Frederick Rowland Emett OBE (British, B. 1906 – D. 1990): Known as Rowland Emett he was a celebrated cartoonist, a brilliant inventor, a designer, engineer and constructor of whimsical kinetic sculpture (automata).
Born in 1906 in London, England, son of a businessman and amateur inventor, and the grandson of Queen Victoria's engraver, Emett unsurprisingly studied art and started employment in the commercial art field. Seeing a friend paid handsomely by Punch Magazine for what he thought was a poor article, he submitted his own, quickly becoming one of the most popular cartoonists at Punch, and eventually becoming Cartoon Editor.
§ Frederick Rowland Emett (English, 1906-1990) 'The Pen-Y-Bun & Llanfernuffin train' pen and ink with bodycolour signed and inscribed 'Punch Oct 8th 41 To Squadron Leader L.H.F. Irving from Rowland Emmett', Chris Beetles Exhibition label verso
Rowland Emett (1906-1990) ▴ Rowland Emett (1906-1990) 'The Vintage Car Wheel Clamp' signed 'EMETT' l.l., pen and ink and watercolour 38 x 47cm Exhibited: Chris Beetles Limited, London, 29 November - 15 December 1989, no 132. Condition Report: Framed size: 63 x 72cm Not viewed out of glazed frame. Overall light brown colouration to paper. A watermark mark to right edge and light abrasians near driver's head, but these appear to have happened during execution of artwork.
Emett (Frederick Rowland, 1906-1990). Alarms and Excursions, and other Transports Transfixed... * Emett (Frederick Rowland, 1906-1990). Alarms and Excursions, and other Transports Transfixed by Emett, 1st edition, John Murray, 1977, black & white illustrations throughout, artist's signed presentation inscription for Meriell to front free endpaper, inscribed in blue ballpoint pen with an original sketch in the same pen beneath, original cloth boards in dust jacket, 4to Qty: (1)
Emett (Frederick Rowland) "Go on! You ask Him!... Ask him if he's on essential business", scratching out on a black scraperboard, signed lower right, 225 x 250 mm (8 3/4 x 9 7/8 in), additional paper support attached to reverse of frame with pencil inscription and stamped date '30 Dec 1947', under glass, framed, [circa 1947] Provenance: Abbott & Holder, London This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Frederick Rowland Emett (British, 1906-1990): An original watercolour of a cat, English, 1981, pencil and watercolour on paper, depicting a cat and a bird as music conductors supposedly from Emett's 'Pussiewillow' automaton, inscribed in Emett's hand For Ron (who will have no trouble at all keeping pussiecats, owls and... always in strict tempo!) signed and dated August 1981, framed and glazed, overall 21in x 23 1/2in (53.5cm x 59.5cm), accompanied by a Christmas Card from Rowland and Mary Emett dated 22nd December 1986, (2) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Frederick Rowland Emett (British, 1906-1990): An original watercolour of a cat, English, 1981, pencil and watercolour on paper, depicting a cat and a bird as music conductors supposedly from Emett's 'Pussiewillow' automaton, inscribed in Emett's hand For Ron (who will have no trouble at all keeping pussiecats, owls and... always in strict tempo!) signed and dated August 1981, framed and glazed, overall 21in x 23 1/2in (53.5cm x 59.5cm), accompanied by a Christmas Card from Rowland and Mary Emett dated 22nd December 1986, (2) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Frederick Rowland Emett (British, 1906-1990): A Scale model of Emett's automaton 'HMS Pussiewillow I', English, late 1970's, constructed using paper, card, wire, glue, recycled pencils, plastic beads, cotton wool, wood, and fabric affixed to a circular wooden base, the model depicting elements from Emett's 'HMS Pussiewillow I', housed in Perspex case; 21in x 22 1/2in x 20 1/2in (53.5cm x 57cm x 52cm); model on 12in diameter wooden base, together with a poster of an ink and watercolour drawing by Emett of 'Pussiewillow II' at the Smithsonian Institute, framed and glazed, overall 33in x 25in (84cm x 63.5cm), 2 For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Frederick Rowland Emett (British, 1906-1990): A 1-inch scale model of Emett's masterpiece automaton 'A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley', English, early 1980's, constructed using paper, card, wire, glue, recycled pencils, plastic beads, cotton wool, wood, and fabric flowers affixed to a shaped wooden base, the model depicting elements from Emett's automaton 'A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley' which was completed in 1984, the base titled and inscribed in Emett's hand Sketch model. Scale about 1' to 1'. The model depicts the tale of a pleasure trip on the 'Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway'; the centre of the creation featuring a train called 'Wild Goose', driven by an ingenious driver who toasts tea-cakes on the fire-box as the train trundles along a raised railway line. At 'Cowparsley Meadow' a farmer plays his harp soothingly to his herd of cows, who nod their heads in appreciation. There is a large water wheel that turns timelessly at 'Far Tottering', its brass cups beaten and misshapen from years of use. In a secluded dell at 'Wisteria Halt', there is a beautiful flowering tree on top of which sits a clock – originally intended as the focal point of the whole piece. At 'Shrimphaven Sands', a fisherman can be seen out at sea, hauling in a net in which, rather surprisingly, he appears to have caught a mermaid. As 'Wild Goose' continues its journey past 'Twittering Woods, an ornithologist is seen cycling along with his camera – he is disguised as a tree. On the beach at 'Oyster Creek', a bathing hut is occupied by an elderly gentleman dressed in full length Victorian swimwear, who dives dramatically into the water from time to time. The model is housed in a Perspex case; overall 29.5in long x 15in wide x 20in high (75cm x 38cm x 51cm); model 24in x 11in (61cm x 28cm) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
FREDERICK ROWLAND EMETT (BRITISH, 1906-1990) THE EVENING SHRIMP TRAIN PASSING THE OLD CLOUD-CUCKOO CREEK TIDE-MILL Print: 20 1/4 x 26 1/2 in. (sight) Framed; lower right signed: Rowland Emett; lower right in plate titled Note: "Frederick Rowland Emett was a British draughtsman, inventor, artist, cartoonist, and builder of whimsical mechanical moving sculpture. He established himself as a cartoonist working for Punch magazine during the late 1930s. Emett’s comical and complex illustrations of machines were very popular. He soon began turning his drawings into large three-dimensional machines. He designed a rocket for Shell Oil, the “Forget-Me-Not” computer for Honeywell Computers and the car and inventions that appeared in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). It has been said, that their joyful nature helped cheer up the nation.' (https://illustratorslounge.com/cartoon/rowland-emett/)
'San Francisco' Illustration by Rowland Frederick Emett (1906-1990). Measuring 11 1/2" x 18 1/2" Framed. In Good Condition. Artist Bio: Frederick Rowland Emett, also known as Rowland Emett was a celebrated cartoonist, a brilliant inventor, a designer, engineer and constructor of whimsical kinetic sculpture. Rowland was born in 1906 in London, England, son of a businessman and amateur inventor, and the grandson of Queen Victoria's engraver. Emett studied art and started employment in the commercial art field. Many of Emett's cartoons featured outlandish trains and railway scenes of strange bumbling trains with excessively tall chimneys and silly names.
Frederick Rowland Emett (British, 1906-1990) A kinetic sculpture or automaton created for PI Castings, 1964-5, depicting in the foreground an elegant gentleman studying blueprints, a white-coat-clad engineer, a tree with die-cast parts like birds, and a revolving carousel of further die-castings, in the background a factory with outbuildings, the main building 'cut away' to reveal 9 spinning scenes of the casting process which appear one after another, all in painted metal and wood against a light blue ground with several coloured lights, lit from below by a fluorescent tube, contained within a substantial mahogany cabinet with gilt picture-frame facade and on-off button at the base , the cabinet 111cm wide x 42cm deep x 93cm high (44in wide x 16 1/2in deep x 36 1/2in high) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
*ROWLAND EMETT OBE (1906-1990) Festival of Britain, 'EMETT RAILWAY, 'NELLIE', A STANDARD ENGINE' Blueprint with pencil corrections by the artist for the Festival Garden Railway, 1951 37 x 67cm *Artist's Resale Right may apply to this lot.
Rowland Emett's Masterpiece: 'A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley', English, Completed in 1984, in painted metal and wood, through his whimsical imagination Emett has created this extraordinary machine that whole-heartily reflects his unique talent combined with a very British sense of humour. This piece is the last and largest of this celebrated artist's output, and encapsulates many of the themes that appeared in his work over the decades. It depicts the tale of a pleasure trip on the Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway that tell a single, coherent story. The fully restored and working kinetic sculpture is in fact made up of eight larger-than life automata which complete the canvas of 'A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley'. The centre of the creation features a train called Wild Goose, driven by an ingenious driver who toasts tea-cakes on the fire-box as the train trundles along a raised railway line. At Cowparsley Meadow a farmer plays his harp soothingly to his herd of cows, who nod their heads in appreciation. There is a large water wheel that turns timelessly at Far Tottering, its brass cups beaten and misshapen from years of use. In a secluded dell at Wisteria Halt, there is a beautiful flowering tree on top of which sits a clock – originally intended as the focal point of the whole piece. At Shrimphaven Sands, a fisherman can be seen out at sea, hauling in a net in which, rather surprisingly, he appears to have caught a mermaid. As Wild Goose continues its journey past Twittering Woods, an ornithologist is seen cycling along with his camera – he is disguised as a tree and has done such a good job at hiding from his quarry that a bird has chosen to make its nest in his bicycle lamp. On the beach at Oyster Creek, a bathing hut is occupied by an elderly gentleman dressed in full length Victorian swimwear, who dives dramatically into the water from time to time. Finally, for those passengers on Wild Goose whose wishes and dreams are not yet met, there is a wishing well, complete with a typically Emett-esque leaking bucket! The machine would operate with the timing that Emett intended and therefore strikes at the quarter hour and bursts into life for a few minutes each time. The sculpture is operated via 'smart plugs' into which each of the parts is plugged. These are, in turn, operated by a program that runs on the internet. Dimensions Locomotive: 2.7m long x 0.9m wide x 3.28m high First Class Carriage: 1.4m long x 0.7m wide x 2.35m high Flatbed Wagon: 1.4m long x 0.75m wide x 2.1m high Rails 1: 4m long x 1.2m wide x 1.6m high Rails 2: 3.4m long x 1.2m wide x 1.25m high Buffers: 0.9m long x 1.2m wide x 1.25m high Ornithologist: 2.5m long x 1.25m wide x 2.4m high Farmer and Cows: 2.48m long x 1.25m wide x 1.6m high Bathing Machine: 3.6m long x 1.25m wide x 1.6m high Picnic Tree: 2.2m long x 2.2m wide x 6.22m high Water Wheel: 2.8m long x 1.3m wide x 4.15m high Wishing Well: 2.1m long x 2.1m wide x 1.86m high Sea Fisherman: 1.2m long x 1.15m wide x 2.2m high River Fisherman: 1.45m long x 0.9m wide x 1.4m high Footnotes 'It is cartooning, it's only cartooning in three dimensions. These are just extensions of the sort of drawings I like to do' - Rowland Emett Frederick Rowland Emett OBE (British, B. 1906 – D. 1990) Known as Rowland Emett he was a celebrated cartoonist, a brilliant inventor, a designer, engineer and constructor of whimsical kinetic sculpture (automata). Born in 1906 in London, England, son of a businessman and amateur inventor, and the grandson of Queen Victoria's engraver, Emett unsurprisingly studied art and started employment in the commercial art field. Seeing a friend paid handsomely by Punch Magazine for what he thought was a poor article, he submitted his own, quickly becoming one of the most popular cartoonists at Punch, and eventually becoming Cartoon Editor. Many of Emett's cartoons featured outlandish trains and railway scenes of strange bumbling trains with excessively tall chimneys and silly names. These did not go unnoticed and in 1950 the organisers of the 1951 'Festival of Britain' approached him to see if he might create a real-life version of his cartoon Far Twittering and Oyster Perch Railway (later renamed 'The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway'). As such it became one of the main attractions at the Festival, carrying over 2 million people around the Festival park and made his reputation as a maker of mechanical 'Things'. This led to numerous commissions by commercial organisations and local authorities, and the ensuing years saw Emett creating many other machines and artworks that have continued to fascinate onlookers for decades. His larger works, such as Emettland, went on extended tours, ending up in prestigious venues such as the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The Ontario Science Centre in Toronto has a collection of about ten Emett creations and every December displays the restored working pieces, usually under the title 'Dream Machines'. The Mid-America Science Museum has had four of his inventions on permanent display for most of the museum's existence. However, his most recognisable pieces (in many people's eyes) are the crazy inventions or 'thingamabobs' of 'Caractacus Potts' (played by Dick Van Dyke) in the 1968 all-time classic movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Originally commissioned as a landmark clock, 'A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley' was destined to adorn a new shopping area in Basildon, England. But by the time the artwork was completed in 1984, those plans had changed. It was bought instead by the present owner and was not exhibited until 1992 – in Spitalfields Market, London. When it's time at Spitalfields came to an end, 'Cloud Cuckoo Valley' was again put into what was thought to be safe storage...but in 1999 it was stolen by some enterprising thieves from a warehouse in Hertfordshire. It was sold by the thieves to a scrap metal dealer who became suspicious and alerted the Police, and it was thankfully recovered. 'A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley' is a perfect example of Emett's whimsical imagination and is in his own words "the best and biggest of all his mechanical things". Exhibitions include: - Spitalfields Market, London, 1992. - Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, May 2014. The first Rowland Emett exhibition of its kind. - The Mechanical Things, Birmingham Science Museum, December 2016 - March 2017. Which featured 'Cloud Cuckoo Valley' as its centrepiece. - Chelsea Flower Show, London, 2017 - Birmingham City Council won both a Gold and Platinum Medal for the display at the flower show. - The Marvellous Mechanical Museum, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, June - September 2018. For further information, dimensions, additional images, condition and technical reports, and exhibition times, please contact the department. Please note: Due to the size of this piece, it will be disassembled immediately after the auction, ready for onward transfer as instructed by the buyer. Refer to department for estimate
Rowland Emett, British 1906-1990- ‘It’s His Turn on Tonight’, 1942;Original illustration for Punch or The London Charivari, published 2 September, 1942, pen and black ink, signed, (mounted/unframed) (ARR)
Rowland Emett (1906-1990) ink and wash ''A branch line train and downed German fighter plane'' illustration for Punch 1944, signed and inscribed 8 x 10.5in.
*** Frederick Rowland Emett (1906-1990) - Oil painting - Amusing scene of an elderly man knitting while sitting in an upturned shell on the sea, his ball of wool being supported by a swordfish, whilst he is being crowned from above by a winged Putto wish fish tail, canvas 20ins x 16ins, signed (unframed) Note: By repute this work was commissioned from a Patons & Baldwins advertisement for knitting yarn
Rowland Emett (1906-1990) - Coloured print - "The Evening Shrimp Train", 19ins x 25.5ins, signed in pencil and with Fine Art Guild blind stamp, in gilt frame and glazed
Rowland Emett (1906 - 1990), pair of pen, ink and watercolour Baby Greetings Telegram designs, together with the original telegram and envelope. This design was used between 4.3.63 and 31.10.65
1906-1990 "DESPITE THE SEVERE DEPLETION OF EQUIPMENT AND ROLLING STOCK, THE COMPANY WILL DO ALL IN ITS' POWER TO RESUME MEALS ON THE TRAINS." signed l.l.: EMETT fine ink and watercolour drawing, caption on reverse of frame 31 by 24cm., 12¼ by 9½in.
Bullion thieves on the canal signed 'Emmett' pen and ink 14.5 x 15.5 cm. together with a quantity of illustrations and watercolours by other hands, unframed, (qty).
Rowland Emett (1906-1990) original pen and ink illustration, inscribed in pencil ".... and for an absolute and complete change, we're toying with the idea of a trip on a cattle-boat...." signed, 54cm x 38cm
Frederick Rowland Emett (1906-1990). Humorous pen and ink drawing inscribed 'What was the circulation of that Sunday paper that said take the secondary roads and travel overnight?', signed and inscribed on the mount 'For Ken and Shirley from Rowland, August 1983', 35cm x 26cm.
The homework assistant, an illustration for Punch Magazine extensively inscribed pencil, pen and ink and watercolour 35.5 x 30cm (14 x 11 13/16in).36 x 30 cm. (14 1/4 x 11 3/4 in.) unframed
"The Evening Shrimp-train, passing the Old Cloud-cuckoo Creek tide mill", signed in pencil, with blindstamp, colour print, 51 x 64cm (20 1/16 x 25 3/16in).
Frederick Rowland Emett (1906-1990) The new car signed 'Emett' (lower right), and inscribed 'Had a new car on order six years, and its just come through. Not the model I specified, but still...' (lower left) pencil and black ink heightened with white, unframed 10½ x 12¾ in. (26.7 x 32.3 cm.)
Frederick Rowland Emett (1906-1990) 'The Rythmical Timefountain for the Victoria Centre, Nottingham' signed and inscribed 'Designed and made by/Rowland Emett' (lower right) and inscribed '{The fountain stands/in the centre of a 20' dia/lake, & is 20 ft high}' (lower left) and further inscribed with dedication 'For Sir Richard Thompson/with best wishes from/Rowland Emett' (on the mount, lower left) black ink and watercolour 23½ x 18 in. (59.7 x 45.7 cm.)
Frederick Rowland Emett (1906-1990) An attempt upon the long-distance tram record from Thorpe-le-Soken to Vladivostock signed and dated 'Emett/Sept.1951' (lower right) and inscribed as title (upper left) black ink and watercolour heightened with white 6 x 8¼ in. (15.2 x 20.9 cm.)
Frederick Rowland Emett (1906-1990) The beach train signed and dated 'R Emett/Sept 1951' (lower right) black ink and watercolour 6¼ x 10 in. (15.8 x 25.4 cm.)
Rowland Emett (1906-1990) 'And that's said to be the most painted village in England' signed 'Emett' (lower left) and inscribed as title (upper left) black ink, unframed 10½ x 14 7/8 in. (26.7 x 37.4 cm.)
'High time they did something about a bath-chair Man-power Pool.....", signed 'Emett', similarly signed in pencil and inscribed with title on mount, pen and ink heightened with touches of white, 24.5 x 27.5cm (9¾ x 10¾in). (unframed)
'Some say it's haunted by the First Earl and the Ninth Earl...I wonder how they'd get on together....?' signed 'Emett' (lower left) and inscribed with title (centre) pencil, pen and black ink heightened with white 18 1/4 x 13 1/4 in. (46.3 x 33.6 cm.)
'A harrowing prospect of Mount Pleasant sorting office, reconstructed from reports filtering in that a certain wizard magnetic barking - sixpence purse we sent through the post had disturbed the electronics, and somewhat hampered the otherwise smooth running of that organisation' signed 'Emett' (lower left) and inscribed with title (on the mount) pencil, pen and black ink and watercolour heightened with white 17 1/2 x 26 in. (44.4 x 66.1 cm.)