Grosvenor Prints

Roxalana.
Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Engraved by J.K. Shirwin.
London, Publish'd Feby. 1. 1791, by J. Thane, Rupert Street, Hay Market.
Stipple and etching, proof, title in open letters; 285 x 210mm (11¼ x 8¼"). Large margins.
The famous comic actress Frances Abington (1737 - 1815) in character in Isaac Bickerstaffe's 'The Sultan'; appearing from behind a curtain which she pushes aside with her left hand. After Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792).
Hamilton: pg.77, II of III. See Reg: 10601 for 1st state; & 10597 for 3rd state; for printed colour impression see ref. 13807 Harvard p.7: 45
[Ref: 16975] £230.00 (£276.00 incl.VAT)

Roxalana. Mrs. Abbington in that Character, in the Sultan.
Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Engraved by J.K. Shirwin.
London, Publish'd Feby. 1. 1791, by J. Thane, Rupert Street, Hay Market.
Stipple and etching, printed in colours. 285 x 210mm. 11¼ x 8¼". Some mount burn. Unexamined out of frame.
The famous comic actress Frances Abington (1737 - 1815) in character as Roxalana, an English slave in Isaac Bickstaffe's play 'The Sultan; or A Peep into the Seraglio' She is, as a contemporary newspaper reported, 'in the act of drawing the Curtain when she surprises the sultan in his retirement'. Mrs Abington was rumoured to have spent her teenage years working as a prostitute. After Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792).
Hamilton: pg.77, iii of iii. See 10597 & 10601.
[Ref: 13807] £260.00 (£312.00 incl.VAT)

Roxalana. Mrs. Abbington in that Character, in the Sultan. Sultan (alone) "She's not handsome, that is, what is call'd a beauty; get her little nose" "cock'd in the air, her laughing eyes, & the play of her features, have an". "effect altogether:_Who is it that lifts the curtain there?" Roxalana __ "Tis I". __
Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Engraved by J.K. Shirwin.
London, Publish'd Feby. 1. 1791, by J. Thane, Rupert Street, Hay Market.
A fine stipple and etching. Plate 285 x 210mm. 11¼ x 8¼". Foxing.
The famous comic actress Frances Abington (1737 - 1815) in character as Roxalana, an English slave in Isaac Bickstaffe's play 'The Sultan; or A Peep into the Seraglio' She is, as a contemporary newspaper reported, 'in the act of drawing the Curtain when she surprises the sultan in his retirement'. Mrs Abington was rumoured to have spent her teenage years working as a prostitute. After Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792).
Hamilton: pg.77, iii of iii. See 13807 for printed colour version.
[Ref: 21009] £180.00 (£216.00 incl.VAT)

Mrs Abington
Sr. Jos. Reynolds Pinx J. Wilson fec
[n.d., c.1770]
Mezzotint, platemark 150 x 115mm (6 x 4½").
Frances Abington (1737-1815), actress. Born in lowly circumstances, Abington grew up in the slums around Drury Lane, and sold flowers and sang in Covent Garden as a girl. Along with other jobs she did when young (kitchenmaid, milliner's assistant), various accounts of her life hint at prostitution during her early years. After making a start as an actress in London her first professional success came while working in Dublin, rejoining Garrick's Drury Lane company where she established herself as one of the leading comedy actresses of her generation. She was also the mistress of at least two prominent figures. Engraving after the several portrait 'Mrs Abington as the Comic Muse' by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1764-8, hair and dress repainted 1772-3) now in Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire. This was one of several portraits that Reynolds painted of Abington- he was an admirer and purchased twelve tickets for her benefit performance in 1772. Reynolds' portrait was a companion to his portrait of Sarah Siddons as 'the Tragic Muse'.
CS: 2. Not in Hamilton.
[Ref: 42094] £160.00 (£192.00 incl.VAT)

[Roxalana.]
[Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Engraved by J.K. Sherwin.]
[London: J. Thane, 1791.]
Stipple and etching, proof before all letters, sheet 270 x 220mm. 10½ x 8¾". Trimmed to plate.
The famous comic actress Frances Abington (1737 - 1815) in character, appearing from behind a curtain which she pushes aside with her left hand. After Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792).
Hamilton: pg.77, I of III; for printed colour impression see ref. 13807
[Ref: 10601] £220.00 (£264.00 incl.VAT)

[Mrs Abington.]
[n.d., c.1795.]
Etching, sheet 182 x 135mm. Trimmed inside plate.
A rare and charming portrait of Frances Abington (1737 - 1815), famous comic actress. Etched by James Bretherton (1750 - 1799; fl.), dealer and publisher in London. Brother of Charles Bretherton, he is particularly associated with Henry William Bunbury, many of whose works he engraved and published. His stock of plates was auctioned in 1799. From the painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Ex: Collection of Alec Clunes.
[Ref: 7834] £220.00 (£264.00 incl.VAT)

J. Addison. Professor of Music.
Engraved by R. Cooper, from a Drawing by J. Slater.
Jany. 12 1819. Published for the Proprietor by Colnaghi & Co. No. 23 Cockspur Street.
Stipple engraving. 180 x 250mm. Marked 'Proof' lower left. Light foxing in image, heavier in margins.
John Addison [1766 - 1844], musician.
[Ref: 5555] £45.00 (£54.00 incl.VAT)

Portrait de Comédien. [Tableau de Dominique Feti, qui est dans le Cabinet de Mr Crozat / Peint sur toile, haut de 37 pouces, large de 30, gravé par Nicolas de Larmessin]
[n.d., c. 1729]
Engraving, sheet 305 x 250mm (12 x 9¾"). Trimmed, losing text; small tissue fragments attached to surface.
Portrait of Francesco Andreini (c.1548-1624), actor, holding a mask. Engraved for the 'Recueil Crozat' from a painting by Domenico Fetti now in the Hermitage, St Petersburg.
[Ref: 31330] £90.00 (£108.00 incl.VAT)

Ariadne. Proof.
Sir Joshua Reynolds Pinx.t. S.W. Reynolds Sculp.t.
[n.d., c.1820.]
Proof mezzotint. 155 x 95mm (6 x 3¾"), with large margins.
A head and shoulders portrait of a woman in an oval. A mezzotint of Reynolds's painting by William Ward is titled 'Madame Ricardi Circasienne' From "Engravings from the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds', a four-volume set (later nine) with over 350 small mezzotints.
See Whitman Appendix; state ii of iv.
[Ref: 59579] £95.00 (£114.00 incl.VAT)

Signora Baccelli.
Painted by T. Gainsborough R.A. Engraved by John Jones.
London Pub.d Feb.y 5th 1784 by J. Jones No. 63 Great Portland Street Marylebone.
Rare mezzotint. 535 x 350mm (21 x 13¾"), with widemargins on three sides. Slight mark centre top. Top area slightly rubbed.
Giovanna Baccelli (1774, fl.- d.1801), dancer. Baccelli, first appeared at the King's Theatre, Haymarket in 1774. She reached the peak of her career during the 1780-1 season when she appeared with Gaetan Vestris and his son Auguste in several important ballets devised by Noverre. She also danced in Venice in 1783-4, and at the Paris Opéra as late as 1788. Baccelli was equally known as a mistress of John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745-99), who had set up Baccelli in a suite of rooms at Knole by October 1779. Baccelli accompanied him to Paris in 1783 when he was appointed Ambassador to France. They entertained lavishly, patronising the Paris Opéra, and were admitted to the friendship of Queen Marie-Antoinette. Horace Walpole records that when the Duke was awarded the Order of the Garter in 1788, Baccelli danced at the Opéra wearing the blue Garter ribbon around her head. As the events of the French Revolution unfolded, the pair returned to Knole, where Baccelli remained until their amicable parting in 1789. Engraved by John Jones after the portrait by Thomas Gainsborough (exhibited 1782) which hangs in Tate Britain. Gainsborough was well-acquainted with many theatre people, including Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the famous dramatist and part-owner of the King's Theatre. When this portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1782, Gainsborough's portrait of the Duke of Dorset was withdrawn, presumably for reasons of decorum. As well as commissioning this portrait, the Duke also patronised Gainsborough's great rival Joshua Reynolds, who painted Baccelli in 1783.
Horne: 7 II of III; CS 3 II of III.
[Ref: 47602] £1,500.00

[A ballad singer]
L: Castro pinxit.
I. smith excud. [n.d. c.1670.]
Very fine mezzotint, 165 x 125mm (6½ x 5"), very large margins. Collector's stamp of Frederick Augustus II of Saxony.
A three-quarters length portrait of a ballad singer, holding the sheets out in front of her with both hands and others in her apron. Russell identifies her as Mrs Parker, a ballad singer from c.1700.
Le Blanc 414. Wessely 410. Russell 197a.
[Ref: 59545] £260.00 (£312.00 incl.VAT)

[Pet of the Ballet. No. 8.]
[R. Gallon pinx. et lith. Day & Haghe Lith.rs to the Queen.]
[R. Ackermann 14th Feb. 1844.]
Aquatint in india. 310 x 230mm (12¼ x 9"). Staining on backing paper.
A portrait of a ballerina from a series of eight plates portraying annoymous dancers who made up the decorative background during a performance.
[Ref: 15653] £580.00

[Scrapsheet with Drawings of Ballet Dancers.]
Scrapsheet. Sheet: 325 x 220mm (12¾ x 8¾''). Tears.
A scrapsheet with various scenes including amateur portraits of Taglioni, Grisi, Cerrito and Lucile Grahn dancing.
[Ref: 50597] £180.00 (£216.00 incl.VAT)

Miss Harper [in pencil]
R. Dighton Pinx.t. R. Laurie Sculp.
Pub.d as the Act Directs March 1st 1780 by W. Richardson No. 68 High Holborn
Rare mezzotint. 155 x 115mm (6 x 4½"), a good impression, uncut. Glued to backing sheet along left edge.
Elizabeth Bannister (née Harper) (1757-1849), actress and singer. She also accompanied herself on the guitar, as shown in John Russell's 1799 portrait. At the time this print was made Harper was only three years into her career but was already earning high salaries. In 1778 she was contracted to perform at the Pantheon (on London's Oxford Street) for two years, earning one thousand pounds in the process. In 1783 she married the actor and comedian John Bannister, and she retired in 1792. From a set of small mezzotint portraits of actresses and singers, published by the printseller William Richardson in 1780, apparently to follow up a similar set of actor portraits published the previous year. Engraved after a painting by draughtsman and singer Robert Dighton (1751-1814) by the mezzotint engraver and printseller Robert Laurie (1755?-1836). Music, instruments and mask (representing theatre) in title area.
Ex: collection of the late Hon. C. Lennox-Boyd; CS 1 ii/iii. Ex: Oettingen-Wallerstein Collection.
[Ref: 36671] £240.00 (£288.00 incl.VAT)

Miss Harper
R. Dighton Pinx.t. R. Laurie Sculp.
Pub.d as the Act Directs March 1st 1780 by W. Richardson No. 68 High Holborn
Rare mezzotint, with very large margins; platemark 155 x 115mm (6 x 4½"). Good impression; glued to backing sheet along left edge at corners; uncut.
Elizabeth Bannister (née Harper) (1757-1849), actress and singer. She also accompanied herself on the guitar, as shown in John Russell's 1799 portrait. At the time this print was made Harper was only three years into her career but was already earning high salaries. In 1778 she was contracted to perform at the Pantheon (on London's Oxford Street) for two years, earning one thousand pounds in the process. In 1783 she married the actor and comedian John Bannister, and she retired in 1792. From a set of small mezzotint portraits of actresses and singers, published by the printseller William Richardson in 1780, apparently to follow up a similar set of actor portraits published the previous year. Engraved after a painting by draughtsman and singer Robert Dighton (1751-1814) by the mezzotint engraver and printseller Robert Laurie (1755?-1836). Music, instruments and mask (representing theatre) in title area.
Ex: Oettingen-Wallenstein collection, and collection of the late Hon. C. Lennox-Boyd; CS 1 iii/iii.
[Ref: 36669] £240.00 (£288.00 incl.VAT)

Mrs. Barry.
Kettle Pinxt. S Paul [pseudonym of Samuel De Wilde?] fecit.
[n.d., c.1780.]
Rare mezzotint. 355 x 255mm (14 x 10"). Lower right margin corner chipped.
Ann (or Anne) Barry (née Street) (baptised 1733 - 1801), actress, sitting with her hands folded in her lap, wearing a white gown with ribbons looping the sleeves and a sash around her waist. Her hair is up with pearls, she has a pearl necklace, with cloak over left shoulder and her knees. After Tilly Kettle (1735-86).
Chaloner Smith 1 ('Paul'), only state but sitter's face with some retouching,
[Ref: 23453] £220.00 (£264.00 incl.VAT)

Mrs. Barry.
Kettle Pinxt. S Paul [pseudonym of Samuel De Wilde?] fecit.
[n.d., c.1780.]
Rare mezzotint. Sheet 355 x 250mm (14 x 9¾"). Trimmed to image on three sides, into plate at bottom.
Ann (or Anne) Barry (née Street) (baptised 1733 - 1801), actress, sitting with her hands folded in her lap, wearing a white gown with ribbons looping the sleeves and a sash around her waist. Her hair is up with pearls, she has a pearl necklace, with cloak over left shoulder and her knees. After Tilly Kettle (1735-86).
Chaloner Smith 1 ('Paul'), only state but sitter's face with some retouching, See ref: 23453.
[Ref: 61548] £180.00 (£216.00 incl.VAT)

A Study of Sir Henry Irving by Aubrey Beardsley "Becket" [upper left]
ABeardsley [lower left]
Mixed-media, platemark 210 x 130mm (8¼ x 5").
Sir Henry Irving in the title role of Tennyson's 'Becket' at the Lyceum Theatre in 1893, after the legendary Victorian illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (1872-98).
See BM 1960,0409.502
[Ref: 37936] £800.00

Mrs. Aphara Behn. Aphara Behn, a celebrated wit and Dramatic writer of the reign of Charles II, was the daughter of Mr. Johnson, a Gentleman of a good family at Canterbury. Her acquaintance with the celebrated American Prince Oroonoko, whose adventures she was related, gave Southerne the first hint for his much admired play. Besides the above, she wrote several Histories and Novels, seventeen different Dramas, and published three Volumes of miscellaneous poetry, together with various translations. Her writings as well as her manner, were tinctured with the licentiousness of the reign in which she lived. She died April 16.th 1689, and was buried in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey.
London. Published by Rob.t Wilkinson, 58, Cornhill. [n.d. c.1790.]
A very rare mezzotint with etching. Plate 178 x 121mm (7 x 4¾"). Trimmed to the plate; crease.
Aphra [Aphara] Behn (1640-1689) was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration and was one of the first English professional female writers. Details of her life are scant, mainly because she was the main source: although there is evidence of her being the daughter of a barber, she suggested that she was daughter of the lieutenant general of Surinam, that country being the setting for one of her most famous works, 'Oroonoko'. Around 1664 she may have married Johan Behn, but he disappeared from her life almost immediately. Having been introduced to court about that time, she was employed as a spy by Charles II in Antwerp during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, seeking out English republican exiles. As a playwright she was mocked for her bawdy themes, including same-sex love between women. However she still earned a grave in Westminster Abbey (described as 'most scandalously but rather appropriately' by Virginia Wolff), although not in Poets' Corner.
[Ref: 20928] £160.00 (£192.00 incl.VAT)

Mrs. Aphara Behn. Aphara Behn, a celebrated wit and Dramatic writer of the reign of Charles II, was the daughter of Mr. Johnson, a Gentleman of a good family at Canterbury. Her acquaintance with the celebrated American Prince Oroonoko, whose adventures she was related, gave Southerne the first hint for his much admired play. Besides the above, she wrote several Histories and Novels, seventeen different Dramas, and published three Volumes of miscellaneous poetry, together with various translations. Her writings as well as her manner, were tinctured with the licentiousness of the reign in which she lived. She died April 16.th 1689, and was buried in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey.
London. Published by Rob.t Wilkinson, 58, Cornhill. [n.d. c.1790.]
A very rare mezzotint with etching. Plate 180 x 120mm (7 x 4¾"). Trimmed to plate on right.
Aphra [Aphara] Behn (1640-1689) was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration and was one of the first English professional female writers. Details of her life are scant, mainly because she was the main source: although there is evidence of her being the daughter of a barber, she suggested that she was daughter of the lieutenant general of Surinam, that country being the setting for one of her most famous works, 'Oroonoko'. Around 1664 she may have married Johan Behn, but he disappeared from her life almost immediately. Having been introduced to court about that time, she was employed as a spy by Charles II in Antwerp during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, seeking out English republican exiles. As a playwright she was mocked for her bawdy themes, including same-sex love between women. However she still earned a grave in Westminster Abbey (described as 'most scandalously but rather appropriately' by Virginia Wolff), although not in Poets' Corner.
[Ref: 42176] £160.00 (£192.00 incl.VAT)

George Anne Bellamy. Atrice du Theatre de Covent Garden. [&] Désespoir de Mris. Bellamy sur les marches du Pont de Westminster.
La Ville fe. Benoist del. F. Maradan sculp.
[n.d., c.1810.]
Rare pair of stipple engravings, plate 190 x 135mm (7½ x 5¼") Torn within plate, surface dirt and time staining.
George Anne Bellamy (1731? - 1788), actress. Initially her beauty and social reputation stood her in good stead. She was small in stature, fair, with blue eyes, and apparently very beautiful. During her early life she was thrown into intimacy with Fox and many characters of highest mark. Her later years were burdened with suffering and debt however. She describes herself on her reappearance in Dublin, when still little more than thirty, as ‘a little dirty creature bent nearly double, enfeebled by fatigue, her countenance tinged with jaundice, and in every respect the reverse of a person who could make the least pretension to beauty.'
[Ref: 58570] £180.00 (£216.00 incl.VAT) view all images for this item

Désespoir de Mris. Bellamy sur les marches du Pont de Westminster.
La Ville fe. Benoist del. F. Maradan sculp.
[n.d., c.1810.]
Engraving, 190 x 133mm.
George Anne Bellamy (1731? - 1788), actress. Initially her beauty and social reputation stood her in good stead. She was small in stature, fair, with blue eyes, and apparently very beautiful. During her early life she was thrown into intimacy with Fox and many characters of highest mark. Her later years were burdened with suffering and debt however. She describes herself on her reappearance in Dublin, when still little more than thirty, as ‘a little dirty creature bent nearly double, enfeebled by fatigue, her countenance tinged with jaundice, and in every respect the reverse of a person who could make the least pretension to beauty.’
Ex: Collection of Alec Clunes.
[Ref: 7882] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)

Sarah Bernhardt.
W. & D. Downey, 57 & 61, Ebury Street, London.
[Cassell & Company, 1890.]
Carbon print photograph, 140 x 95mm (5½ 3¾"), on original board with printed title, total 215 x 185mm (8½ x 7¼").
The actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) as Théodora in Victorien Sardou's play 'Théodora' (1884), based on the life of the Byzantine empress (c. 500-548), wife of Justinian I. Sardou (1831-1908) wrote this and other plays for Bernhardt. His play 'La Tosca' (1887) was the basis of Giacomo Puccini's opera
[Ref: 41743] £85.00 (£102.00 incl.VAT)

Madame Sarah Bernhardt.
Judd & C.o Lith. Doctors' Commons, London E.C.
The Whitehall Review. 20th May 1880.
Tinted lithograph. Sheet 365 x 245mm (14½ x 9¾").
A seated portrait of actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).
[Ref: 61393] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)

Mr. Berry in the Character, of Dominic, in the Spanish Friar.
T. Worlidge pinx.t R.d. Houston fec.t
[London, Printed for John Bowles and Son, at the Black Horse, in Cornhill.] [n.d. c.1760.]
Mezzotint. 355 x 254mm (14 x 10"), large margins. Publication line scratched out. Slight rubbing.
Edward Berry (1697-1750), actor, shown in character for Dryden's 'Spanish Friar' (1681), wearing a Dominican habit and holding a large rosary in left hand at waist level.
CS: 10. Russell: 9.
[Ref: 43552] £260.00 (£312.00 incl.VAT)

Mr. Berry in the Character, of Dominic, in the Spanish Friar.
T. Worlidge pinx.t R.d. Houston fec.t
London, Printed for John Bowles and Son, at the Black Horse, in Cornhill. [n.d. c.1760.]
Mezzotint. 355 x 254mm (14 x 10"). Trimmed to plate. Slight damage on right.
Edward Berry (1697-1750), actor, shown in character for Dryden's 'Spanish Friar' (1681), wearing a Dominican habit and holding a large rosary in left hand at waist level.
CS: 10. Russell: 9.
[Ref: 27255] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)

Mr. Henry Betty, (Son of W. H.W. Betty, the English Roscius.) In the Character of Macbeth. "______and on high plac'd Macbeth. Shall live the lease of nature". Macbeth, Act 4th. Scene 1st.
Drawn from life & on Stone by F. Onwhyn. Hurst, lith, 244. Strand.
Proof. [n.d. c.1850.]
Lithograph. 355 x 266mm. 14 x 10½". Small paper repair, but still damaged to title area.
Henry Thomas Betty (1819-1897), actor and son of William Henry Best Betty (1791-1874).
See Harvard: p.102.2. NPG: D41914.
[Ref: 24439] £90.00 (£108.00 incl.VAT)

[William H.W. Betty Engraved by S.W.Reynolds from a drawing in the possession of Her Grace the Duchess of Devonshire to whom this plate is with permission respectfully inscribed by Her Grace's most humble servants S.W.Reynolds & J.s Ramsay.]
[Drawn by J.s Ramsay Sheffield Sept 1804 and published in London Feb.y 1805 by S.W.Reynolds 47 Poland Street, R.Ramsay Duke Street, Strand and sold by Ramsay Sheffield.]
Fine mezzotint, proof before all letters. 505 x 355mm (20 x 14"). Thread margins reinforced on verso, creasing.
William Henry West Betty (1791-1874), a child actor billed as the 'Young Roscius' for his performances in adult roles like Hamlet and Romeo, 1804-6, at Covent Garden. After leaving the stage in 1808 to study at Christ's College, Cambridge, his attempts to return to the stage as an adult all failed. This plate is unusual in that the entire surface is mezzotinted. The published state also had 'The Young Roscius' written in the lower image.
Whitman: 26, state i of ii.
[Ref: 51180] £360.00

W.m. Henry West Betty, Ætatis Suæ 13. From the first and only original Portrait in the possession of Tho.s Lister Parker Esq.r.
Painted by J. Northcote Esqr. R.A. Engraved by J. Ward Painter & Engraver to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.
Published March, 16. 1805. by Mr. Betty, at Messrs. Colnaghi & Co. Printsellers, Cockspur Street.
Fine mezzotint, open letter proof. 275 x 380mm (10¾ x 15"), large margins. Pencil annotations in lower margin.
William Henry West Betty (1791-1874), a child actor billed as the 'Young Roscius' for his performances in adult roles like Hamlet and Romeo, 1804-6, at Covent Garden. He paid for the publication of this portrait before he was fifteen.
CS: 4: II of III.
[Ref: 50088] £350.00

The Young Roscius in the Character of Douglas.
[Engraved by Godby from the original drawing in the possession of his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales.]
[London, Edward Orme, 1805.]
Stipple engraving, printed in colours. Image 280 x 215mm, 11 x 8". Trimmed to printed border.
William Henry West Betty (1791-1874) as Douglas in the black verse tragedy by John Home. Betty. was a child actor billed as the 'Young Roscius' for his performances in adult roles like Hamlet and Romeo, 1804-1806, at Covent Garden.
Harvard Vol.I: p105, 45.
[Ref: 24252] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)

The Young Roscius, Aged 13. Willm. Henry West Betty, Born at Shrewsbury. September 15, 1791.
A Warranted Likeness Drawn by Permission. F. Eginton, fecit Birmm.
Publish'd by J. Bisset. Museum, Birmingham, Feby. 12th 1803. Sold in London by Mr. Ackerman, Strand _ Messrs. Colnaghi & Co. Cockspur St. & Mr. Thompson, Gt. Newport St. Printseller to his Majesty, &c.&c.
Stipple and engraving, scarce, sheet 225 x 175mm. 8¾ x 7". Trimmed within plate.
William Henry West Betty (1791-1874) was a child actor billed as the 'Young Roscius' for his performances in adult roles like Hamlet and Romeo, 1804-1806, at Covent Garden. His bust is enclosed in a floral circular frame decorated with theatrical and musical motifs, on an inscribed pediment. Eight lines of text below, three lines of poetry above. Betty's first appearance on the stage at was at Belfast before he was twelve years old, as Osman in Aaron Hill's Zara, an English version of Voltaire's Zaire. His success was immediate, and he shortly afterwards appeared in Dublin, where it is said that in three hours of study he committed the part of Hamlet to memory. His precocious talents aroused great enthusiasm in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and he was favourably compared with some of the greatest tragedians. In 1801, he first appeared at Covent Garden, when the troops had to be called out to preserve order, so great was the crush to obtain admittance. At Drury Lane, the house was similarly packed. He was a great success socially; George III himself presenting him to the queen, and Pitt upon one occasion adjourning the House of Commons so that members might be in time for his performance. But this enthusiasm gradually subsided, and in 1808, he made his final appearance as a boy actor, and entered Christ's College, Cambridge. He re-appeared four years later, but the public would have none of him, and he retired to the enjoyment of the large fortune that he had amassed as a prodigy. His son Henry Thomas Betty (1819-1897) was also an actor. Engraved by Birmingham printmaker Francis Eginton (1737 - 1805), published for the Birmingham Museum.
Harvard Theatre Collection: pg.103, 10.
[Ref: 13321] £140.00 (£168.00 incl.VAT)

The Young Roscius in the Character of Douglas.
Engraved by Godby from the original drawing in the possession of his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales.
Published Jan.y 1st 1805, by Edward Orme, His Majesty's Printseller, Bond Street, the Corner of Brook Street. Sold also by Mess.rs Colnaghi & Co. Cockspur Street, & J. Ginger, Booksellers to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Piccadilly.
Stipple engraving, printed in colours. Sheet 325 x 240mm (12¾ x 9½"). J. Whatman watermark 1801. Trimmed within plate.
William Henry West Betty (1791-1874) as Douglas in the black verse tragedy by John Home. Betty was a child actor billed as the 'Young Roscius' for his performances in adult roles like Hamlet and Romeo, 1804-1806, at Covent Garden.
Harvard Vol.I: p105, 45.
[Ref: 41881] £160.00 (£192.00 incl.VAT)

Angiola Bianchi.
Painted by I. Naish. Engraved by G.S. Facius.
Published by the Proprietor. [n.d., c.1800.]
Stipple. Sheet: 175 x 120mm (7 x 4¾''). Trimmed.
A portrait of Italian singer Angiola Bianchi.
[Ref: 49954] £65.00 (£78.00 incl.VAT)

M.rs Billington as S.t Cecilia. Proof.
Sir Joshua Reynolds Pinx.t. S.W. Reynolds Sculp.t.
[n.d., c.1820.]
Proof mezzotint. 225 x 165mm (8¾ x 6½"), with large margins.
Full length portrait of Elizabeth Billington (1765-1818), a British opera singer. On seeing the painting Hayden is reported to have stated, 'You have made her listening to the angels; you should have made the angels listening to her.' She was caricatured by James Gillray after the 3rd Duke of Portland paid her to sing for him at his estate at Bulstode. From "Engravings from the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds', a four-volume set (later nine) with over 350 small mezzotints.
See Whitman Appendix; state ii of iv.
[Ref: 59580] £95.00 (£114.00 incl.VAT)

Mr. Blakes as Monsr. la Medicine [faint pencil mss. below image in blue wash frame.] Mr Blakes [ink mss.]
De Wilde [in image lower right.]
[n.d., c.1820.]
Pen and ink and watercolour, image 239 x 165mm.
Portrait of the hatter and actor Charles Blakes (d.1763), in the character of 'Monsieur le Médecin', copied from the mezzotint portrait by James McArdell. The signature suggests the painter and watercolorist Samuel De Wilde (1751 - 1832), who was noted for his theatrical subjects. Probably this though is a copy by George Perfect Harding (1781 - 1853), portrait painter, copyist and antiquary.
Ex: Collection of Alec Clunes.
[Ref: 7807] £260.00 (£312.00 incl.VAT)

Blanchard, Liston, and Mathews. In the Farce of Love, Law and Physic. LOG: Do you mean as you can prove black is white? FLEXIBLE: Sir, black is white: shall a timber merchant dare contect with me in points of law?
Painted by G.Clint, A.R.A. Engraved by Tho.s Lupton.
London, Published April 22nd, 1832, by Tho.s Lupton, 4 Leigh Street, Burton Crescent, & R.Ackermann, 96 Strand.
Mezzotint. 480 x 380mm, 19 x 15". Tear entering plate on right, small worm hole, large margins.
The actors William Blanchard (1769 - 1835), John Liston (1776 - 1846) & Charles Mathews (1776 - 1835), in 'Love, Law and Physic' by James Kenney (1780 - 1849), first performed 1812.
[Ref: 20556] £450.00

Blume als Don Juan, in der Oper gleiches Namens.
Gez. von J. Scheppe. Lith. Inst. v. L Sachse & C.ie.
Verlag v. Gbr. Gropius v. Diorama. [n.d., c.1825.]
Coloured lithograph. Printed area 245 x 200mm, 9¾ x 8", with publisher's blind stamp.
Heinrich Blume (1788-1856), in Mozart's Don Giovanni.
[Ref: 26436] £95.00 (£114.00 incl.VAT)

Mr. Booth
G. White fecit
Sold by S. Sympson in ye Strand near Catherine Street [c.1725]
Rare mezzotint, platemark 250 x 180mm (9¾ x 7"), with large margins.
Barton Booth (1681-1733), actor highly regarded by his contemporaries.
CS 9 iii/iv.
[Ref: 43748] £240.00 (£288.00 incl.VAT)

J.B. Booth Esq.r of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. [From an original Painting.]
Ingrey & Madeley, Lithog. 310 Strand.
London Pubd. by Cowe & Strange, 2a FetterLane.
A rare lithograph. 145 x 96mm. 5¾ x 3¾". Cut.
Junius Brutus Booth (1796-1852) was an English actor. He performed alongside Edmund Kean in England in several Shakespearean production at the Drury Lane Theatre from 1817 to 1821.
Harvard Vol. I: p.136; 4.
[Ref: 19928] £50.00 (£60.00 incl.VAT)

Mrs. Brooks.
C. Spooner Fecit.
[London: J. Bowles, c.1770.]
Mezzotint with etching on thin laid paper, heavily reworked, painter's name erased. Image 315 x 250mm, 12½ x 9¾". Trimmed within plate. One crease.
Portrait of Mrs Brooke, actress, wife of James Brooke, who trained as an engraver and was afterwards associated with the stage. Seated at a writing desk, arms folded in her lap with a miniature portrait of a gentleman in her right hand and a fan in the other; she wears a mantilla cape, a dress with fanned lace sleeves, and crescent hat. On the table is an inkstand, quills and papers. Prominent beauty patch on right temple. After Thomas Worlidge (1700 - 1766).
Chaloner Smith 3 (undescribed state).
[Ref: 23503] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)

Gustavus Vaughan Brooke.
Engraved by D. Pound, from a Daguerreotype by Fitzgibbon of St. Louis.
The London Printing and Publishing Company. [n.d., c.1860]
Engraving. Sheet: 255 x 160mm (10 x 6¼''). Trimmed. Central crease.
A portrait of Irish stage actor Gustavus Vaughan Brooke (1818-1866) who enjoyed success in Ireland, England and Australia, where he performed at Sydney and Melbourne 1855-1860. He died returning to Australia, when the overloaded SS London floundered in the Bay of Biscay, with a single lifeboat with 19 people surving out of 239.
Kivell p. 44.
[Ref: 48403] £75.00 (£90.00 incl.VAT)

Burbage [in pencil]. [Richard Burbage. The First Performer of King Richard III. From the Original Picture in Dulwich College…]
[S. Harding del et sculp.]
[n.d. c.1790.]
Stipple. Proof before letters. Image 157 x 126mm. Image stuck onto separate sheet.
Richard Burbage (1568-1619) was an actor and theatre owner. Burbage was a popular actor by his early 20s. His early acting career is poorly documented. It has been suggested that it included a stint in the Earl of Leicester's company, but there is no good evidence for this. He probably was acting with the Admiral's Men in 1590, with Lord Strange's Men in 1592, and with the Earl of Pembroke's Men in 1593; but most famously he was the star of William Shakespeare's theatre company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men which mutated into the King's Men on the ascension of James I in 1603. He played the title role in the first performances of many of Shakespeare's plays, including Hamlet, Othello, Richard III and King Lear. But he was in great demand and also appeared in the plays of many of the great contemporary writers, such as Ben Jonson (the title role in Volpone, and Subtle in The Alchemist), John Marston (The Malcontent), John Webster (The Duchess of Malfi) and Beaumont & Fletcher (The Maid's Tragedy).
Appears in NPG with title area.
[Ref: 12670] £85.00 (£102.00 incl.VAT)

Mr. Capoul et Melle. Ritter dans Paul et Virginie Theatre National Lyrique.
Imp. Becquet à Paris, pv.
Paris, Ancne. Mon. Martinet, r. de Rivoli, 172. [n.d. c.1860.]
Hand coloured lithograph, sheet 340 x 220mm. 13¼ x 8¾". Sheet trimmed unevenly on left.
Victor Capoul and Melle Ritter in opera Paul et Virginie by Victor Masse, Numbered '3' below image; for a series of theatrical portraits ('Galerie dramatique'?).
Not in Harvard. Ex Collection Norman Blackburn.
[Ref: 18535] £130.00 (£156.00 incl.VAT)

Madame Caradon Allan.
Published by M.r Ainsworth, 27, Old Bond St., London, June, 1828. Printed by Engelmann, Graf, Coindet & Co. [n.d., c.1830.]
Lithograph. Sheet: 225 x 140mm (9 x 5½''). Foxing.
A portrait of the French operatic soprano Maria Caradori Allan (1800-1865). She was half Russian.
[Ref: 49071] £75.00 (£90.00 incl.VAT)

Signora Casentini in the Character of la Bella Pescatrice favorite Opera, performed [in] the Kings Theatre, Pantheon.
P. Violet Pinxit 1792. F. Bartolozzi sculps.
[n.d., c.1792.]
Stipple, rare. Sheet: 155 x 105mm (6 x 4"). Trimmed.
A portrait of singer Anna Casentini in Guglielmi's opera La Bella Pescatrice.
De Vesme 1050.
[Ref: 47265] £110.00 (£132.00 incl.VAT)

Miss Ada Cavendish. "Heart on her lips, and Soul within her eyes." Byron: Beppo, Stanza 45. Figaro Cartoon Cards of the Day.
[Faustin Betbeder.]
[n.d. c.1874.]
Chromolithograph. 209 x 135mm. 8¼ x 5¼". Trimmed.
Ada Cavendish (1839-1895), the English actress known for her Shakespearean roles and for popularising the plays of Wilkie Collins in America. She married Frank Marshall (1840-1889), who published a scholarly edition of Shakespeare. From a collection of choromolithographs representing cariacatures of London celebrities, politicians, and royalty. After Faustin Betbeder (1847-1914) who contributed illustrations to the 'London Figaro'.
[Ref: 26618] £45.00 (£54.00 incl.VAT)

Madame Celeste as Miami, in Buckstones Celebrated Drama of the ''Green Bushes''.
J.W. Childe del. W.F. Starling sc.
Published April 12 1845 by C. Moon, 12 Regent S.t.
Soft ground etching with hand colour, printed on chine collé. 410 x 310mm (16 x 12¼"). Wear to backing card.
Céline Céleste-Elliott (c,1815-1882), stage name Madame Céleste, a French dancer and actress in her favorite role of Miami, the half-Native American, half-French heroine of The Green Bushes (1845) by John Baldwin Buckstone.
[Ref: 58006] £260.00 (£312.00 incl.VAT)

[Céline Céleste-Elliott] Celeste. as the Arab Boy. A Sketch by William Drummond.
WDrummond.
[London, Published Jan.y 12.th 1838. by Tho.s Mc.Lean, Haymarket.]
Tinted lithograph with hand colour. Framed, visible area 425 x 300mm (16¾ x 11¾"). Spotting, repair in sky. Window mounted around title. Unexamined out of frame.
A full length portrait of Madame Céleste-Elliott as Hamet, playing an oud. Behind is tent and the Spanish city of Constantina on a rocky outcrop. This is the opening scene of 'Victoire; or, The Fall of Constantina', a military drama performed at the Adelphi theatre in 1837, in which Céleste played three parts: Hamet, a dumb Arab boy, Victoire and Henri St. Almo, a French spy.. Céline Céleste-Elliott (1815-1882) was a Parisian dancer and actress who had success in London and toured America four times. About the time this portrait was published she retired from performing, becoming a theatre manager (including of London's Adelpi, Lyceum and Olympic), although she made several 'comebacks'.
[Ref: 57295] £550.00

[Fanny Cerrito] Cerito. Ondine.
Widal [Vincent Vidal]. W.H. Mote.
Published by David Bogue, Fleet Street Nov. 1 1844.
Steel engraving. Sheet: 175 x 260mm (7 x 10¼").
Francesca "Fanny" Cerrito as a water sprite, the title role of 'Ondine, ou La naïade', a ballet with choreography by Jules Perrot and music by Cesare Pugni. Cerrito (11 May 1817 – 6 May 1909) was one of the few 19th century ballerinas who also gained acceptance as a choreographer. From 'The Beauties of Opera and Ballet'.
[Ref: 49517] £85.00 (£102.00 incl.VAT)

Sous les traits de Chanville admires ce sorcier, Mille talens heureux sont toute sa magie, L’estime du public fait son apologie, Que ce Colas dit on entend bien son metier. La nature qu’en tout il suit, il etudie, Se plut à le doüer du’ne aimable gaité, Avec grace, finesse, esprit vivacité, Il n’est rien qu’il n’imite oû qu’Il ne parodie.
Peint par de Lorme, Pintre de S.A.S. Mgr. le Duc d'Orleans. de Lorraine Sculp.
[n.d. c.1800] Se Vend chés de Lorraine rue de Fouard chés un Papetier, et chés Buldet rue de Gêvres, au grand Coeur.
Engraving. 521 x 349mm. 20½ x 13¾". Some spotting outside the image.
Full-length portrait of Champville, actor of the Théâtre des Comédiens Italiens.
[Ref: 13949] £380.00

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