Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

The Ricky Jay Collection

Sat, Feb 25, 2023 12:00PM EST
Lot 198

Humours of a Fair. London: W&T Darton, Dec. 3, 1807. Writin...

Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
Humours of a Fair. London: W&T Darton, Dec. 3, 1807. Writing sheet bearing eight colorful wood-engraved vignettes of an English fairground and its denizens, including Merryman shaving Mr. Punch, two fairgoers ?eating hot whitepot for a prize,? ?the rural dance,? a conjurer performing Cups and Balls as a clown looks on, children ?bringing home the fairings,? a slack wire act, and at the top a lively view of the fairgrounds replete with banners, rides, stage shows, tents, and attendees. The central section of the sheet bears a four-stanza poem titled ?Christmas Recollections? in the neat hand of, and signed and dated by a schoolboy of Bitteswell school, and is dated December 1819. 19 ? x 15 ??. Laid down to stiff card, with partial old mat remaining. Closed tears and marginal chips. Extracted from a publication issued by the Darton brothers? press, which was well-known for juvenile works. See Celebrations of Curious Characters, frontispiece.