Gustav Klimt’s Portraits

Gustav Klimt’s Portraits

In his “Commentary on a Non-Existent Self-Portrait”, Gustav Klimt wrote: “I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself as a subject for a painting than I am in other people, above all women…There is nothing special about me. I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night…Whoever wants to know something about me…ought to look carefully at my pictures.”

 94055

Klimt’s works were revealing in more ways than one: his body of work is perhaps best characterised by its frank eroticism. Aside from a few landscapes, it is his depiction of the female nude that won him his biggest fans and his harshest critics. In 1900, he was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Great Hall at the University of Vienna. His depictions of Philosophy, Medicine and Jurisprudence in female form subverted traditionally allegorical and symbolic images, creating a new, more sexual depiction. The claims that the works were pornographic lead to their removal from the Great Hall, and Klimt decided to no longer accept public commissions.

 94027

This did not hinder his career, however. Despite not taking part in the cafe culture which was so important for European artists at the time and living a mostly reclusive life, Klimt’s fame brought the patrons to his door, and with his wild success he was able to afford to be selective. The influence of Japanese art made Klimt’s work distinctive, and as a leading figure of the Vienna Secession movement, he was not bound by the constrictions of a particular ideal in the creation of art or a stylistic movement. As the motto of the Secessionists pledged: “Der Zeit kunst. Der Kunst ihre Freiheit” (To every age its art. To art its freedom).

 

A year after Klimt’s death in 1918, Fünfundzwanzig Handzeichnungen was published, a portfolio of 25 drawings that proved to be just as controversial as his earlier painted works. The monochrome and two-colour collotype reproductions were almost indistinguishable from the original works. The meticulous nature of the printing has led some art historians to suspect he was involved with the planning of the production.

 94049

The collection features many erotic scenes of nude women, some of whom are coupled in Sapphic embraces reminiscent of his most famous work, The Kiss. The originals from which these prints were taken were exhibited in 1900 at Gallerie Miethke and the International Exhibition of Prints and Drawings in Vienna in 1913. Again, Klimt’s work met with criticism in some areas; these depictions of the female nude displayed the kind of naked vulnerability which was not perceived as celebratory, but simply pornographic.

 

Contemporary opinion of Klimt’s work may have been divided, but as is often the case in art, controversy brought Klimt fame and success. Now we view his works as exceptional, differing from much of the work being produced by other artists of his time and creating images of the female nude that are easily identifiable as his own. The nature of the Secessionist movement was that it allowed for a kind of creative freedom under which Klimt thrived. By not committing to public commissions he was freed from the constraints of public decency, whilst maintaining a prestige and respectability that allowed him to survive as an artist.

View our collection of Klimt prints available for sale here.

Doré’s London

Doré’s London

Gustave Doré’s illustrations of Victorian London are not only singularly beautiful, but revealed to his contemporaries the harsh reality of life in this vibrant city. Although it was not a depiction of London which was received well by British critics, the Frenchman succeeded in creating a timeless vision of the city before him.

 hd_100234798_01

Doré’s career began at the young age of fifteen, when he began working as a caricaturist for the French newspaper Le Journal pour Rire. This job launched the career of the young artist, and he gained a foothold in the world of illustration by winning commissions for scenes from books by Rabelais, Balzac, Milton and Dante.

In 1853, Doré began to expand his reach to the United Kingdom, as he was asked to illustrate the works of Lord Byron. This led to additional work for English publishers, including producing illustrations for an English language Bible. Doré’s international renown developed further after he illustrated a French edition of Cervantes’s Don Quixote. The resulting images of the knight and his squire became so well-known that they continue to shape ideas of the physical “look” of the characters for stage and film directors, as well as artists alike.

A major exhibition of his work appeared in London in 1867, and later the Doré Gallery opened in Bond Street. Doré’s rich and lavish style was a hit with London society, while his characteristic touches of grotesque fantasy appealed to the Victorian gothicism. His popularity was so great that he employed a team of forty wood engravers to complete his commissions.

 15

Two years later, Doré met Blanchard Jerrold, who suggested that they work together to produce a comprehensive portrait of London. Jerrold had been inspired by The Microcosm of London, produced by Rudolph Ackermann, William Pyre and Thomas Rowlandson in 1808. Doré agreed, signing a five-year contract with the publishers Grant & Co., spending three months of the year in London and receiving the vast salary of £100,000 per year for the project.

The completed volume, published in 1872, contained 180 engravings by Doré and discursive letters by Jerrold. Despite the work being a joint endeavour, it was Doré’s contribution which received the most attention. The illustrator employed a slightly different style for this venture,  adopting a greater sense of realism to fully bring the reader inside his vision of London, including astonishing imaginings of the city’s future.

Created with Nokia Smart Cam

Critics of the time were, however, unsure;  realism was less relished when depicting controversial subject matter. They disliked Doré’s focus on the poverty within the city, and he was accused by The Art Journal  of “inventing rather than copying”. In contrast, Jerrold’s letters were devoid of similar social criticism, but despite this, they were seen as being unable to live up to the illustrations.

Despite the criticisms, the book nevertheless enjoyed commercial success, and the pair planned to work on another volume, this time focussing on Paris. It was not to be: Doré died in 1883, and Jerrold began to work on a biography of him, but he too died before it’s completion.

 

The Moral Alphabet: A is for Admiration

The Moral Alphabet: A is for Admiration

Archibald

The Moral Alphabet is a whimsical romp from A-Z which has delighted children and adults since its publication in 1899. Written by Hilaire Belloc, the anglo-French writer, Peter Harrington has acquired a copy originally belonging to much-lauded Great War poet Rupert Brooke.

94946

 

Brooke was an ardent fan of the work of Belloc, and his influence upon Brooke was profound although not often acknowledged. As early as 1906, Brooke wrote to his mentor St. John Lucas expressing his distaste for Belloc’s book Hills and Sea: “We are having read to us Belloc’s new book. I had expected something like ‘The Path to Rome,’ and was therefore disappointed. So far as we have got – about half way – it is historical, descriptive, quite interesting, the expression of an unusual view. But it is not Belloc. I miss that grave and fantastic irresponsibility; it is a clever book which might have been written by any of several men; I wanted one that only one could have made.”

egg

A year later, Belloc travelled to Cambridge to give a reading at Pembroke College. It was there that Brooke was able to meet the writer he so admired for the first time. The pair spent the evening together, and as he told to his friend Francis John MacCunn, he walked the “wonderfully drunk” Belloc home. Brooke lunched with Belloc the following day, and two days later wrote to his mother how that afternoon he had ,“met him again in the street and, finding he was still hazy as to the best way to his house, walked there with him again. So altogether I feel rather pleased with myself!”.

 

snail

Brooke’s biographer Nigel Jones has observed how Belloc’s brazenly vivacious alcoholism made quite an impression on Brooke. Jones also notes that in early 1909 they met again, after Brooke invited Belloc to dine with him and the Cambridge Apostles at his rooms in King’s College. Shortly before Christmas 1914, Brooke was stationed with his battalion in Dorset; not long before his death, he wrote to the French painter Jacques Raverat “I love no women and very few men: only Mr Belloc.”

94946_1

Belloc was a strong literary personality of the Edwardian period, well-known for his love of beer and wine, male companionship, and outdoor pursuits such as walking and sailing. It was in 1896 that Belloc began to write his comical and satirical pieces which his audience found so enjoyable, and of which Moral Alphabet is a prime example. This is a thoroughly charming association copy.

volunteer

A Family Record of The Great War (Scrapbook)

A Family Record of The Great War (Scrapbook)

The story of the Great War tends to be told from the perspective of large-scale historical events – more personal stories are often overshadowed by the strategy, the battles, the victories and defeats.

Scrapbook from Great War from Charles John Huskinson

It has been touching, then, to find and read the efforts of Charles John Huskinson and his son Patrick, who collated a huge ephemera album filled with fragments of wartime experiences. The range of material collected in this family album is astounding: caricatures of comrades, christmas cards, commendations and telegrams, newspaper clippings and an abundance of photographs, sketches and poems.

In 1899, Colonel C. J. Huskinson (1865-1932) entered the war having been commissioned to the 4th Battalion of the Nottinghamshire and Derby regiment. By 1913, he had become commanding officer of the 1/8th (TF) Battalion, but before they could leave for France, Huskinson was appointed Commandant in Lines of Communication. In March 1915, he was relocated to the British base at Étaples, where he remained until the armistice.

The album provides particularly rich detailing of Huskinson’s life at Étaples and the workings of the camp. For instance, a detailed map is accompanied by numerous photographs of Huskinson’s hut, funk-hole, the mess and his colleagues. The album also includes numerous camp orders, including ones issued by commandant Brigadier-General Andrew Graham-Thompson, along with a typed roll of officers in the military district.

Charles John Huskinson’s son, Patrick (1897-1966), also served during the First World War. He was commissioned to the Sherwood Foresters in 1915, but was almost immediately seconded to the Royal Flying Corps.

In 1916 he was awarded the Military Cross in 1916 for descending to an altitude of 800 ft. to bomb a military train and station. A year later, he added a bar to the military cross by taking down nine enemy planes in six months, as well as supporting infantry attacks. Among the material relating to Patrick, there can be found a personal congratulation from General Henry Rawlinson, commending Patrick on his achievements.

One touching letter from Patrick to his father details the 1917 events which saw him shot down over Ypres; the album includes photographs of the crash site and newspaper clippings. Material in the album relating to Patrick includes portraits of him in uniform, group photographs with officers in squadrons he served with, as well as several marvellous photographs of his plane in aerial action over Andover.

Scrapbook from Great War from Charles John Huskinson Pictures

After the armistice in 1918, Patrick remained with the RAF, and In 1940 was appointed Director of Armament Development. A year later he was blinded during a blitz air raid, but despite his injury went on to become the President of the Air Armament Board, and consequently became “Britain’s best known bomb designer”.

The album also brings an insight into the day-to-day particulars of wartime. Pasted to its pages are numerous programs for concerts and dances, photographs of sporting events and pictures of concert troupes, as well as Christmas cards from various battalions, brigades and divisions. Aerial photographs depict the devastation and destruction caused by modern combat, and Hague’s special orders of the day bring an awareness of the larger picture. Touchingly, the album also includes numerous comical poems and caricatures of colleagues, testament to the determination of soldiers to find relief and creative outlets as antidote to the frustrations of living in conflict, and the pain of being far from home. A remarkable find.

Click here to browse our collection of naval & military history books.

Scrapbook from Great War from Charles John Huskinson Pictures

Maintaining the Condition of Rare Books

Maintaining the Condition of Rare Books

One of the most important considerations in maintaining the condition of your rare books collection is the storage of your books. Most book collectors are aware of the importance of using acid-free paper when it comes to book maintenance, but ‘acid-free’ should extend to all surfaces which come into contact with your books over an extended period of time. One of the primary areas to examine, as a collector, is your book storage.

Shelving Your Rare Books Collection

It is no coincidence that libraries and archives often use metal shelving units. Although it might not be an aesthetic decision, metal shelving is ideal because of the material it is made from. If coated with a baked enamel finish, it should protect your books for years to come. At the risk of making your home resemble your local under-funded public library, one may still prefer the traditional wooden shelving as the best solution. It can be. However, as a responsible collector one must ensure that the shelves are varnished with a finish that won’t damage the print or leaves. Protecting your books from the wood can be done by applying a number of varnishes, for example, water-based aliphatic urethane or a two-coat epoxy finish.

Rare books collection shelves.

Stacking Your Rare Books Collection

How your books are stacked will also affect their longevity and appearance. Simply putting a book on a shelf can change its shape over time, leading to damage which will decrease its value. Firstly, you should avoid letting the books slouch. This can result in curvature of the spine and some warping of the boards. Although this advice may contradict your instinctive desire to have the books stacked pleasingly side by side, books which are wider than 3 inches and taller than 18 inches (heavier folios) should be laid flat. This is because the bindings of such large books cannot support the spine. Over time, if the books are stored upright, the spine will weaken, warping the covers and damaging the leaves.

These volumes should not be stacked more than three high in order to protect the book at the bottom of the pile. Resisting the urge to order your books alphabetically can also help to preserve your collection. It is best to group the works by size, so that they may support one another on the shelf. Additionally, it is important not to stack the works too tightly together in order to prevent abrasion on the bindings.

Environment

It is generally recommended that rare and antiquarian books should be kept in humidity between 45 and 60 per cent. In an atmosphere such as this, the books should be prevented from suffering from damp. Excessively bright natural light can also damage books, especially cloth bound volumes. Furthermore, the heat from light can accelerate the drying process which may affect any glue used in the binding process, and will leave the leaves crisp and more prone to tearing. Both our shops have windows coated with UV-filtering film and we recommend that collectors consider using this.

Acid-free UV-resistant plastic book covers will also protect individual books from damage from sunlight, as well as acting as a barrier to oils, dirt and handling.

Because books can attract pests, taking books off the shelves to dust them will help unsettle anything that might be making your books their new home. Bookworms and silverfish are less likely to damage your collection if the books are regularly opened and the leaves turned. To deter rodents such as mice, check around the edges of the shelves for droppings and areas which they may have chewed through. The simple task of regular dusting is also helpful.

Repair

If a book has become damaged by rodents, damp or general wear, resist the temptation to fix the book yourself. If the boards have become detached from the book block or there is a tear in the binding, secure the book using cotton tape tied around it, before taking it to a professional restorer.

A rare book in need of book maintenance.

If you would like advice about professional book restoration, the Chelsea Bindery and Peter Harrington offer a complete service. Please contact Emma Doyle emma@peterharrington.co.uk