[William Silk, of London coachmakers Silk & Sons.] Eleven items relating to carriages commissioned by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, including five Design Drawings (two with notes), two drawings of details, two coloured engravings and a press cutting.

Silk & Sons of Long Acre were one of the leading Victorian coach builders, Robert Silk (born c.1797, fl.1871) already being established in Long Acre by 1851. In due course Robert was succeeded by his son William (born 1824), who in his turn took his sons William junior (1853-1911) and Robert John (1858-1934) into the business. The firm continued to trade at least until 1907, when the Long Acre premises were sold. The present collection of eleven items derives from the firm's archive. The items are in fair overall condition, aged and worn, with some remains of grey paper mounts adhering, and occasional unobtrusive repairs with archival tape. The eleven items emphasise the sumptuous nature of the firm's designs, seven of them (One, Three, Four, Eight, Nine, Ten and Eleven), including four design drawings, relating to an 'Indian Dress Buggy', one of three designs executed for the fabulously wealthy Parsee merchant Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy. Present as Item Eleven is a cutting of a report on the commission, from The Carriage Builders' and Harness Makers' Art Journal, vol.III (1861-1862), which singles out 'the peacocks, which appear to support the hinder part of the body' as 'perhaps the great peculiarity of the design': 'The peacocks themselves are really works of art. After settling the exact size, form, and proportions required, a pattern bird was carved by a London figure carver. This formed a pattern, or "captain," as it is called by the herald chasers, from which the real birds are eventually made out of sheet copper, brought up in detail equal to an ordinary chased arm or hammer cloth crest. […] By this unusual means (at least in coach-building) of making them in copper, great strength was obtained at less weight than in wood, each bird weighing but six pounds. To prevent any sonorous noise, they were filled with wool.' Items Nine and Ten are hand-coloured prints of the Indian Dress Buggy. Item One: Two ink design drawings, with annotations, on the same side of a piece of 33.5 x 49cm paper. Signed in bottom right-hand corner 'Wm. Silk'. Captioned: 'ir Jamsetgee [sic] Jeejeebhoy Esq No 1428 - Sir Jamsetgee Jejeebhoy Bart No. 1429. - Hormarjee Cursetjee Dady Esqre No. 1434'. The main design is a 43cm side view of a hooded two-wheeled dress buggy with lamp and peacock ornamentation on splinter bar. The other illustration on the page, in the top left-hand corner, shows a detail of the rear view of the coach. With detailed notes of dimensions in feet and inches, for example: 'Center of axle from back of splinter bar 3 ft 1/2'. (Items One and Two executed at the same time.) Item Two: Ink design drawing with annotations, on one side of 32.5 x 49cm paper. Signed in bottom right-hand corner 'Wm. Silk'. Captioned: 'Sir Jamsetgee [sic] Jeejeebhoy Bart No. 1465 | The Effect was good, but the body w a little "too shallow"-'. A side view of a hooded two-wheeled carriage with lamp and scallop body. With detailed notes of dimensions in feet and inches, for example: 'Side springs - 3 - 10 over all 6 plates. 1 ½ wide | Cross spring 4 plates - 30 inches long'. Item Three: Pencil design drawing showing 41cm side view of dress buggy. At foot: 'Silk & Sons | Long Acre' and signature of 'Wm Silk Junr.' More finished than Item One (for example showing wheel spokes). (Items Three, Four and Five executed at same time, and each on one side of a piece of 32 x 46.5 paper. All three illustrations scaled at 1 ½ inches to the foot.) Item Four: Drawing of same pencil design as Item Three, on marginally larger scale (43cm long compared with 41cm long for Item Three), and with same caption and signature. Neatly torn in two pieces vertically, and repaired with archival tape. Item Five: Pencil design drawing showing 42cm side view of hooded two-wheel carriage with carved ornamentation on sides and back. Detail showing ornamentation at rear of carriage in top left-hand corner. Signed in bottom right-hand corner 'Wm. Silk'. Item Six: Two pencil design drawings on same side of one piece of 29.5cm square paper. Both signed 'Wm. Silk'. At foot of page: 'Silk & Sons | Long Acre'. Top design ('No. 7') showing 17cm side view of elegant and restrained coach seat; bottom design ('No. 8') showing rear view of a coach seat with carved ornamentation. Item Seven: Pencil design drawing of 16cm side view of plain coach seat. Without signature, caption or annotation. Item Eight: Pencil detail of design for the peacock's tail ornamentation to the dress buggy. 28.5 x 37 cm. Item Nine: Hand-coloured and varnished engraving (proof of Item Ten below?) of 22cm side view of dress buggy. On 17 x 29 cm piece of paper, laid down on leaf from album. Item Ten: Hand-coloured and varnished engraving of 22cm side view of dress buggy, almost - but not quite - identical to Item Nine. On 24.5 x 30.5cm piece of paper, laid down on leaf from album. Captioned 'INDIAN DRESS BUGGY. | The Carriage Builders & Harness Makers Art Journal.', with 'Plate 20. Vol. 3.' in top right-hand corner. Item Eleven: Cutting Extracted from the Carriage Builders' and Harness Makers' Art Journal, vol.III (London, 1861-1862), 21 x 9.5cm. Headed 'Description of the Illustrations.' [i.e. Item Ten above] | PLATE XX. | INDIAN DRESS BUGGY.' (Quoted at beginning of this entry.) Tipped in onto same leaf from album as Item Ten.