Author: DOYLE, John
Title: Political Sketches &C... By H.B.
Description: London: Thomas M'Lean, 1829. Revolutionary Caricatures Exceptionally Scarce With All Nine Volumes Plus Illustrative Key "H.B." [DOYLE, John]. Political Sketches &c. Thomas M'lean: London, 1829-51 [with] An Illustrative Key to the Political Sketches of H.B. From No. 1 to No. 600. London: Thomas M'lean: London, 1841. [and] An Illustrative Key to the Political Sketches of H.B. From No. 601 to No. 800. London: Thomas M'lean: London, 1844. (two volumes bound in one). A 'Subscribers' set with all of the plates hand colored. Nine large folio volumes (21 x 14 1/2 in; 580 x 369 mm). Nine printed contents leaves and 882 (of 917 published) hand-colored lithographed plates, many with the small 'Subscribers Copy blind stamp, each window-pane mounted on heavy green/gray paper within an inked border, almost all plates captioned beneath plate with identification of personages, a few early plates with neat pencil annotations identifying subjects, some plates with publisher's or artist's blind-stamp to lower margin, occasional patches of foxing or scattered spotting but plates generally clean and bright. One or two mounts with creasing or repaired tears. Lacking 35 plates otherwise complete with all nine lithographed title pages and printed contents pages. Together with: Supplemental Illustrative Key. Octavo (8 5/8 x 56 1/4 in; 215 x 135 mm). viii, 448; vi, [2], 213, [1, ad], pp. describing plates 1-600, 601-800, as issued. Nineteenth-century red half morocco, spines gilt decorated in compartments. Gilt stamp of New Club of Edinburgh to front covers. All edges gilt. Bookplates of New Club of Edinburgh to front paste-downs. Bindings expertly repaired and restored. Some very occasional light foxing, all plates untrimmed with full margins. Three leaves with small tears at bottom edge/corner not affecting plates. An exceptional "Subscribers" set of the rare hand-colored issue of one of the most important collections of caricatures of the 19th century. Despite his popularity, Doyle maintained his anonymity for much of his career, his gently witty style embodied much of the Victorian attitude to its ruling class and society at large. The largest and without question one of the most important series of political cartoons published in the nineteenth century, and the key visual record of the major and minor issues and personages on the contemporary British political stage; the art of political theater at its finest. For English graphic political history 1829-1851 one must rely on the drawings of "H.B." There are more than six hundred examples in the print room of the British Museum. Scarcely found with all nine volumes plus the supplementary Key; only three such copies have come to auction within the last thirty-five years, and none of these were hand-colored copies. OCLC and KVK locate only seven copies with all nine volumes and supplement but we are uncertain as to how many of these are actually colored 'Subscribers' copies. John Doyle (1797-1868), painter and caricaturist, studied drawing under an Italian landscape painter named Gabrielli, and in the Royal Dublin Society's schools. He was also a pupil of the miniature painter Comerford. In 1821 he came to London but although he occasionally exhibited at the Royal Academy, he was not entirely successful as a portrait painter. He subsequently turned his attention to lithography, and having in 1827 and 1828 produced some lithographed portraits with great success, was gradually led to begin the series known popularly as the caricatures of H.B. (a signature contrived by the junction of two J's and two D's). These came out in batches of four or five at a time, at irregular intervals, but during Parliamentary sessions at least once a month, and for many years were complimented by a semi-lead article in the Times explaining their meaning. The utmost pains were taken to preserve Doyle's anonymity, and with such success that almost to the last his identity was never revealed. "You never hear any laughing at H.B." wrote Thackeray in 1840, "his pictures are a great deal too genteel for that- polite points of wit, which strike one as exceedingly clever and pretty, and cause one to smile in a quiet, gentlemanlike kind of way." Other contemporaries strike a more enthusiastic note. Macaulay, writing to his sister in 1831, describes the delight he had derived from "the caricatures of that remarkably able artist who calls himself H.B." Wordsworth and Haydon were also warm in commending his work. "He has," said the latter, "an instinct for expression and power of drawing, without academical cant, I never saw before" (Journal, 29 Oct. 1831). Prince Metternich possessed his entire collection, and regarded them as most valuable records. Wilkie, Rogers, and Moore also thought very highly of them. John Doyle “came to the political scene at a moment when, for the first time in a century of caricature, there was no reigning artist: Cruikshank, who had succeeded Gillray, had turned from radical protest to illustration. Doyle’s first prints appeared anonymously in 1827-8. From 1829 the monogram ‘HB’ concealed his identity, which remained a secret for years. His lithographed Political Sketches were finely drawn likenesses, with none of the distortion or vulgarity of the prints of the previous decades. The mild humour of his satires met with approval, as public taste veered to restraint and decorum. The series ran for twenty years, numbered to the final 917th print, and was issued with keys to identify the subjects.” (Feaver, William. Masters of Caricature, p. 69). Doyle "revolutionized the art of caricature, concentrating mainly on politicians for his subjects. His work differed greatly from previous cartoonists such as Thomas Rowlandson (1756 - 1827) and James Gillray (1757 - 1815) who attempted to make their subjects look ugly and ridiculous. Doyle's pictures appeared in 'The Times' between 1829 and 1851. His drawings were always signed HB and at the time very few people knew his real name. Doyle's cartoons were daily commentaries of political events and were sometimes accompanied by an article explaining their meaning. John Doyle died on 2nd January 1868. One of his sons, Richard Doyle (1824 - 1883), was also a cartoonist. His other son, Charles, was the father of the writer, Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930), who created the fictional character Sherlock Holmes" (British Library of Political and Economic Science, http://library-2.lse.ac.uk/archives/handlists/Doyle/Doyle.html). "H.B.'s sketches-exhibit a vivid picture of the party politics of the period over which the series extend. The Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and the other leaders of the time [including Lord Brougham, one of the leading progressive radicals of his time] stand out before us now as they appeared to their contemporaries. In the works of the older caricaturists likenesses were to some extent retained but the persons caricatured were usually depicted as monsters rather than as human beings. In the caricatures of H.B. the resemblance was perfect, and it was the position rather than the person that was distorted. There was plenty of satire but is was of a refined character" (Chamber's Encyclopaedia [1891], p. 767). Doyle's "chief merits are to be found in the facility with which he grasped an idea; the harmlessness and playfulness of his satire, which wrought a complete revolution in the style and manner of caricaturists; and above all in the excellence of his likenesses" (Everitt, p. 275). "Political Sketches by 'H. B.' (John Doyle) were the first examples of unexaggerated statement, and fair and decorous satire" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911 Ed.) A golden opportunity to acquire the seldom available, overwhelming majority of the complete Political Sketches of this important, though now often neglected artist, and a matchless look at English political and art history. Provenance: New Club, Edinburgh (bookplate and gilt stamps). Bobins IV, 1332; Cole and Hungerford, First Proofs of the Universal Catalogue of Books on Art, p. 767; Everitt, English Caricaturists and Graphic Humourists of the Nineteenth Century [1893], p. 254. .
Keywords: Caricatures English History Sets (Bound) English Caricature
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Title: Political Sketches &C... By H.B.
Description: London: Thomas M'Lean, 1829. Revolutionary Caricatures Exceptionally Scarce With All Nine Volumes Plus Illustrative Key "H.B." [DOYLE, John]. Political Sketches &c. Thomas M'lean: London, 1829-51 [with] An Illustrative Key to the Political Sketches of H.B. From No. 1 to No. 600. London: Thomas M'lean: London, 1841. [and] An Illustrative Key to the Political Sketches of H.B. From No. 601 to No. 800. London: Thomas M'lean: London, 1844. (two volumes bound in one). A 'Subscribers' set with all of the plates hand colored. Nine large folio volumes (21 x 14 1/2 in; 580 x 369 mm). Nine printed contents leaves and 882 (of 917 published) hand-colored lithographed plates, many with the small 'Subscribers Copy blind stamp, each window-pane mounted on heavy green/gray paper within an inked border, almost all plates captioned beneath plate with identification of personages, a few early plates with neat pencil annotations identifying subjects, some plates with publisher's or artist's blind-stamp to lower margin, occasional patches of foxing or scattered spotting but plates generally clean and bright. One or two mounts with creasing or repaired tears. Lacking 35 plates otherwise complete with all nine lithographed title pages and printed contents pages. Together with: Supplemental Illustrative Key. Octavo (8 5/8 x 56 1/4 in; 215 x 135 mm). viii, 448; vi, [2], 213, [1, ad], pp. describing plates 1-600, 601-800, as issued. Nineteenth-century red half morocco, spines gilt decorated in compartments. Gilt stamp of New Club of Edinburgh to front covers. All edges gilt. Bookplates of New Club of Edinburgh to front paste-downs. Bindings expertly repaired and restored. Some very occasional light foxing, all plates untrimmed with full margins. Three leaves with small tears at bottom edge/corner not affecting plates. An exceptional "Subscribers" set of the rare hand-colored issue of one of the most important collections of caricatures of the 19th century. Despite his popularity, Doyle maintained his anonymity for much of his career, his gently witty style embodied much of the Victorian attitude to its ruling class and society at large. The largest and without question one of the most important series of political cartoons published in the nineteenth century, and the key visual record of the major and minor issues and personages on the contemporary British political stage; the art of political theater at its finest. For English graphic political history 1829-1851 one must rely on the drawings of "H.B." There are more than six hundred examples in the print room of the British Museum. Scarcely found with all nine volumes plus the supplementary Key; only three such copies have come to auction within the last thirty-five years, and none of these were hand-colored copies. OCLC and KVK locate only seven copies with all nine volumes and supplement but we are uncertain as to how many of these are actually colored 'Subscribers' copies. John Doyle (1797-1868), painter and caricaturist, studied drawing under an Italian landscape painter named Gabrielli, and in the Royal Dublin Society's schools. He was also a pupil of the miniature painter Comerford. In 1821 he came to London but although he occasionally exhibited at the Royal Academy, he was not entirely successful as a portrait painter. He subsequently turned his attention to lithography, and having in 1827 and 1828 produced some lithographed portraits with great success, was gradually led to begin the series known popularly as the caricatures of H.B. (a signature contrived by the junction of two J's and two D's). These came out in batches of four or five at a time, at irregular intervals, but during Parliamentary sessions at least once a month, and for many years were complimented by a semi-lead article in the Times explaining their meaning. The utmost pains were taken to preserve Doyle's anonymity, and with such success that almost to the last his identity was never revealed. "You never hear any laughing at H.B." wrote Thackeray in 1840, "his pictures are a great deal too genteel for that- polite points of wit, which strike one as exceedingly clever and pretty, and cause one to smile in a quiet, gentlemanlike kind of way." Other contemporaries strike a more enthusiastic note. Macaulay, writing to his sister in 1831, describes the delight he had derived from "the caricatures of that remarkably able artist who calls himself H.B." Wordsworth and Haydon were also warm in commending his work. "He has," said the latter, "an instinct for expression and power of drawing, without academical cant, I never saw before" (Journal, 29 Oct. 1831). Prince Metternich possessed his entire collection, and regarded them as most valuable records. Wilkie, Rogers, and Moore also thought very highly of them. John Doyle “came to the political scene at a moment when, for the first time in a century of caricature, there was no reigning artist: Cruikshank, who had succeeded Gillray, had turned from radical protest to illustration. Doyle’s first prints appeared anonymously in 1827-8. From 1829 the monogram ‘HB’ concealed his identity, which remained a secret for years. His lithographed Political Sketches were finely drawn likenesses, with none of the distortion or vulgarity of the prints of the previous decades. The mild humour of his satires met with approval, as public taste veered to restraint and decorum. The series ran for twenty years, numbered to the final 917th print, and was issued with keys to identify the subjects.” (Feaver, William. Masters of Caricature, p. 69). Doyle "revolutionized the art of caricature, concentrating mainly on politicians for his subjects. His work differed greatly from previous cartoonists such as Thomas Rowlandson (1756 - 1827) and James Gillray (1757 - 1815) who attempted to make their subjects look ugly and ridiculous. Doyle's pictures appeared in 'The Times' between 1829 and 1851. His drawings were always signed HB and at the time very few people knew his real name. Doyle's cartoons were daily commentaries of political events and were sometimes accompanied by an article explaining their meaning. John Doyle died on 2nd January 1868. One of his sons, Richard Doyle (1824 - 1883), was also a cartoonist. His other son, Charles, was the father of the writer, Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930), who created the fictional character Sherlock Holmes" (British Library of Political and Economic Science, http://library-2.lse.ac.uk/archives/handlists/Doyle/Doyle.html). "H.B.'s sketches-exhibit a vivid picture of the party politics of the period over which the series extend. The Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and the other leaders of the time [including Lord Brougham, one of the leading progressive radicals of his time] stand out before us now as they appeared to their contemporaries. In the works of the older caricaturists likenesses were to some extent retained but the persons caricatured were usually depicted as monsters rather than as human beings. In the caricatures of H.B. the resemblance was perfect, and it was the position rather than the person that was distorted. There was plenty of satire but is was of a refined character" (Chamber's Encyclopaedia [1891], p. 767). Doyle's "chief merits are to be found in the facility with which he grasped an idea; the harmlessness and playfulness of his satire, which wrought a complete revolution in the style and manner of caricaturists; and above all in the excellence of his likenesses" (Everitt, p. 275). "Political Sketches by 'H. B.' (John Doyle) were the first examples of unexaggerated statement, and fair and decorous satire" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911 Ed.) A golden opportunity to acquire the seldom available, overwhelming majority of the complete Political Sketches of this important, though now often neglected artist, and a matchless look at English political and art history. Provenance: New Club, Edinburgh (bookplate and gilt stamps). Bobins IV, 1332; Cole and Hungerford, First Proofs of the Universal Catalogue of Books on Art, p. 767; Everitt, English Caricaturists and Graphic Humourists of the Nineteenth Century [1893], p. 254. .
Keywords: Caricatures English History Sets (Bound) English Caricature
Price: US$ 35000.00 Seller: David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)
- Book number: 05799
- Book number: 05799
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