VANITY FAIR, "SPY", CARTOONS

List of Available Prints

The Vanity Fair cartoons were published in England, mainly in the Victorian era, and are now sought after by collectors throughout the world.

Leslie Ward, Spy, the main artist published his own biography in 1915, "Forty Years of Spy", and the cartoons in fact are often referred to as "Spy" cartoons, due to the prolific numbers produced by this artist.

Carlo Pellegrini, the other outstanding "Vanity Fair" artist signed his work "Ape", and as a somewhat large and hirsute man it was thought that he was describing himself. However, as an Italian, ape, to Pellegrini, meant bee, an industrious insect often used by Napoleon as a decoration to his military standards. Pellegrini, means pilgrims.

The earliest listing, or catalogue, was published in 1976, this work; apart from the indices contained in the bound volumes of the prints was the first guide to the complete collection; and was a 36 page sale catalogue containing 69 categories, published by Vanity Fair Ltd of Cincinatti.

Paul Victorious compiled a listing of the Vanity Fair cartoons remaining in his collection and this was published in 1981 as the Vanity Fair Collection. It contains 36 pages, and divides the prints into some 50, rather arbitrary, categories. This listing has a variety of curiosities with regard to the placing of the subjects. A Mr Olman, and his two sons who bought Victorious' collection are perhaps responsible for these anomalies. "Royalty" includes persons as prosaic as Kruger, the South African Boer War leader, "Oom Paul", and M. de Gries, the Russian Ambassador is also so listed, whilst the unfortunate French soldier Alfred Dreyfus is listed under "Politicians".

However, full marks to them for their efforts of listing, sorting, pricing and classification. Throughout the list N/S (not for sale) frequently appears, suggesting, even in 1981 that many prints were no longer available, or were in short supply.

In 1981 the Cincinatti Vanity Fair Company sold all the stock to Clive Burdon of London, and in 1982 a new tome was published, "In Vanity Fair", authored by Matthews and Melini.

The collection of prints, some several hundred - many of which are signed by the sitter - that I have for sale, is being offered at a discount of 15% on any current established price that you can find from any other dealer, which includes the text. Send proof of a current offer and we'll deduct 15% and we'll also pay the postage packing and registration/insurance. If the original offer doesn't include the text our deduction will only be 10%. No prints will be sold without the accompanying text. Signed prints carry a premium of 25%.

Send in your wants list, and an offer, if you can't find the print listed elsewhere.

All the prints are in good to excellent condition unless otherwise stated, all come complete with original descriptive text, all will be rolled and securely packaged for despatch. Goods can be inspected by appointment.

The collection was commenced by the Hon. Lady Roberts CVO, Lady Roberts of Kandahar; wife of Frederick Sleigh Roberts, "Bobs", First Lord Roberts of Kandahar; during her stay in India as wife to the Commander in Chief of the British armies in India in the 1890's. Lady Roberts also collected all the regimental seals and insignia from letters and envelopes sent to her husband's office, and these seals are now in my collection.

Subsequent additions to this Vanity Fair collection were made by a collector in South East England, a Mr Arthur Phillips during the 1930's, from whom my grandfather, William Alexander Tunstill, bought the stock in the 1950's.

It is this collection, with this exceptional pedigree, that is now, individually, for sale, at such realistic prices.

John Tunstill
jon@technet.it
0039 075 930 2428
La Preghiera
Calzolaro
06018 PG Italia