"Seymour's Humorous Sketches in Prose & Verse" 1878 hand-coloured engravings Robert Seymour

Seymour's Humorous Sketches Illustrated in Prose and Verse
by Alfred Crowquill (Alfred Henry Forrester)

1878, London, George Routledge and Sons, printers

Original hand-coloured (albeit poorly) engravings by Henry Wallis, after sketches by Robert Seymour
Sheet size: approximately 5 7/8 x 9 7/8 inches
(scattered foxing on some plates, please see enlargements)

FOR BLACK AND WHITE VERSIONS FROM THE 1866 EDITION, PLEASE CLICK HERE

Robert Seymour, a graphic humourist of the highest order, was born in or near London, about the year 1800. He was apprenticed at the usual age to Mr. Thomas Vaughan, an eminent pattern-drawer in Spitalfields, and his practice in that department of art appears to have given him the facility and accuracy of pencil for which he was afterwards so distinguished. Within a very short period of fulfilling his term of apprenticeship, he commenced, on his own account, as a painter in oils, and must have been tolerably expert at that early age, as already in the spring of 1822, we find him exhibiting a picture of some pretensions at the Royal Academy.

Source: Biographical Notice from Seymour's Humorous Sketches by publisher Henry G. Bohn.

NOTE: THE PRINTS IMMEDIATELY BELOW ARE NOT FROM THE 1878 EDITION. THEY ARE LIKELY EARLIER PRINTS, WITH MUCH BETTER COLOURING. THEY HAVE BEEN TRIMMED SOMEWHAT AND HAVE MOUNTING TAPE ON THE BACK OF THE PRINT.

Every Day Scenes, Scene 8
(Angling from a rotten branch, which breaks.)

In for it
or
Trying the Middle

$40
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print)

Hoy! hoy! pull away zur, ye'r caught a foine un now zur!

$40
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print)

Oh! Bill, I can't fix the punt. Then ve shall lose our precious lives, for here's sich a virlpool

$30
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print)

Unpacking for a Pic-nic
Oh! dear here's the sherry and mixed pickles broke! O yes, and they have broke into pastry too.

$30
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print)

Not so pleasant

Holloa! here's some d__d rascal been stealing the fish this evening; if I catch him I'll break every bone in his skin.

$20
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print)

Vot a beauty! Missus says there's a great deal in dress. To be sure there is Bill, if ve had blue coats with goold buttons & red vestcoats adn vite trousers, ve should look quite swells.

$20
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print, paper loss upper left corner outside of image area)

A Rigamarole. Part 1.

Turnpike-man) You should have gone home the way you came out, that ticket won't do here, so out with your coppers, threepence.

Cockney)...I does'nt think I've got any halfpence

Turnpike-man) Well, then I must give you change

Cockney)...But I'm afeard I hav'nt got any silver left; I say, mister could'nt you trust me? I'd be werry sure to bring it to you.

$20
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print, paper loss uppermargin outside of image area)

Just as he had with ineffable grace lifted his hat to salute the ladies, the horse went on his knees, and deposited the beau in a puddle at their feet.

$15
(trimmed sheet size is approximately
6.125 x 7.875 inches,
mounting residue on back of print, poorly repaired tear through text at bottom but outside of actual image area)

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING PRINTS IMMEDIATELY BELOW ARE FROM THE 1878 EDITION. NOTE THE RATHER AMATEUR COLOURING. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS FAIRLY COMMON IN THE LATER PART OF THE 1800s BY SOME OF THE 'CHEAPER' PRINTERS.

A Day's Sport, Chapter 2
(Cockney shooting a pig in mistake for a hare.)

Vot, eighteen shillings for that ere little pig? Vy, I could buy it in Town for seven any day!

$15

A Day's Sport, Chapter 3
(Cockney trespasser climbing a fence.)

A man coming, vich vay?
do tell me vich vay?

$15

A Day's Sport, Chapter 4
(Cockney shooting through a hedge, hits a gardener's leg, glass, etc.)

Vill you have the goodness to hand me that little bird I've just shot off your hedge?

$15

A Day's Sport, Chapter 5
(Cockneys with a brace of sparrows.)

Landlord, ve should like to have this 'ere game dressed.

$15

A Day's Sport, Chapter 6
(The Reckoning.)

Vel! if this is finding our own whittles, ve'll dine at the Hornary next time.

$15

A Day's Sport, Chapter 7
(A sudden explosion of gun in companion's face.)

My Gun went off quite by haccident; and if your nose is spoilt, can't you have a wax one?
Vax one indeed! who wouldn't rather have his own nose than all the vax n the world.

$15

Every Day Scenes, Scene 4
(Early morning Gossips; two housemaids doing scandal.)

Oh! Sally, I told my Missus vot you said your Missus said about her. Ah! and so did I Betty I told my Missus vot you said yourn said of her and ve had such a row!

$20

Every Day Scenes, Scene 9
(Urchins shooting a pet cat; old woman in agony)

Shoot away Bill! never mind the old woman; she can't get over the wall to us.

$20

Every Day Scenes, Scene 11
(Angling in a well)

Mother says fishes comes from hard roes, so I chuck'd in the roe of a red herring last week but I does'nt catch any fish yet.

$25

Every Day Scenes, Scene 14
(Quizzing an ancient Angler)

Don't you be saucy, boys.

$25

Every Day Scenes, Scene 16
(Benighted Traveller, in a Storm of Rain, mile-post marking 6 miles)

Lawks a mercy I'm going wrong! and got to walk all that way back again.

$20

Every Day Scenes, Scene 17
(A Sporting Dandy missing a flight of sparrows.)

I'm dem'd if I can ever hit 'em.

$15
(see crease outside of image in upper left)

Every Day Scenes, Scene 18
(Literary Coalheaver and Butcher is a Coffee House.)

Have you read the Leader in this paper, Mr. Brisket?
No, I never touch a newspaper, they are all so werry wenal and woid of sentiment.

$10
(soft diagonal crease through image)

Every Day Scenes, Scene 19
(A Cockney Sportsman in a fix, by his civility to a foot-pad.)

Now you've lent us your gun, you may as vell lend us your votch.

$20

Every Day Scenes, Scene 20
(Courtship of Mr. Wiggins, in a rural bower.)

Mr. Viggins, do you take sugar?

Yes, my haingel, I loves all wot's sweet.

$15

Every Day Scenes, Scene 21
(Courtship of Mr. Wiggins—continued.)

Indeed, Mr. Viggins, I von't valk with you, your quite elewated.

$15

Every Day Scenes, Scene 23
(Cockney Sportsman startled at a common snake.)

Oh! lor, here's a horrid thing.

$15

Every Day Scenes, Scene 25
(Timmins Angling. Cut-purse surprises him.)

This is a werry lonely spot, sir I wonder you arn't afeard of being rob'd.

$15

FOR BLACK AND WHITE VERSIONS OF THESE PRINTS, PLEASE CLICK HERE

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