LADY

Entertaining letters reflecting the privileged childhood of a member of the Irish nobility in the late Victorian period. Both in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in aged envelope, with stamps and postmarks, addressed to 'Miss C. Parker | The Paddocks | Eccleston | Chester'. Letter One: 'Friday'. 1p., 12mo. She is sending 'some autographs which Mother gave me' (not present), and has 'put whoose [sic] they are on their backs in pencil'. She has 'no time to write now' as she is 'going out riding'.

To the Right Hon. David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of England ([1917]). Circular Letter, mimeographed, awaiting a signature, one page, 4to, good condition.It commences, We, the undersigned Irish Artists and Writers venture to appeal ... The circumstances surrounding the disposition of Hugh Lane's Pictures are retailed, and an appeal for the codicil by which they were to go to Dublin to be respected.

To the Right Hon. David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of England ([1917]). Circular Letter, mimeographed, awaiting a signature, one page, 4to, good condition.It commences, We, the undersigned Irish Artists and Writers venture to appeal ... The circumstances surrounding the disposition of Hugh Lane's Pictures are retailed, and an appeal for the codicil by which they were to go to Dublin to be respected.

4pp., 12mo. 49 lines. Bifolium. On aged and creased paper, with remains of stub. In what appears to be a reference to the memoir by Lady Ponsonby that was published after her death (London: John Murray, 1927), Sichel (at the risk of appearing 'an impertinent Bore') thanks her 'for that adorable manuscript': 'You have made me so happy these days, transported me so entirely to the world I longed to see, that it would really be ungrateful not to say how much I thank you. The whole Court lives, and the Queen most of all, & Prince Albert.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with strip of tape from previous mounting adhering at the foot of the recto of the second leaf. He asks her to send 'cards for your afternoon Friday' to 'our dear friends Mr. and Mrs. Koecher (and the Misses Koecher)', who would 'enjoy every minute'. He gives the Koecher's address as de Keyser's Royal Hotel, Blackfriars, and ends by conveying his wife's love.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good.

Each of the seven letters is 1p., 12mo. All fair, on lightly-aged paper, and each with rust staining from paperclip in top left-hand corner of page. In the first letter she thanks him for his 'charming letter', giving her 'a warm welcome as your new colleage'. In the second letter she apologies for being unable to attend a meeting of 'the Design Panel', as she has 'a broadcast on Sunday, and the B.B.C. are clamouring to have the script on Friday'. In the third letter she thanks him for 'enclosing Proof of The Housewives' Ultimatum'.

Nicely printed on laid paper, on sheet folded to make a bifolium, with the facsimile of the letter on the reverse of the first leaf, and the photograph of Bridges facing it on the recto of the second. As he is unable 'to write personal thanks to each of the many friends who contributed to honour my 80th birthday by their lovely gift', he asks them to accept the photograph 'as a memento'. 'Apart fr.

Lower part of letter with ruled border, laid down on part of leaf from autograph album. Dimensions: 7.5 x 18.5 cm. Lightly aged and ruckled. Reads: '<...> your support at the approaching Election for the County of Durham - having for so long possessed the confidence of this County, it is his utmost ambition to have it continued and should he be honoured with yours, it will be considered the highest obligation | I am Sir | Your faithful Servant | [signed] Ju: Milbank | Seaham | Octr: 27. 1806.' Contemporary ink note reads: '[Lady Milbanke afterwards Lady Noel Milbanke, mother of Lady Byron.]'

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She writes that she is enclosing a letter, which she would like sent on 'to the Manager of the Bournemouth Little Theatre Club if you will, as I do not know the address'.

[4]pp., 12mo. Stapled in original pink printed wraps. Cover has drawing of Bounds by Willsons of Leicester, whose slug is in the bottom left-hand corner of the cover. First page has drophead title 'Life of Miss Alice Bounds', and the piece is signed in type at the end by 'W. Y.' It begins: 'I was born in Calcutta, East India, in the year 1877.

1p., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. She thanks him for writing to her, and sending 'the two charming postcards'. She continues: 'I, also, often use the History of Christian Names - what a lot of research it must have meant for dear Miss Yonge!' Charlotte M. Yonge's 'History of Christian Names' was first published in 1863, with a revised version appearing in 1884.

4pp., 12mo. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. She begins: 'I could not but tell the Queen how kindly you had expressed the pleasure which the Royal visit at Stowe had given to the Duke & Duchess. - And Her Majesty was exceedingly pleased and flattered - and desired me to tell you from her, how delighted both she & the Prince had been by their reception, & the whole visit; which to Her Majesty & the Prince, had but one drawback - and that was, the not having met you there, which would have realised the great wish they both entertain, of being introduced to you'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper. As she 'cut the string' of the parcel, she 'wondered what could possibly come to me from St Andrews', '& lo! these beautiful thoughts in their lovely garb appeared to my delight'. It was wonderful of Miss Grae to 'think of it', and of 'the little girls to make such a beautiful book', the binding of which her husband finds 'admirable & excellent'. She will 'read the charming pages on foggy days such as these'. She wishes that 'these last 3 blacknesses had been spent at St Andrews by all of us'.

Items Two to Four are in good condition, on aged paper; with Item One worn and creased, repaired with strips of white paper. Items Three and Four are attached to one another by a stub, and all four items show evidence of having been removed from a letterbook. Items One and Four are statements describing Lady Nairne's financial affairs, with Items Two and Three letters to Spring Rice and the Civil List committee on the matter, the first anonymous and the second by Lady Nairne's solicitor John Mackenzie Lindsay, Writer to the Signet.

Both items good, on lightly-aged paper. Rosa Hood's sister Adelaide Fanny was the wife of Herbert F. Gye, and letter and reply are written informally. Hood's letter: 3pp., 12mo. She received Mrs Gye's letter that morning, 'and the Queen has read it' and is 'quite pleased with your reply'.

Both letters good, on lightly-aged paper. The second letter in envelope addressed by Mosley to 'Peter Reid Esq | 68 New Cavendish Street | London W1 M 7 LD [sic] | Angleterre'. Letter One (2pp., 12mo): She begins: 'My husband asked me to answer your letter. I think we have got photographs of Rolleston, but all such things are stored in Ireland, where we used to have a house. When I go through them (which one day I must) I will send you what I find.

2pp., 12mo. Closely and neatly written. 45 lines of text. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. An interesting item, pulling together several strands of nineteenth-century Anglo-American literature. Having received a letter from his daughter telling him that George Ticknor (1791-1871) of Boston was 'desirous of knowing who was the author of an article in the Edinburgh Review on a work of Mr Prescott', Horner has written to the publisher 'Mr Longman as the most likely person to give or get me the information'.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed, with oval red postmark and broken red wax seal, on reverse of second leaf of bifolium to 'E. V. Utterson Esqre | 32 York Terrace | Regents park'. She writes that she and her husband are 'sorry to have so bad an account of Mrs Utterson', whom she will visit 'when she can see her friends'. 'Mr. Callcott [the landscape painter Augustus Wall Callcott (1779-1844)] was in York Terrace yesterday but having forgotten your number & finding you denied at three or four doors he began to think you had moved or that I had given him a wrong direction'.

6pp., 4to. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with slight traces of previous mounting. Gurwood has delayed sending 'a history of our proceedings', as Sir Charles wrote the day after the party's arrival in Lisbon. He describes their 'disagreeable passage', 'which Sir Charles and Lord Marcus treated with contempt, and were most provokingly well all the passage - we were however unanimous as to the impossibility of your having accompanied us for the inconvenience of a crowded ship, where all are more or less selfish, are really too great for a female passenger, whatever may be her rank'.

12mo, 3 pp. On bifolium. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. She has 'finished the brown drawing of elves, & birds singing', and, as she is going into the country for a few days, will leave it, 'in a portfolio', at Stratton St. She asks him to 'kindly take care of it', as he has been 'good enough to do with the others. It is, as you know, a very careful & highly-finished drawing'. She asks him to have 'the delicacy of the lines reproduced, & the drawing of the limbs of the little elves, etc. very carefully & exactly rendered, otherwise the drawing wd.

Both items 12mo, 1 p, and both in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with minor traces of mount on reverses. Letter One. Thanking him for his 'publication on the public school system, and for the other larger work'. Letter Two: She is in 'complete sympathy' with Humberstone's resolution, and would have wanted to second it, 'but I dare not undertake to do so', due to a clash of engagements. Humberstone 'had better make sure of a more reliable seconder'.

Four pages, 12mo, good condition.He thanks him for his letter and some enclosures which he lists (Baker's [African explorer] letter, [Smithers'] reply, Lady B.'s letter), continuing, "Your letter to Baker enters fully into the subject, and makes the state of affairs quite clear, and we can now only await the return of Lady Burton and Dr Baker to England. I hope that you will go on with Catullus [trans. Richard Burton] and your proposals about bringing out two editions of that work appear to be good and commendable ...

12mo, 2 pp. Fair, on lightly aged and creased paper. Although it is 'unnecessary' , she is writing 'in Sidney's name to implore for your Vote & interest on Friday next as against the Govt. - Independently of the grave question at issue as regards India no friend of Lord Canning's can be indifferent to the base & ungenerous treatment he has received'. Sidney is writing to the Bishop of Salisbury 'in the same sense', and if he cannot come to London for the vote, he will, she hopes, 'send his proxy'. Docketed on reverse 'Authoress'.

The Earl of Darnley's four letters (all signed 'Darnley') total 27 pp in 12mo; Lady Darnley's eight letters (all signed 'H. Darnley') total 26 pp in 12mo. All items in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Darnley's first letter, 16 September 1853 (12mo, 12 pp), is unusually blunt for the period, and revealing on the etiquette of the period. It begins: 'I trust that the change in your mode of addressing me was accidental, and I have therefore not imitated it, and have used one word which you omitted [presumably 'Dear'].

12mo, 1 p. Mourning border. Twelve lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with small scrap torn away from top right-hand corner. By that evening's post, they have received 'the sad intelligence that my sister in law, Lady Camilla Sinclair has died at Thurso Castle'. Her brother Sir George Sinclair and his family 'are in great grief', and she is 'under the melancholy necessity of sending an apology' for cancelling 'our engagement to you which we had anticipated with so much pleasure'.

In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. Twelve of the engravings are on paper roughly the same size (12mo), with the thirteenth smaller, but laid down on a leaf of the same dimensions. The majority of the women are writers, and the collection may well have been assembled to illustrate a work such as Byron's Letters and Journals. The thirteen women depicted are Hannah More, Maria Edgworth, Lady Noel Byron, Teresa Guiccioli, Caroline Lamb, Mrs Henry Tighe, Lady Morgan, Joanna Baille, Felicia Hemans, Mary Russell Mitford; Anne Maria Porter; Jane Porter. Artists are G. Freeman, W. J.

12mo, 16 pp. Stapled. In original pink printed wraps, with engraving of the two women, on a country path, on cover. Good, on lightly aged and dusty paper. Cutting of photograph of marble memorial to the couple loosely inserted. Scarce: the only copy on COPAC at Oxford, by whom it is dated to the 1920s. Main title on front wrap, with the title given at the head of the text being 'Lady Eleanor Butler and the Hon. Miss Ponsonby.'

Total 21pp., 8vo (4) and 4to (17), some marking one hole with loss of two letters, but text clear and complete. A visitor to India, she is writing to her family in England. Her letters reflect the privileged lifestyle of the colonial British with accounts of visits to the races, dances at the yacht club, tennis matches, visit by the Sirdar, debilitating climate, and dinners at the Governor's residence. 'It felt like a play ...

Twelve pages of illustrations, each on a separate leaf. Seven are portrait folio, four are portrait 8vo, and one is landscape 8vo. All clear and complete, on aged and creased paper. All coloured in watercolour. The seven folio portraits are: Napoleon as First Consul; Talma; Eugene; Moustache ('Mr. Lyn Harding [(1867-1952)]'); two 'Flunkies'; and Austrian Ambassador ('Mr Spencer Trevor [(1875-1945)]'). The four portrait 8vo illustrations consist of: two of Larose ('Lady Tree [Lady Helen Beerbohm Tree (1858-1937)]'); Louise ('Miss Lemand') and the overcoat of Talma ('Mr.