Sales catalogue 93: Davis & Orioli

Date:
20th century
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/31/7
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue 93: Davis & Orioli. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/52 page 3
    3 DAVIS & ORIOLI, 37 MUSEUM STREET, LONDON, W.C.1. 3 late Alderman Pelton. This collection, perhaps the largest of its kind in existence, consists of over 2,000 song-titles. The period covered is roughly 100 years, from 1820 to 1920, but the bulk of the collection belongs to the golden age of this form of illustration, 1850-1890. All the covers are mounted on cards and in many cases the words are pasted on the back. To do justice to the interest and scope of this collection in a few words is impossible, but it may be said that it is a complete pictorial mirror of Victorian and Edwardian England. On the historical side there is the Coronation, Marriage and Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the Crimean War and the Boer War. There are songs about the Empress Eugénie, Napoleon III., the Czar, Garibaldi, Napier, Stonewall Jackson, etc., etc. The fashions and crazes, dances, military costumes of the period are all depicted. Here are all the favourite music hall songs, and the mere titles will take the elderly persons of our generation back to their childhood: ‘“‘ Burlington Bertie,” “‘ Champagne Charlie,” “‘ Walking in the Zoo,” “‘ The Two Obadiahs,” ‘‘ Oh, Mr. Porter,” “‘ Come to Where the Booze is Cheaper,’ ‘‘ How’s Your Poor Feet,” ‘‘ Tarara Boom de-ay.” It must not be thought that all the songs are comic, many come from the Operas and many are tinged with Victorian sentimentality, having flowers or romantic scenes on the covers. The titles often bear portraits or clever caricatures of the singers, such as Jenny Lind, Adelaide Kemble or Charles Coborn amongst the comics. The majority of the titles are printed in colour except a few of the earliest ones, produced before chromo-lithography became the popular method of illustration. The artists, many of whom have real talent, include all the masters of this branch of illustration, Brandard, Childs, Concannon, Hamerton, Lee, Maguire, Packer are amongst the most famous names. Even Cruikshank and Baxter are represented. Owing to the ephemeral nature of the popular song and the fragile form in which it was sold, it would obviously be difficult to form a similar collection to-day. No doubt 99 per cent. of the copies of any favourite were thrown in the waste paper basket to be replaced by the next hit. With the advent of the 20th century the real old music hall had disappeared and a collection of this sort forms one of the only possible memorials and souvenirs of it. There are several copies of a typed monograph on the collection, by its maker and numerous indexes, classifying the songs by artists and subjects £75 BOOKS ON FLOWERS, WITH COLOURED PLATES. Moore (Thomas) The Floral Magazine : comprising Figures and Descriptions of Popular Garden Flowers. London, 1861-1871 _ £10/10/- 4to. Half morocco. 9 vols ( Vols 1-10, but vol 6 1s missing). Wath 507 fine coloured plates of flowers, measuring 160 by 250 mm, A few of the plates are folding plates and consequently much larger, THE FLORIST AND GARDEN MISCELLANY. London, 1850-1861 £8/10/- 8vo. 13 vols. Green morocco, gilt, g.e., backs rather rubbed. The first volume is in a presentation binding of green morocco, gilt flower vase on sides surrounded by decorative gilt border, 1.g.d., g.e., silk endpapers. With 183 fine coloured plates of flowers, mostly by James Andrews, measuring 130 by 210 mm. The complete first series. HARRISON (Joseph) The Floricultural Cabinet and Florist’s Magazine. London, 1833-1855 £3/10/- 8vo. 15 vols (mostly bound in green cloth, some tn half calf), containing Vols 1-10, 12-17 and 23. With several hundred coloured plates of flowers, measuring 128 by 210 mm.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3