Notes
THE JOHN FRANKS COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL CARICATURES FOR VANITY FAIR
John Franks:
John Franks, the son of the pre-1914 music hall star, Jenny Alexander, retired as a senior partner in a long-established firm of London solicitors some years ago and had extensive experience in practice in England and abroad. He has written widely on a wide range of legal topics including The Company Director and the Law. He served for twenty-four years on the Council of the Law Society and was Chairman of a publicly quoted company, a major charitable trust and the Disciplinary Committee of Architects. He was, for a time, engaged in politics from which he had to withdraw as a condition of his partnership, and subsequently became a protection trustee on the Sir Percival David Foundation for Chinese Art.
John Franks and Vanity Fair:
John Franks' life-long fascination with Vanity Fair began in the 1950s when he bought his first album of proofs before letters. Having acquired his first original watercolour caricature of the engineer and inventor, Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, by Sir Leslie Matthew Ward 'Spy', in 1974 (see lot 41), his collection has grown to sixty original watercolours drawn for Vanity Fair, all of which are being offered in this sale.
At the age of seventy-six, he has decided to sell these original watercolour caricatures and retain his print collection, one of the most significant in private hands. His remarkably comprehensive collection includes a complete run of Vanity Fair caricatures, eight album proofs before letters, a Pellegrini album (The Marlborough House Set), and a number of duplicate albums and private bindings, as well as numerous preparatory sketches and prints by various artists and other ephemera associated with Vanity Fair. In John Franks' own words 'It became quite an addiction.'
Items from his collection have been exhibited over the years and he has advised both Roy Matthews and Peter Mellini on their book, In 'Vanity Fair', as well as Morris Cohen on his publication The Bench and Bar, Great Legal Caricatures from Vanity Fair by Spy. He is currently working on a book provisionally entitled North Americans and Vanity Fair 1869-1914.
His lecture on 'Jews in Vanity' appeared in Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England 1996-1998, and he has lectured to both The Savage Club and The Arts Club in 2005 on club members that have featured in Vanity Fair.
Vanity Fair:
Named after William Makepeace Thackeray's celebrated popular novel Vanity Fair, the periodical (fig. 1) was first established in 1868 as a weekly journal and owed much of its success to the famous series of caricatures, one of which featured in every issue under the headings of 'Statesmen', 'Sovereigns', 'Princes', 'Men of the Day', 'Judges', 'Ladies', 'Women of Genius', and 'Famous Racehorses'. Each of these was accompanied by incisive biographical notes penned by the magazine's founder, Thomas Gibson Bowles, under the nom de plume, 'Jehu Junior'. In all, 2,359 personalities of the mid-late Victorian and Edwardian eras were portrayed. The magazine featured the most eminent men and women of the day from Royal, Parliamentary, aristocratic, sporting, legal, theatrical and society circles, as well as from other professional classes, most of whom were delighted in finding themselves caricatured both in 'prose and picture'.
The usually gentle satire of the caricatures is evocative not only of the era from which they date, but also of the personalities of those days. It is noteworthy that unlike the acidic political cartoons of modern times, it was considered a compliment to be portrayed by 'Ape' or 'Spy'. It is often said that the British character enjoys a self-deprecating sense of humour and the Vanity Fair caricatures encapsulate this perfectly.
It is, perhaps, appropriate that Vanity Fair foundered in 1914 as the First World War destroyed the courteous idyll of a now long-forgotten and altogether more innocent age: The Modern Age emerged from the ashes.
Founder and Owner - Thomas Gibson Bowles (1844-1922):
Thomas Gibson Bowles (fig. 2), was the illegitimate son of Thomas Milner Gibson, a Member of the House of Commons and President of the Board of Trade, whose most notable achievement was the abolition of tax on newspapers, thereby making him 'A darling of the media.' After graduating from King's College, London, Bowles joined the Inland Revenue before embarking on a career in journalism. In 1870, he became a war correspondent for The Morning Post reporting on the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. With his family background, it was not surprising that Bowles eventually became a politician himself, being elected Conservative M.P. for King's Lynn, Norfolk, a seat which he held for fourteen years between 1892 and 1906.
An ardent European, the first artist that Bowles commissioned to promote the fledgling weekly journal was Carlo Pellegrini (1839-1889) (fig. 3). He adopted the pseudonym 'Ape' and, having trained in Paris, was a pivotal figure in the Prince of Wales' Marlborough House Set. The very first caricature to appear in Vanity Fair, by Pellegrini, was of the Right Hon. Benjamin Disraeli (fig. 4), Statesman and Imperialist; coincidentally the very last, in 1914, was of the greatest Imperialist of them all, Joseph Chamberlain (fig. 5), by Astz (fl.1913-1914).
Pellegrini was later joined by James Jacques Joseph Tissot 'Coïdé' (1836-1902) (fig. 6), giving Vanity Fair an even greater international character and appeal. Tissot and Bowles lived together during the Siege of Paris, in 1870, when Tissot sketched Bismarck, the German Chancellor (see lot 2) and General Trochu of the Third Republic (see lot 32), who was defending Paris after the defeat and abdication of Napoleon III. The drawing of Bismarck was smuggled out of Paris in the diplomatic bag of the Papal Nuncio.
In the 1870s Tissot became the supreme genre painter of high society, the chronicler of balls and receptions, fashionable marriages and other social events. It was probably as a result of these observations that he was so successful as a caricaturist for Vanity Fair. There are two other works by Tissot in the sale, the 'The Unexpected Earl' - The Earl of Harrington (see lot 24) and Mr Washington Hibbert (see lot 26), both showing his exemplary skills as a draughtsman.
Thereafter, Pellegrini's pupil and successor and principal artist for Vanity Fair for over forty years was Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (1851-1922) (fig. 7), the grandson of the artist James Ward, R.A. He is best remembered for his range of characters from the turf, the army, the church, the law, the stage and fashionable society.
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (1851-1922):
Sir Leslie Matthew Ward adopted the pseudonym 'Spy' and later wrote in his biography Forty Years of 'Spy' that: 'A caricature must be drawn firstly from memory'. He went on to emphasise that a caricature drawn from memory is wider in scope.
'One is not distracted from the general impression by the little fascinations of form that one finds in close study. Before I please myself, I would make elusive sketches feeling, as it were, my way to the impression. Details could be memorised by a thumbnail sketch, notes upon one's menu card (fig. 8) or on one's shirtsleeve.'
He continued with 'The caricaturist, I am convinced, is born, not made. The facility which comes to some artists after long practice does not necessarily avail in this branch of art; for the power to see a caricature is in the eye of a beholder, and no amount of forcing the perceptions will produce the point of view of a genuine caricaturist. A good memory, an eye for detail, and a mind to appreciate and grasp the whole atmosphere and peculiarity of the 'subject', are of course essentials, together, very decidedly, with a sense of humour.'
Other artists subsequently employed by Vanity Fair and also represented in this sale are Théobald Chartran 'T', Melchiorre Delfico, Sir Charles G. Duff 'Cloister', Sir Luke Fildes 'Elf', Constantine von Grimm or C. de Grimm 'Nemo', Jean Baptiste Guth 'Guth', Wallace R. Hester 'WH', Philip Mendoza 'Pip', Liberio Prosperi 'Lib' and H.C.S. Wright 'Stuff'.
As a result of the often mischievous nature of the drawings and the commentary, and because so many were executed in clubs and restaurants without the knowledge of the subjects, both the writers and artists wrote and drew under noms des plumes. The use of these pseudonyms sometimes made it difficult to identify some of the artists; however, the catalogues of the two major sales in London in 1912, 'Original Drawings for Vanity Fair' (fig. 9), held at Christie's and 'Original Drawings for the Cartoons in Vanity Fair (fig. 10) at Sotheby's, helped to clarify this.
From the outset, chromolithographic prints were published in several different editions, however, those most commonly seen on the market today may either be proof copies or specially printed 'art' copies with the accompanying text reproduced. At the turn of the Nineteenth Century, the magazine itself, under later proprietors, seems to have reissued prints for the sole purpose of offering themed sets and complete series for sale.
With the arrival of the Twentieth Century and the age of the camera, watercolour caricatures gave way to photographic portraits and by 1914, times had changed, with daily news and photography now the vogue. The ownership of the title passed to Conde Nast, the American publishers, who decided to introduce a new-style Vanity Fair, in New York, specialising in photographic portraits and offering stimulating material for discussion. This new venture was later combined with Vogue in 1936 and the Vanity Fair that we know today was relaunched in 1983.
The National Portrait Gallery held a prestigious Vanity Fair exhibition highlighting their collection of four hundred original cartoons in 1976. A further exhibition, Vanity Fair 1869-1914, was held at the Church Farm House Museum, Hendon in 1983, where a large number of the works offered for sale here were shown.
The Royal Collection at Windsor holds a comprehensive collection of hand-coloured lithographs by Pellegrini of the 'The Marlborough House Set'. Vanity Fair prints are also represented in numerable institutional collections including Harvard University, Boston and The Congress Library, Washington.
These caricatures originally commissioned for Vanity Fair are its chief legacy and are still remarkably prevalent today in the form of prints found in clubs, museums, restaurants, hotels and private houses around the world.
John Franks' collection of original watercolours for Vanity Fair is without doubt the largest and most important collection in private hands today.
Bibliography:
Christie's, Catalogue of the Highly Interesting Collection of Original Drawings by Carlo Pellegrini, Leslie Ward, James Tissot, Théobald Chartran, and others, 5 - 8 March 1912.
Cohen, Morris, The Bench and Bar, Great Legal Caricatures from Vanity Fair by Spy, London, 1996.
Matthews, Roy T. and Mellini, Peter, In 'Vanity Fair', London, 1982 and 2000.
Ormond, Richard, Catalogue of Original Vanity Fair Cartoons in the National Portrait Gallery, London, 1976.
Naylor, Leonard E., The Irrepressible Victorian, the Story of Thomas Gibson Bowles, London, 1965.
Sotheby's, Catalogue of Original Drawings for the Cartoons in Vanity Fair, 28 - 29 October 1912.
Ward, Sir Leslie Matthew, Forty Years of 'Spy', London.
F O R E I G N S T A T E S M E N
Théophile Delcassé (1852-1923), French Statesman, was an integral force behind the Anglo-French Entente Cordiale of 1904. Delcassé was made Minister of the French Colonial Department from 1894-5, giving great impetus to French colonial enterprise, especially in West Africa. In 1898, he became Minister for Foreign Affairs, during which time he had to deal with the famous Fashoda Incident. In 1899, he concluded an agreement with Britain by which the difficulty was finally resolved. He improved relations between France and Italy but, at the same time, he adhered firmly to an alliance with Russia. In 1904, he concluded the Entente Cordiale with the UK, covering colonial and other questions that had long been a matter of dispute, especially concerning Egypt, Newfoundland and Morocco. However, Delcassé was, shortly afterwards, forced to resign, as the growing closeness between France and England arose violent suspicion in Germany. In 1909, he returned to government service as chairman of a commission appointed to investigate the French Navy. His work improving relations between the British and French fleets was an important factor leading to Britain allying herself with France against Germany in World War I. He continued as Foreign Minister until retiring in 1915.
He is now something like the biggest man in France. He did not achieve Fashoda, but he dealt with that little matter so diplomatically that he retains his Portfolio in M. Dupuy's Ministry. For he is a very clever fellow, even among Frenchmen; who can look very firm even after he has decided to yield the inevitable. He is practically the inventor of the French Colonial Department.... With all his pugnacity, or because of it, he likes music. He is an habitué of the opera.
Vanity Fair, 'Men of the Day', No. 738, 1899.
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
This lot is subject to storage and collection charges. For Furniture and Decorative Objects, storage charges commence 7 days from sale. Please contact department for further details.
