THEATRICAL

3pp., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Blanchard and his wife 'very seldom go out of a Sunday but should the weather be at all favourable' they will 'make a vigorous effort to avail ourselves of the strong temptation you have so kindly thrown in our way'. They will be 'quite content with an afternoon ramble in your beautiful garden and a chat with dear Mrs. Keeley'. He is sending 'impromptu lines written by my father nearly a Century ago' (not present) that he believes ought to be in Burgess's possession 'as a double ancestral inheritance'.

Albumen print, 14.5 x 19.5 cm, with arched top, laid down on original cream backing paper, 18.5 x 24.5 cm, with border to photograph and company details all printed in gold. A good photograph, showing Buckstone staring at the viewer, while seated in a plush chair at a writing table with tablecloth, his right hand holding a pen over a piece of writing paper. The print is in good condition, on slightly grubby backing. Buckstone has signed 'John Baldwin-Buckstone', in black ink at the foot of the mount.

1p., 4to. 15 lines. On aged and worn paper. The letter reads 'Dear Sir/ | A general meeting of all the Dramatic Authors will take place at the Garricks head in Bow Street on Monday nexxt at One o'Clock.

1p., folio. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with slight staining to blank reverse. Fairly written out on a piece of Britannia laid paper. 'Lord Chamberlain's Office | 10th. November 1849. | The Lord Chamberlain thinks it right to draw the attention of the Manager of the Theatre Royal Covent Garden to The Queen's Proclamation of the 6th. Instant, in which Her Majesty, for the Reasons therein stated, earnestly exhorts that the Public Day of Thanksgiving, the 15th. Instant be reverently and devoutly observed'.

3pp., 12mo. Fair, on aged paper. Mathews begins by quoting contradictory passages from letters of Charles Mathews, one from Mrs Mathews' 'Memoirs of Charles Mathews, Comedian' (1839) and the other from Bunn's 'The Stage: Both before and behind the Curtain' (1840).

On one side of a piece of laid paper, approximately 11.5 cm square. Minor traces of glue to corners on the reverse. Good, firm signatures, provided for an autograph hunter. The husband signs first: 'Charles Kean | Friday | 25 June 1852'. Beneath this is the wife's signature: 'Ellen Kean'.

1p., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with negligible glue from previous mounting to the corners of the blank reverse. The letter reads: 'Sir, In reply to your note, I write to say that as it is not my intention to close the Princess's Theatre during any portion of Lent, it will not be in my power to avail myself of your offer.'

3pp., 12mo. 37 lines. Fair, on worn and discoloured paper. An interesting letter, casting light on the relationship between two great actors who, according to the Oxford DNB, 'disliked but respected each other'. Macready is not named, but Young ends by sending his 'Kind Comts to Mrs Macready'. Macready had taken over at Drury Lane on 4 October 1841, but the season would not begin until 27 December. The letter begins 'My dear Sir!

1 p, 4to. Good, on lightly-aged paper, and still attached to a leaf removed from an autograph album. His troupe 'play in Manchester on the 11th. Jany. for one week. Now, observe! Can you effect an engagement for a week previous to or subsequent to that period - or both subsequent and previous.' Knowles will be in London, 'please God, next week', and the recipient's 'attention deserves and has' Knowles's gratitude. A postscript reads: 'Miss Elphinstone achieved a complete triumph in Edinburgh, the reception was great indeed. You know our terms'.

2 pp, 4to. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with slight wear to extremities. On one leaf, with both sides ruled with red borders. In Payne's neat and distinctive hand, and attributed to him in pencil at head.

One page, 16mo, fold mark, good condition. I finish my London season June 21st therefore shall not be able to sing for you. I an extremely sorry.

4 pp, 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The unnamed recipient appears to have been named as executor in a prvevious will of Sir Henry Bishop. Opens in dramatic style: 'I was very greatly surprised to receive a letter from you this morning, dated from Brighton, as my poor Brother, Sir Henry Bishop, had not the slightest idea that you were still an inhabitant of this world, having heard of your death some time since, in consequence of which, he made another will similar to the one in your possession, but changing the executors'.

Printed for display, on one side of a piece of paper 24.5 x 49.5 cm. Text clear and complete. On aged and creased paper, with one closed tear and bottom right-hand corner lacking, causing slight loss to the last letter of Mathews' name at foot of document. Heading in bold type in a variety of point sizes. Giving a 'brief statement of my fourteen years' struggle and of my latest difficulty'.

Irregular (12 x 23.5 cm), 32 pp. In fair condition, aged and lightly worn. In original wraps, with cover design, in a variety of types and point sizes, imitating an early nineteenth-century handbill, stating that 'all Profits for the Benefit of the Deserving Actors' Orphanage. | Free list entirely suspended | Fees payable in advance are 2s. per copy'.

12mo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper. Docketed by Blanchard in top left-hand corner: 'Sent to Sat.

Colour photograph in grey card wallet frame. Dimensions of photograph 13 x 18 cm. Dimensions of frame 18 x 23 cm. In good condition. A head and shoulders shot of a smiling old Ashcroft in overcoat outdoors in the countryside. Captioned by Balcon on frame at foot of photograph 'Peggy Ashcroft at Vine Cottage (called by her "The Tiny Palace")'. Part of Balcon's own collection.

Black and white matt bromide print photograph in card frame with covering flap. Dimensions of photograph 20 x 25 cm. Dimensions of frame 25.5 x 32 cm. A head and shoulders shot of Balcon, staring across the photograph from the right, left hand at right shoulder, with the bust of Day-Lewis facing her from the left. Inscription in pencil on frame beneath photograph: 'London. Mark Gerson. AIBP/ARPS'. Photograph and inscription in excellent condition; frame aged and worn.

On rectangle of paper, laid down on leaf removed from autograph album. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. Reads 'Good wishes | Anna Neagle.' With two newspaper cuttings carrying photographic portraits, one loose and one laid down to the left of the signature.

12mo, 3 pp. 30 lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged and creased paper. He sends a 'list of pieces' which he considers 'suitable for a Short Company'. The first piece named is 'The Silver Lining (the St James's Comedy)', in which he says there are 'only 4 Men & 3 women exclusive of Helen Maltravers'.

12mo, 3 pp. On bifolium, with the printed playbill for the 'Benefit of Mr. Chas. Calvert' at the Theatre-Royal, Newcastle, on the recto of the first page (including a performance of Much Ado About Nothing, with Calvert as Benedick and Miss Fanny Alexander as Beatrice. The letter is 42 lines long. She feels that, 'with but one rehearsal', the 'Merchante's Storye will scarcely go', and suggests performing 'Nine Points, The Household Fairy, and Head of the Family' instead, considering it 'a good bill' and 'lighter works for all the company'.

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.

4to, 1 p. Fourteen lines, in pencil. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged paper. In envelope addressed by Holloway to Inglis. He apologises for his 'rudeness' in not answering earlier: 'I plead rush of work'. He would be delighted to sit for her, but 'the trouble is that I may have to leave town on Monday to produce a play in the country and then on to S[tratford]-on-A[von] for the 7 weeks Festival'. Suggests a later meeting.

58pp., 12mo, beige printed wraps, spine nicked, small amount of staining and other wear and tear, mainly good condition. The suggestion by Chaterton to Kenney was "to publish a pamphlet containing an account of the pecuniary successs and losses which attended the different plays I have produced during my management of Drury Lane". COPAC records only one real copy (at BL) others being electronic resources.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Fair, on aged paper. He begins 'Print the farce', and gives two conditions, ending 'There that's definite'. He will have the farce published after it is performed in London, 'at a good theatre of course'. 'But get on with it and lets have the proofs.' He will 'most likely' play it himself 'at Manchester and somewhere else, when I will put all this stage business &c in'. Ends 'Toole wants to do it. | Yours Tooley - I mean Truly'. In one of two postscripts he hopes Lacy has 'a good supply of Billy Taylor. Hopewood & Crew publish it.'

4to, 1 p. On laid paper. Forty-nine lines, in a variety of point sizes. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with remains of mount adhering to blank reverse. After printer's details: 'Vivat Rex et Regina!' At foot of play bill: 'Ladies and Gentlemen are respectfully requested to give peremptory orders to their Servants to set down with their Horses Heads towards Drury-Lane, and to take up with the Horses Heads towards Covent-Garden. - No Carriage can be permitted to stop the way after proper Notice given to the Company.' No copy of this playbill on COPAC.

4to, 1 p. On bifolium of wove paper, watermarked 'J LARKING | 1804'. Nicely printed. Good, on lightly-aged paper. The poem is thirty-four lines long, beginning 'Hold, hold! What's this? No prologue to our play? | Down with the curtain - let it down, I say; | Let me go forth - I must, I will have way!' It is preceded by title and 'Noise and disputing behind the Sccenes. - The Curtain begins to rise.

4to, 1 p. 19 lines. Text clear and complete. On aged and lightly creased paper, with strip of sunning to left-hand margin. Neat signature: 'Nicolas Bentley'. The film and television rights to the book were all 'bought some years ago by Herbert Wilcox, who, as I understand it, still owns them'. Bentley has reports the opinion of 'Messrs A. P. Watt, my late father's agent', on the question of the radio rights. 'I control the stage rights', Bentley states, giving the conditions on which he would agree to a stage adaptation.

Five of the items are 8vo, with the other on a 12mo slip. All texts clear and complete. Fair, on slightly-aged and worn paper. A total of five typed 8vo pages, and two autograph 8vo and two autograph 12mo pages. Four of the lettters have 'The Fol-de-Rols' printed on the letterhead. Dealing with practical everyday theatre matters, with Newman writing, for example, on 19 November 1955: 'I have bought a few costume from the Punch Revue which died an early death at the Duke of York's theatre last Saturday.

Both letters 8vo, 1 p; the first on pink paper. Both texts clear and complete. Both fair, on lightly-aged and creased paper. Letter One: She was surprised to learn that Lawrence had 'Miss Babbington with you because I did not even know that she was on the stage. I thought she was with a publishing house.' After the 'long and wonderful run' she is sorry that Lawrence's leading lady is leaving. 'Although I never intend to go back to the stage again, I shall always have the same keen interest in matters theatrical [...] the variety profession is my first love'.

4to, 1 p. Trimming at head has resulted in loss to the first line of Disher's address; otherwise text clear and complete. On lightly-aged and creased paper, with jagged trimming at head and in bottom right-hand corner, and three punch holes to margin. Bearing the stamp of the Secretary's Office, Clarendon Press, Oxford. He is returning the 'corrected typescript' and is setting out his qualfications. The bottom section to the letter contain eight lines of these. Disher describes himself as 'contributor to leading journals on the subject of public entertainments in general'.