MARBLES

On a piece of wove paper roughly 4.5 x 9 cm. Good, clear signature on lightly aged paper. Reads 'my dear Sir, | Yrs always truly | [signed] P. Hoare'. Reverse reads '<...> am at a loss how to answe<...> | <...>ing the progress of the Anna<...> | <...>- opportunity of asking "Ho<...> | <...>t of the Elgin Marbels, whic<...>'.

On piece of paper roughly eleven inches by eight wide. 'Col[oure]d 2/6' engraved in bottom right-hand corner above caption. On aged paper, creased and with two closed tears of one and a half inches apiece, and one of half an inch, none of the three affecting the image. Full-length portrait of a somewhat simian Harrison, in black top hat and brown cut away jacket, clutching his arms in front of his belly with one glove removed, standing on a grassy hill (in front of Chester Castle?]. Two small ink docketings on reverse.

For Hamilton (1777-1859), Treasurer of the Royal Institution and one of the Trustees of the British Museum, see Boase's 'Modern English Biography'. He was secretary to Lord Elgin in Constantinople, recovered the Rosetta Stone from the French and aided in collecting and removing the Elgin Marbles from Athens. 3 pages, 16mo. Creased but in good condition. Begins by saying that a few years ago Stuart introduced Charles Rothschild to him, 'but it was probably at the request of his brother, as he has now asked me to introduce him to you'.