Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/348

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. vn. OCT. o, 1920.

-either of the indexes. When I bought my print of Blackwell, he looked 75 years old.

' Macbeth.' I think that West's scenes dated Dec. 4, 1815, are by I. R. C. from the style : no

doubt copied from the theatre : the perspective Is truly dreadful, but sc?ne - painters plead

necessity and are icensed offenders, I believe.

Ninth statue, fifteen small characters, on the teft of a folio sheet, Feb. 7, 1315.

' The Merry Wives of Windsor,'. . . . May 24, 1815, oblong on a folio sheet, on the left of Comus,' dated May 21 (q.v.),

' Midsummer Night's Dream ' [1816 ? ] (in Print Room only, see vol. iv. p. 18), on an oblong folio sheet, dated May 24, 1814.

'One o'clock; or the Knight and the Wood Daemon.' in two plates [by 1. R. C.]. I have the proof before letters of plate 1, with West's writing (ibid, plate 2 is in the P. R. vol. i. p. 106). I also have the print of plate 1 dated Aug. 10, 1811.

' Old Oak Chest,' sixteen small characters on a

quarto sheet, Sept. 11, 1817.

' Richard III. 'two plates of small characters on an oblong folio sheet, May 21, 1814; it was redated May 21, 1824.

' Richard III.,' plate 3. Small characters on the left of an oblong folio sheet, with ' Illusion ' on the right, dated Nov. 14, 1814.

' Illusion ' (above) on the right of ' Richard III.,' -dated Nov. 7, 1814.

'Telemachus,' July 3, 1815. Douglas Cata- logue No. 1010, price 10s. I have not this of the original date of 1815, but I have it on the left of an oblong folio sheet with 'Little Hunchback' (q.v.}, on the right ; redated July 3, 1825.

West's new theatrical characters [by I. R. C.], plate 3, tor> left hand ' Rolla in Fizarro,' Aug. 27, 1811.

West's new theatrical characters, plate 4, [by I.R.C.], top left Major Sturgeon in the 1 Mayor of Garratt,' Aug. 27, 1811.

I also have a proof before letters of this sheet.

' Welch Chieftains ' [where was this acted ?] on

-the left of an oblong folio sheet with ' Harlequin

Brilliant ' (q.v.) on the right, dated July 20, 1815.

Proof before letters in the irrint Room : vol. iv. folio 31.

Horses (six) in the ' Tyrant Saracen and Noble Moor,' in three plates. In the Print Room, vol. iv. folio 44, are proofs before letters of all three plates, Sept. 11, 1811.

Then Captain Douglas enumerates some of Jameson's quarto penny scenes, and Hodgson's double or folio scenes in his Nos. 1013 to 1029 : not one of which is by either of the Ouikshanks. In my article on ' G. Cruikshank and G. Childs ' (12 S. i. p. 203) I show that Hodgson's prints are drawn by George Childs. Not only are these Hodg- son's not by the Cruikshanks, but I consider it ridiculous of Douglas to assign Nos. 1019 and 1020, entitled ' Hodgson's Grand pageant of the elements ' (1822), to George or either of the Cruikshanks. There is not a line that has the Cruikshank touch. These pageants were produced in William P" >abh 's studio, some are initialled by W. Heath,

but are chiefly by one of his brothers, probably Horace. Such an absurd attribu- tion shows that the Captain was no artist, but was a mere collector, with little know- ledge of art or power of judging for himself. Considering the size of these folio sheets, eight inches high and twenty inches long, if G. Cruikshank 's, they should be worth twenty shillings each.

Incidentally I may mention that I have during the last few years, 'completed the compilation of a catalogue of every print 1 have seen, of the Juvenile Theatrical Series published by W. West ; it forms a MS. quarto of about 200 pages. Further I indicate in it, the volume and page of each print, in the nine elephant folio volumes of my first collection now in the Print Room Collection at the British Museum, the name of the author and the first performances and various other information.

The Print Room Collection is arranged under publisher's names and then alpha- betically according to title of play: there is no hand list to the contents of the volumes. When I began my catalogue I had the prints in alphabetical order of the plays, but since I completed it I have rearranged my own prints in order of the original dates on West's prints. The advantage of this is that one clearly sees how West began with indifferently executed prints and improved as years went on. Other publishers issuing cheaper prints made no difference to West. I also have a separate Catalogue of all the West's Juvenile Theatrical Portraits that I have, and of those in the Print Room. Also a separate Catalogue of every print I have seen of J. H. Jameson's (1811-1827). All of his theatrical prints I believe were by the Cruikshanks.

On p. 165 of his Catalogue Captain Douglas enumerates Characters in Harlequin Whittington, dated "June 9, 1825," but the year of the first issue of the plate was 1815. The boys of 1815 had grown up by 1825, and the boys of 1825 looked upon the plates as quite new ? I think West got into some trouble in 1824, as he published no new plays, but he redated many old ones in 1825.

Many years ago when I dined at the house of that scholar, author and true lover of art, H. S. Ashbee, I sat between Mr. and Mrs. George Cruikshank. George was so full of conversation and anecdotes about himself, that the only bit of information I managed to get from him, was that West's price to any artist for P- quarto plate of characters, was one pound no more. This price did not