POSTCARDS

11pp., 4to. Five are signed by Gustave Tuck, three by Desmond A. Tuck and one by Sir Reginald Tuck (the three men being named on the letterhead, together with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as the company's directors). Four are addressed to Adams personally, four to his firm (with one for the attention of 'Miss Dorothy Clarke'), and one to Bertram Adams, another royal photographer, with whom Adams shared premises at 43 Dover Street, Mayfair. The ornate letterhead, printed in brown, carries royal warrants and an engraving of Raphael House. On aged and worn paper, with slight damp staining.

On a gilt-edged piece of card, 13 x 11.5 cm., with rounded edges. In good condition, lightly aged. The illustration by 'E M W' on one side is printed in silver, yellow, light blue, grey and brown, and shows a snowy country scene with two tiny figures beneath a shining sun on a stone bridge over a stream. Captioned 'The Joy of Christmas be in your heart.' Cowan's eight-line poem, on the other side, is printed in grey, in variety of gothic fonts. It begins: 'Only its best and brightest history | May Memory relate you!

Six larger photographs (all 12 x 10.5 cm) and twenty-six smaller ones (between 5 x 7 cm and 5.5 x 8 cm). In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, on three leaves removed from an album (the smaller photographs on mounts and the larger ones laid down. The larger photographs have pencil captions, and a few of the smaller photographs have ink captions (for example, 'Taking a drink - Calcutta', 'Is that Ghandi? | The women are carrying dried dung for use as fuel.'). The smaller images appear to be photographs of photographs, with captions.

A contemporary oriental album, 19 x 27cm., with oat cloth boards, green ribbon and embroidered spine, containing a beautiful collection of vintage 9 x 14cm. postcards in near-mint condition. None of the postcards has any manuscript marks or sign of postage.

Six leaves, each 35 x 28 cm, in original red printed wraps. The first four leaves consists of eight coloured postcards, each 8.5 x 13.5 cm, with perforations between them for ease of removal. The last two leaves each carry full-page landscape photographs, the first of Blackrock and the second of Blarney Castle. The wraps are heavily worn, and there is occasional staining and wear to the photographs, but overall this is a most attractive and evocative production, and a rare survival in its complete state (no other copies traced).