Mid-19th-century Handwritten Poems - 4 manuscript sheets

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Mid-19th-century Handwritten Poems - 4 manuscript sheets:
$19.89

Mid-19th-century Handwritten Poems - 4 manuscript sheets Mid-19th-century Handwritten Poems - 4 manuscript sheets

A group of mid-19th-century handwritten manuscript sheets of poetry.

Four sheets of differently coloured letter paper, with a number of sentimental poems written out on them. ‘A little word in kindness spoken,’ with the sheet inscribed ‘June 6th 1860 Ship Surrey.’ ‘Angry words are lightly spoken’ (which first appeared in the Sunday School Teacher of 1867). ‘To the flower called forget me not,’ with the sheet inscribed ‘Bath, July 16th 1860.’ ‘What dire offense from amorous causes springs,’ from the opening of Alexander Pope\'s The Rape of the Lock.

Unsigned.
In good condition for its age. Some age discoloration on the sheets, as shown.
21.6cm x 29.1cm.
Unframed.

These poems were found in an intriguing album of pictures, flower specimens and mementoes, with connections to some of the most dramatic events of the nineteenth century.

The Indian Mutiny (also known variously as the Indian Rebellion, the Sepoy Mutiny and the First Indian War of Independence) was an uprising that began among the soldiers of the East India Company’s army. The immediate trigger for the unrest was a rumour that the rifle cartridges used in the army were greased with tallow and lard, derived from beef (offensive to Hindus) and pork (offensive to Muslims): soldiers were ordered to tear the cartridge cases open with their mouths, increasing the offense still further. Violence erupted across northern India in 1857, and it took more than two years for the rebellion to be completely suppressed, at a cost of over 100,000 lives. The uprising led to the East India Company being dissolved, with the British Crown assuming direct control of India from then on.

Whoever collected the works in our album (and we don’t know exactly who they were), they seem to have been very close to the action during the Central India Campaign, which was one of the last series of battles of the Indian Mutiny. Among the pictures are a number of fascinating pencil studies and exquisite watercolour paintings of sites in central India, made by a ‘CWP’, and with handwritten notes saying when and where they were made. The dates and places correspond closely with the actions of the Central India Field Force under Sir Hugh Rose, which fought the Indian rebels around the town of Saugor (now Sagar in Madhya Pradesh), where a small British garrison had been besieged, before heading north to the city of Jhansi.

Several of the notes in our album speak of being in the Saugor area in February and March 1858, which is exactly when the fighting was taking place there. One drawing of what appears to be a military encampment near Saugor is described as showing ‘our tents’ – was our artist a soldier, or otherwise associated with the army, in the role of surveyor or engineer, perhaps? A photograph included in the album (assuming that it dates from around the time that the drawings and watercolours were made, it would have been one of the earliest photographs to be taken in India) also refers to ‘our house at Saugor’ – it looks rather grander than what an ordinary soldier would have been staying in.

Whoever our artist was, they clearly took a real interest in the history and culture of the country. One drawing of a temple on the Betwa river, for example, seems to have been made on the same day that fighting was going on just a few miles away, yet its accompanying notes go into some detail, recording the name of the deity represented by a large statue, for example.

It seems that the same person who made the drawings and watercolours of India also put together the album as a whole. A label inside the album reads ‘to dearest Clara from her own Willia[m]. Benares 26th January 1856’: this appears to be in the same hand as the notes on the works by ‘CWP.’

Did the album’s owner buy it in Benares (modern-day Varanasi) at the beginning of a posting to India, to give to his sweetheart on his return, together with keepsakes and records of where he’d been? It might explain some of the other things in it – pressed Indian flowers, sentimental poems copied out freehand, and a painting of forget-me-nots. There are many small prints, too, showing scenes in Scotland – was this where our album-compiler originally came from?

The album itself (which is available separately) is made of papier-mâché and lacquer, with beautiful hand-painted flowers, and others inlaid in shimmery blue and green mother-of-pearl. It is in fact a blotter: designed so that its two halves could be opened out and lain flat, it provided an even surface for writing on, and was intended to soak up any stray ink from the ‘dip’ ink pens that were commonly used in the 1850s. Several of the loose leaves of writing paper from the blotter appear to have been used as picture mounts.

Product code: JF-365

All our artworks are guaranteed original and unique.

We specialise in offering 19th- and early 20th-century English art at very affordable prices.

Free shippingWorldwide || Certificate of Authenticity supplied with every work ||No-quibble returns policy

CONTACT RETURNS DELIVERY COAs OUR PHILOSOPHY OUR LISTINGS COPYRIGHT

We welcome enquiries about any of our artworks. If you have a question about a specific work, please quote theproduct codelisted at the bottom of the product description in order to help us identify it e.g. JA-347.

Please see our Business Seller Information below for contact details.

Our gallery is exclusively online. Should you wish to view an artwork in person, please contact us to arrange an appointment.

You can keep in touch with us via social media. We would love to hear from you.

We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase from Somerset & Wood.

We offer ano-quibblereturns policy.

If you are unsatisfied with your purchase in any way, please email us within 30 days of receipt of goods with the subject heading: RETURNS, giving the reason for the return.

Please see our Business Seller Information below for return addressdetails.

On receipt of the item back to us, your refund will be issued in the same form as was utilised for payment. Return shipping costs will be refunded if the reason for return is our error.

Shipping to all destinations is FREE.

Orders are dispatched Monday to Friday, excluding local and national holidays. You will receive a confirmation email once your order is dispatched.

Please note that our free shipping is by standard service. Should you require an express service we will be happy to arrange this but it will cost extra - please contact us for a quote.

Items A3 size and smaller will be shipped by Royal Mail. Larger items will be shipped by smaller than A2 size will be shipped by International postal service (Royal Mail and home country equivalent). Items A2 size and larger will be shipped by courier. Orders valued over £75 will be shipped by a trackable service.

If you have any questions regarding delivery of your order please email us at [email removed by ].

Shipping to Russia

Please note that due to courier service suspensions to Russia at this time there are size restrictions in place on what we can send to Russia. We may not be able to fulfil your order if, when packaged, the combined height x width x depth dimensions of your parcel exceed 90cm. Please contact us in advance to discuss options if you wish to purchase a picture of larger size.

We provide a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) with every artwork. Why?

Supplying a COA when selling an artwork is a long-established convention. It is all the more pertinent in today’s online marketplace, where as a buyer you commit to purchase without the opportunity to view and scrutinise the work. This is why we supply a COA with every purchase.

We believe it is important to put our name to the authenticity of the artworks we sell. By providing a COA, backed by our knowledge and expertise, we are vouching in good faith that a work is of the stated age and authorship.

Somerset & Wood was born out of a shared love of art, history, design and collecting. We have a passion for English antique art. Our vision is to share this online through our blog, and to offer specially selected artworks for sale at very affordable prices.

All our artworks are guaranteed original, one-off collectors’ pieces. We specialise in English 19th- and early 20th-century works on paper. With combined expertise from working in the fine art trade and for national museums across the UK, we have an interest in researching and bringing lesser-known artists into prominence. And, most importantly, as collectors (‘curators’) ourselves, we deal only in works that we think are of value and would ourselves be excited to own.

It is vital to us that our works are original and unique, because, to us, here lies the joy of art. An artwork is an authentic and tangible creation from a singular imagination. When viewed – held – owned, a connection forms between the creator and viewer. In a world where products are becoming increasingly disposable and transactions impersonal, we celebrate these personal connections, across centuries – and, with the global dialogues enabled by the online marketplace, across continents.

We take care to ensure that our descriptions and images are as accurate as possible. It is important to us that the artwork you receive meets your expectations from viewing it on screen.

Please read our notes below on colour and condition.

Colour

We photograph artworks under controlled lighting and colour-check the images on a calibrated screen. Please note that colours can appear slightly differently depending on the calibration of the screen on which they are viewed.

Condition

All our artworks are of some age, and many are antique. Depending on paper type, some degree of ageing is to be expected and is part of the authenticity of the work. We take care to describe the condition of artworks as fully as possible in our descriptions and photographs. We list any significant condition issues, such as losses, tears, foxing, stains and age toning. For more subtle marks, irregularities or variations in tone, please consult the photographs provided as additional indication of condition. If you have any questions regarding the condition of a specific work, please contact us.

The text in our listings is the result of a considerable amount of time, thought and research. We ask that you do not copy, reproduce or use our text in any way without prior permission. Any unauthorised copying will constitute an infringement of copyright.

Listing and template services provided by inkFrog Open.