- Museum number
- 1992,0406.211.b
- Description
-
London Society. An illustrated magazine of light and amusing literature, for the hours of relaxation. Volume V. 1864. London: [William Clowes] Office, 49 Fleet Street, E. C. London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street and Charing Cross.570p. The plates are separate from the text. In the [list of] Engravings, the illustrations are drawn by: Adelaide Claxton, W. Mc Connell, J. B. Zwecker, H. Sanderson, M. Ellen Edwards, C. A. Doyle, Alfred Crowquill, E. M. Wimperis, G. du Maurier, E. H. Corbould, Phiz [i.e. Hablot Knight Browne], R. Barnes, E. F. Weir, F. J. Skill, Robert Jefferson, Kenny Meadows, Florence Claxton, M. J. Lawless, Cuthbert Bede, J. D. Watson, Louis Desanges, Rosa Mulholland, G. H. Thomas, T. Morten, Lucy Meadows, E. K. Johnson. The illustration facing page 462 is after Adelaide Claxton, signed with her monogram bottom right, and captioned “A modern masquerade”. The illustration facing page 503 is after Robert Jefferson, is signed with his monogram as the bottom left , and accompanies the poem: “A midsummer lyric”. Robin de Beaumont’s notes regarding this copy are on the front endpaper recto.
Binding: It looks as though this volume had is covers blocked after the case was attached to the text block. Yellow endpapers and pastedowns. Brown honeycomb grain cloth. Both covers are blocked with an identical design. The lower cover is blocked in blind and in relief. The upper cover is blocked in gold and in relief. The gold fillets form a ‘rule-frame’ border, and within these a wide gold border has repeating ‘arrow heads’ blocked in relief. On the corners, groups of leaves and a flower are blocked in gold. The central oval is framed with the same blocking as for the borders. On the centre, the arms of the Corporation of London are blocked in gold. Above and below the arms, the words: “/ London/ Society/” are blocked in gold, together with sprigs of leaves and flowers. The spaces between the decoration is punched inwards, making the decorative elements ‘intaglio’. The spine is blocked in gold and in relief. At the head and at the tail, bands of repeating floral patterns are blocked in relief within a gold lettering-piece blocked across the spine. A gold fillet is blocked above and below these lettering-pieces. The title words are blocked down the spine, all are blocked in relief within ten gold lettering-pieces. The words: “/ London/ Society/” are blocked within two scroll-shaped lettering pieces. The words: “/ Light/ amusing/ literature/ for/ the hours of/ relaxation/ richly/ illustrated/” are blocked in relief within eight gold lettering-pieces. Beneath these words, three garter stars are blocked in gold, with decoration within each picked out in relief. The three stars are respectively: the (English) Garter Star – emblem of St George; the (Scottish) Order of the Thistle – emblem of the thistle; the (Irish) Order of St Patrick – emblem of the shamrock. The mottos of each order are blocked in relief within each garter: “Honi soit qui mal y pense; Nemo me impune lacessit; Quis separabit MDCCXXXIII”. At the tail, the words: “/ Vol. V./” are blocked in relief within a rectangular gold-letting piece.
- Production date
- 1864
- Dimensions
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Height: 230 millimetres
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Thickness: 52 millimetres
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Width: 155 millimetres
- Curator's comments
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The issues in this volume are Vol. V no. XXVI, January 1864 to Vol. V. no. XXXI, June 1864.
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See:
http://www.victorianweb.org/periodicals/londonsociety/cooke.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Society
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Ball, p. 133, cites a count of six examples of this grain, on books published between 1862-1866. “Rare”
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From Gleeson White London Society
Pages 55 to 58
LONDON SOCIETY
In 1864, M. J. Lawless's Not for You (p. 85); a fine J. D. Watson, The Duet (p. 268); Charley Blake, by G. Du Maurier (p. 385); At Swindon (p.41), M. E. Edwards, and Little Golden Hair, by R. Barnes, are the only others above the average. Adelaide Claxton, W. M'Connell, H. Sanderson, and J. B. Zwecker provide most of the rest. The second half of the year (vol. vi.) is far better, contains some good work by the 'talented young lady,' M. E. E. (to quote contemporary praise); that her work was talented all students of the 'sixties' will agree. A Holocaust (p. 433), Dangerous (p. 353), Gone (p. 185), Magdalen (p. 553), ./Jfzlly's Success (p. 269), and Unto this Last (p. 252) are all by Miss Edwards. A fine Millais, Knightly Worth (p. 247), and a good J. D. Watson, Blankton Weir (p. 416), would alone make the volume memorable. C. A. Doyle has some of his best drawings to A Shy Man, and G. H. Thomas and others maintain a good average. Rebecca Solomon has a good full page (p. 541). In the extra Christ¬mas number you will find E. J. Poynter's A Sprig of Holly (p. 28), J. D. Watson's Story of a Christmas Fairy (p. 24), a notable design, besides capital illustrations by Du Maurier, R. Dudley (The Blue Boy), R. Barnes, and Marcus Stone.
- Location
- Not on display
- Associated titles
-
Associated Title: Notes on dress at a fancy ball.
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Associated Title: A midsummer lyric.
- Acquisition date
- 1992
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1992,0406.211.b
