call them Cluster pines. In the next is - that I produced from this tree Cones of 3 different yea[r’s] growth on the same branch unshed – in opposition his notion of all being shed the first year.....Wee have raised some winged leaved Sumack from thy last seeds pray send more for it is all lost before in our garden..... Thou will find P.Millar has not understood thy Letter wch may deserve thy cordial notice – for Phil is a very worthy Man but is apt to be a little too Posit[ive]."

Right hand margin frayed (with some text loss) and repaired, plus some transparent repair tape to blank reverse. Extremely rare, combining in one item observations by England's two foremost horticulturalists/botanists of the mid 18th century.

£400

Philip Miller was the most distinguished and influential British gardener of the eighteenth century, under whose charge (from 1722 to 1770) the Chelsea Physic Garden of the Society of Apothecaries of London came to excel above all others in Europe. His work necessitated the continuous introduction of new plants, achieved by a wide correspondence at home and abroad. 'Mr Rand', mentioned in the letter, was the botanist Isaac Rand (1674-1743) and former director of the Chelsea Garden. 'Pluckenets' collection refers to the extensive collection of the botanist Leonard Plukenet (bap. 1642, d. 1706), which he published in four huge volumes between 1691 and 1705. 'Mr Catesby' is the naturalist Mark Catesby (1683-1749) who undertook pioneering natural history work in America (supported by Peter Collinson), sending back large quantities of biological material to his English subscribers.(ODNB)

Miller's correspondent was the botanist Peter Collinson (1694–1768), whose greatest contributions to horticulture developed through his friendship with John Bartram, the father of American botany, with whom he established a scheme whereby Bartram supplied seeds and seedlings to British patrons in return for an annual subscription. He developed close friendships with other horticulturalists and naturalists, including Philip Miller, Mark Catesby and Smart Lethieullier (1701-1760).

NASMYTH, James Hall (1808–1890), mechanical engineer. Autograph letter signed to Cundell, 8vo, 1 side plus integral blank, Penhurst, Kent, Oct 31st 1882, expressing his grief that he is "not to be able to be present and pay my last sad tribute to the remains of the Dear departed "most worthy Master"! It must be some consolation to all whom he was so Dear that he departed without Pain after his long and happy and admirable life. We shall never meet with his like again".

£80

Nasmyth's letter refers to the death of George Cundell (1798-1882), a scientist, pioneering photographer and politician, and is possibly addressed to one of Cundell's surviving brothers. Nasmyth refers fondly to Cundell in his 'autobiography' compiled by Samuel Smiles in 1883: 'Among my most intelligent private friends in London were George Cundell and his two brothers. They resided near my lodgings, and I often visited them on Saturday evenings. They were most kind, gentle, and genial ....... George was agent for Mr. Patrick Maxwell Stuart in connection with his West India estates ........ My special friend George was known amongst us as "the worthy master." He was thoroughly versed in general science, and was moreover a keen politician. He had the most happy faculty of treating complex subjects, both in science and politics, in a thoroughly common-sense manner ........ With companions such as these, gi ith a variety of tastes, I spent many of my Saturday evenings most pleasantly and profitably. They were generally concluded with a glass of beer of "the worthy master's" own brewing.'
 

PALMERSTON, Henry John Temple, third Viscount (1784–1865), prime minister. Autograph letter signed 'Palmerston' to J. Kinnaird, 8vo, 2 sides, 20th February 1856, in support of the election of John Patrick Somers for the seat of Sligo, Ireland, "Mr Somers stands again for the Town of Sligo upon the vacancy occasioned by the death of Mr Sadlier, and I wish it to be made known to any who might be disposed to be influenced by a knowledge of my intentions that my good wishes are in Mr Somers's favour".

£50

In the election which took place on 7th March, 1856, the Liberal candidate John Patrick Somers lost the seat to Conservative Rt Hon John Arthur Wynne (1801-1865). The seat was again contested in 1857 when Somers was declared elected, but on petition the seat was given to Wynne, who had a majority of 31. The Select Committee appointed to investigate the election proved that officials had taken votes from Wynne and placed them with Somers.

John Sadleir (1813-1856) the politician and financier whose death occasioned the election, was one of the leading figures in the Independent Irish Party which held the balance of power in the House of Commons in 1852. He resigned his ministerial position in 1854 when he was found guilty of being implicated in a plot to imprison a depositor of the Tipperary Bank who had refused to vote for him. Financial ruin followed through disastrous speculations and he committed suicide on 17 February 1856.

Lord Palmerston was son of the Irish peer, Viscount Palmerston. He began his parliamentary career as a Tory and concluded it as a Liberal, and at the time this letter was written was serving his first period as Prime Minister (from 1855-1858).

A FINE 18th CENTURY LETTER ON NATURAL HISTORY

PULTENEY, Richard (1730-1801), botanist and physician. Autograph letter signed RP to Dr. Cuming at Dorchester, Saturday night, October 12 [1782], 3 sides folio plus integral address panel with postal stamp ‘BLAND FORD’ and seal, thanking him for his letter, and sending him a miscellany of news especially on natural history matters:

‘…..I went to Town in Consequence of a note sent to me by Mr. Sellers requesting a Specimen of the Ostrea Pleuronectes.  I am sorry to say I have no under Valve to spare there are 5 to 1 of the upper to be met with in all Collections whence I conclude the fish is seldom taken alive.’  

'I saw the Account of Mr. Fosters Death in the paper the Day after I got to Town.  He died without a will so all his Collection goes to a Brother who cares not a straw for any such matters.  I found poor Da Costa lamenting his Death.  His Book I fear is not forward I suspect we shall not see it soon if ever, yet I saw perhaps 10 or 12 of the Plates all good, chiefly figured fossils.’

‘I delivered your message to Dr. Hunter ………. the Dr. in the most obliging manner showed me all the Drawers (upwards of 100) of the shells from Fothergills Museum.  I cannot describe anything they are sumptuous & as he is told by connoisseurs inferior only to the Portland Collection . They are arranged according to Linnaeus by Dr G. Fordyce & Humphreys’.

‘Dr. H. also shewd me the Copy of his great work on Coins 63 plates all the Letter press except the preface printed a magnificent quarto indeed.  I congratulate you on the pleasure you will one day receive in possessing it.  I also saw many of the Insects they have all been lately arranged by Fabricius ……… according to his own System different from Linnaeus‘s’.

‘I asked the price of the Venus Dione at Martin’s Shop a worse than that you have valued at 3/6. a good one valued at 10/6. & difficult to be got.  Da Costa says the Voluta athiopica  in good preservation cannot be had for less than 1.11.6.’

‘Sr. Jos. Banks in Lincolnshire I spent nevertheless one morning at his Room with Dr. Dryander his Librarian who is to assist in carrying on the great work I looked over about 200 of the Plates 680 already finished 900 in all intended’.

‘Editors of the Med. Reg. have sent me a Letter to ask for Corrections to the new Edition for Dorsetshire can you correct your part of the County?  Have they sent to you also?’. 

With other passing references to leading naturalists and physicians, including Sir John Pringle, William Curtis, Sir George Baker, Sir William Watson, and Maxwell Garthshore, plus a note that he has no news of Captain Cook’s medal [issued in 1784].

£1,200

 A successful physician, Richard Pulteney M.D, FRS, was also a noted historian of British Botany and an ardent promoter of Linnaeus’s work and methods. Pulteney published his most significant work A general view of the writings of Linnæus the year before this letter was written. As this letter typically suggests, Pulteney maintained a wide range of contacts in the scientific and medical world, with whom he shared an abundance of information. His correspondent and friend Dr William Cuming (1714-1788) was a physician and a noted antiquarian and topographer, with whom Pulteney corresponded regularly.

Pultney’s report of the death of Ingham Foster (1725-1782) comes 9 days after Foster’s death on October 3^rd. Foster was a London merchant, an avid collector, and a close friend of the naturalist Emanuel Mendes da Costa (1717–1791). His extensive collections which included fossils and shells were auctioned in 1783 and 1784. Pultney’s reference to Da Costa’s preparation of an illustrated book is apparently for a work that never reached the press (his last major work Historia Naturalis Testaceorum Britanniae was published in 1778).

 The ‘shells from Fothergills Museum’ were those of Dr John Fothergill (1712-1780) a Quaker physician, whose shell collection was held at the time to be second only to that of the Duchess of Portland. The collection included material collected on Cook’s first voyage. Following Fothergill's death, his collection of shells and corals was purchased in 1781 by Dr William Hunter for £1100.

Dr William Hunter formed a fabulous collection of coins which he bequeathed to the University of Glasgow. One of his biggest coin purchases took place in 1782 (the year Pultney writes) when he purchased for £2,400 the Hess collection, whose highlights were the Roman Imperial gold coins.

The reference to Dr Dryander and the preparation of plates refers to the Swedish botanist Jonas Carlsson Dryander (1748 –1810) who was from 1782 Banks’ librarian (following the death of Daniel Solander). The plates referred to are probably those engraved from the drawings of  Sydney Parkinson (1745?- 1771) who accompanied Banks on board HMS Endeavour as his botanical draughtsman. The intention was to publish these upon returning to England, but Parkinson died on the voyage home in 1771. Banks with assistance from his librarians had over 700 plates drawn up but they were never published until recently.

LOWESTOFT EXCISE OFFICER / CONSTABLE / SURVEYOR 1789-1805

WEBB, George of Lowestoft. Manuscript notebook of George Webb, variously describing himself as Officer of Excise, Constable and Surveyor of the Highways for the Parish of Lowestoft, with 174 pages of close-written manuscript (5 leaves with no MS entries) bearing dates ranging from 1785 to 1805. The contents cover notes and tables relevant to Webb's duties under subjects including window taxes; turnpike trustees; repair of roads; accessories; shop tax; male and female servants; carriages; search warrants; seized goods; proclamations; selling beer without a licence; bread assizes; auction duties; justice's clerks fees; pawning; duties on spirits; militia; surveyor of highways matters; hawkers & pedlars; stamps on receipts, and more. He includes many sample forms of legal documents, judgements etc mostly actual cases including the names of the individuals involved. A highly interesting working notebook relevant to Lowestoft and the wider county of Suffolk, citing a very large number of names of local people. Bound in contemporary full leather (neatly rebacked), with one of two brass clasps still preserved. PHOTO

£600

George Webb identifies himself as an Officer of Excise in several of the earlier entries bearing a date of 1785. In entries dated 1789 he is identified as a constable and a Surveyor of the Highways, evidently performing two or more parish officer roles. Constables were elected by the parish and had a wide range of duties including the levying of taxes. The Surveyor of Highways was an unpaid officer chosen by Justices from a list of landowners in the parish, who was obliged to survey the highways three times a year and organise road repairs. It is very interesting to find Webb occupying appointments as Excise officer, constable and Surveyor of Highways, apparently concurrently.

This may be the George Webb found in the IGI, born in Lowestoft in 1727, who died 27th May 1812. He married Hannah Taylor, and had at least two children, Lewis (born about 1752, died 1 April 1790) and Charles (born 12 January 1771, died 1 October 1771).

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PORTRAIT MINIATURES

INCLUDING  SILHOUETTES

 

BENT, Rev. George. Portrait miniature on ivory (?) of a gentleman c.1800 mounted in a gold frame (60 x 70mm) on the reverse of which is a hair piece in a smaller oval window in an ivory cut-out, with a handwritten paper label on the glass reading "The Revd George Bent died 16 Jany. 1814, aged 72". £400 George Bent (1741-1814) matriculated at Balliol College Oxford (1758), and took his MA at Peterhouse Cambridge (1768). He was rector of Jacobstow from 1776, and minister of Sandford in Devon from 1789, until his death in 1814. He married firstly Mary daughter of John Milton of Bristol in 1773, by whom he had (at least) two sons and two daughters, and secondly Hannah widow of Thomas Marsh in 1785. He is probably the George Bent recorded in the IGI christened 2 July 1741 at St Kerrian, Exeter, son of George Bent M.D.(c1708-1782).
CRAVEN, William. 19th century cut silhouette on card of a gentleman (90 x 125 mm), inscribed in ink on the reverse "William Craven Esqr. --- I have no doubt of this being an intended likeness of my Father. It is his figure & the features are the same as his, as well as the picture. But it wants the life & animation, which were habitual to him. C.Craven Spexhall Rectory Oct 29th 1875." Card discoloured. Mounted under black card (6 x 7.5 ins) with a card window on the reverse revealing the inscription. £75 William Craven (d. 1832) of Weaste House, Manchester, the son of Joseph and Mary Craven, was a Captain in the 22nd Regiment of Foot. William's son Charles who appended the notes on the reverse was born in Manchester in 1797 one of at least 9 children of William and Mary Craven. He was installed as Rector of  Spexhall, Suffolk in 1847 which he occupied until his death in 1877.
FITZ GERALD, Terence. Portrait miniature on ivory of a man in a blue Hussar's uniform inset in a gold oval frame (48 x 60mm) with blue glass surround. On the reverse a plaited hair piece under glass with the decorative intertwined monogram TFG. On the frame edge are engraved the sitter's details TERENCE FITZ GERALD. BORN 1773. DIED 1826.  The paint on right hand side of the sitter's head and face is badly thnned, and there is a vertical hairline crack just left of the top edge. £450 Terence FitzGerald obtained a lieutenancy on 26 Sept 1799 in the 83rd  Regiment of Foot (raised in Dublin in 1793), at which time the regiment were stationed in the West Indies. Presumably he transferred from the 83rd to a regiment of Hussars when this portrait was painted. He may or may not be the same Terence FitzGerald who filed a law suit in 1822 in the important partnership case of Fitzgerald v Boehm (relating to the wealthy merchant Edmund Boehm).
FORREST, Thomas. Cut silhouette on card of a gentleman (51 x 61 mm), inscribed in ink on the reverse “Thomas Forrest  Leighton Buzzard” with the inserted date 1841 in pencil, and the silhouettest’s inscription “ Mr E.WHITTLE ARTIST”. In a contemporary oval wood frame (90 x 100mm), which has a repaired split at the base.  £120 Thomas Forrest was born in York c 1786 and died in Leighton Buzzard in 1854. He is found in the 1851 census at Lawford’s Wharf, Linslade (nr Leighton Buzzard), Buckinghamshire, working as an accountant, and living with his wife Matilda and daughter Emily. His work was connected with the activities of the Grand Junction Canal, an important waterway completed through Linslade in 1805, which significantly boosted trade and employment in the area in the 19th century.
GRAHAM, Dora Ennis. Cut silhouette of a young woman, highlighted in gold, on card (91 x 123mm), with a pencil inscription under the truncation reading 'Dora Ennis Graham' and on the reverse in pencil 'Accidentally drowned with husband & only child March 1845', inside an old decorative frame (125 x 160mm) with a few pieces of the relief moulding missing. The card has an unsightly water stain, which could be professionally removed. £80 Dora Ennis Graham was born Dora Ennis Bellairs, and married Reginald Simpson Graham on 10th September 1838 in Bedworth, Warwickshire. Their daughter also named Dora Ennis was born in 1839 in Salford, Lancashire. The family are found in the 1841 census in Eccles, Lancashire, when Reginald's occupation is listed as a merchant. Perhaps through Reginald's occupation the family perished at sea - further research may uncover the story behind the tragic deaths of all three members of the family.
HOLBROW, Joan. A late Georgian period painted silhouette of an elderly lady on paper 150 x 200mm, with an extensive Latin dedication written in ink forming an octagonal surround. At the base a pencil inscription "Joan Holbrow of Tockington". The silhouette is mounted in a modern black frame. £100 Joan Holbrow was the wife of Daniel Holbrow of Tockington, Gloucestershire. Joan was a Quaker and a very close friend of the Quaker minister Mary Dudley (1750-1823) (see E. Dudley, ed., The life of Mary Dudley .1825).
PERCEVAL, Anne Caroline. Portrait miniature of a young lady wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress with a brooch, and her hair trimmed with flowers. In a gilt metal mounted rectangular papier-mâché frame (110 x 124 m), the oval cut-out measuring 50 x 60mm. On the reverse is a paper label with an inscription reading "Ann Caroline Perceval Mrs Houstoun of Clerkington. Painted 1847 by Jas: Holmes jr. London". One of a group of nine portraits of the grandchildren of Spencer Perceval sold at Bonhams, 18 November 2003. £500 Anne Caroline Perceval was born 1814 in of Spencerwood, Quebec, a daughter of Michael Henry Perceval (c.1779-1829), son of the Prime Minister Spencer Perceval (1762-1812), the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated while in office. Her father was Inspector of Customs at Quebec; a magistrate; and was also Staff Officer and Aide de Camp during the 1812 war. Anne married Alexander Houston (1806-1874) of Clerkington, East Lothian, Scotland in 1835, by whom she had four sons. James Holmes junior of London, was a miniature painter active 1836-1859, a son of the artist James Holmes (1777-1860).

 

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DAGUERREOTYPES, AMBROTYPES
& EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS

 

BEAUFORT, Sir Francis (1774-1857) and family. A small collection comprising: 1. A 19th century glass plate lantern slide 3.5 x 4.5 inches of Sir Francis Beaufort, which underneath the oval paper mount shows this to be a photographic copy of a daguerreotype. 2. Three 1/9th plate ambrotypes all with the same style brass mattes and preservers, featuring a gentleman (on the reverse the initials FLB); a lady (on the reverse the initials FLB); and a young man (on the reverse the initials AFB Oxford 1862). 3. A 1/6th plate ambrotype of a boy in a hanging half case with suspension loop. £350 The image of Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) naval officer and hydrographer comes from a daguerreotype taken at the Adelaide Gallery studios of Antoine Claudet (his visit to Claudet's studio is recorded in the letters of Maria Edgeworth). A reproduction of this same image is illustrated in Alfred Friendly's biography Beaufort of the Admiralty Hutchinson 1977, who gives a date of 1848 for the daguerreotype. The 3 1/9th plate ambrotypes can be identified as Beaufort's son Francis Lestock Beaufort (1815-1879), Bengal civil servant, Calcutta judge, and legal writer; his wife Mary (born c1817 Hookerswell, Oxford); and their son Augustus F Beaufort (born c1848 Bengal). In the 1861 census the family of Francis Lestock Beaufort are found staying in Hampstead. The 1/6th plate ambrotype of a boy is consistent with being either their son Charles E Beaufort (b.c1849) or Cecil W Beaufort (b.c1852).
BRET HARTE FAMILY BRET HARTE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS. The collection comprises: 1. A 1/6th plate tinted ambrotype of a young lady in a fine decorative full leather case, with a handwritten note 'Mrs Bret Hart at the age of 18. An American lady who married Bret Hart the Author'. 2. A 1/6th plate tinted ambrotype of a  lady holding a child, in a (worn) decorative full leather case, the mat stamped J.H.Young  1458th AV, with a handwritten note 'Mrs Bret (wife of the Author) with her son Frank Bret Hart'. 3. A quarter plate sized faded albumen print of a seated gentleman mounted in a full (heavily worn) plain leather case. 4. A red leather case opening to 4 x 7 inches, containing faded albumen prints of an elderly gentleman and lady. 5. A copy of the magazine Golden West, November 1969, 11 x 8 inches, containing a detailed biographical article on 9 pages entitled California's Famous Bret Harte, illustrated with 5 photographs. £450 Francis Bret Harte [formerly Francis Brett Hart] (1836–1902), author, poet and playwright, was born in 1836 in Albany, New York, the third child of Henry Philip Hart (1800–1845), and Elizabeth Ostrander Hart. He is identifiable from his likeness in the faded albumen print. He married on 11 August 1862, Anna Griswold, born in Florida 9th January 1835, the daughter of Daniel S. Griswold a New York lawyer, and Mary née Dunham. Anna bore Bret Harte four children, Griswold born 1863, who became a newspaper reporter; Francis King (Frank in the ambrotype with his mother) born 1865, who followed a career in the theatre; Jessamy born 1872, who became a writer and illustrator; and Ethel born 1875, who followed a career in music. Bret Harte enjoyed early successes in the United States as an author but there followed a plunge in his reputation, and rescue came through an appointment as consul in Crefeld, Germany in 1878. Leaving his wife, two sons, and two daughters in New Jersey, he never to return to the USA. He was transferred from Germany  to Glasgow in 1880 before settling in London in 1885, and died in Camberley, Surrey (ODNB). I have not come across any other photographs of Anna Bret Harte. Her physical appearance is cited in Axel Nissen's Bret Harte:Prince and Pauper, and corresponds closely with the ambrotype portraits. There are no clues to the identity of the man and woman in the double case which accompanied the other three photographs.
FARNOL & REYNOLDS family of Birmingham. A family group of 1/9th plate images mounted in attractive black painted wood miniature frames, all with details on the back of the sitters and their dates, comprising : 1.A daguerreotype of John Farnol with the photographer's trade card on the reverse Vampyre Photographic Rooms, 25 Unett Street, Birmingham. T.Winkles Operator. 2. An ambrotype of Catherine Farnol. 3. An ambrotype of Stephen Reynolds. 4. An ambrotype of Stephen Reynolds with his grandson Oliver Reynolds. 5. An ambrotype of James Stephen Reynolds with tinted background. The glass plate has 3 cracks to right hand side. The collection comes with extensive copies of IGI and census records. Click on photo for enlarged view. £275 The Farnol and Reynolds families of Birmingham were connected via the marriage in 1847 of Stephen James Reynolds (b.1825), the son of Stephen Reynolds (1807-1883), to Clarinda Farnol (b.1826), the daughter of John Farnol (1791-1846) and Catherine Farnol (née May,1793-1883). An extensive family tree can be drawn up from the accompanying IGI and census paperwork. A Thomas Winkles of Birmingham is found in the 1861 census at 23 Unett Street with his family, listed as a swivel maker. It seems likely that his work as a daguerreotypist was very short lived, and this is undoubtedly a very rare survival of his photographic work.
JENKINS - POND - HARDING - WIMBOULT family. A group of four ambrotypes as follows: 1. A quarter plate ambrotype of an older woman, the plate showing some silver reversal, in an original faux tortoiseshell passe-partout mount. On the back is a handwritten label reading "Ann Pond. Born March 25th 1812. Died 1871 ? Mother of Uriah Jenkins also Eli George Jenkins, husband of Julia Margaret Harding". This label is pasted over an older label reading "Anne Pond 48". 2. A 1/6th plate ambrotype of an elderly woman, mounted in a hanging frame with top loop. On the reverse is a handwritten label reading "May be Mrs Wimboult. Grandmother of Mrs Rachel Harding wife of Joseph Harding of Cheese fame". 3. A 1/6th plate tinted ambrotype of a boy, mounted in a hanging frame with  loop. It has an identical decorative oval matt ass ambrotype 4 below. [Eli George Jenkins] 4.A 1/6th plate tinted ambrotype of a boy, mounted in a hanging frame with top loop. It has an identical decorative oval matt ass ambrotype 3. On the reverse is a handwritten label reading Uriah Jenkins. Born August 13th 1848. Died March 13th 1894". £250 Ann Pond (1812-1871) the daughter of James and Mary Pond was born in Horsington, Somerset. She married firstly Stephen Miles in 1837 at Motcombe, Dorset, who died in 1840. She married secondly George Jenkins (born 1816) on 9 March 1846, by whom she had three children, Eli George Jenkins (b.1847); Uriah Jenkins (b.1848-1894) and Eliza Ann Jenkins (1853-1869). Eli George can be identified as the sitter in ambrotype 3 (which has lost its label), who married in 1872 Julia Margaret Harding, the daughter of the famous cheesemaker (the "father of Cheddar cheese") Joseph Harding (1805-1876) and Rachel Wimboult (c.1805-1882). The collection comes with copied information about Joseph Harding and the Jenkins and Pond families.
MATSON, Sarah Ann née Davy. A 1/6th plate ambrotype of two women, with highlighted details to their jewellery. Mounted in a full (worn) decorative case. Inside the case is a handwritten note "Grandma Matson on the left of the photo, taken shortly before her Marriage, with her Bridesmaid, married to John Matson April 3rd 1863". £50 Sarah Ann Davy was born in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire in 1839. She married on 3rd April 1863 John Matson (christened in York,16 November 1840), the son of James and Mary Matson. Sarah and John are found in the 1871 census in Haworth, Yorkshire, with their children Jospeh (7), Jennie (7), James (5), Sarah (3) and Elizabeth (1).
TOMLINSON, John (b. c. 1845). A pair of framed 1/4 plate ambrotypes of a young man, one with a note on the back "Taken at 16 years of age" and the other "Taken at 19 years of age". On the latter is a further detailed ink inscription "John Tomlinson Died Feby 1st at 1.30 AM. 1868. He fell asleep in Jesus Aged 23 years. RWT ". The backing paper of one includes an auction notice of Baxter of Whitby, dated 1868. The ambrotype glass plate of Tomlinson aged 16 has two cracks (see photo). In both there is a lot of dust under the glass, but the photographic images themselves are very crisp and sharp. The ornate frames (each c. 8 x 9 inches) are worn in places, and one has a small chip (see photos). Click on photo for an enlarged view. £80 The initials RWT might possibly be those of Robert William Tomlinson, born in Whitby in 1841. Local research in the Whitby area may help identify the family of this young man.

 

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MEDALS

 

ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY 1894 [to H.J.McGRIGOR]. Bronze medal impressed on the reverse "PRACTICAL MATERIA MEDICA  H. J. McGRIGOR 1895". 51mm, EF (with small scratch on the shield). £60 H.J.McGrigor was awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1898 by Aberdeen University. He obtained a commission in the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1900 and from Aldershot was posted in 1901 to Barbados, from where he returned in 1904 with the rank of Captain. Medical reports and publications appear in the early years of the 20th century under his name, and during the first world war he published a number of papers relating to syphilitic conditions. In 1921 his name appears in the literature while based in Ceylon.
ANSWERS MEDAL [To J.C.N. DYKES]. Bronzed medal entitled on the obverse 'THE ANSWERS MEDAL' and on the reverse reading 'PRESENTED BY THE PROPRIETORS OF ANSWERS' and 'HONORIS CAUSA'. Impressed on the rim 'JOHN CHARLES NIGHTINGALE DYKES FROM GEORGE WILLIAMS - THURSDAY JANUARY 8TH 1903'. 69mm, VF but reverse rim with knocks and minor losses. £65 This medal was issued by the proprietors of the weekly periodical Answers to Correspondents on Every Subject under the Sun, launched by Alfred Harmsworth (later Viscount Northcliffe) in 1888 to appeal to youngsters, providing a 'storehouse of interesting knowledge’. In 1889 the title was shortened to Answers and by 1893 was recording net weekly sales of more than 1 million copies. The recipient of the medal John Charles Nightingale Dykes is recorded as having married Edith May Knight (born in Portsea 1881) in 1902 in Portsmouth.
BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF GAS MANAGERS. THE PRESIDENTS PRIZE 1873 [to William Hosgood Young WEBBER]. Silver medal, the obverse in frosted silver with convex cover glass (tarnished under glass around edges); the reverse scene in polished silver marked Baddeley Bros London; and the edge engraved "Awarded to W.H.Y.WEBBER for his paper read June 30 1887". 60mm. plus suspension loop. EF. A very rare medal. £300 William Hosgood Young Webber (1853-1923) was a civil engineer and engineering journalist, best known within the gas industry. Born in Teignmouth, Devon, he married Sarah Snow Goodridge in 1877 in St Austell, Cornwall, who bore him three children, Caroline, William and Dorothea. In his career he moved with his family to settle around London, at Camberwell (1881 census) and Teddington (1901 census), and died in St Austell, Cornwall in 1923. He held the post of Instructor and Lecturer of the Gas Light & Coke Company, London, and published numerous papers and books including: The Science and Practice of Lighting 1892; Town Gas and Its Uses 1907: Gas Supply in Principles and Practice 1914: and Gas and gas making 1918.
ROYAL CORNWALL POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY 1833 [to MORITZ IMMISCH]. Silver medal, Second Class, impressed around the rim "M.IMMISH [sic] FOR CLINICAL THERMOMETERS. 1887". 45mm. VF. Eimer 1272. Obverse nicely toned, reverse polished, with some small edge knocks. £300 Karl Moritz Immisch (1838-1903), electrical engineer, watchmaker and iventor, was born in Niederschmon, near Querfurt in Germany, the son of a watchmaker. Known as 'Moritz Immisch', he received a technical education and left Germany around 1860 to seek opportunities in England. Settling in London he married Emma Welch in 1876 at St John's Church, Marylebone. Initially Immisch applied his watchmaking skills to develop precision clockwork mechanisms and other improvements. He became a Council Member of the British Horological Institute, and in 1872 submitted an essay on 'The balance spring and its isochronal adjustments' which was awarded the Institute's Baroness Burdett Coutts Prize. In 1881 Immisch patented a small watch-shaped thermometer. More robust than contemporary glass thermometers filled with mercury, it allowed very accurate readings to be taken, and its handy size made it highly portable as a clinical instrument. It was awarded a Silver Medal at the International Medical Congress of 1881 and elsewhere, including the 1887 silver medal offered here. The very small size made the device very popular and it was referred to in many medical journals throughout the 1880s both in England and in the US. Immisch was innovative in many other areas notably electro-magnetism, and established with others a small company Messrs M. Immisch & Co. in Kentish Town to develop and manufacture electric motors (see Wikipedia article).
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH [to Archibald BROWN]. Bronze medal, engraved on the reverse "Archibaldus Brown   Ethics  1865". 52mm. EF.  £80 Archibald Brown (1841-1916) was a barrister of the Middle Temple who studied at Edinburgh and Oxford universities. Brown published many works on the law including his succinct and popular New Law Dictionary in 1874 for which he is best known, the latest edition of which appeared in 2006.
Science and Art Department. Queen's Medal 1856  [to Joseph W. PRIESTLEY]. National Medal for Success in Art, bronze medal, engraved around the rim "JOSEPH W. PRIESTLEY. HALIFAX. Stage 2B. 1859." 55mm. Eimer 1511. EF. In its original leather covered case (worn, missing one case hook), embossed with the Queens cypher, and "Science and Art Department" £75 Possibly Joseph William Priestley born in 1842 in Rochdale, Lancashire, who is found in the 1861 census in Halifax, Yorkshire, with his sisters and brother supporting his widowed mother Jane Priestley (born c 1807), working as a wool sorter.

 

MOURNING  / MEMENTOS

 

EDKINS, Thomas. A small oblong mourning brooch (17 x 11mm) featuring a central crystal cover over strands of hair surrounded by a border of seed pearls within a gold mount. On the reverse is a pin and catch and an engraved inscription reading Thos. Edkins died 5 June 1825 aged 46. In excellent condition. Click on photo for further views. £60 Thomas Edkins born circa 1779 and died 5th June 1825.
STIFF, Thomas. Mourning brooch. A moderately large oblong gold brooch (max length 28mm) consisting of a glazed cover over woven hair within a decorative gold frame, surrounded by a black enamel band and a border of mounted pearls. On the reverse, a pin, a suspension loop, and engraved wording: Thos. Stiff Esqr. Died 27th Novr 182[5] Aged 75 Years. In excellent condition. Click on photo for further views. £250 Thomas Stiff Esq lived in New Street, Covent Garden in London, and was an active nonconformist who supported many humanitarian and educational establishments. His name can be found in several subscribers lists for a range of publications allied with his interests. He would appear to have Devon connections judging from a gift of a small plot of land made in 1812 to the Cross Street Chapel in Barnstaple for a burial ground. He died on 27th November 1825 while visiting Poundisford Park, the seat of Thomas Wellman. His obituary was published in the Evangelical Magazine & Missionary Chronicle (unseen, vol 3 1825). His wife had died in 1807 at the age of 54.