Pictures & Prints

Beautiful small daguerreotype in a frame c. 1850

Price: £25

This is an amazing daguerreotype of two young girls probably made for an officer to take as a memento while travelling. The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process in the history of photography. Announced to the public in 1839 the daguerreotype enjoyed great popularity in the 1840s and 1850s. Named after the inventor, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, each daguerreotype is a unique image on a silvered copper plate.

Mounted aquatint engraving of a Courting Couple, signed, probably French C20th

Price: £45

The aquatint process is similar to that of engraving but it is powdered resin rather than a needle which is used to create the desired print effect and it is areas of colour which are produced here rather than an outline design. Often, though, the two techniques are combined, as in this print. Within an oval frame are depicted in pastel tones of blue, yellow and green a courting couple in eighteenth century dress. Boucher springs to mind but perhaps we are closer to Fragonard since the scene depicted is not wholly innocent. The lady’s right breast is clearly exposed and her right hand rather artfully placed. Perhaps this explains the slightly surprised expression on the young man’s face. The general style indicates much more modern work of course, perhaps to the mid C20th, but the artist, who signs his name as ‘Ceilli’, could well have been of the same nationality as his more famous predecessors. Certainly, he has produced a work of impish charm.

A Complementary Pair of Gilt Metal Art Nouveau style picture frames, 20th Century

Price: £45

Two Gilt Metal Picture Frames of differing sizes but with matching designs in mirror image modelled in typical Art Nouveau style with slender ladies holding a branch and flowering wheat sheaves and lotus, the reverses with swing mount stands

10 Chromolithographs from Illustrated London News publication celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee 1897

Price: £85

This is a rare hand finished chromolithograph print taken from a publication that celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The design and vivid colours harken back to the Victorian era.

Print 1: This print depicts the weddings of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and on the bottom depicts the marriage of Mary of Teck to the then Duke of York. The portraits surrounding these images are of the two brides and other royal family members. (numbered Plate 17)

Print 2: This print depicts the development in the modes of transportation during her reign. Clipper ship to steamer, carriage to train, walking and carriages to bicycles and automobiles. The portraits will be the inventors and visionaries of these developments. (numbered Plate XI)

Print 3: This print depicts the House of Commons with Prime Minister Salisbury and the House of Lords. The surrounding portraits are politicians of the day. The bottom centre is of Gladstone. (numbered Plate A)

Print 4: This print depicts the development of the Royal Navy during her reign. it starts with tall mast sailing ships (1836 fleet) and proceeds to steam ships (1853 fleet) and then finally to the most modern ships and even submarines (1897 fleet). The portraits are a bit random - but probably are naval officers and Royal family members. (numbered Plate IX)

Print 5: This print depicts three important battles during her reign. The portraits depict military officers and other influencers during these wars. (numbered Plate VIII)The portraits depict military officers and other influencers during these wars. (numbered Plate VIII)

Print 6: This print depicts the christenings of Victoria's first two children, Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, Princess Royal and Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. The large portrait on the upper left is the Arch Bishop of Canterbury. (numbered Plate V)

Print 7: This print depicts the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert and the image below is a well known family portrait. The portraits are members of the Royal Family such as parents and possibly siblings. (numbered Plate IV)

Print 8: This print depicts Victoria's accession council, the opening of parliament and a royal procession. The portraits are very difficult to pinpoint but they would be politicians and influencers of the day. (numbered Plate III)

Print 9: This print depicts Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838. The top image is the ceremony followed by the procession with Buckingham Palace in the background. The portraits depict monarchs that came before here. Edward the IV is the large central top portrait. (numbered Plate II)

Print 10: This print depicts a later family portrait and three of her residences, Windsor, Balmoral and Osborne. The larger portraits are Edward Prince of Wales, George Duke of York and probably Prince Edward Albert.

Gouache Painting of a Court Figure Scene, Indian or Persian, C20th

Price: £45

A painting on silk depicting finely detailed figures at court within an elaborate architectural setting, edged with a simple gilt frame and surrounded by a green ground floral border. The style of painting here is typical of Persian work which was then translated into India and often adopted by artists working in the ‘Mughal’ style. In the late C19th and C20th, many individual scenes were created, some deriving from the book illustrations of Persian romance, and all essentially intended as decorative items for framing. This painting is a typical example of the best work created and is further enhanced by the contemporary frame and silver effect corner mounts.

Persian Gouache painting on silk of a horseman, C 19th

Price: £25

A gouache painting on silk of a court figure riding a horse in a desert background with clouds above, the figure richly attired in a floral robe tied with a yellow sash at the waist, his headdress with a feather plume and his right hand holding a spear, the horse richly caparisoned with an elaborate headdress also with a feather plume. The beige background with a sketchy representation of rocks and sparse foliage is presumably intended to represent the desert. The composition is framed by a stylised floral border within two red lines.

The style of painting here and the use of silk as the medium are typical of Persian work, and the detail of the brushwork, notably the man’s hair and the horse’s head suggest nineteenth rather than twentieth century workmanship and while a little age worn, this is a striking example of the genre.

Please note that the silk is glued to the hardboard backing at the reverse (see image 10); the simple gilt frame is just fitted to the edge and the piece is not glazed.

Persian Painting on Silk depicting Courtiers in a Palace Scene, C19th/C20th

Price: £75

A finely detailed painting on silk depicting court figures in a palace scene with fountains to the front and a mountainous forest to the rear, the border with scrolling foliage. The work is typical of that produced by Persian artists and the scene bears a close resemblance (lacking the patient lying on the floor) to a work entitled ‘The Physicians Duel’ which depicts a scene from the Khamsa by Nizami Ghanjavi and is included in the British Museum collection.

The ‘Khamsa’ (Quintet or Quinary) is the best known work of Nizami Ghanjavi (c1141 – 1209) considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature. It comprises five long narrative poems the first of which is ‘Makhzan-ol-Asrar’ (The Treasury or Storehouse of Mysteries) and contains an episode where two physicians agree to fight each other with poison: each would give the other a poison and the doctors would then attempt, by their skill, to provide an antidote. One doctor succeeds but the other has less luck and in the version of the scene mentioned above is depicted lying ill on the ground.

The Khamsa was a popular subject for lavish manuscripts illustrated with painted miniatures at the Persian and Mughal courts in later centuries. The British Museum picture mentioned above, for example, comes from a manuscript created for the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 1590s. Scenes from these works were then copied or adapted in turn by Persian artists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which is what we have here. The quality of the execution remains high producing a highly decorative example of the best Persian work.

A Mughal style Gouache Painting depicting a Dignitary and Attendants, C20th

Price: £75

A Mughal style gouache painting, the central roundel depicting a court figure scene with a dignitary seated in a pavilion surrounded by attendants, all within a walled enclosure, and the blue ground border with four further attendants, seated, with gilt foliage decoration. Gouache paint is similar to watercolour, but is modified to make it opaque. It was commonly used by Persian artists from the thirteenth century onwards. The style of painting here, though, suggests a dating to the C20th and Indian work in the Mughal Court style which was derived from Persian artists. The frame is modern.

A pair of Mughal style carved wood miniature screen picture frames, C20th

Price: £55

A pair of wood picture frames, probably from a four leaf miniature folding screen, of rectangular form with short legs and crown style finials, richly decorated in the typical Mughal style with carved stylised floral tendrils and lattice work panels. These are productions from the British Raj occupation of India which lasted between 1858 and 1947. The craftsmen were probably catering for British officials posted to India and aimed to design something suitable for a group of family photo portraits. The photos here appear to be original with an officer and two young children represented. More family members, and perhaps the officer’s wife, would, no doubt, have been depicted in the missing two frames. East very much meets West here and the original screen no doubt graced the interior of an official residence. Dating is probably to the early C20th.

Vintage Needlepoint Picture of a lady dressed in a crinoline, framed, probably 1930s

Price: £25

Like the previous lot this embroidery picture employs the so called ‘needlepoint’ technique in which over half a dozen stitching techniques are used as opposed to ‘cross stitch’ which uses only one. The varieties of technique employed here can be clearly seen in the detail images (2), (3) and (4). We have another garden composition, this time a lady dressed in a crinoline gathering flowers and standing on a paved terrace (note the weeds between the paving stones!) with roses and hollyhocks. There are other similar examples of this scene which are thought to be from the prewar era and the slight foxing of the canvas and the form of the frame itself are consistent with this.

Vintage Needlepoint Picture of a Garden Scene, framed, second half C20th

Price: £25

This is a charming embroidery on canvas employing the so called ‘needlepoint’ technique in which over half a dozen stitching techniques are used as opposed to ‘cross stitch’ which uses only one. The varieties of technique employed here can be clearly seen in the detail images (3), (4) and (5). The picture depicts a garden scene with a bird bath and path in the foreground leading to a gate with a pergola like floral arch over it and, in the distance, a thatched cottage. The attraction of the design speaks for itself. Dating is difficult but most likely post war and the frame suggests the mid to late twentieth century.

Framed Watercolour of a Countryside Scene, C20th

Price: £45

This is a highly attractive watercolour painting of a countryside scene. A river winds from left to right with a mother and child walking along a path in the foreground and trees and buildings to the rear. On the river sails a barge drawn by a horse which has just passed under the brick built bridge to which the couple are approaching. This is certainly a ‘period’ composition suggesting the nineteenth century but the artist, an accomplished amateur, was clearly working in the twentieth. If the frame is contemporary, then this indicates a dating to the 1960s or 1970s but this is admittedly something of a guess. But the charm of the piece is obvious and it would be an appealing addition to a modern home.

Framed Picture of Two Elephants signed Mary Beth Zeitz and dated 2003

Price: £25

This attractive composition was, in fact, drawn on a serviette as the label at the back indicates and can easily be seen from the material itself. Depicted are a pair of confronting elephants with colourful saddle hangings and open top howdahs. The painting is skilful and there is much detail in the representation of the fabric hangings and the sides of the howdahs. But then, this is the work of an accomplished and known artist, Mary Beth Zeitz, whose signature appears at the bottom right hand corner (see another example of her work [image 7] for comparison). Born in the C20th in Louisville, Kentucky, she was raised in Wilmington, Delaware from the age of 3 and then went on to study French at the University there following this with a spell the Universite de Montpellier while she was living in the South of France. Her work is distinguished by detailed subjects and antique-style textures which are often to be seen in her watercolours. Her paintings have found their way into several galleries and have been purchased by private and corporate collectors. The recipient of this gift was lucky then and received a decorative object of great charm and skill.

Chinese Straw Thread Picture on Silk, framed in original box, late C20th

Price: £45

This is an attractive picture of Chinese Junks moored by a river bank with birds settled on one and seen flying away in the distance. The technique is unusual. On a silk ground, the detail of the image is rendered in fine straw threads with some of the features coloured in underneath. Great skill would have been required to work in this medium and far fewer examples exist than of the more standard silk thread images. The composition is pleasing but the clean, almost ‘modern’ lines of the picture suggest mid to late C20th work. The picture is fitted into a contemporary Chinese fabric covered box suggesting that it was it is framed in China at the same time as its production.

Chinese Straw Thread Picture on Silk, framed in original box, late C20th

Price: £45

Framed Watercolour, Harbour or Beachside Scene, signed, C20th

Price: £25

This is an attractive watercolour depicting a harbour or beachside scene with a sailing boat moored to the left, a lighter boat to its side and various sailing boats in the distance with mountains beyond. The tones used are mainly sepias and browns but more colours combine in the rendering of the sky with its setting sun. The artist’s signature can be seen to the bottom left but is unfortunately very hard to read. The impressionistic style is typical of mid century work - the well known English artist George Hann comes to mind and perhaps the painter here, an accomplished amateur, shares his nationality. The appeal here is obvious and not just to a collector of maritime scenes!

Oil Painting of a landscape scene with trees, framed, C20th

Price: £25

An oil painting on hardboard in impressionistic style of a landscape scene with trees, a field in the foreground and a river bank in the distance, signed, but illegibly in the bottom right corner. Doubtless the work of an amateur artist this presents an attractive scene employing the techniques of the ‘impressionist’ masters and rather more affordable than their work. The frame is simple but complementary. The use of hardboard suggests a dating to the 1950s or 1960s when that material was particularly in vogue. On the back can be made out the letters 'RICHARDSON' 'NO PIC' 'G' and the signature at the front may well be read as 'Richardson'. Many artists by that name are known but while this picture cannot be atrributed to any of them, the painter was clearly accomplished.

Watercolour by Elisabeth Castle, Kent Landscape Scene, framed, late C20th

Price: £45

An original watercolour painting by the British artist Elizabeth Castle (1930 to 2011, according to the inscription on the reverse). Although a resident of outer London, Castle seems to have concentrated on Kentish landscape scenes and the composition of this picture, with oast houses and slightly abstract trees, is typical of her work. With a fairly muted palette of colours her paintings are always easy to the eye and a restful addition to an interior. Her work seems not to be signed but was always equipped with a printed label as here headed ‘Original paintings by Elizabeth Castle’ followed by her address and telephone number. (The format of the telephone number, used in London up until 1990 gives some idea of the date of the picture.) The gilt wood frame complements the painting well and both combine to produce a relaxing decorative accessory.

Baroque Style Picture Frame with Still Life, C20th

Price: £25

The elaborate stylised floral decoration of this picture frame looks to the baroque era prevalent in Europe during the late C17th and early C18th with its elaborate floral scrolling but its date of manufacture is rather more recent. The material seems to be resin and the aim was clearly to produce a lavish effect at a bargain price. The picture enclosed is, of course, far from baroque but the semi impressionist style of this floral still life actually matches its surround rather well. A piece of decorative whimsey then, probably 1950/1960s and continental, and a clear antidote to austerity!

Pair of Silhouette Portraits by Enid Elliot Linder, framed, late C20th

Price: £25

A pair of silhouette portraits depicting, according to the labels on the reverse, ‘Miss Rosamund’ and ‘A Naval Gentleman’, each signed ‘Enid Elliot Linder’ with matching mounts and frames. The ‘silhouette’, as we now know it, gained popularity from the mid eighteenth century onwards. An image, often of a person, was represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject and mounted on a light background, usually white. Early silhouettes were normally made from cut black card and took their name from the French finance minister Étienne de Silhouette, who, in 1759, was forced by France's credit crisis during the Seven Years' War to impose severe economic demands upon the French people. Famous for his austere economies, his name became synonymous with anything done cheaply and so with this form of portraiture.

Known first as ‘profiles’ or ‘shades’ silhouettes became a common form of portraiture before the development of photography but continued to be made well after and indeed into the C20th. This pair of portrait heads, two from a series of twenty according to the label on the reverse, were produced in a studio set up by Enid Elliot Linder in the 1970s. Starting in a room at the back of a house in Babbacombe, Enid Linder, an artist with a great talent for painting silhouettes, began production in 1972 and, within the space of a few months, helped by her husband and four assistants was producing 500 pictures a week, necessitating a move to larger premises on the Teignmouth Road. By 1980, the ‘Pennyfarthing Galleries’, as they had become known, had sold an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 pictures all around the world. All were all produced at the Teignmouth Road premises, and checked and signed in pencil by the artist. Various series were produced and this pair of portraits come from what seems to have been a series of generic images of early nineteenth century figures. The influence of Jane Austen is obvious and these two silhouette heads are an attractive reminder of a tradition of portraiture with long historical associations.

Pair of framed Watercolours, Dartmoor heather fields, signed C.A.James, early C20th

Price: £45

A pair of watercolours in pastel shades depicting two landscape scenes on Dartmoor with lakes and fields of heather. The artist C.A.James, whose signature appears at the bottom of each of these paintings, cannot be identified but was clearly an accomplished amateur painter. The bleak landscape of Dartmoor is sensitively pictured in two complementary scenes of fields of heather by a lake, the lighting suggesting dawn with birds flying at the break of day. The mountainous outcrop at the back can be identified as Brent Tor, a landmark of Dartmoor which is surmounted by the church of St Michael, which can be seen in both the images. It was probably a popular subject for painters and various other paintings with a similar subject can be found. The style suggests dating to the 1920s and this seems consistent with the frames which appear to be original.

Chinese Silk picture of Two Birds and Flowering Plum Blossom, signed, C20th

Price: £20

A Chinese silk picture of two birds sitting on a branch of flowering plum blossom or prunus, the flowers and leaves delicately rendered, a red seal mark to the top, perhaps indicating the maker, alongside four characters of calligraphy probably describing the scene depicted. This piece is not framed but simply taped to card backing. The style and quality of the workmanship suggests a C20th dating perhaps to the mid 1950s and the composition retains great charm.

Silk Print of a Bird, Bianchini-Ferier, France, early C20th

Price: £25

A silk print of a bird perched on a branch of flowering acorns. The design of the bird itself employs ‘flock work’ technique where slender coloured threads are laid onto the fabric surface to produce a slightly raised effect but the remainder of the image is printed onto the silk using grisaille colouring. Similar examples are known, some depicting birds and some flowers, but all are marked at the bottm ‘Bianchini-Ferier’ ‘Made in France’.

Bianchini Ferier was a silk weaving manufacturer based in Lyons. Founded in 1888 by Francois Atuyer, Charles Bianchini and Francois Ferier, it first produced fine silk damasks mainly for the clothing industry. After gaining a silver medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889 it went on to enjoy great success and many well known artists created designs for it in the early C20th, most notably Raoul Dufy. Production continued until the early 1990s when the firm was acquired by Tissages Bauman.

This print resembles designs in the firm’s archives from the late C19th and was probably created in the early C20th. It was designed for framing and the dotted line definition of the composition can be seen at the edges. Presented now in a modern surround it provides an excellent example of the firm’s work and a reflection of the Art Nouveau style so popular when it was produced.

Framed Stumpwork Panel depicting a Bowl of Flowers, English, 1930s

Price: £45

An attractive oval embroidered panel depicting a bowl of flowers on a beige silk ground. The technique employed here is known as stumpwork where stitched figures are raised from the surface of the work to form a 3-dimensional effect. Its popularity began in England in the mid seventeenth century but has been continued by embroiderers until modern times. The appeal of the design here speaks for itself. A date of production in the 1930s seems likely. The gilt frame may be contemporary or later.

Art Deco Shagreen Picture Frame, 1930s

Price: £110

A rectangular picture frame, the broad border inset with strips of beige and dark grey shagreen skin laid on a wooden surround the edges with short narrow strips stained beige to match the border with graining in imitation of bone, the back stained dark brown with patterning effects designed to imitate animal skin, the central insert hinged and held with fastening clasps to reveal the glass underneath and also fitted with a hinged support.

Shagreen is a natural hide, typically from shark, stingray or dogfish, worked through special processes to produce a granular surface effect. Known in China and Japan from the earliest times and popular in Europe in the eighteenth century Shagreen enjoyed its greatest popularity in the Art Deco period where it was used as a covering for writing desks and well-dressed cabinetry and smaller items such as the picture frame we have here. The clean lines of this piece and the palette of colours employed fit exactly with the ethos of the Art Deco period and a dating to the 1930s is extremely likely. A luxury item at the time it could be used now to provide enhanced presentation of a favourite image adding to it a hint of true elegance.

Lithograph Print, Le Pont Alexandre III in Paris, signed Herbelot, 1950s/1960s

Price: £45

This is a lithograph print of the famous ‘Pont Alexandre III’ in Paris. The bridge itself was built between 1996 and 1900 and named after Tsar Alexander III of Russia, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower and is one of the landmarks of the French capital. Herbelot (doubtless a pseudonym; his first name is unknown) was a French artist active in Paris from the 1940s to the 1960s. Most of his works depict Parisian scenes and are found as lithographs produced from watercolour originals. His style, impressionistic with a muted palette of colours, is typical of mid century work and extremely pleasing to the eye. Perhaps sold as a tourist souvenir at the time this image today is a highly evocative portrayal of the ‘great city’ and is matched by a frame typical of the era.

Signed Watercolour of Farm Buildings, Richard Akerman (1942-2005), dated 1981

Price: £110

In this focus auction we are offering a signed watercolour by Richard Akerman (1942-2005). After many years of study and sheer hard work including a stint selling on the famous artists’ railings at Kensington Gardens in London, Akerman enjoyed immense popularity and prints of his work rivalled those of Monet in the volume of their sales. These are often found today but signed originals of his work are less common and our example was possibly painted by the artist for his own enjoyment. Certainly no reproduction seems to exist. A very special item, then, for collectors of watercolours and devotees of post war British art.

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Richard Akerman was born in London in 1942. He attended the Hornsey College of Arts and Crafts in the early 1960s, studying a general fine art course which incorporated printmaking and sculpture. His first exhibition was at the Obelisk Gallery in Crawford Street, London, where his work was displayed alongside works by famous surrealists such as Man Ray and Salvador Dali, implying that the style of his early work matched that of his more famous contemporaries. Years of travel followed in both Europe and the Far East and this seems to have turned him to painting in a more coventional style. A succession of watercolours was to follow with subjects ranging from still life and flowers to garden and architectural subjects. His work became immensely popular through the prints made from his original paintings, indeed such was the demand for them that he rivalled Monet as a subject for reproduction in this medium becoming, in a sense, quite a household name with exhibitions of his work internationally.

The path to success, however, was not straightforward and one account of him, written by his son Marcus, mentions running a hot dog stand alongside joining the artists with their weekend displays of works for sale on the railings at Kensington Gardens. Convivial and outgoing (a self portrait captures him well : see image 9), Akerman was married with three children and spent the latter years of his life in Spain where he sadly died after an accident in 2005.

But his work survives him and the prints produced in his lifetime can still be obtained today, giving an accesible overview of his output. The style is approachable with an attractive use of colour and often slightly impressionistic brushwork. But there are works executed in a more precise style, for example a signed watercolour ‘Hot House Flowers’, exhibited by the Edinburgh Gallery in 1994 (see image 10) and this is seen in the work we have on offer. The location of this group of farm buildings is uncertain but Akerman painted similar scenes which appear to be located in Kent and this may well be the case here. Original watercolours by Akerman are not so easily found but what increases the rarity and interest of our picture is that the artist’s signature, done in a slightly more precise hand than the signatures found in the reproduction prints, has the date in addition (’81). We have been unable to find any other example of this and it leads to the possibility that this is a work which the artist painted for himself. Certainly there are no reproductions of it. If so, then it is of particular interest and more than worthy of inclusion in a collection C20th British watercolourists with the addition of being an original creation by an artist who enjoyed such great popularity with the general public.

Léon Vidal Photochromie : A Japanese Woman with a Parasol, late C19th

Price: £550

This is a very special coloured photograph produced by the French photographer, Leon Vidal. In the 1870s Vidal invented and perfected a whole new process of photographic printing which allowed for a far more accurate reproduction of colour. He named it ‘Photochromie’. It was used for book illustrations and to create copies of famous contemporary pictures, here the ‘Portrait of a Japanese Woman with a Parasol' by Pierre Beyle. The reverse of the mount is clearly stamped with Vidal’s logo and the Photochromie trademark confirming that it is an authentic production by Vidal in the late 19th century. A true collector’s item for lovers of photography and the decorative arts.

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Art and artistry combine in this striking photographic reproduction of a painting by the French artist Pierre Marie Beyle (1838-1902) produced by the ‘Photochromie’ printing process invented and perfected by the French photographer Leon Vidal (1834-1906).

Leon Vidal (see image 11) developed the photochrome printing process in the 1870s as a method of accurately colouring photographs for quantity reproduction. From the original negative a number of copy negatives were made, on glass or thin paper. On each negative, those areas which were not to be coloured were blocked out with an opaque medium. For example, on the negative prepared for the colour blue, only those areas to be coloured blue in the final print remained uncovered. Negatives were prepared for as many colours as required, up to twelve, and then used to make lithographic tint plates which were employed to transfer colours in succession to the monochrome photograph from the original negative.

‘Photochromie’, as the photochrome printing process was called, was patented in 1872 and 1874 and refined by Vidal in the studios of the Société Anonymes des Publications Périodiques, whose director he became in 1875. This Société was founded in 1869, initially for a period of 60 years, and its first major publication, published in 1878, was a lavishly illustrated book entitled ‘Le Trésor artistique de la France’ in which the French heritage in the arts was represented by thirty nine specially selected items of particular cultural and artistic merit, each described by an expert in the field and all illustrated, a few in monochrome and the bulk, thirty in all, in colour employing the newly discovered photochromie process. The results were unfortunately uneven and the cost of the volume, three hundred francs, prohibitively high which resulted in the first volume of a proposed series being its last. Individual plates from this publication appear on the market today and are sought by collectors.

Less commonly seen are individual representations of contemporary paintings which Vidal also produced in the studios of the Société at its premises, 13 Quai Voltaire, Paris. Vidal’s printing process was not the only one available to the French public in the late nineteenth century but it was probably the most accomplished and Vidal sought to exploit this by issuing a series of reproductions suitable for interior decoration. Most popular amongst the artists whose work he chose to reproduce seems to have been Pierre Marie Beyle (1838-1902).

Beyle was born in Lyon in 1838 and studied in Paris where he later exhibited regularly at the Salon, from 1867 to 1900. Around 1870, he went to Algiers and the themes of the city are reflected in his paintings of those years (see image 12 for an example). Later he became known for landscape and genre scenes many of which depict the surroundings of Normandy where he used to spend his summers and in addition he followed the contemporary fascination with the Orient producing paintings with themes from the Far East such as we have here. Beyle also worked as a caricaturist in satirical newspapers such as the Petit Journal, the Fun Journal and Bouffon in the 1860s and 1870s. He exhibited at the Grafton Gallery in London in 1881, then went to Scotland where he exhibited at the Institute of Fine Arts in Glasgow. In 1900, he exhibited at the Universal Exhibition. After settling in Chennevieres-sur-Marne towards the end of his life he died in Paris in 1902 and was buried at Montparnasse.

The rich palette of colours employed in Beyle’s paintings were well suited to reproduction by Vidal’s newly invented printing process and he doubtless chose those works which he felt would have a particular popular appeal. The rage for ‘Japonisme’ in the second half of the nineteenth century is well documented and its influence was widely spread, perhaps most famously in David Belasco’s play ‘Madame Butterfly’ which inspired Puccini’s opera of the same name. The Geisha figure here fortunately holds a fan rather than a sword and is seen gazing at an elaborate bronze incense burner. The elaborate colours of her robe are well reproduced by the ‘Photochromie’ technique and the whole composition has a richness of presentation which doubtless reflects the original painting which appears still to be in the private domain. Beyle’s signature is accurately reproduced at the bottom right and Vidal’s invention is proudly announced on the reverse with the sun inspired emblem at the top and the wording below ‘Photochromie’ ‘Photographie en Couleurs’ ‘sans le secours du pinceau’. No hand colouring here! The modern frame acts acts as complement to the image and both combine to present a highly decorative picture of considerable cultural interest.

Framed Oil Painting on Board of a Winter Landscape Scene, C20th

Price: £55

Clearly the work of an accomplished amateur artist, this dramatic landscape painting of a snowy winter scene shows a gabled house set by a river with reeds and trees in the foreground and craggy snow capped mountains in the background. The location is really a matter of guesswork but the building resembles some found in Holland which might indicate a Dutch setting. The grandeur of the scene is obvious with the mountainous outcrops graphically depicted. The board surface used and the style of the frame suggests a mid to late twentieth century dating but this picture would grace a room setting of any age.

Mods at Clacton 1964, Photograph by Terry Disney for the Daily Express

Price: £45

Easter 1964 saw a gathering of two wheeler transport fanatics in the sea town of Clacton, Essex. These were the ‘mods’ and ‘rockers’ famous at the time, the ‘mods’ with their sharp suits and scooters and the ‘rockers’ with leather jackets and motorcycles. Relationships between the two groups were less than friendly and the inevitable resulted. But if the two rival ‘gangs’ disliked one another, they disliked the police even more and when officialdom stepped in, the chaos increased. Exactly what happened has been debated ever since. The press called it anarchy (see image 6) but the local council was not so sure.

It was, though, a newsworthy confrontation and press photographers were sent in to record events. The most notable of these was Terry Disney who worked for the Daily Express newspaper. Disney was a distinguished and prolific photographer from the 1960s onwards and many of his striking images survive, not least those capturing the major personalities of the entertainment world at the time, including the Beatles themselves. His images of the ‘mods’ (he seemed less interested in the ‘rockers’) capture the atmosphere of the scenes vividly and this photograph is an excellent example of his work on that Easter weekend (for another see image 5). Often only obtainable under licence, this print is an ideal opportunity for a collector to acquire a near iconic image. It is offered with a very basic frame which might well be replaced with something which would enhance the photograph more sympathetically.

French Orientalist etching aquatint - Paris La Rue Saint Rustique

Price: £35

This is a beautile small etching aquatint that is signed. One reverse is the printers label of "Georges Hautecoer & Co. Gravures Encadements 172 Rue de Rivoli Paris". It is a scene of a very famous street in the Monmarte district of Paris. The signature is illegible but it is lovely quality.